CA2490489A1 - Method and system for a computer network based customer interface - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for conveniently dealing with various customer-related transactions over a computer network (11), comprises one or more customer interface web sites which permit remote users to establish accounts and run user sessions that involve paperless invoicing, shipment status tracking, customized data summaries and other related customer services.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A COMPUTER
NETWORK BASED CUSTOMER INTERFACE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for conducting business s over a computer network, and more specifically to a comprehensive customer interface that provides paperless invoicing, shipment status tracking, customized data organization and summaries and other customer-related services over a computer network.
BACKGROUND
Many individuals and businesses presently utilize various traditional "paper-based"
io methods of doing business between vendors and customers. Such traditional methods include, for example, the use of paper invoices, purchase orders and billing summaries. In addition, when specific information regarding an existing business relationship or transaction is desired, the methods for discovering such specific information tend to involve the use of the telephone and/or the researching of paper files that can at times be voluminous.
is Unfortunately, these traditional paper-based methods can be time consuming or cumbersome in some instances, which can negatively impact the cost and/or ability of doing business. In some instances, the process of discovering specific information, such as the status of an order, amounts due and owing, etc., can be such a hindrance that a customer may decline to pursue such information. Without a real-time understanding of the full business relationship with ao a vendor, however, many individuals and business customers may be hindered in effectively planning different aspects of their business, especially those with respect to that particular vendor.
This problem has only been partially solved by dedicated business software programs that facilitate the storage and dissemination of information from a vendor organization. Such Zs dedicated business software programs are used by some vendors and customers, but such use often results in the generation of paper that gets forwarded to the customer.
Vendor-based software programs may also result in the forwarding of electronic files, such as spreadsheets, but the organization and storage of such files on the computer systems of a customer will likely be unknown to a vendor. Because such organization is typically unknown, the vendor is unlikely to

-2-be able to provide electronic files in a fashion that has comprehensive meaning beyond the information contained in a particular file. Thus, under a dedicated business software scheme, real-time data sufficient to comprehend the full business relationship between a customer and vendor is generally not available on demand to the customer.
s The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web ("WWW") has provided a new way for individuals and businesses to communicate and has also provided a convenient way to access and store information. A large number of individuals and businesses now have Internet and WWW access. As such access has become widespread, an opportunity has thus evolved to enable the improved tracking, storing and accessing of various business-related data, as well as to the facilitation of more convenient customer-vendor interaction. A basic customer interface capable of facilitating some vendor to customer interaction was created by the National Gypsum Company ("NGC") of Charlotte, North Carolina and made available to customers during December of 2000 at www.ngc4me.com.
At the time of its introduction, this basic customer interface provided customers of NGC
is with the ability to access the NGC Internet web site and conduct various activities. These activities included the viewing, searching and printing of cumulative sales data or reports by month, year, prior year, gross sales, net sales and/or quantity of product for a delivered customer by all entities through which that customer had purchased NGC product. Also included were the viewing and searching of invoiced and non-invoiced orders by purchase order number, billing zo number, job number, catalog code, size code, user product number and time frame, as well as the viewing of prices for products by the listed price of the day and by truck or rail as the desired shipping method. These activities also included the ability to view available shipping methods and to track various job specific information, such as specific job pricing, quantities authorized for a customer to buy for a job, amounts of product currently purchased for a job and price as escalation details. Also included were the viewing of customer credit summaries, which could include information as to existing credit limit, credit outstanding, outstanding order amount, credit extended, credit available and past due amount, as well as the ability to contact NGC by providing photos, data and e-mail links for various NGC support staff personnel. The viewing of sales reports permitted users to access and search sales volume broken down by locations, dates so purchased, products and number of shipments, and users were permitted to customize and name specific reports to include various locations that a given user was authorized to view. Links

-3-within reports as to the number of shipments also permitted access to individual orders within the report.
Additional features of this basic customer interface as of December 2000 also included customer home pages containing hyperlinks to invoices for the day, and orders delivering, s shipping or entered for the day, as well as the ability of the site to determine the company or customer associated with a particular individual user and that individual user's corresponding level of site access corresponding to the corporate structure for the company or customer associated with that individual user. Also included was the ability of NGC to maintain and to send targeted messages to users. Other capabilities added during the Spring of 2001 included the io ability to track shipments online in real-time and the ability of some authorized users to view data for an entire customer organization beyond the assigned location of those particular users.
Despite the usefulness of this basic customer interface, however, many perceived needs of customers were not being met, such that a more advanced customer interface with additional features was desirable. Accordingly, there exists a need for a computer network based customer is interface that, among other things, tracks and stores business-related data, automatically generates, summarizes and transfers this data on demand, facilitates various business transactions electronically, and permits customers to specify how their data is organized and presented.
SUMMARY
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method for ao conveniently maintaining information regarding vendor-customer relationships so that such information is readily available to customers and/or vendors over a computer network, such as the Internet.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system and method permits remote users to establish individual or business accounts, to store data securely to be retrieved as and analyzed on demand, to customize the organization and summaries of their specific business information, and to conduct business transactions electronically. These functions can be implemented using airy suitable commercially-available computer equipment, such as a networked server running software designed to provide the desired functionality.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become 3o apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed

4 PCT/US2003/019841 description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
s The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only to provide examples of possible structures for the disclosed inventive customer interface web site.
These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system in accordance with an embodiment of the o present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary HTML public home page for a customer interface web site provided by the system shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of operating the computer interface web site.
~s FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a customized HTML customer home page provided by the customer interface web site.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a customized HTML pricing data sheet page provided by the customer interface web site.
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary shipment status tracking page provided by the customer ao interface web site.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An example application of a system and method according to the invention is described in this section. This example is being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the invention. Other applications are possible, such that this example should not be taken as zs limiting.
In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments of the present invention. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention, it is understood that these

