Performing electronic commerce on the internet providing links from product manufacturers to authorized dealers where the authorized dealer provides a custom order interface for the manufacturer's products
A method is described of providing dealer authorization information to a remote processing system. A local processing system receives information from a manufacturer for updating a database of authorized dealers. The local processing system then receives a validation request from the remote processing system via a network. In response to receiving the validation request, the local processing system queries the database and transmits information to the remote processing system, including an indication of whether a particular dealer is an authorized dealer for one or more manufacturers. The validation request is generated in response to the remote processing system's having identified a predetermined HTML tag in a dealer World Wide Web page. Capability to recognize the tag and transmit a validation request in response thereto is provided by a Web browser plug-in downloaded to the remote processing system. The local processing system may also include a number of order processing units for electronic commerce. Each order processing unit is customized for a specific manufacturer and a specific dealer and provides a customized user interface for ordering products only from the one specific manufacturer and dealer. A customer using a remote processing system accesses an order processing unit by first accessing a manufacturer Web site, which provides a hypertext link to one of the processing units.
An online shopping system has a server, at least one virtual store provided on the server and a plurality of pieces of customers terminal equipment electrically connected to the server. Each customer's order for at least one commodity being sold by the virtual store is made by the terminal equipment to the server. At least a place where the commodity is kept temporarily such as a 24-hour opened convenience store is selected as a place where the commodity should be delivered when the order is made.
A configuration system for an application having a plurality of application components is described. The configuration system includes a configuration oracle/initiator that repeatedly asserts a desired state to the application components to operate in that desired state. The desired state is a predetermined state. The configuration oracle only asserts the desired state to the application components and does not control the manner in which each of the application components moves to the desired state. The configuration system also includes a configuration engine in each of the application components that causes the corresponding application components to move to the desired state upon receiving the state assertion of the desired state unless the configuration engine determines that the corresponding application component is already in the desired state. A method of configuring an application having a large number of application components is also described.
An embodiment consistent with the present invention includes a method and apparatus for performing software distribution of a software product electronically. Readiness criteria information associated with the software product is received via software in a data processing system. The readiness criteria information is posted in a central location. A private environment is then provided within the data processing system for accommodating an online site. The online site, which contains links to the software product in accordance with the readiness criteria information, is installed into the private environment. The online site is tested in the private environment in accordance with the UAT criteria information. When the online site meets the readiness and UAT criteria, a public environment is provided with access to the online site.
A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a service provider for a plurality of clients. The system includes relay (30) adapted to communicate with the clients across the Internet and with a server database. The server database stores a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object including a parcel identifier attribute and a parcel location attribute. The server database further includes a URL attribute for each client. A client database (80) includes a plurality of parcel objects, each object corresponding to a parcel being handled for the client and including a parcel identifier and a parcel location attribute. A client database controller (70) communicates with the relay, and across a second network, possibly the Internet with the client. The relay is responsive to a change in state of the parcel location attribute to relay the change in state of the parcel location attribute to the client database controller across the Internet. The client database controller responds to receipt of the change in state of parcel location to write the change of state to the client database. The client database controller is further responsive to parcel location requests from the client across the second network to return a location and a parcel identifier for any parcels requested by the client.
The customer selects products from the manufacturer's web site and places them into an electronic shopping cart administered by the manufacturer's site. Instead of proceeding through a checkout line at the manufacturer's site, the system captures all pertinent information regarding the customer's selections and forwards them to a retail site designated by the manufacturer or of the customer's choosing. The transfer of shopping cart information is effected so that the customer finds himself or herself directly in the checkout line of the designated retailer, thereby eliminating the need to fill a shopping cart through product selection at the retail site.
