Patent ID: 7552067

Claim:
A computer implemented method of satisfying a demand, the method comprising: collecting demands for one or more items, the one or more items having the same level code, and at least one item of the one or more items being associated with one or more dependant demands at a higher level code; and for each of the collected demands, determining a first demand shortage quantity, the first demand shortage quantity indicating a first quantity of the collected demand that has not been satisfied at the level code of the collected demand, searching for available unallocated supply of the collected demand, at the level code of the collected demand, responsive to the first demand shortage quantity, determining a second demand shortage quantity, the second demand shortage quantity indicating a second quantity of the collected demand that could not be satisfied at the level code of the collected demand or from the available unallocated supply, and creating supply, the creation of supply being responsive to the second demand shortage quantity and the creation of supply including satisfying a dependent demand at the higher level code of the one or more dependant demands that are associated with the collected demand; wherein the steps of collecting, determining, and searching are executed in a computer.