-5-examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Modern technologies such as computer networks and the like, and especially the Internet, offer new opportunities for businesses and individuals to conduct, track and analyze various s business transactions. The present invention provides a system and method for conveniently dealing with electronically stored data for such transactions and updating various business statures, particularly those involving vendor-customer relationships, over a computer network such as the Internet.
An advantage of the present invention is to facilitate the tracking, storage, summary and io on-demand retrieval of various business transactions and statuses on a hosted computer network site for convenient reference and use by a vendor or customer. Another advantage of the present invention is to facilitate standard business transactions more conveniently through the same hosted computer network.
The present invention provides a system and method for conveniently organizing and is tracking data regarding vendor-customer relationships over a computer network, such as the Internet. This system and method of conducting such transactions and business includes providing one or more computer servers capable of hosting one or more network locations.
These servers can include conventional features such as, for example, the ability to register clients, to start client sessions, to send commands to start a client program, to receive commands ao from a remote computer, to pass commands to a software session, and to transmit data to and from a remote computer. In addition to these conventional features, this system and method also includes capabilities that permit remote users to establish individual or business accounts, to store data securely to be retrieved and analyzed on demand, to customize the organization and summaries of their specific business information, and to conduct standard business transactions as electronically.
Hardware, Software and Web Site Domain According to the present invention, the tracking and storing of data, as well as the various so generated outputs, customized organizations and facilitated transactions, can be accomplished and produced on any suitable, commercially-available computer hardware. For example, a server hardware configuration for hosting a network location or web site and performing the

