US20110258014A1 - System and Method For Allocating Inventory to Satisfy Online Demand and Demand At Physical Locations - Google Patents
System and Method For Allocating Inventory to Satisfy Online Demand and Demand At Physical Locations Download PDFInfo
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- US20110258014A1 US20110258014A1 US13/167,692 US201113167692A US2011258014A1 US 20110258014 A1 US20110258014 A1 US 20110258014A1 US 201113167692 A US201113167692 A US 201113167692A US 2011258014 A1 US2011258014 A1 US 2011258014A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/06—Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q10/063—Operations research, analysis or management
- G06Q10/0631—Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
- G06Q10/06313—Resource planning in a project environment
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
- G06Q20/08—Payment architectures
- G06Q20/20—Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
- G06Q20/203—Inventory monitoring
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q30/0201—Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G06Q30/0601—Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
- G06Q30/0603—Catalogue ordering
Definitions
- customers 104 When customer 104 participates in a subscription plan, a particular number of media items may be requested or used by customer 104 at a time.
- the subscription plan provides different manners in which customers 104 may request and/or receive media. For example, customers 104 request media in-store by visiting stores 108 or on-line using a computer. An on-line media request may originate from a real-time request from customer 104 or through automatically processing a queue of requests previously configured by customer 104 .
- customers 104 Upon fulfilling the media request, customers 104 receive the requested media through any suitable channel, such as delivery of CDs, DVDs, or the like through the mail, by removing the media from store 108 , or by electronic delivery of media to customers 104 from controller 100 , fulfillment centers 106 , or stores 108 using network 102 .
- Code 208 includes software, executable files, Web pages, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and/or appropriate logic modules capable when executed to control the operation of controller 100 .
- code 208 may include Web pages for presentation to customers 104 to manage their media requests.
- Code 208 may also include executable files capable of processing delivery requests, inventory queries, inventory reallocations, and other functions for fulfillment centers 106 and/or stores 108 .
- Controller 100 may be configured to select the inventory location based on a number of factors, such as customer satisfaction criteria, inventory type, store metrics, other suitable factors, or any combination of the preceding. For example, controller 100 may select the inventory location that will provide the media to customer 104 in the shortest time. This inventory location may be the closest store 108 to customer 104 or store 108 that has the media immediately available. Also, controller 100 may consider several pending requests in queue 214 of customer 104 to select one that is the most beneficial or optimal to fulfill.
- factors such as customer satisfaction criteria, inventory type, store metrics, other suitable factors, or any combination of the preceding. For example, controller 100 may select the inventory location that will provide the media to customer 104 in the shortest time. This inventory location may be the closest store 108 to customer 104 or store 108 that has the media immediately available. Also, controller 100 may consider several pending requests in queue 214 of customer 104 to select one that is the most beneficial or optimal to fulfill.
- Controller 100 may perform this reallocation based on projections made about on-line and in-store activity by considering the past histories of on-line and in-store activity of similar media titles.
- Line 300 and line 304 may be determined by any projection information, randomly selected information, or any suitable information.
Abstract
A system and method for allocating inventory to satisfy online demand and demand at physical locations includes allocating a first portion of media rental inventory for online fulfillment and a second portion for fulfillment at physical rental locations. The method further includes making a determination of in-store rental activity for the second portion of inventory, and reallocating the first and second portions of inventory based on that determination.
Description
- This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/133,874, entitled “System and Method For Fulfilling a Media Request,” filed May 19, 2005.
- This invention relates generally to the field of media, and more particularly, to a system and method for allocating inventory to satisfy online demand and demand at physical locations.
- Traditionally, the rental of audiovisual works, such as movies, involves visiting a local retail establishment, such as a video store. A customer browses the store to select movies to rent, and completes the transaction through a traditional point-of-sale checkout. More recently, on-line subscription services provide alternative techniques for customers to rent movies and for rental businesses to fulfill these rental requests.
- In accordance with the present invention, disadvantages and problems associated with fulfilling media requests may be reduced or eliminated.
