Method and system for offering an item for sale using a user-selectable bid indicia

• US 20030083982A1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alan S. Fisher, Samuel Jerrold Kaplan
• Original Assignee: Alan S. Fisher, Samuel Jerrold Kaplan
• Inventors: Kaplan, Samuel Jerrold, Fisher, Alan S.
• Application Number:
  US10/316,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083982A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 method and system for offering an item for sale using a user-selectable bid indicia includes presenting a merchandise catalog page to a user. The merchandise catalog page offering an item for sale and including a bid indicia that is user-selectable. Responsive to a user-selection of the indicia of the merchandise catalog page, a bid page is presented to a user to receive bid information relating to a bid for the item.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate an electronic auction, the method including:

presenting a user with a merchandise catalog page, the merchandise catalog page offering an item for sale and including a bid indicia that is user-selectable; and

responsive to a user-selection of the bid indicia of the merchandise catalog page, presenting the user with a bid page to receive bid information relating to a bid for the item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an index indicia that is user-selectable to view an index of available merchandise.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an auction indicia that is user-selectable to navigate between a plurality of merchandise catalog pages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes auction information including details of an auction process for the item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the auction information includes a list price for the item.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the auction information includes a minimum bid for the item.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the auction information includes a bid increment for the item.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the auction information includes a quantity available for the item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes high bidder information identifying at least one current high bidder for the item.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the high bidder information indicates a high bid amount.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid indicia is a bid button.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid information includes a bid value.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid information includes a bid quantity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid information includes personal information of the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the personal information includes a shipping address of the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the personal information includes credit card information of the user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal information includes financial institution information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid information includes a user comment to be displayed in conjunction with the bid.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid page includes a place bid indicia that is user-selected to send the bid information to an electronic auction system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the electronic auction system utilizes a bid validator to validate the bid information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the bid validator verifies credit card information.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the bid validator verifies an appropriate bid.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the bid validator verifies personal information.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the bid validator ensures bid format.

25. A machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more machines to perform a method to facilitate an electronic auction, the method including:

presenting a user with a merchandise catalog page, the merchandise catalog page offering an item for sale and including a bid indicia that is user-selectable; and

responsive to a user-selection of the bid indicia of the merchandise catalog page, presenting a user with a bid page to receive bid information relating to a bid for the item.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an index indicia that is user-selectable to view an index of available merchandise.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an auction indicia that is user-selectable to navigate between a plurality of merchandise catalog pages.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes auction information including details of an auction process for the item.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the auction information includes a list price for the item.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the auction information includes a minimum bid for the item.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the auction information includes a bid increment for the item.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the auction information includes a quantity available for the item.

33. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes high bidder information identifying at least one current high bidder for the item.

34. The machine-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the high bidder information indicates a high bid amount.

35. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid indicia is a bid button.

36. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid information includes a bid value.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid information includes a bid quantity.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid information includes personal information of the user.

39. The machine-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the personal information includes a shipping address of the user.

40. The machine-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the personal information includes credit card information of the user.

41. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the personal information includes financial institution information.

42. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid information includes a user comment to be displayed in conjunction with the bid.

43. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bid page includes a place bid indicia that is user-selected to send the bid information to an electronic auction system.

44. The machine-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the electronic auction system utilizes a bid validator to validate the bid information.

45. The machine-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the bid validator verifies credit card information.

46. The machine-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the bid validator verifies an appropriate bid.

47. The machine-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the bid validator verifies personal information.

48. The machine-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the bid validator ensures bid format.

49. An electronic auction system including:

a merchandise catalog page generator to generate a merchandise catalog page for presentation to a user, the merchandise catalog page offering an item for sale and including a bid indicia that is user-selectable, wherein responsive to a user-selection of the bid indicia of the merchandise catalog page, the merchandise catalog page generator generates a bid page to receive bid information from the user.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an index indicia that is user-selectable to view an index of available merchandise.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an auction indicia that is user-selectable to navigate between a plurality of merchandise catalog pages.

52. The system of claim 49, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes auction information including details of an auction process for the item.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the auction information includes a list price for the item.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein the auction information includes a minimum bid for the item.

55. The system of claim 52, wherein the auction information includes a bid increment for the item.

56. The system of claim 52, wherein the auction information includes a quantity available for the item.

57. The system of claim 49, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes high bidder information identifying at least one current high bidder for the item.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the high bidder information indicates a high bid amount.

59. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid indicia is a bid button.

60. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid information includes a bid value.

61. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid information includes a bid quantity.

62. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid information includes personal information of the user.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the personal information includes a shipping address of the user.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein the personal information includes credit card information of the user.

65. The system of claim 49, wherein the personal information includes financial institution information.

66. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid information includes a user comment to be displayed in conjunction with the bid.

67. The system of claim 49, wherein the bid page includes a place bid indicia that is user-selected to send the bid information to an electronic auction system.

68. The system of claim 67, wherein the electronic auction system utilizes a bid validator to validate the bid information.

69. The system of claim 68, wherein the bid validator verifies credit card information.

70. The system of claim 68, wherein the bid validator verifies an appropriate bid.

71. The system of claim 68, wherein the bid validator verifies personal information.

72. The system of claim 68, wherein the bid validator ensures bid format.

73. An electronic auction system including:

a catalog page generating means for generating a merchandise catalog page for presentation to a user, the merchandise catalog page offering an item for sale and including a bid indicia that is user-selectable, wherein responsive to a user-selection of the bid indicia of the merchandise catalog page, the catalog page generating means generates a bid page to receive bid information from the user; and

a managing means, coupled to the catalog page generating means, for providing instructions to the catalog page generating means for generating the merchandise catalog page.

74. The system of claim 73, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an index indicia that is user-selectable to view an index of available merchandise.

75. The system of claim 73, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes an auction indicia that is user-selectable to navigate between a plurality of merchandise catalog pages.

76. The system of claim 73, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes auction information including details of an auction process for the item.

77. The system of claim 76, wherein the auction information includes a list price for the item.

78. The system of claim 76, wherein the auction information includes a minimum bid for the item.

79. The system of claim 76, wherein the auction information includes a bid increment for the item.

80. The system of claim 76, wherein the auction information includes a quantity available for the item.

81. The system of claim 73, wherein the merchandise catalog page includes high bidder information identifying at least one current high bidder for the item.

82. The system of claim 81, wherein the high bidder information indicates a high bid amount.

83. The system of claim 73, wherein the bid indicia is a bid button.

84. The system of claim 73, wherein the bid information includes a bid value.

85. The system of claim 82, wherein the bid information includes a bid quantity.

86. The system of claim 82, wherein the bid information includes personal information of the user.

87. The system of claim 86, wherein the personal information includes a shipping address of the user.

88. The system of claim 86, wherein the personal information includes credit card information of the user.

89. The system of claim 86, wherein the personal information includes financial institution information.

90. The system of claim 82, wherein the bid information includes a user comment to be displayed in conjunction with the bid.

91. The system of claim 82, wherein the bid page includes a place bid indicia that is user-selectable to send the bid information to an electronic auction system.

92. The system of claim 91, wherein the electronic auction system utilizes a bid validator to validate the bid information.

93. The system of claim 92, wherein the bid validator verifies credit card information.

94. The system of claim 92, wherein the bid validator verifies an appropriate bid.

95. The system of claim 92, wherein the bid validator verifies personal information.

96. The system of claim 92, wherein the bid validator ensures bid format.