-6-system and method described herein may include one or more 700 Megahertz or higher Pentium or other clone-like chip computers utilizing 100 to 400 megabyte hard drives with a 32 megabyte or greater random access memory. This hardware links to switching equipment allowing for uninterrupted transmission to other servers and at least one back-up domain server along with the s corresponding transfer of data from the inventive network location or web site and one or more companion mirror locations or sites. Additional equipment may also be used to provide firewall security and faster downloads of data not only to users of the network or web site but also to the network or web site itself, regardless of any limitations or hardware or software configurations in the responding equipment. These specifications are only provided as an example, however, as io other hardware configurations may also be used, as will be readily understood by one skilled in the art.
The server can include an HTTP server program that runs on Windows 2000~ via Internet Information Server ("IIS"). Visual Basic Script code, HyperText Markup Language ("HTML") templates and files, and all other application components (GIFs, JPGs, etc.) are saved in Active is Server Pages, which are managed and deployed via Source Safe and Visual Studio. Also utilized are a Red Hats' Linux Server running Perl, PHP and a SQL Anywhere°
database to manage the site. Visual Basic°, VBScript~, Java~, and/or one or more derivative languages, such as C++, are the preferred computer languages for writing the various software programs for the site, although alternative computer languages can be used. The various functions of the inventive system can zo be implemented using software written in one or more of the foregoing languages, and targeted for execution on the server hardware and operating systems disclosed herein.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the organization, tracking and review of various business data or the conducting of specific business transactions may be made at several computer network locations or web addresses, or alternatively at a particular one-stop as Internet site or brand such as, for example, www.ngc4me.com, which web site is developed, owned and operated by NGC. The www .ngc4me.com site combines, among other activities, the establishment of individual or business accounts, the secure storage and organization of business data, and the customized organization and summary of such data, as well as the ability to create and deliver purchase orders, invoices, payments, and shipment status queries into a single one-3o stop web site that offers a more convenient forum with which to conduct vendor to customer business transactions. A web site designed in accordance with the present invention gives both _7_ customers and vendors a greater opportunity to conduct such transactions and conveniently track the results.
The inventive Internet web site is hosted by a vendor entity, with access to the site being made available only to the vendor and at selective levels to various customers of that vendor, s which result is accomplished by the www.ngc4me.com web site. The web site can be used as a supplemental device to facilitate better data storage and retrieval and more convenient transactions between vendors and customers who are already in traditional business relationships. In addition, or in the alternative, other uses, such as those for strictly web based business relationships, are also contemplated.
io Turning now to FIG. l, there is illustrated an embodiment of a computer network and hosted Internet web site in accordance with the present invention. A remote user utilizes an appropriate computer 10 having Internet access in order to connect to a web site 11, such as www.ngc4me.com, and the hosted system 12 therein. Upon connecting to the host web site, the user encounters one of two switches 20, which are used to actively load balance and provide is fault tolerant Internet links. These switches may be, for example, Radware LinkProofrM
switches, although other appropriate switches for the desired functionality may also be used.
Two separate and distinct T-1 circuits from major Internet network providers link to the host site from different municipalities. These switches 20 constantly monitor the health of their respective connections, and each can route customer requests via the 'best route' to either link. If one ao should fail, the other is capable of handling the load. In addition, if a particular Internet leg is completely congested, a customer can be routed 'around' the congestion and still obtain good service from the host site. These switches are also adapted to automatically throttle and prevent simple Denial Of Service ("DOS") attacks and/or SYN Flood attacks, should they occur, through conventional means and methods.
zs Site users preferably communicate with a proxy server that handles web connections and user authentication requests, as well as session management. This proxy server may be, for example, a hardened version of the iPlanetTM web server, such that there are no exposed Internet Information Servers ("IIS") or services at the host site. This proxy server preferably generates a URL masking system so that no outsider knows what the internal addresses are, and so that the 3o site host can avoid using cookies or other session state devices when delivering its application _g_ solution. This proxy also preferably enforces HTML / Port g0 logical syntax, so that attacks which attempt to use buffer overflow or malformed packets axe rejected.
Referring again to FIG. 1, a network firewall 21 can be seen. Such a firewall can be, for example, a Raptor / Symantec Enterprise FirewallTM, although other suitable firewalls may also s be used. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a firewall 21 ties together three distinct sub networks: the links out to the public Internet via switches 20; a small internal Demilitarized Zone ("DMZ") / service network 22 and an internal private corporate network 23 for the site host. The firewall 21 is preferably an application proxy that decodes most requests packet-by-packet, which provides a high degree of integrity. The firewall 21 also preferably rejects at least known io bad attachments and files, most malformed requests, attempts at buffer over-runs and the like.
Rules at the firewall 21 control all access to and from the private host network, linking the public Internet and the service network. In addition to the foregoing, the inventive web site may use other security layers and devices mentioned elsewhere herein, as well as those that are commonly known by those skilled in the art as well.
is In one embodiment, a separate "hot spare" firewall (not shown) may also be utilized.
Such a hot spare firewall is preferably fully configured with full software capabilities and user licenses, and is ready to take over if the firewall 21 should become unreliable or inoperable.
Several different application servers 24 are preferably used to support the inventive web site. For example, Kana e-Service~ (COM version) may be used to maintain company and Zo customer or personal profiles, which service then controls what web site functionality a customer or staff member can access, along with a definition of what scope of data they can view. As another example, PC Miler~t may be run on an application server that is used to produce road maps with carrier truckload locations and routes. In addition, activePDF~ or any other suitable web grabber type of program may be run to render any Active Server Page ("ASP") and form a as display into a Portable Document Format ("PDF") type of file format. Any number of other specific application servers for a variety of functions and services may also be used as desired within the private host network.
Timely access to and from each of application servers 24 is preferably controlled by a Local Area Network ("LAN") switch 25. This LAN switch 25 may be an Internal Network 3o switch such as those manufactured and sold by Cisco Systems of San Jose, California, or any other appropriate commercially-available LAN switch as is readily known by those skilled in the art. Finally, a custom-built internal application server (called a "NT2Mainframe") may also be run to maintain a link that the site host may have with its mainframe systems 26.
While the foregoing description is applicable to the private network 23 within the inventive web site, similar functionality and connections can likewise apply to a small internal s DMZ service network 22. Such a service network can also include one or more servers 27 controlled by a LAN switch 28. Such servers 27 may include any number of functions as desired, such as a proxy server 29 for handling all web requests and a separate File Transfer Protocol ("FTP") server 30 for handling all FTP requests. The LAN switch 28 may be identical or similar to LAN switch 25 used for the private network 23.
io The inventive site also preferably includes a database server that runs as a clustered server, which ideally provides good performance, fault tolerance and high availability.
Applications and utilities are run against the database server with their own "application level"
logons, and within these programs the site host can control what a given user can see and/or update. The site host is permitted to constantly check the viewing permissions of any given user is against what data they are using or viewing to insure that an application level hack does not allow a customer or hacker to access any data that they axe not entitled to see.
The inventive web application preferably also generates text and PDF e-mail messages that are delivered via a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ("SMTP") to customers over the Internet.
These messages can contain reports, forms (orders, invoices, etc.) or simple text, such as the zo transcription of a cell phone message that an order has shipped. These messages are all preferably routed to the Internet via a mail gateway server. Other servers may also be utilized, such as a fax server that can deliver the sale content to customers via their fax machines. As another example, a BizTalk~ server can be used to send carriers messages that contain tender offers for orders they will deliver, and to receive their responses. Carriers may also send zs shipment status and load location messages to the host via that same channel and/or a host FTP
server.
Varying Customer Types 3o Although it is contemplated that the inventive computer network may be hosted by any paxticulax entity or entities, it is preferred that the computer network include the Internet and that the host web site be hosted by a singulax vendor entity granting access only to specified existing customers of the vendor. In many cases, a vendor will have a large number of existing customers that fit into a variety of categories. Such categories include single entity mass merchandisers (e.g., Home Depot for the gypsum industry), single entity supply yards (which are smaller in scale and operate similar to lumber yards), single entity manufactured housing companies, and s Buy-Groups, which comprise collections of individual entities that collectively negotiate supplies and pricing from the vendor. Such Buy-Groups are well understood by those skilled in the art, and generally tend to be run like a brokerage, with a distinct controlling entity running and negotiating for the collective. In the gypsum industry, Buy-Groups are typically made up of single entity gypsum supply yards, although other entities may be included. In addition, any io particular entity may simultaneously be part of one or more Buy-Groups while also maintaining a separate individual customer status with the vendor. In this regard, the inventive site is preferably capable of separating transactions that a customer makes with multiple Buy-Group relationships and summarizing these results into a total for all relationships.
Within the framework of the inventive web site, each customer of the vendor is granted a is separate account. Access to the web site may be freely granted to prospective customers or others simply browsing the site, but preferably access is restricted to specific customers who have been given a User Identifier ("User ID"), user name, password and/or Access Code by the vendor.
Some users may also have a software token installed on their remote computers as well. The software token generates an encrypted one time use password at logon, in addition to the usual zo user name or password. This extra level of security is available upon user request. The system also keeps separate database of controlled user names and security profiles that must be matched to user profile information in the application database before a user can access the inventive web systems. While the vendor is able to administer the web site and access all web site areas, each specific customer has access only to those areas and pages that are directly relevant to that Zs customer. For example, while logged into its own account, Company A cannot make transactions, review purchase orders, billing summaries or shipping statuses, or even view web pages pertaining to Company B, and vice versa. In this manner, various companies and entities are not allowed to peruse the pricing, billing, shipping and other information of their competitors with respect to the hosting vendor.
so All members of a particular Buy-Group, however, are typically granted at least a limited access to the pages pertaining to the account of that particular Buy-Group.
Most Buy-Group members are usually permitted to log into the Buy-Group account with a User ID
and/or Access Code providing limited access, as explained in more detail below. Such limited access tends to prohibit most Buy-Group members and web site users from conducting transactions for the Buy-Group on the web site, and instead only permits viewing of various summaries and data, such as s Buy-Group pricing or shipping information. The availability of various aspects of the information and data relevant to the Buy-Group may also be restricted for some Buy-Group members as desired. In most cases, the ability to conduct transactions and view all areas of the Buy-Group account on the web site is restricted to those in charge of administering the Buy-Group. Such individuals are provided with a User ID and/or Access Code that also results in the io ability to access the account for that Buy-Group, only with a greater level of access.
Administrative ~verview As discussed previously, access to the inventive customer interface web site is preferably is provided at the discretion of the web site host, which host can be a third party but is preferably the vendor itself. It is also contemplated that such a customer interface web site could be hosted by a customer and accessed by other customers or various vendors of that customer. While the following description follows a model wherein the host is the vendor, corollaries to a system having a customer as host will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Since use of the ao web site is preferably restricted, access cannot be had without first obtaining a User ID and/or Access Code from the site host. Thus, while anyone may become a "visitor" of the inventive web site at an initial home page and possibly a limited number of public pages, only an authorized site "user" may be granted access to one or more of the various restricted areas of the web site.
In this regard any particular "user" of the web site is an individual, and hence any zs particular customer having multiple employees may in fact have several users capable of accessing the pages for that customer on the web site. In addition to a particular user only being able to access restricted areas of the web site that correspond to a particular customer, it is also contemplated that varying levels of access exist for various users of each particular customer.
Accordingly, full access to all pages for a particular customer of the vendor is only provided to so those users having appropriate authorization. Users with reduced levels of access might be permitted to access specific shipping statuses or general vendor news, for example, while other users with extended access would be able to view more information and perhaps be able to conduct transactions on behalf of the company. Some users would be permitted to access financial information and payoff invoices, while the same or others would be permitted to create and execute purchase orders online. Ultimately, the access level of each user is preferably defined by the customer itself, with various site activities and accessibility for each access level s being set by the customer as well. Customized access settings for each user may also be established if desired. Full access to all aspects for a customer on the web site, however, is preferably limited to one or a very small number of individuals for that customer.
A good example of where full site access for a particular customer would only be granted to a select few would be the instance of a Buy-Group, in which case only those in charge of io running the Buy-Group would be granted full access, while members of the Buy-Group would typically only be permitted to view some information associated with that Buy-Group. In addition, a highly limited access level may be the only one to include the ability to customize the web site for that customer. Alternatively, some or all aspects of site customization may be left up to each individual user, with the site adapting to the customization preferences of each user as is they are logged on. Of course, the varying levels of access within the set pages for a customer can be tracked by the web site and can be granted upon the entry of an appropriate authorization.
As previously discussed, the vendor or site host preferably has the sole ability to create new user accounts on the web site, with each account preferably corresponding to a separate customer or Buy-Group. Once a user account is established, the inventive web site can be set to ao automatically collect and store various data related to the business relationship between the user and the host (e.g. the customer and vendor). User data is preferably stored in a secure database on the inventive web site for future use and reference by both the customer and vendor. Such a database is organized and stores data by customer, such that all data for a particular user or customer is readily accessible for use or further organization upon later demand, and is not Zs accessible to other site users who are not authorized for that customer.
Guaranteed security of all identifying data and characteristics is provided, and a user may select from varying levels of security and specialized coding as desired. Particularly identifying information such as names, account numbers, addresses or other revealing information can be tagged or coded; alternatively, such information can be completely absent from the stored data or exist as substituted 3o information such as fictional euphemisms or other coded information.
Password protection may also be required of all users and accounts, including the possibility that a particular User ID may double as a password, such that access to restricted site pages is granted upon the entry of a proper User ID. Alternatively, an option for users desiring added security may also permit the required entry of a separate password after the entry of a proper User ID in order to access the full scope of pages allowed for that particular User ID. Additional password type protections s may also be established through other methods readily known to those skilled in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a computer screen shot of an HTML "Defender Input Request"
public home page 100 for a restricted use customer interface web site is illustrated. This home page is preferably the only page accessible to any site visitor without a User ID and/or Access Code (collectively "Authorization"), although a limited selection of pages containing a Notice of io Failed Authorization or public information regarding the site host may also be accessible if desired. Trademarked logos or other distinctive markings 101 provide notice to the visitor of the existing web site, the vendor involved, and/or the host of the web site. Such logos may be in distinctive locations, incorporated within the background of the page, or both. An interactive logon interface 102 is provided to permit a visitor to enter an appropriate authorization in order is to obtain access to the web site. This logon interface may include a text input box, one or more javascript type buttons, set keyboard codes, or any other suitable logon features. A disclaimer .
103 or other notice explains the restricted nature of the site and provides a hyperlink 104 to assist in sending an e-mail to the web site administrator in the event of any problems or questions.
Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram overview of the process once a visitor has entered ao the restricted use customer interface web site is illustrated. At an initial step 120, a visitor enters the web site. After entry, the web site presents at a next step 121 a public home page such as the Input Defender Request page illustrated in FIG. 2. At the next step 122, the site visitor attempts to enter an appropriate Authorization or otherwise establish that the visitor has an account, such that access to a restricted area of the web site may be obtained. This may be done, for example, as through the interactive logon means as illustrated in FIG. 2, or through any other suitable account establishment interface. At the next step 123, a determination is made as to whether or not the visitor is to be granted access, which preferably depends on whether the visitor has an existing account. Such a determination is typically made based on the successful submission of an appropriate Authorization for an existing account, although other suitable determination so methods may also be utilized.

