Methods and apparatus for storing and accessing vendor master data records in a cloud network via a proxy vendor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11157990-B2
Application number	US-201615171398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

The embodiments in this disclosure include a system for receiving search requests for one or more items from a client device having access to a local database that stores primary catalogs containing items of contracted entities. If the items are not found in the primary catalogs, the system may be configured to execute an API for processing the search request by routing the search request to a proxy vendor computer in a cloud network. The cloud network may be configured to store vendor master records for one or more non-contracted entities. The proxy vendor computer can conduct a text search of secondary catalogs associated with non-contracted entities, and can transmit search results to the client device for the requested items. The items may correspond to one or more vendor master records associated with a non-contracted entity and may have a matching entry in one or more of the secondary catalogs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
in a system in a network including a proxy vendor computer:
receiving, by the system, a search request for one or more items from a client device, the system having local access to a database storing one or more primary contract based catalogs, wherein the search request is received via a user interface (UI) of an application executing on the client device;
searching, locally by the system, the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
only in response to determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more contract based catalogs, executing, by the system, a first application program interface (API) for routing the search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network, the proxy vendor computer is remote from the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
conducting, by the proxy vendor computer, a text search of one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for one or more e-commerce marketplaces, wherein each of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces hosts items offered by a plurality of suppliers;
transmitting, by the system, one or more search results to the client device for display on the UI, the one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the search request, the one or more items corresponding to one or more vendor master records associated with at least one of the plurality of suppliers, the one or more items in the search request having a matching entry in the secondary non-contract based catalog of at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces; and
responsive at least to the one or more items associated with the at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces being purchased, storing, by the proxy vendor computer in one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer, the one or more vendor master records associated with the at least one of the plurality of suppliers of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces when said one or more vendor master records are new vendor master records so that products or services associated with the new vendor master records are accessible in subsequent searches by a plurality of users,
wherein the one or more vendor master records stored by the proxy vendor computer in the one or more databases are accessible by client devices in communication with the system,
wherein the one or more search results are transmitted to the client device for display on the UI without redirecting the application to a page associated with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
tracking the search requests for items not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
analyzing the tracked search requests;
determining categories of items based on the tracked search request; and
adding a tracked item to a primary catalog based on the tracked search requests meeting a first set of criteria.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, by the system, an additional search request for the one or more items from an additional client device;
determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
routing the additional search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network;
performing the search request on the one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer and not the one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for the one or more e-commerce marketplaces;
transmitting additional one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the additional search request to the additional client device.

4. The method of 1 wherein the proxy vendor computer manages routing and processing of the search request when the one or more requested items are not in the one or more primary catalogs.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy vendor computer is configured to transform search requests for spot buys into requests compatible with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, prior to said transmitting the one or more search results, whether the one or more search results satisfy one or more rules set by an enterprise with which the client device is associated.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the vendor master records are accessible in the network for spot buy purchasing without having to maintain or administer the vendor master records for each vendor at the client devices.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having programmed computer code stored thereon, which when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform operations comprising:
receiving a search request for one or more items from a client device at a system in a network, the system including a proxy vendor computer, the system having local access to a database storing one or more primary contract based catalogs, wherein the search request is received via a user interface (UI) of an application executing on the client device;
searching, locally by the system, the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
only in response to determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more contract based catalogs, executing, by the system, a first application program interface (API) for routing the search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network, the proxy vendor computer is remote from the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;
conducting, by the proxy vendor computer, a text search of one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for one or more e-commerce marketplaces, wherein each of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces hosts items offered by a plurality of suppliers;
transmitting, by the system, one or more search results to the client device for display on the UI, the one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the search request, the one or more items corresponding to one or more vendor master records associated with at least one of the plurality of suppliers, the one or more items in the search request having a matching entry in the secondary non-contract based catalog of at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces; and
responsive at least to the one or more items associated with the at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces being purchased, storing, by the proxy vendor computer in one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer, the one or more vendor master records associated with the at least one of the plurality of suppliers of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces when said one or more second vendor master records are new vendor master records so that products or services associated with the new vendor master records are accessible in subsequent searches by a plurality of users,
wherein the one or more vendor master records stored by the proxy vendor computer in the one or more databases are accessible by client devices in communication with the system,
wherein the one or more search results are transmitted to the client device for display on the UI without redirecting the application to a page associated with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the computer system to further perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the system, an addit

Assignees

• Sap Se

Inventors

• Bhojwani Sudhir
• Mondkar Sanish
• Fox Joseph
• Tung Yuan
• Cromar Matthew
• Zhang Grace
• Weigand Steven
• Jayaseelan Rajanikanth
• Chakravarty Sandeep
• Lakshman Sudha

Classifications

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title

• G06Q30/0635 Primary

  replenishment orders; recurring orders · CPC title

• G06Q30/0603

  Catalogue creation or management · CPC title

• G06F16/9535

  Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title