- According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system and method for allocating inventory includes allocating a first portion of media rental inventory for online fulfillment and a second portion for fulfillment at physical rental locations, such as stores and rental kiosks. It further includes comparing projected rental activity at physical rental locations to actual rental activity at physical rental locations, and reallocating the first and second portions of inventory in response to that comparison.
- Certain embodiments include receiving a media request associated with a subscriber account and selecting one of a plurality of inventory locations to fulfill the media request, wherein at least one of the inventory locations accommodates on-site media rental requests.
- Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technical advantages. A technical advantage of one embodiment includes providing an efficient method of providing a customer with rented media. The system analyzes various criteria and selects an inventory location to fulfill a customer request. Inventory locations may include both fulfillment centers and physical locations, where the physical locations can allocate inventory for both on-line fulfillment and fulfillment at a physical locations, such as stores and rental kiosks Another technical advantage of an embodiment includes monitoring the activity of rentals and adjusting the inventory based on the rental activity. Adjusting the inventory to meet customer demand also promotes efficient operations and higher customer satisfaction.
- Certain embodiments of the invention may include none, some, or all of the above technical advantages. One or more other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, descriptions, and claims included herein.
- For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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FIG. 1 illustrates a system that fulfills media requests; -
FIG. 2 illustrates a controller that supports the fulfillment of media requests; -
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the reallocation of media; -
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the fulfillment of media requests; and -
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the reallocation of media. - Embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to
FIGS. 1 through 5 , like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings. -
FIG. 1 illustrates asystem 10 that provides for fulfillment of media requests.System 10 includes acontroller 100, anetwork 102,customers 104,fulfillments centers 106, andstores 108.Customers 104 interact withcontroller 100 throughnetwork 102 to request media, which may be fulfilled byfulfillment centers 106 orstores 108.Stores 108 may also fulfill traditional media rental requests from customers who visitstores 108.Fulfillment centers 106 andstores 108 may be individually or collectively referred to as inventory locations. - According to the illustrated embodiment,
system 10 includescontroller 100 that selects an inventory location to fulfill a received media request. The media request may be to purchase media or rent media. As used herein, media represents any audio and/or visual information encoded in disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), or other memory device, or any audio and/or visual information encoded in a suitable format for electronic delivery tocustomer 104 using network 102 (e.g., video-on-demand). In some embodiments, media may include movies, video games, music, books, recorded books, and/or any specific type or types of material operable to communicate audio and/or visual information. For example,controller 100 may include a Web site that accepts requests for delivery of movies tocustomers 104. -
Controller 100 represents an entity, such as a person, a group of persons, and/or any appropriate hardware and controlling logic, capable of delivering and/or arranging delivery of media tocustomers 104. In some embodiments,controller 100 may include a Web server capable of hosting a computerized Web page that transmits and receives information throughnetwork 102.Controller 100 may also include telephony equipment, computers, databases, a cable headend, satellite links, media players, or any other appropriate hardware and/or software able to communicate withcustomers 104,fulfillment centers 106, and stores 108 throughnetwork 102.Controller 100 may receive a request to rent media fromcustomer 104 that has an associated subscriber account.Controller 100 selects afulfillment center 106 or astore 108 to fulfill the request ofcustomer 104. - Network 102 allows
controller 100 to communicate with other networks,customers 104,fulfillments centers 106, and/orstores 108. Network 102 may include a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), any other public or private data network, a local, regional, or global communication network such as the Internet, an enterprise intranet, other suitable wireline or wireless communication link, or any combination of the preceding. Network 102 may include any combination of gateways, routers, hubs, switches, access points, base stations, and any other hardware and/or software that may implement any suitable protocol or communication. -
