Abstract: A industry wide computerized business to business exchange permits participants in the industry to satisfy their procurement needs and manage their supply chains from a single log on to the exchange. An exchange architecture provides a particularly convenient platform for implementation of the exchange. Users connect to a portal services subsystem. User systems connect to an integration services platform. A platform services subsystem provides services to the portal services and to the integration services subsystems and to application programs that can be accessed through those subsystems. The application programs may include, for example, electronic procurement, collaborative product development applications and supply chain management. XML serves as the information currency for the exchange.

Abstract: A industry wide computerized business to business exchange permits participants in the industry to satisfy their procurement needs and manage their supply chains from a single log on to the exchange. An exchange architecture provides a particularly convenient platform for implementation of the exchange. Users connect to a portal services subsystem. User systems connect to an integration services platform. A platform services subsystem provides services to the portal services and to the integration services subsystems and to application programs that can be accessed through those subsystems. The application programs may include, for example, electronic procurement, collaborative product development applications and supply chain management. XML serves as the information currency for the exchange.

Abstract: A system and method (100, 310, 510) of inventory tracking and custom ordering over a computer network (316). The system includes a multimedia user interface (318) delivered over the computer network to a user, and a configuration and pricing database (324) storing product pricing data according to user-entered product configuration. An inventory database (322) stores product availability data in inventory of retail sales facilities, in-transit from product manufacturing facilities to the retail sales facilities, in-plant at the product manufacturing facilities, and on a ordering bank at the product manufacturing facilities. The user is able to search, via the multimedia user interface (318), the inventory database (322) for the user-entered product configuration and receive pricing data and product availability data. A sales processor (332) is operable to receive, via the multimedia user interface (318), user reservation of an available product determined by the search.

Abstract: A industry wide computerized business to business exchange permits participants in the industry to satisfy their procurement needs and manage their supply chains from a single log on to the exchange. An exchange architecture provides a particularly convenient platform for implementation of the exchange. Users connect to a portal services subsystem. User systems connect to an integration services platform. A platform services subsystem provides services to the portal services and to the integration services subsystems and to application programs that can be accessed through those subsystems. The application programs may include, for example, electronic procurement, collaborative product development applications and supply chain management. XML serves as the information currency for the exchange.