If the visitor does not have an account or has entered an incorrect Authorization, then the determination is negative and the home page preferably refreshes or otherwise permits the visitor to attempt to enter a proper Authorization. Alternatively, the visitor is directed toward a Notice of Failed Authorization page at step 124, where the visitor is then provided with a choice to view s public informational pages or return to the public home page to attempt to enter an appropriate Authorization again at a step 125. Such informational pages may include public information regarding the vendor and/or site host, how the web site works in generic terms, or other information as desired by the vendor and/or site host.
In any event, should the visitor not have an account, then one must be established before io further site access is granted. Creation of accounts is preferably left solely to the site host at its discretion, such that a visitor is not permitted to access the site beyond the public home page or public informational pages until the site host provides the visitor with an appropriate User ID
and/or Access Code via some other medium. If, on the other hand, the attempted Authorization is successful or the visitor is otherwise determined to have a site account, then the visitor becomes is a formal user and is granted access to one or more restricted areas of the web site. Although the vendor or site operator preferably has access to all or most all areas of the web site, a site user that is a customer will typically be provided only with access to pages that relate to and are specific to that customer. In addition, various users for a particular customer may be granted varying levels of site access, as discussed above.
ao Referring again to FIG. 3, the operational steps associated with a restricted access area 130 for a typical customer site user are shown. No visitor is permitted access into any web pages within restricted access area 130, as only those with appropriate Authorization are permitted such access. Once the logon process is successful, the next step 131 is preferably to route the user to a Customer Home Page ("CHP"), where information is provided and numerous choices are made is available. This GHP (an example of which is shown in FIG. 4 and discussed below) provides the user with the ability to view summarized information, and also provides links for the user to access additional information, as shown in step 132, to conduct various transactions, as shown in step 133, or to customize the web site as desired, as shown in step 134. Such links are preferably HTML type hyperlinks, although other linking techniques may also be used.
Although steps 132, 30 133 and 134 are illustrated in series in FIG. 3, it is actually preferable that these steps be provided in parallel from step 131 as well, such that the user may select from links corresponding to any of these steps while at the CHP. Illustrating these steps in series merely emphasizes the fact that any of steps 132, 133 and 134 can be arrived at from each other or the CHP at any given time.
Referring now to step 132, the user may choose to view additional information that is not s contained on the CHP, .whereby the process moves to step 135. To make this decision, the user may select anyone of a number of links to be directed to the desired data or informational summary at various other customer pages. At least one such link is provided on the CHP, although others may also be incorporated into this page as specified by the user. Links may also be provided within these additional informational customer pages, such that the user can browse io from category to category as desired without needing to revisit the CHP. In fact, many informational categories or specific items of data may only be accessed via links within other customer pages, such that a user may need to access a series of pages in order to access any particular desired item. Referring now to step 133, the user may choose to conduct anyone of a number of transactions, whereby the process moves to step 136. As in the step for the viewing of is additional information, at least one link for transactions is provided on the CHP, although other more specific links may be incorporated onto the page as well as specified by the user. Also, links to various specific transactions may also be incorporated into other customer pages, such as those containing additional information as discussed above. In this manner, a user may elect to conduct a particular transaction while at a particular informational page, provided that a link to a ao page for facilitating that transaction is contained within the informational page. Similarly, a user might be permitted access to one or more informational pages while in the process of conducting a transaction, although each of these possible paths are not illustrated in FIG. 3.
Referring now to step 134, the user may also choose to customize the way that the user account, data, information, and CHP is organized and presented within the web site, whereby the zs process moves to step 137. The various ways in which such customizations can be made are discussed in greater detail below. To make this decision, the user selects a specific "Customize"
or similarly denoted link provided on at least the GHP, although this specific link may also be available on one or more other customer web pages. In one such embodiment, this link may be incorporated into a permanent toolbar, which toolbar is present on every customer web page, 3o preferably in a set location. As for steps 132, 133, 135 and 136 above, each possible path to this alternative for customization choice is not illustrated for the sake of simplicity. Finally, in the event that the user has no more business to conduct with respect to the CHP
and no longer wishes to view information, conduct transactions or customize the web site, then the user is logged off at step 138 and the process ends. Such a log off may be actively made by the user, or may also preferably be made if the user is logged on for a set period of time without any s furthering activity at the site. In this manner, the .possibility for unauthorized access to the account is minimized should the user not be actively using the site for an extended period of time or otherwise fail to actively log off properly. As for many other aspects of the web site, the user preferably has the option to set the amount of time required for such an automated logoff.
Various transactions such as reviewing purchase orders, payments, adjustments, histories, ~o tracking statuses and others are preferably available in a variety of site formats, with the organization of how such transactions are stored and reviewed preferably being adjustable by the user, as described in more detail below. Other activities that are more informational in nature, such as checking pricing, reviewing invoices, tracking shipment statuses, and checking credit summaries are also preferably available in different site formats, and are also organized is according to the preferences of the user. Views of various web pages, and especially those pages containing information for the user, are preferably displayed in PDF format on the web page, which format is standard to that of Adobe Acrobat, a widely available commercial software program by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, California. Information on various PDF
web pages may be organized, split up, and rearranged according to customized parameters set by zo the user, and such modified PDF files may be displayed as a web page on a browser or may be delivered to the user by e-mail, for example. Other application formats for displaying and disseminating desired information and files to the user are also contemplated, including HTML
web page displays, Microsoft Word or Excel files, or other standard information and data formats.
zs It is contemplated that data for each customer may be input into the inventive system and database in a wide variety of ways, including ways that are both manual and automated. Manual data entries may of course be made through terminals that are linked to the network, and also through devices that are peripherally connected to the network. While it is thus possible that many types of data can be entered manually by the vendor as well as the customer through 3o various means, automated entry of data can also preferably be made available.

