Information portal in a contract manufacturing framework

1. In a contract: manufacturing framework, a method of providing access to manufacturing services and manufacturing management services that can be contracted, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a system database including a plurality of category databases, the category databases including at least a contracts database, an industry database, and a bench marking database, wherein each of the category databases include a plurality of Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures, wherein each Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure includes a description of a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization and manufacturing services provided by the Contract Manufacturing Organization that can be contracted for, and wherein the database further includes a plurality of hyperlinks to information;

(b) identifying a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure based on request data from a user's terminal wherein the request data includes a type of inquiry and is provided to the system database that utilizes one of the category databases to process the request data based on the type of inquiry in the request data;

(c) identifying a particular hyperlink based on the requested data;

(d) sending the user the identified Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure so as to identify to the user a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization, and sending the user the identified hyperlink;

(e) allowing the user to obtain additional information about the Contract Manufacturing Organization identified by the Contract manufacturing Organization data structure utilizing the identified hyperlink;

(f) receiving order information at a Central management unit terminal for a new order from the user's terminal for manufacturing services from a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization stored in the category databases;

(g) checking budget constraints at the Central management unit terminal, wherein budget constraints are calculated by comparing cost of the new order plus past order costs against an ordering budget to determine whether the cost of the new order would exceed the ordering budget; and

(h) the Central management unit terminal placing the new order for manufacturing services with the particular Contract Manufacturing Organization if the cost of the new order is within the budget constraints.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures further include data concerning legal services.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the identified hyperlink is capable of being utilized to obtain information concerning patent licensing.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the identified hyperlink is capable of being utilized to obtain information concerning multi-country licensing.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the database is accessed utilizing a network.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the network is the Internet.

7. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing access to manufacturing services and manufacturing management services that can be contracted, in a contract manufacturing framework comprising:

(a) a code segment for providing a system database including a plurality of category databases, the category databases including at least a contracts database, an industry database, and a bench marking database, wherein each of the category data bases include a plurality of Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures, wherein each Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure includes a description of a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization and manufacturing services provided by the Contract Manufacturing Organization that can be contracted for, and wherein the database further includes a plurality of hyperlinks to information;

(b) a code segment for identifying a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure based on request data from a user wherein the request data includes a type of inquiry and is provided to the system database that utilizes one of the category databases to process the request data based on the type of inquiry in the request data;

(c) identifying a particular hyperlink based on the requested data;

(d) a code segment for sending the user the Identified Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure and so as to identify to the user a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization, and sending the user the Identified hyperlink;

(e) a code segment for allowing the user to obtain additional information about the Contract Manufacturing Organization identified by the Contract manufacturing Organization data structure utilizing the identified hyperlink;

(f) a code segment for receiving order information for a new order from the user for manufacturing services from a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization stored in the category databases;

(g) a code segment for checking budget constraints, wherein budget constraints are calculated by comparing cost of the new order plus past order costs against an ordering budget to determine whether the cost of the new order would exceed the ordering budget; and

(h) a code segment for placing the new order for manufacturing services with the particular Contract Manufacturing Organization if the cost of the new order is within the budget constraints.

8. A computer program as recited in claim 7 , wherein the Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures further include data concerning legal services.

9. A computer program as recited in claim 7 , wherein the identified hyperlink is capable of being utilized to obtain information concerning patent licensing.

10. A computer program as recited in claim 7 , wherein the identified hyperlink is capable of being utilized to obtain information concerning multi-country licensing.

11. A computer program as recited in claim 7 , wherein the database is accessed utilizing a network.

12. A computer program as recited in claim 7 , wherein the network is the Internet.

13. In a contract manufacturing framework, a method of providing access to manufacturing services and manufacturing management services that can be contracted, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a system database including a plurality of category databases, the category databases including at least a contracts database, an industry database, and a bench marking database, wherein each of the category databases include a plurality of Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures, wherein each Contract manufacturing Organization data structure includes a description of a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization and descriptions of manufacturing services provided by the Manufacturing Organization that can be contracted for;

(b) receiving request data concerning a desired manufacturing service from a user's terminal wherein the request data includes a type of inquiry and is provided to the system database that utilizes one of the category databases to process the request data based on the type of inquiry in the request data;

(c) querying the category databases using the request data to determine a subset of qualified Contract Manufacturing Organizations from the plurality of Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures;

(d) identifying a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure based on said desired manufacturing service so as to identify to the user a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization from the subset of qualified Contract Manufacturing Organization capable of providing said desired manufacturing service;

(e) sending the user the identified Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure;

(f) receiving order information at a Central management unit terminal for a new order from the user for manufacturing services from a particular Contract Manufacturing Organization stored in the category databases;

(g) checking budget constraints at the Central management unit terminal, wherein budget constraints are calculated by comparing cost of the new order plus past order costs against an ordering budget to determine whether the cost of the new order would exceed the ordering budget; and

(h) the Central management unit terminal placing the new order for manufacturing services with the particular Contract Manufacturing Organization if the cost of the new order is within the budget constraints.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the Contract Manufacturing Organization data structures further include data concerning legal services.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the request data includes data concerning pharmaceuticals.

16. A method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the database is accessed utilizing a network.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the network is the Internet.

18. A method as recited in claim 13 , wherein each Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure further includes a hyperlink to information; and

wherein the step of sending the user the identified Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure comprises sending the hyperlink as part of the Contract Manufacturing Organization data structure.