Patent 7480628 was granted and assigned to Netcomponents on January, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention is a searchable product/service database software system enabling complex multiple-product/service item query searching of databases, providing, in response to a single search query, search results for multiple products/services that are grouped and ranked by supplier based on which supplier(s) have inventory with respect to the greatest number of the queried products/services. The user can identify which vendor can best fill the entire order, simplifying the buying process. A single query can be entered by a user covering their entire required bill of materials list. The system is preferably implemented via a website server using known methods of Internet communication. The search results can be customized further to categorize suppliers by geographic location, supplier type, pricing or other criteria. Also disclosed and claimed is a method for providing complex multiple product/service item query searching with search results grouped and ranked by supplier based on which suppliers have inventory with respect to the greatest number of queried products/services.