Customers 104 each represent an entity, such as a person, a group of persons, and/or any appropriate hardware and controlling logic, capable of requesting and/or receiving media by interacting withcontroller 100. In some embodiments,customers 104 may include Web browsers capable of accessing a computerized Web page to transmit and receive information throughnetwork 102.Customers 104 may include telephony equipment, computers, or any other appropriate device able to communicate withcontroller 100 throughnetwork 102. For example,customers 104 may transmit media requests to controller 100 throughnetwork 102.Customers 104 each may be associated with a subscriber account. The subscriber account includes information about a subscription plan in whichcustomers 104 participate. Whencustomer 104 participates in a subscription plan, a particular number of media items may be requested or used bycustomer 104 at a time. The subscription plan provides different manners in whichcustomers 104 may request and/or receive media. For example,customers 104 request media in-store by visitingstores 108 or on-line using a computer. An on-line media request may originate from a real-time request fromcustomer 104 or through automatically processing a queue of requests previously configured bycustomer 104. Upon fulfilling the media request,customers 104 receive the requested media through any suitable channel, such as delivery of CDs, DVDs, or the like through the mail, by removing the media fromstore 108, or by electronic delivery of media tocustomers 104 fromcontroller 100,fulfillment centers 106, orstores 108 usingnetwork 102. -
Fulfillment centers 106 each represent an entity, such as a person, a group of persons, and/or appropriate hardware and controlling logic, capable of fulfilling requests or invoices for media. In some embodiments,fulfillment centers 106 may include technology capable of transmitting and receiving information throughnetwork 102, for example, telephony equipment, computers, databases, a cable headend, satellite links, media players, or any other appropriate hardware and/or software. Furthermore,fulfillment centers 106 may include warehouses and central distribution facilities that maintain physical inventory of media for use byfulfillment centers 106 or for supply tostores 108. -
Stores 108 each represent an entity, such as a person, a group of persons, and/or appropriate hardware and controlling logic, capable of fulfilling requests or invoices for media. In some embodiments,stores 108 may include technology capable of exchanging information throughnetwork 102, for example, telephony equipment, computers, databases, a cable headend, satellite links, media players, or any other appropriate hardware and/or software. Furthermore,stores 108 may include traditional movie and game rental operations, such as viewable shelves of media inventory and point-of-sale equipment, which accommodate in-store media requests.Stores 108 includemedia inventory 110 a-110 c (generally referred to as inventory 110) that may be allocated based on the mode of fulfillment. For example, some of the media may be on-line inventory 110 a designated forcustomers 104 who make on-line requests while other media may be in-store inventory 110 b designated forcustomers 104 that make in-store requests. Also, visitinginventory 110 c may represent media that belongs to anotherstore 108 orfulfillment center 106. - In operation,
controller 100 interacts withcustomers 104 throughnetwork 102, fulfillment centers 106, andstores 108 to arrange for fulfillment of media requests.Controller 100 receives a media request fromcustomer 104, and selects one of the inventory locations, afulfillment center 106 or astore 108, to fulfill the request. For a selectedstore 108,controller 100 may also determine whether to fulfill the request through on-line inventory 110 a, in-store inventory 110 b, or visitinginventory 110 c. In fulfilling the request,controller 100 may prioritize visitinginventory 110 c to redirect visitinginventory 110 c to itshome store 108 whencustomer 104 returns the media. -
System 10 contemplates various modifications, additions, or omissions. For example,controller 100 may receive the request fromcustomer 104 in any suitable manner, such ascustomer 104 making a media request instore 108. Moreover, one or more functions performed bycontroller 100 ornetwork 102 may be implemented in whole or in part byfulfillment centers 106 orstores 108. Additionally,system 10 may include any number ofcontrollers 100,networks 102,customers 104, fulfillment centers 106, and stores 108. Any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, other logic, or any suitable combination of the preceding may perform the functions of any components insystem 10. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of a particular embodiment ofcontroller 100. In general,controller 100 communicates withcustomers 104, fulfillment centers 106, andstores 108 to identify and arrange fulfillment of media requests fromcustomers 104. More specifically,controller 100 selects one of several possible inventory locations to fulfill the request and generally manages the allocation ofinventory 110 insystem 10. In the illustrated embodiment,controller 100 includesinterfaces processor 204, and amemory 206. - In the illustrated embodiment,
