Public-venue auction system and method of operation

• US 20030069829A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Gathman, Laurie E., Haken, Jack E.
• Application Number:
  US09/971,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A public-venue auction system, and method of operation. In an electronic ticket control system associated with regulating etickets for events at a facility, an auction database is maintained for storing information related to auction items, and proposed terms of sale for them. Information relating to items for auction is received, processed, and transmitted by the electronic ticket control system. Patrons transmit bids through their virtual ticket device. A bid processor receives bids and, at a predetermined time, determines which of them is the highest. An auction event may be initiated by a buyer or seller, or by a third party. Once an auction event is consummated, the owner-operator of the facility will normally facilitate the exchange of consideration, and may provide an on-site clearinghouse for the purpose and charge an auction fee for facilitating the auction.

Claims

1. A method of doing business, comprising:

receiving auction-item information in a public-facility electronic ticket control system wherein the auction item relates to an event at the public facility;

transmitting selected portions of the auction-item information to virtual ticket devices in communication with the electronic ticket control system through public-facility access points;

receiving in the electronic ticket control system at least one communication from a virtual ticket device, wherein the communication contains bid information relating to the auction item; and

determining, at a pre-selected termination point, which of the at least one communications contains the bid of highest value, thereby determining the winner of the auction.

2. The method of doing business of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a downloadable user-interface program for patrons of the public facility to download to a virtual ticket device.

3. The method of doing business of claim 1, wherein the selected portions of auction-item information transmitted to virtual ticket devices is transmitted in a plurality of successive transmissions, wherein each subsequent transmission contains at least some auction-item information not previously transmitted.

4. The method of doing business of claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of successive transmissions was sent in response to a request received from a virtual ticket device.

5. The method of doing business of claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of successive transmissions contains image information for displaying on a virtual ticket device display an image representative of the auction item.

6. The method of doing business of claim 1, further comprising the step of verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the received auction item information

7. The method of doing business of claim 1, further comprising the step of confirming a communication containing bid information.

8. The method of doing business of claim 7, wherein the confirming step includes transmitting a confirmation request to the virtual ticket device from which the communication was received.

9. The method of doing business of claim 8, wherein the confirmation request is sent automatically by the electronic ticket control system upon determining that the received bid information meets pre-determined criteria.

10. The method of doing business of claim 7, wherein the confirming step includes checking the creditworthiness of the patron associated with the virtual ticket device from which the bid-information communication was received.

11. The method of doing business of claim 1, further including the step of delivering the auction item to the winner of the auction and charging an auction fee.

12. The method of doing business of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining the location of a virtual ticket device from which bid information has been received; and

delivering the auction item to a location near the determined location of the virtual ticket device for inspection by patrons in the vicinity.

13. The method of doing business of claim 1, wherein the auction item is one of a plurality of auction-items being auctioned during the same public-facility event.

14. The method of doing business of claim 13, further comprising the step of prioritizing the auction items.

15. In a public facility having an electronic ticket control system capable of communicating through public-facility access points with virtual ticket devices in proximity to the public facility;

a public-venue auction system, comprising;

an auction database for storing auction item information received by the electronic ticket control system, wherein the auction items are related to an event at the public facility;

an auction-control program for directing the processor to select auction-item information for transmission to virtual ticket devices, for processing bid information received from virtual ticket devices, and for determining at the termination of the auction which virtual ticket device submitted the highest bid.

16. The public-venue auction system of claim 15, further comprising an item-image file accessible to the processor for storing images representative of auction items.

17. The public-venue auction system of claim 15, further comprising a virtual ticket device locator program for directing the processor to analyze received bid information to determine the location of the virtual ticket device from which it was transmitted.

18. The public-venue auction system of claim 15, further comprising a downloadable user-interface program for downloading by public-facility patrons to virtual ticket devices.

19. The public-venue auction system of claim 15, further comprising a communications-network interface such that the user-interface program can be downloaded to virtual ticket devices not in proximity to the public facility through the communications network.

20. The public-venue auction system of claim 19, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

21. In a public facility having an electronic ticket control system for communicating through public-facility access points with virtual ticket devices, a method of performing an auction comprising the steps of:

providing an auction control program in the electronic ticket control system;

providing an auction-item database accessible to the auction control program for storing information relating to items to be auctioned, wherein the items are related to an event at the public-facility;

receiving auction-item information and storing it in the auction-item database;

transmitting selected auction-item information to at least one virtual ticket device;

receiving at least one bid from a virtual ticket device;

storing the bid in the auction-item database; and

determining that a received bid is the highest received bid.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the auction-item information is received from a virtual ticket device and relates to an auction item that a patron wishes to sell.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the auction-item information is received from a virtual ticket device and relates to an auction item that a patron wishes to purchase.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of determining is performed at a predetermined auction-termination time.

25. The method of doing business of claim 21, wherein the auction-item information includes a sale price limitation.

26. A method of doing business, comprising:

receiving auction-item information in a public-facility electronic ticket control system wherein the auction item relates to an event at the public facility;

transmitting selected portions of the auction-item information to virtual ticket devices in communication with the electronic ticket control system through public-facility access points;

receiving in the electronic ticket control system at least one communication from a virtual ticket device, wherein the communication contains bid information relating to the auction item; and

charging an auction fee for facilitating the auction.

27. The method of doing business as claim in claim 26, wherein the auction fee is based on a percentage of the highest bid.

28. The method of doing business as claimed in claim 26, wherein the auction fee is only charged upon successful completion of the auction.

29. The method of doing business as claimed in claim 26, wherein the auction fee is a flat rate fee.