Print Procurement Patent Awarded

e-LYNXX Corp., of Chambersburg, PA, says it has been granted a patent covering “any electronic system for procuring customized goods or services (including printing) that automatically matches supplier attributes with contract specifications to identify qualified suppliers, disseminates a bid solicitation to at least two identified suppliers and receives and forwards a bid response to the buyer.”

The U.S. business method patent (No. 7,451,106) was actually filed on Nov. 30, 1998. Therefore, e-LYNXX asserts that it could apply to procurement solutions currently in use.

There has been speculation in online industry forums about the whether the patent will stand up to challenges, especially in light of the recent ruling in the Bilski case by the U.S. Court of Appeals that found business method patents must be applied more narrowly.

In announcing the patent award, the company stated, “Every organization with an electronic procurement system designed to procure customized goods or services — that follow the steps outlined in this new patent — will need a license to use the patented methodology. This would apply to systems that are developed internally as well as systems obtained through third-party brokers, procurement services and system providers.”