interface 200 is an inventory location interface andinterface 202 is a customer interface.Interface 200 communicates withfulfillment centers 106 andstores 108, andinterface 202 communicates withcustomers 104. When communicating withcustomers 104,interface 202 may exchange information regarding media requests, subscriber accounts, or other communication withcustomers 104. When communicating withfulfillment centers 106 orstores 108,interface 200 may exchange information related to the fulfillment of media requests, media availability, inventory update, inventory reallocation or other communication withstores 106 or fulfillment centers 108.Interface 200 andinterface 202 represent any port or connection, real or virtual, including any suitable hardware and/or software that allow communication to and from elements linked tocontroller 100. Also, interfaces 200 and 202 may be a single interface or multiple interfaces depending on the particular configuration and design ofcontroller 100. -
Processor 204 controls the operation and administration ofcontroller 100. For example,processor 204 processes information and/or commands received frominterface 200,interface 202, andmemory 206.Processor 204 includes any hardware and/or software that operate to control and process information. For example,processor 204 may be a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, a microprocessor, any suitable processing device, or any combination or number of the preceding. As discussed above,controller 100 may operate to host a Web page on the Internet. -
Memory 206 stores, either permanently or temporarily, data and other information for processing byprocessor 204 and communication byinterface 200 andinterface 202.Memory 206 includes any one or a combination of volatile or nonvolatile local or remote devices suitable for storing information. For example,memory 206 may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, or any other suitable information storage device or combination of these devices.Memory 206 may store information in one or more modules. For example, in the illustrated embodiment,memory 206 includescode 208,account information 210,inventory information 212, andqueues 214. Whilememory 206 as illustrated includes particular data elements, it should be understood thatmemory 206 may maintain any suitable information for use in operation ofcontroller 100. -
Code 208 includes software, executable files, Web pages, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and/or appropriate logic modules capable when executed to control the operation ofcontroller 100. For example,code 208 may include Web pages for presentation tocustomers 104 to manage their media requests.Code 208 may also include executable files capable of processing delivery requests, inventory queries, inventory reallocations, and other functions forfulfillment centers 106 and/or stores 108. -
Account information 210 includes information related to aparticular customer 104. For example, accountinformation 210 may include historical rental activity, account balances, customer preferences, payment information, customer satisfaction scores, and other information specific to the account forcustomer 104. In addition,account information 210 may include information related to the subscriber account ofcustomer 104. The subscriber account includes such information as a total number of media items available tocustomer 104 at a time. For example, a subscriber account has an associated monthly fee that allowscustomer 104 to rent up to three media items at a time. Upon the return of a media item bycustomer 104,system 10 fulfills the next media request. In this example,customer 104 pays for three delivery slots that are closed upon fulfilling a rental request (in-store or on-line) and opened upon return of a media item. -
Inventory information 212 indicates the availability of media atfulfillment centers 106 and stores 108. For example,inventory information 212 includes the identity and geographic locations of inventory locations (fulfillment centers 106 and stores 108) insystem 10.Inventory information 212 maintains a count of different types ofinventories 110 for each media title at each inventory location.Inventory information 212 may also include information regarding the store performance ofstores 108, including a maximum number of on-line fulfillments allowed atstore 108, accuracy and efficiency in meeting on-line requests, accounting information to credit revenue to store 108 for fulfilling on-line requests, and other similar information.Controller 100updates inventory information 212 based on fulfilled requests, returned media, inventory updates and reconciliations, and other communications and activities insystem 10. Thus,inventory information 212 may be based upon actual inventories. Alternatively or in addition,inventory information 212 may be based upon projections and forecasts of future inventories. -
Queues 214 include information related to media selections bycustomers 104. The media selection thatcustomer 104 stores in its associatedqueue 214 allowsqueue 214 to make media requests on behalf ofcustomer 104. Therefore,customers 104 may make the media selections in advance of actually requesting the media. For example,customer 104 may configurequeue 214 to include a certain number of media selections or pending requests. When a delivery slot is available,controller 100processes queue 214 and selects an inventory location to fulfill the next request.Customers 104 may include any suitable number of pending requests inqueue 214. - In operation,
