Cdw Corporation

Jaime Archer

David Ding-hua Tzau

David Tzau

A method for managing a plurality of commercial website accounts maintained by a supplier of goods or services includes receiving a structure via a first computer screen, where the structure specifies a relationship between a first one of the plurality of commercial website accounts and a second one of the plurality of commercial website accounts, so that the first one of the plurality of website accounts is configured to be a parent account of the second of the plurality of website accounts defining a child account; linking the child account and the parent account in accordance with the received structure in response to a command received via the first computer screen; receiving a rule that regulates a purchase of goods or services by a user of the child account via a second computer screen, where the received rule specifies an action associated with a user of the parent account; automatically detecting that the user of the child account has placed an order at the commercial website; and processing the order in accordance with the rule and the structure.

Website user account linking

In one aspect the invention is of a method for linking separate accounts of related organizations on a commercial website which comprises establishing a tree structure defining the relationship of the various accounts in the tree, obtaining approval of the tree structure by authorized personnel responsible for the accounts, and linking the separate accounts in accordance with the relationship defined by the approved tree structure. The step of establishing a tree structure may be performed on-line. In another aspect the invention includes selecting various accounts to be linked while connected to the website, selecting at least one data parameter from a plurality of data parameters to be included in aggregated form from the selected accounts, and aggregating data for the selected data parameters from the selected accounts. In still another aspect the invention includes establishing a plurality of rules regarding the authority for users of various linked accounts to purchase goods or services from a commercial website, and assigning at least one group of users to whom the rules apply, wherein the step of establishing said plurality of rules is performed by a person representing an account at a higher level in the tree structure than the level of at least one of the accounts of the users to whom the rules apply.

Growing community of inventors

Palatine, IL, United States of America

Jaime Archer