US 11,715,065 B1
Systems and methods providing virtual distribution center inventory for localized fulfilment
John Roland Clem, Manhattan Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to Auctane, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Filed by Stamps.com Inc., El Segundo, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/27,139.
Application 17/027,139 is a continuation of application No. 15/589,713, filed on May 8, 2017, granted, now 10,817,839.
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/00 (2023.01); G06Q 10/0875 (2023.01); G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/0875 (2013.01) [G06Q 30/0635 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
storing, by a supplier system, information from intermediary suppliers regarding election to allow items of a supplier's goods stocked at intermediary stocking locations of the intermediary suppliers to be used as virtual distribution center inventory, one or more accounts of the intermediary suppliers, and inventory of intermediary stocking locations of the intermediary suppliers, wherein the supplier comprises a manufacturer of the supplier's goods and the intermediary suppliers comprise independent resellers of the supplier's goods, and wherein the information regarding inventory of intermediary stocking locations of the intermediary suppliers is provided by the intermediary suppliers in real-time as transactions are processed affecting quantities of the items of the supplier's goods;
analyzing a web based direct sales platform purchase transaction between the supplier and an acquirer purchasing one or more items of the supplier's goods, the information regarding inventory of intermediary stocking locations of the intermediary suppliers, and the information regarding election to allow items of the supplier's goods to be used as virtual distribution center inventory;
offering the acquirer, during the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction, a localized item procurement fulfilment option for localized item procurement fulfilment of at least one item of the one or more items of the supplier's goods based upon the analyzing indicating that virtual distribution center inventory suitable for use in the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction is available; and
converting, during the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction, the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction to processing fulfilment of the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction using the at least one item of the one or more items of the supplier's goods stocked at an intermediary stocking location of a selected intermediary supplier of the intermediary suppliers, instead of using inventory of the supplier, based upon the acquirer selecting the localized item procurement fulfilment during the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction, wherein converting the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction to processing fulfilment of the web based direct sales platform purchase transaction using the at least one item of the one or more items of the supplier's goods stocked at an intermediary stocking location overrides a sequence of events otherwise implemented when the acquirer interacts with the supplier to procure the supplier's goods to instead fulfill the least one item of the one or more items of the supplier's goods stocked at the intermediary stocking location for providing the localized item procurement fulfilment to the acquirer, at least in part, by:
performing a checkout process that directs payment to an account of the selected intermediary supplier, identified in the information regarding one or more accounts of the intermediary suppliers, for the at least one item; and
communicating one or more messages regarding the localized item procurement fulfilment to the selected intermediary supplier so that the at least one item of the one or more items of the supplier's goods are fulfilled from virtual distribution center inventory provided by the intermediary stocking location of the selected intermediary supplier.