controller 100 receives a media request from acustomer 104. The request may be received throughinterface 202 or retrieved fromqueue 214. Upon receiving the request,controller 100 selects an inventory location to fulfill the request, afulfillment center 106 or astore 108.Controller 100 analyzes several factors to determine which inventory location to select. The selection may be based on enhancing the customer experience, such as quickly providingcustomer 104 with the media from the closest inventory location. For example,controller 100 may consideraccount information 210 andinventory information 212 in determining which inventory location to select.Account information 210 providescontroller 100information regarding customer 104 that makes the request, andinventory information 212 providescontroller 100 with information regarding inventory locations and available media. For example, fromaccount information 210,controller 100 determines the customer's location and frominventory information 212,controller 100 determines a location near the customer that hasavailable inventory 110. -
Controller 100 may be configured to select the inventory location based on a number of factors, such as customer satisfaction criteria, inventory type, store metrics, other suitable factors, or any combination of the preceding. For example,controller 100 may select the inventory location that will provide the media tocustomer 104 in the shortest time. This inventory location may be theclosest store 108 tocustomer 104 orstore 108 that has the media immediately available. Also,controller 100 may consider several pending requests inqueue 214 ofcustomer 104 to select one that is the most beneficial or optimal to fulfill. -
Controller 100 may also consider the various types ofinventory 110 atstores 108 in selecting the inventory location.Controller 100 may prioritize visitinginventory 110 c over on-line inventory 110 a. In an attempt to return visitinginventory 110 c to itshome store 108,controller 100 may selectstore 108 with more available visitinginventory 110 c. Within fulfillment centers 106,controller 100 may prioritize visitinginventory 110 c overgeneral inventory 110. -
Controller 100 may also select the inventory location based on store metrics. For example, store rankings on efficiency, accuracy of on-line fulfillment, or any suitable metric may determine whichinventory location controller 100 selects. Additionally, the revenue credited tostores 108 for fulfilling on-line requests may influence a selection based on store metrics. - Based on all of the factors, including the closest inventory location to
customer 104, the inventory location that can provide the media in the fastest time, inventory type, and store metrics,controller 100 qualifies available inventory locations and applies a ranking, weighting of factors, or other algorithm to select the inventory location.Controller 100 then selects the inventory location to fulfill the request and the selected inventory location fulfills the request. - Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to
controller 100. For example,memory 206 may include information in addition tocode 208,account information 210,inventory information 212, andqueue 214. As another example,controller 100 may include additional interfaces to allow for communication between other elements withinsystem 10. Additionally, any suitable logic, comprising software, hardware, other logic, or any suitable combination of the preceding may perform the functions ofcontroller 100. -
FIG. 3 is agraph 30 illustrating the reallocation of media over time in astore 108. The inventory count ofavailable inventory 110, which includes on-line inventory 110 a, in-store inventory 110 b, or othersuitable inventory 110, is shown on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis ofgraph 30.Line 300 represents the maximum count of on-line inventory 110 a.Line 304 represents the maximum count of in-store inventory 110 b.Lines inventory 110 forstore 108. The fluctuation ofline 300 andline 304 may depend on a comparison of projected in-store activity versus actual in-store rental activity.Controller 100 may perform this reallocation based on projections made about on-line and in-store activity by considering the past histories of on-line and in-store activity of similar media titles.Line 300 andline 304 may be determined by any projection information, randomly selected information, or any suitable information. - When initially designated, available media count 302 a designated as on-
line inventory 110 a coincides withline 300, and available media count 306 a designated as in-store inventory 110 b coincides withline 304. Over time,customers 104 make media requests through on-line and in-store channels and the available media decreases. Available media count 302 b represents the number of available on-line inventory 110 a after a period of time, the available media decreases to zero at available media count 302 c, andstore 108 does not have any on-line inventory 110 a of the media title. The media designated as in-store inventory 110 b also decreases over time. Available media counts 306 b-306 e represent the decrease of in-store inventory 110 b. For example, the maximum count ofinventory 110 is available for a media title released on a Tuesday beforecustomers 104 make requests. Available media count 302 a represents the total available on-line inventory 110 a and available media count 306 a represents the total available in-store inventory 110 b. Ascustomers 104 begin making requests for the media title, the available media count decreases. By close of business on Thursday, on-line inventory 110 a has decreased to available media count 302 b and in-store inventory 110 b has decreased to available media count 306 b. By the end of Friday, on-line inventory 110 a has an available media count 302 c of zero and in-store inventory 110 b decreases to available media count 306 c. In-store inventory 101 b continues to decrease on Saturday and Sunday, but an available media count 306 e remains at the time an evaluation occurs. - At point A,
