Method and system to implement seller authorized buying privileges within a network-based shopping facility

• US 20020065763A1
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Goodwine, Annete, Taylor, Jeff, Cooney, Kevin W., Fung, Elaine, Sze, Vicky, Morin, Noel, Hsin, James, Shaviv, Vered
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for an Internet-based shopping facility. The shopping facility allows a seller to select shoppers that may bid on the seller'"'"'s auction listing or offer to but the seller'"'"'s fixed price listing. Only the shoppers that receive authorization from the seller may bid on or buy the item or service offered for sale by the seller.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate network-based shopping comprising;

facilitating a communication between a network-based auction facility and a seller whereby the seller authorizes a bidder to bid on an offering offered for sale by the seller; and

automatically recording the bidder as authorized to bid on the offering responsive to the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based auction facility prevents the bidder from bidding on the offering without the authorization from the seller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bidder and the seller have buying and selling privileges respectively with the network-based auction facility.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication includes a seller request to authorize bidders to bid on the offering.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication includes allowing the seller to add and to remove an authorization restriction multiple times during an auction of the offering.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication includes a bidder request to the seller to authorize the bidder to bid on the offering.

7. The method of claim 4, including providing access to the seller to the bidder'"'"'s bidding history and profile information thereby to assist the seller in determining whether to authorize the bidder to bid on the offering.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bidder'"'"'s bidding history and profile information is provided by the network-based auction facility.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the item includes a high profile offering.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes the Internet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the network-based auction facility includes the auction web site.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein an authorization restriction requirement is displayed on the offering web page.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a seller vetting process information is displayed on a personalized web page of the seller linked to a web page of the offering.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller authorizes only a predetermined currency to be used to purchase the offering offered for sale by the seller.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller authorizes a predetermined geographic area, and wherein a bidder within the predetermined geographic area is allowed by the network-based auction facility to bid on the offering offered for sale by the seller and a further bidder outside the predetermined geographic area is prevented from bidding on the offering.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating a communication between a network-based shopping facility and a seller whereby the seller authorizes a buyer to buy an offering offered for sale by the seller; and

automatically recording the buyer as authorized to buy the offering responsive to the communication.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the authorization module is to prevent the bidder from bidding on the offering without the authorization from the seller.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the bidder and the seller have buying and selling privileges respectively with the network based auction facility.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication includes a seller request to authorize bidders to bid on the offering

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the seller can add and remove the pre-approval restriction multiple times during the auction of the offering.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the communication includes a bidder request to the seller to authorize the bidder to bid on the offering.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the communications module is to provide access to the seller to the bidder'"'"'s bidding history and profile information thereby to assist the seller in determining whether to authorize the bidder to bid on the offering.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the bidder'"'"'s bidding history and profile information is provided by the network-based auction facility.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the offering includes a high profile offering.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the network includes the Internet.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the network-based auction facility includes the auction web site.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein an authorization restriction requirement is displayed on the offering web page.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein a seller vetting process information is displayed on a personalized web page of the seller linked to a web page of the offering.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the seller authorizes only a predetermined currency to be used to purchase the offering offered for sale by the seller.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein the seller authorizes a predetermined geographic area, and wherein a bidder within the predetermined geographic area is allowed by the network-based auction facility to bid on the offering offered for sale by the seller and a further bidder outside the predetermined geographic area is prevented from bidding on the offering.

32. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a communications module to facilitate a communication between a network-based shopping facility and a seller; and

an authorization module to facilitate a seller authorization of a buyer to buy an offering via the communication.

17. A system to facilitate network-based shopping comprising:

a communications module to facilitate a communication between a network-based auction facility and a seller; and

an authorization module to facilitate a seller authorization of a bidder to bid on an offering via the communication.

33. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions to translate instructions, the set instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method to facilitate network-based shopping comprising:

facilitating a communication between a network-based auction facility and a seller whereby the seller authorizes a bidder to bid on an offering offered for sale by the seller; and

automatically recording the bidder as authorized to bid on the offering responsive to the communication.

34. A system to facilitate network-based shopping comprising:

means for facilitating a communication between a network-based auction facility and a seller; and

means for facilitating a seller authorization of a bidder to bid on an offering via the communication.