| 摘要 |
The present invention provides an apparatus and process for facilitating customer-driven sales of products having multiple configurations, preferably automobiles and trucks. The apparatus is a computer network comprising a server with a product database thereon, an intermediary subsystem, and a seller subsystem. The server, intermediary subsystem, and seller subsystem function together and communicate with each other to allow an intermediary, on behalf of a customer, to configure a feasible product, transmit a request for quote (RFQ) to a target set of sellers in the customer's geographic area, receive quotes from the target sellers in response to the RFQ, and transmit the customer's acceptance of one of the quotes to the appropriate seller. The apparatus may also include a customer subsystem by which the customer may configure their own feasible product and transmit their feasible product information to the intermediary. The intermediary subsystem can optionally include a product database thereon which the intermediary can use to configure a feasible product without communicating with the server. The process allows an intermediary to configure a feasible product, transmit a request for quote (RFQ) to a target set of sellers in the customer's geographic area, receive quotes from the target sellers in response to the RFQ, and transmit the customer's acceptance of one of the quotes to the appropriate seller.
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