controller 100 determines the actual in-store rental activity of the media title. For example, the actual in-store activity may be determined after the media is available for a week, after the media is available for five days, or for any suitable period of time. The actual in-store rental activity is evaluated to determine whetherinventories store inventory 110 b when the evaluation occurs, while on-line inventory 110 a is zero. Because there is in-store inventory 110 b “left-on-shelf,”controller 100 determines to allocate more media to on-line inventory 110 a. The total amount ofavailable inventory 110 for distribution through both channels remains the same, but the particular allocation between in-store inventory 110 b and on-line inventory 110 a changes. After reallocation, on-line inventory 110 a increases by ?1, while in-store inventory 110 b decreases by ?2. -
Customers 104 continue to request media for distribution through on-line and in-store channels over time. The activity continues after point A and the available media decreases ascustomers 104 continue to make requests. The actual in-store rental activity of media distribution is reevaluated at point B. For example, the reevaluation may occur a week after the initial evaluation, a month, or at any suitable time. Again, the evaluation may include comparing the amount of available media to the actual in-store rental activity, considering expected demand that is not as high based on historical trends that show demand decreases some time after release of a media title, or any suitable evaluation. At point B, in-store inventory 110 b exceeds the demand for media through in-store requests, available media count 306 h, while on-line inventory 110 a does not meet the demand. In the illustrated embodiment, on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b is reallocated based on the comparison of projected activity and actual in-store rental activity. In-store inventory 110 b decreases by Δ1 and on-line inventory 110 a increases by Δ2. The reevaluation may continue additional times by comparing actual in-store rental activity to the projected activity. Reallocation of on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b may occur based on the reevaluations. - Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to graph 30. For example,
inventory 110 may have further designations in addition to on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b. As another example, on-line inventory 110 a may decrease while in-store inventory 110 b increases. Also, the totalavailable inventory 110 may adjust in addition to the reallocation of on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b. Over time, the totalavailable inventory 110 may decrease and the designations for on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b decrease accordingly. Alternatively, the totalavailable inventory 110 and the designations of on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b may remain the same after the evaluation and/or reevaluations. Additionally, any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, other logic, or any suitable combination of the preceding may perform the reallocation of available media. -
FIG. 4 is aflowchart 40 illustrating fulfilling a media request.Controller 100 determines available inventory locations atstep 400.Controller 100 considers fulfillment centers 106 andstores 108 based on geographical factors that may providecustomer 104 the media in the shortest time. Atstep 402,controller 100 determines available inventory types infulfillment centers 106 and stores 108.Controller 100 initially allocatesinventory 110 tofulfillment centers 106 andstores 108 based on demographics, historical demands, or any suitable factor.Controller 100 further designatesinventory 110 distributed to particular inventory locations. For example,controller 100 may determine that aparticular store 108 receives fifty total copies of a media title, ten copies may be designated as on-line inventory 110 a and forty copies may be designated as in-store inventory 110 b. Atstep 404,controller 100 determines metrics ofstores 108, such as the efficiency and accuracy ofstore 108.Controller 100 may consider other factors to select the inventory location in addition to the factors in steps 400-404. Furthermore, steps 400-404 may occur in parallel, sequentially, or in any suitable order. -
Controller 100 determines whether to fulfill the request throughstore 108 orfulfillment center 106 atstep 406. To determine which inventory location to fulfill the media request, a number of considerations are analyzed includingaccount information 210 andinventory information 212.Controller 100 may consider any suitable information to select an inventory location to fulfill the media request.Account information 210 may include historical rental activity, account balances, preferences, payment information, customer satisfaction scores, or any suitable information specific to the account forcustomer 104.Inventory information 212 includes the identity and geographic locations of inventory locations, type ofinventory 110 for each media title at each inventory location, store metrics, or any other suitable information regarding inventory locations. By analyzingaccount information 210 andinventory information 212,controller 100 attempts to select inventory locations that can fulfill the request. - If