For example, should a customer place an order to the vendor via the inventive web site, the site is programmed to automatically update all appropriate customer files and summaries to reflect the newly input order such that additional manual intervention for tracking purposes is not required. In addition, it is particularly preferred that some or all independently operable business-s related devices of the vendor or site provider be connected to the customer interface web site for datareporting purposes. In this manner, a data report to the web site is made for any transaction or data that is input to or logged by such an independently operable device.
Such devices may include, for example, computer enhanced telephones, facsimile machines, Electronic Data Interchange ("EDI"), Web Services and any other separate computers or computer systems that io are not actively a part of the inventive computer network. While access to the network from such independently operable business devices may be implemented, such access is not necessary, as these devices preferably provide at a minimum a reporting function to the customer interface for automated data tracking and storage purposes.
is Customer-Based Site Customization Referring now to FIG. 4, a computer screen shot of an exemplary customized HTML
Customer Home Page for a restricted use customer interface web site is illustrated. This Customer Home Page 140 is preferably the first web page accessed by a user who has Zo successfully entered an appropriate authorization. While the content, links, layout and other aspects of a customized CHP may vary as desired by each user or customer, FIG.
4 provides one example of such a CHP. In the case of many web site features, including those on the CHP, it is preferable that use of such features may be declined at the option of the customizing user via security settings that allow or disallow access. Accordingly, most or all of the following features is may not be present on any given CHP, depending upon the settings selected by the customer or user responsible for customizing the CHP for that customer. The availability of each feature and its accompanying layout location on the CHP or on other web site pages may be set by the user or customer through various interactive site methods.
A personal greeting 141 to the user or customer can be prominently placed on the CHP, 3o and such a greeting 141 serves not only as a cordial formality to the user, but also to identify the user and provide notice in the event that an incorrect or appropriate CHP has been accessed. As for many page features, a placement that is less prominent may be set by the user if desired.