controller 100 determines thatstores 108 should fulfill the request,controller 100 selects astore 108 to fulfill the request atstep 408. In an embodiment,controller 100 selects the inventory location to provide the best customer experience or provide the media tocustomer 104 in the shortest amount of time. For example,controller 100 may select astore 108 closest tocustomer 104 to fulfill a request made on-line throughqueue 214.Controller 100 initiates the fulfillment of the request from the selectedstore 108 atstep 410. - If
controller 100 determines that fulfillment centers 106 should fulfill the request,controller 100 selects afulfillment center 106 to fulfill the request instep 412. For example, if astore 108 is not within a certain distance tocustomer 104,controller 100 may select afulfillment center 106 to fulfill the request made on-line.Controller 100 initiates fulfillment of the request from the selectedfulfillment center 106 atstep 414. - Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to
flowchart 40.Controller 100 may performsteps 45 in any suitable order. For example,controller 100 may determine whether to fulfill the request throughstores 108 orfulfillment centers 106 before determining the available inventory instores 108 and metrics ofstore 108. Additionally, if on-line inventory 110 a is not available in astore 108, the request may be fulfilled from anotherstore 108 instead of afulfillment center 106. As another example, whencontroller 100 selects the inventory location to fulfill the request,controller 100 may preferstores 108 overfulfillment centers 106 in fulfilling the request. How the criteria are analyzed may change depending on where the request is received. For example, if a request is received in-store,controller 100 does not have to go through the rules associated with selecting an inventory location to fulfill the request;store 108 that receives the request can fulfill the customer's in-store request. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order and some or all steps described as occurring atcontroller 100 may be performed by other components insystem 10. -
FIG. 5 is aflowchart 50 illustrating the reallocation of media.Controller 100 may initially project on-line inventory 110 a of a totalavailable inventory 110 for on-line fulfillment and project in-store inventory 110 b for in-store fulfillment. Based on this projection or using some other technique,controller 100 allocatesinventory 110 atstep 502.Controller 100 tracks the actual in-store rental activity atstep 504. Tracking the actual in-store rental activity may occur over a specific period of time. For example,controller 100 may track the actual in-store rental activity over a week, compare the projections and actual activity, and then continue tracking the actual in-store rental activity.Controller 100 tracks the actual in-store rental activity for any configurable period of time. - At
step 506,controller 100 compares the actual activity of in-store inventory 110 b to the projected activity of in-store inventory 110 b. If the actual activity of in-store inventory 110 b exceeds the projected activity of in-store inventory 110 b,controller 100 may keep the same designation ofinventory 110 or increase in-store inventory 110 b. However, if the actual in-store rental activity is less than the projected activity, the designation ofinventory 110 as on-line inventory 110 a and in-store inventory 110 b is reallocated. The amount designated as on-line inventory 110 a increases, and the amount designated for in-store inventory 110 b decreases accordingly. The total amount ofinventory 110 remains the same, but the designation ofinventory 110 as on-line inventory 110 a or in-store inventory 110 b is adjusted based on the comparison of the actual in-store rental activity and the projected activity. - Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to
flowchart 50. For example, tracking the actual in-store rental activity in astore 108 may continue to occur following the reallocation ofinventory 110.Controller 100 performs allocation ofinventory 110, reallocation ofinventory 110, or any suitable function forstores 108 andfulfillment stores 106 for each media title offering insystem 10. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order and performed by other components insystem 10. - Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments, a myriad of changes, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications may be suggested one skilled in the art, and it is intended that the present invention encompass such changes, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (20)
1. A method performed on a computer for allocating inventory, comprising:
allocating a first portion of inventory to a particular inventory location for online fulfillment;
allocating a second portion of inventory to the particular inventory location for fulfillment at physical locations;
determining physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory, wherein determining physical location rental activity comprises:
determining a projected physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory based on past physical location rental activity;
determining an actual physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory; and
comparing the projected physical location rental activity and the actual physical location rental activity to determine whether to reallocate the first and second portions of inventory; and
reallocating the first and second portions of inventory in accordance with the determined physical location rental activity.
2. Method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at a computer, a media request associated with a subscriber account; and
selecting, by the computer, one of a plurality of inventory locations to fulfill the media request, wherein at least one of the inventory locations accommodates on-site media rental requests.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising increasing the first portion of inventory in accordance with the determined physical location rental activity.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting one of a plurality of inventory locations comprises determining performance data associated with inventory locations that are stores.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting one of a plurality of inventory locations comprises determining performance data associated with inventory locations that are rental kiosks.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting one of a plurality of inventory locations comprises selecting one of a plurality of inventory locations based on classification of available inventory, wherein the available inventory comprises physical location inventory, on-line inventory, and visiting inventory.
7. A system for allocating inventory in response to media requests, comprising:
a plurality of computers operable to make media requests associated with subscriber accounts; and
a controller operable to:
allocate a first portion of inventory to a particular inventory location for on-line fulfillment and allocate a second portion of inventory to the particular inventory location for fulfillment at physical locations;
determine physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory;
determine a projected physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory based on past in-store rental activity;
determine an actual physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory;
compare the projected physical location rental activity and the actual physical location rental activity to determine whether to reallocate the first and second portions of inventory;
reallocate the first and second portions of inventory in accordance with the determined physical location rental activity.
8. The system of claim 7 , where the controller is further operable to select a plurality of inventory locations to fulfill the media requests, wherein at least one of the inventory locations accommodates on-site media rental requests.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of inventory locations comprise:
a plurality of stores to accommodate on-site media requests; and
a plurality of fulfillment centers to accommodate on-line media requests.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of inventory locations comprise:
a plurality of rental kiosks to accommodate on-site media requests; and
a plurality of fulfillment centers to accommodate on-line media requests.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is operable to determine performance data associated with inventory locations that accommodate on-site media rental requests.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is operable to determine a geographic location of a customer associated with the media request, and determine performance data associated with inventory locations that accommodate on-site media rental requests.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is operable to select one of a plurality of inventory locations based on classification of available inventory, wherein the available inventory comprises physical location inventory, on-line inventory, and visiting inventory.
14. A controller, comprising:
a memory operable to store inventory information and account information, the inventory information indicating an allocation of media at a plurality of inventory locations, wherein at least one of the locations accommodates physical location media rental requests, the account information indicating a plurality of subscriber accounts;
a processor operable to:
allocate a first portion of inventory for on-line fulfillment to a particular inventory location;
allocate a second portion of inventory for physical location fulfillment to the particular inventory location;
determine physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory;
determine a projected physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory based on past physical location rental activity;
determine an actual physical location rental activity of the second portion of inventory;
compare the projected physical location rental activity and the actual physical location rental activity to determine whether to reallocate the first and second portions of inventory; and
reallocate the first and second portions of inventory in accordance with the determined physical location rental activity.
15. The controller of claim 14 , further comprising a network interface operable to receive a media request from a subscriber.
16. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further operable to associate the media request with a particular subscriber account using the account information, and select one of a plurality of inventory locations to fulfill the request using the inventory information.
17. The controller of claim 16 , wherein the processor is operable to determine a geographic location of a customer associated with the media request, and determine performance data associated with inventory locations that accommodate on-site media rentals.
18. The controller of claim 16 , wherein the processor is operable to select an inventory location based on classification of available inventory, wherein the available inventory comprises physical location inventory, on-line inventory, and visiting inventory.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of inventory locations comprise:
a plurality of rental kiosks to accommodate on-site media requests; and
a plurality of fulfillment centers to accommodate on-line media requests.
20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of inventory locations comprise:
a plurality of stores to accommodate on-site media requests; and
a plurality of fulfillment centers to accommodate on-line media requests.
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US13/167,692 US20110258014A1 (en) | 2005-05-19 | 2011-06-24 | System and Method For Allocating Inventory to Satisfy Online Demand and Demand At Physical Locations |
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