Permanent toolbars 142 containing one or more hyperlinks are also preferably located on the CHP, although as in the case of other site features, use of such permanent toolbars may be declined at the option of the customizing user. These toolbars 142 are termed as permanent because they are available at every web site page accessed by the user, and are preferably in the s same location and format on each web site page. Such uniformity and universal availability tends to foster familiarity and thus more convenient use of those web site features, links and pages that are preferred by the user. In addition, the permanent toolbars 142 tend to link to more general site pages, such as those for "Customize," "Orders," "Prices" or "Reports,"
and it is preferable that broad overview pages for such categories, as well as others, also exist beyond the CHP.
io Links to more specific pages or actions, such as those for "NGC" (general company information), "General Terms of Sale," "logofP' and "feedback" may also be placed on permanent toolbars if desired.
In addition to the typical links made available on one or more permanent toolbars, various specialized customer-specific page links 143 are also preferably placed on the CHP.
is Such specialized customer-specific page links 143, which are ideally set by the customer or user, permit the user to provide convenient hyperlinks on the CHP to those specific pages that the customer or user frequents most often. Information from such pages could be provided on the CHP in some instances, but in order to conserve space it is preferable that a list of hyperlinks to specific pages be provided. Such links could include, for example, links to pages that smnmarize ao deliveries, shipments, orders or invoices by present day, present week, present month or by any other timetable or category, such as price or type of goods. Such links may include and be categorized by activities, shipment tracking, messages from other users or other types as specified by the user. Other specific page links 104 can also be included on the CHP, and such links may link to web pages that provide the user with, for example, vendor news or other news as of particular interest, such as the weather, industry pricing for various materials and commodities, warranty information, and economic indicators such as the vendor public trading stock price. Such linked web pages are preferably within the inventive web site, although links to other pages outside the web site are also contemplated.
Informational notices 145 about the web site may also be included on the CHP
if so 3o desired, and settings for the availability, content and length of such informational blurbs are also preferably customized by the site user or customer. Such notices 145 may include news regarding recent developments and features on the web site, and may also contain links to new or exemplar site pages regarding such developments or features. Should the CHP
contain more items or content that can be displayed on a computer screen at one time, then one or more sections of the CHP may be expanded through scrolling or otherwise moving the page. Another s possible feature of the CHP is the availability of contact information 146 directly on the CHP
itself. While contact information and an interface for messaging, electronic mailing, or otherwise contacting the vendor can be made available elsewhere on the site, the availability of sales contact and other representative contact information on the CHP is particularly preferred. As illustrated in FIG. 3, such contact information may include one or more names, phone numbers, io addresses, e-mail addresses, photographs and other identifying information for one or more vendor representatives, preferably those that are particular to the user.
Banner advertising 147 may also be placed on the CHP, and such advertising preferably also contains one or more hyperlinks that can transport the user to the site of an advertiser, through any of several methods known in the art. Such an advertiser can be an outside company or the vendor or site is administrator itself, and preferably the advertiser is one that is conducive to the particular user. A
user option for disabling or customizing such banner advertising may also be implemented for select users by the site administrator.
Other site features or links may also be incorporated into the CHP as desired by the user, and the organization of the CHP will depend largely on some of the other ways in which the user zo can customized the web site. In any type of site arrangement, however, it is particularly preferred that at least one link on at least one permanent toolbar be present for most or all site pages, with that link being a return link to the CHP. Although some types of customization can be made from various locations on the web site, a particular section of the web site preferably exists exclusively for specific user or customer settings and customizations. This specific customization section is zs preferably accessed through a "Customize" link on the CHP or on a permanent toolbar such that it is accessible on most or all site pages. From this customization section, a user or customer can choose setting for a myriad of options, including the content and format of the CHP and other customer site pages, the location of various links on each page, the availability and content of permanent toolbars, and the organization of various informational pages.
3o Referring now to FIG. 5, a computer screen shot of an exemplary customized HTML
Pricing Data Sheet page for the customer interface web site is illustrated. As for other types of web pages, such as those for ordering, shipping, tracking status and making payments, a myriad of information is placed on this web page. The majority of such information is displayed per the preferences of the user, and items may be removed or added as desired according to the user preferences selected at the Customize section of the web site. As an added customizing feature of s the web site, users may elect to enter their own names or terminology for certain products that correspond to the product names of the vendor or site host. Such "Product Cross-Referencing"
allows selected users for a customer to enter a customer description against a customer code and vendor description for various items, such that both the customer and vendor can more readily understand that which is being referenced.
io Referring to informational chart 150 in FIG. 5, for example, a vendor may designate a particular product 151 as "GYP-BD TPD REG '/4X4X*," while that same particular product 152 may be called "4 x 8 x 1/4REG" by the customer. Accordingly, a user may desire to enter a specific area of the web site wherein all of its own names or technology .for products may be entered and cross-referenced to the actual products or names of the vendor.
Such entries may is preferably be made by way of an interactive entry table or log, although other suitable interfaces may also be utilized. In this manner, information may then be viewed on the web site according to the names and terminology to which the customer and its users are accustomed without any translational loss or confusion on the part of the vendor. Likewise, purchase orders may be made, status tracked, payments made and inventory tabulated on the web site all in terms familiar to the ao customer.
In addition, the users of any particular customer having the highest level of access for that customer may also make additional key customizations to the site that apply globally for that particular customer. As discussed earlier, this highest level of access is preferably granted to only one or a select few users per customer. Such users having the highest level of site access are zs preferably the only users permitted to set the access levels for all other users of that particular customer, and may also be the only users permitted to set the corresponding technology for the products of that customer as discussed above. Such high level users are also preferably the only ones who are permitted to set the organization for that customer on the web site, such that the site organization corresponds to the internal organization of that customer.
Such a customer 30 organization is termed an "N-Tier Organization" within the web site.

N- Tier Organization Although many customers may be small in nature or even individuals, a significant number of customers can be large companies or corporations, each with its own unique internal structure and hierarchy. Accordingly, the inventive customer interface web site provides an interface for adapting the organization of labels, files, data and web pages for that customer to reflect the internal organization that is already in place for the customer.
One or more select users per customer are permitted to organize the data and web pages for that customer in any number (N) of tiers and according to any desired parameters, such as by location, by status or by io personnel. For example, should a particularly large customer be organized internally in four distinct geographical tiers, then that customer might desire a 4-Tier Organization on the web site.
In the case of particularly large "chain store" companies, a customer will tend to be broken down into a hierarchy in marry ways. For example, a typical large company may be categorized geographically first by countries or regions, then by markets within those regions, is then by territories within those markets, and then by individual stores within those territories. Of course, other parallel terminology may also be used, but the end effect is that any significantly large company is broken down into and organized by a number of tiers. Some mid to large sized companies may only have two or three tiers, while others may have four or more. In the event that a customer comprising a large company desires to be organized on the web site by zo geographic location, then a select user may specify as such and then proceed to label each tier in the hierarchy on the site and each category or "location" within each tier. A
completed N-Tier Organization for a typical large customer will thus tend to resemble a "tree"
format, with various levels and sub-levels branching out, similar to a file directory. Under such a geographically organized customer, page views may then be made to summaries by region, by market, by as territory, by store, or as comparisons between one or more particular entities.
In addition, customized site organization may be made geographically according to, for example, "sold to/from locations," "ship to/from locations," "billed to/from locations" "ordered by locations" or any number of other types of locations. In all such instances, the user is permitted to customize the organization of the site and dictate to the site how data is to be 30 organized, stored and later displayed. Access levels may also determine what any particular user for a customer is able to view on the web site. For example, in a 4-Tier Organization, an individual store manager might be given a web site account having access only to data for the particular territory in which his store resides. Access would not be available to market or regional data, nor would access be available for other territories or stores within that company.
Such a limited account would also preferably only have access to page views for "sold to locations" or "ship to locations" that are relevant to that manager's particular store. Even in such s a limited account, however, customization for that "store manager" user may be made available.
For example, the user of such a limited account may customize the layout of his user specific CHP, and in particular specify that links for "Deliveries Today," "Shipping Today," and "Invoices Today" take the user to appropriate daily delivery, shipping and invoice summaries for that particular store.
io Accordingly, organization by location, or by any other desired criterion, may be made for any number of specific or regional locations or factors. In particular, transactions, reports and other informational summaries may be made according to location, with access to such transactions or information only being made available to those users having the appropriate access level for a particular location. For a geographically organized customer, for example, is invoices may be viewed or grouped by location, such as by all stores in a particular region.
Additional factors may also be added and customer archives accessed for a myriad of invoice searching possibilities. For example, a user with an appropriate level of access may choose to view all invoices for that customer in the state of Florida for the past two years. Other categories may be added to filter or summarize information within those invoices as desired. The same type zo of search capabilities may also be implemented for reviewing ordering information, shipping information, billing information, or other information for a number of other activities "by location" as desired by the user. In the end, such searches provide a useful way for users to obtain desired information quickly in "self help" fashion on the customer interface web site, such that interaction with personnel of the vendor and any accompanying delays or confusion are as minimized.
Although the foregoing examples have applied customizations primarily by geographic location, such customizations may likewise apply by personnel in a sales oriented business, by status in a manufacturing oriented business, or by any other criteria desired by the customer, vendor or web site host.

Shipment Status Tracking One specific informational feature that is interactive and particularly valuable to many customers is the status tracking for various shipments from the vendor to the customer. While s many common carriers and other shipping companies presently track the status of particular shipments on a step by step basis, such incremented tracking tends to be less informative than desired by most customers. For example, a particular tracked shipment may be noted as "On truck enroute to destination," but no information exists to further detail the location of the truck or the approximate amount of time remaining before actual delivery. The inventive web site, ~o however, includes a method for tracking a particular shipment in real-time through the use of a global positioning system ("GPS") installed on each of the various shipping vehicles for transporting that shipment, and for presenting that information to customers in real-time. Such a GPS is available through numerous commercial entities.
Shipping companies that contract with the vendor or site host are given or already have a is GPS unit on each truck, ship, plane or other vehicle used to transport shipments for that vendor.
As products are then shipped via such shipping companies, not only is a step-by-step accounting made for each shipment, but the actual location of the shipping vehicle can be tracked through the web site by signals reported by the GPS. The actual vehicle location as signaled by the GPS
on the vehicle is reported to the vendor and input directly into the web site in real-time, where it ao can be reported the customer. For the web site to forward the shipment-status to the customer in a meaningful fashion, one or more software programs or attachments in addition to those provided by the GPS can be utilized by the web site. Such a program preferably includes at least one commercial interactive online mapping service, such as the PC*Miler° service provided by ALK Technologies, Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey. A software program integrates the real-time as GPS signal from a specific shipping vehicle with the interactive online mapping service, and a graphic of the actual location of any particular tracked shipment is provided on the web site.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a computer screen shot of an exemplary Shipment Status Tracking Page 160 for the customer interface web site is illustrated. A map 161 is substantially the same map as would be provided by the commercial interactive online mapping service, and is 3o centered about the location of a shipping vehicle 162. The shipping vehicle 162 is determined as a result of input from the user regarding which shipment is to be tracked at an appropriate Shipment Status Tracking user entry page. Once a user enters a shipment to be tracked, the web site determines where that shipments resides and the correct GPS signal to reference if that shipment is indeed on a shipping vehicle. Through interfacting software, the actual location of the shipping vehicle 162 is input into the mapping software as the geographical location to be mapped, which then results in the map that is presented.
s Interactive buttons 163 provide the user with means for zooming in or out or panning in any direction on the displayed map. Such interactive buttons 163 can be those provided by the mapping service, those provided by the interfacting software, or a combination of the two. These buttons may also include, among other features, added map details and a way of graphically showing the entire shipping trip to date. Other interactive means for manipulating the displayed ~o map axe also contemplated, such as input boxes or scrollbars, for example.
In addition, other interactive buttons, links, features and information may also be displayed on Shipment Status Tracking Page 160. As in the case of other web site pages, such features may include a permanent toolbar, although such a toolbax may be repressed for purposes of a map display.
Shipment details 164 are preferably displayed on the screen such that an affirmative is acknowledgement of the actual shipment being tracked can be made.
Shipment details 164 may include as much or as little information as desired by the user, with such customization being made available on the site as detailed previously herein. In addition, one or more specific links 165 may be made available to route the user to various other pages, such as an orders summary, a shipment history or the CHP.
zo Although the foregoing invention has been described in detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be recognized that the above described invention may be embodied in numerous other specific variations and embodiments without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention.
Certain changes and modifications may be practiced, and it is understood that the invention is not to be limited by the as foregoing details, but rather is to be defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (32)

CLAIMS:

1. A method of providing a customer interface over a computer network, comprising:
providing at least one computer server;
permitting a remote user to establish an account that permits said remote user to utilize one or more services provided by said at least one computer server;
receiving information pertaining to a business relationship between said remote user and a vendor;
permitting said remote user to customize the presentation of said information on said customer interface such that a customized interface is created; and providing said customized interface to said remote user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer network comprises the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said vendor of said customer interface is a singular entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein access to portions of the customer interface beyond a home page is made available only to said vendor and to vendor specified customers of said vendor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said access to the customer interface is tiered into a plurality of levels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more business-related devices of said provider are connected to said customer interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of said information is input into said customer interface via at least one of said business-related devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of said information input into said customer interface via at least one of said business-related devices is automatically tracked and updated by said customer interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:
permitting said remote user to track the specific location of a selected shipment on said customer interface.

10. A method of providing a customer interface over the Internet, comprising:
providing at least one computer server capable of hosting one or more Internet web sites, said Internet web sites containing information and services from the group consisting of purchase orders, invoices, billing summaries, payments, shipment status queries, tiered access, and secured data storage, said at least one computer server being capable of starting a client session, sending a command to start a client program, receiving commands from a remote computer, passing commands to a software session, and transmitting data to and from said remote computer;
permitting a remote user to establish an account, wherein said remote user may either utilize the information and services provided by said at least one computer server or be routed to one or more related computer servers capable of providing the information and services;
receiving information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and a vendor; and providing hyperlinks within said customer interface, wherein at least one of said hyperlinks is configurable by said remote user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said vendor of said customer interface is a singular entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein access to portions of the customer interface beyond a home page is made available only to one or more customers as permitted by said vendor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said access to said customer interface is tiered.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more business-related devices of said provider are connected to said customer interface, and wherein at least a portion of said information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and said provider is input into said customer interface via at least one of said one or more independently operable business related devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of said information input into said customer interface via at least one of said one or more independently operable business related devices is automatically tracked and updated by said customer related interface.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of said customized hyperlinks permits said remote user to access files or locations to which said remote user has specifically subscribed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said files are PDF files.

18. A method of providing a customer interface over a computer network, comprising:

providing at least one computer server for hosting one or more computer network sites;
permitting a remote user to establish an account, wherein said remote user may utilize the services provided by said at least one computer server;
storing information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and the provider of said customer interface; and organizing said stored information on said customer interface according to a predetermined characteristic of said remote user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said characteristic of said remote user corresponds to the geographic territory of said remote user.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said characteristic of said remote user corresponds to an internal organization of said remote user.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said characteristic of said remote user corresponds to a product nomenclature utilized by said remote user.

22. A customer interface web site, comprising:
at least one computer server for hosting said Internet web site;
an account for a remote user, wherein said remote user may utilize services provided through a web site;
an interface for receiving information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and a vendor; and a customer interface that allows said remote user to customize the organization and presentation of said information.

23. The customer interface web site of claim 22, wherein said vendor is a singular entity.

24. The customer interface web site of claim 22, wherein access to portions of the customer interface beyond a home page is made available only to said vendor and to one or more vendor specified customers of said vendor.

25. The customer interface web site of claim 24, wherein said access to said customer interface is tiered.

26. The customer interface web site of claim 22, wherein one or more independently operable business-related devices of said provider are connected to said customer interface.

27. The customer interface web site of claim 26, wherein at least a portion of said information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and said vendor is input into said customer interface via at least one of said independently operable business-related devices.

28. The customer interface web site of claim 27, wherein at least a portion of said information input into said customer interface via at least one of said independently operable business-related devices is automatically tracked and updated by said customer related interface.

29. The customer interface web site of claim 22, further comprising:
a specific interface permitting one or more of said remote users to track the specific location of a selected shipment.

30. A system, comprising:
means for hosting a web site;
means for providing access to said Internet web site for a remote user;
means for reviewing information pertaining to the business relationship between said remote user and the provider of said Internet web site; and means for organizing said information in a manner customized by said remote user.

31. A system, comprising:
at least one computer server;
at least one remote user account that permits a remote user to utilize one or more services provided by said at least one computer server;
data comprising information pertaining to a business relationship between said remote user and a provider of said customer interface; and a customized presentation on said system of at least a portion of said data, wherein details of said customized presentation are specified by said remote user.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:
an interactive shipment location tracking feature.