Method of joint purchase reverse auction, computer program product and server

• US 20050234808A1
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DeeCorp Ltd.
• Original Assignee: DeeCorp Ltd.
• Inventors: Goto, Seiji, Matsumoto, Hitomi, Okada, Satoshi, Furuichi, Katsuhisa, Yoshikawa, Masazumi
• Application Number:
  US11/107,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234808A1
• 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 reverse auction method implemented by a server connected to a plurality of buyer terminals and a plurality of supplier terminals through a network. The method selects desired purchase terms as candidates forjoint purchase from desired purchase terms received from the plurality of buyer terminals, and transmits an invitation to participate in joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer corresponding to at least the selected desired purchase terms. Then, the method receives a participation response to the invitation from a buyer terminal of a buyer intending to participate in reverse auction and determining a combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to the participation response.

Claims

1. A reverse auction method implemented by a server connected to a plurality of buyer terminals and a plurality of supplier terminals through a network, the method comprising:

selecting desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase from desired purchase terms received from the plurality of buyer terminals;

transmitting an invitation to participate in joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer corresponding to at least the selected desired purchase terms; and

receiving a participation response to the invitation from a buyer terminal of a buyer intending to participate in reverse auction and determining a combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to the participation response.

2. The reverse auction method of claim 1, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service and information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction, and

the desired purchase terms are selected as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a classification of a product/service and the information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction.

3. The reverse auction method of claim 1, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service, and

desired purchase terms with the same product/service classification are selected as candidates for joint purchase.

4. The reverse auction method of claim 1, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a desired quantity of a product/service, and

desired purchase terms are selected as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a quantity of a product/service so as to increase prosecution quantity in joint purchase.

5. The reverse auction method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the desired purchase terms received form the plurality of buyer terminals to the supplier terminals and receiving a participation response of a supplier intending to participate in reverse auction from the supplier terminals,

wherein desired purchase terms are selected as candidates for joint purchase according to the participation response of the supplier.

6. The reverse auction method of claim 1, wherein the invitation to participate in joint purchase is transmitted to all the buyer terminals.

7. The reverse auction method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an approval request for joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer included in the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase; and

receiving an approval for joint purchase from the buyer terminal and updating the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to the approval.

8. A computer program product for causing a computer connected to a plurality of buyer terminals and a plurality of supplier terminals through a network to execute a process of reverse auction, the computer program product including a computer readable medium storing a program code, the program code comprising:

a first program code selecting desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase from desired purchase terms received from the plurality of buyer terminals;

a second program code transmitting an invitation to participate in joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer corresponding to at least the desired purchase terms selected by the first program code; and

a third program code determining a combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to a participation response to the invitation received from a buyer terminal of a buyer intending to participate in reverse auction.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service and information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction, and

the second program code selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a classification of a product/service and the information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service, and

the second program code selects desired purchase terms with the same product/service classification as candidates for joint purchase.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a desired quantity of a product/service, and

the second program code selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a quantity of a product/service so as to increase prosecution quantity in joint purchase.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

a program code transmitting the desired purchase terms received form the plurality of buyer terminals to the supplier terminals and receiving a participation response of a supplier intending to participate in reverse auction from the supplier terminals,

wherein the second program code selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the participation response of the supplier.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

a program code transmitting an approval request for joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer included in the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase; and

a program code receiving an approval for joint purchase from the buyer terminal and updating the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to the approval.

14. A server connected to a plurality of buyer terminals and a plurality of supplier terminals through a network and implementing reverse auction, the server comprising:

a joint purchase candidate selection unit selecting desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase from desired purchase terms received from the plurality of buyer terminals;

an invitation transmission unit transmitting an invitation to participate in joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer corresponding to at least the desired purchase terms selected by the joint purchase candidate selection unit; and

a determination unit determining a combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to a participation response to the invitation received from a buyer terminal of a buyer intending to participate in reverse auction.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service and information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction, and

the joint purchase candidate selection unit selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a classification of a product/service and the information indicating a desired time to hold a reverse auction.

16. The server of claim 14, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a classification of a product/service, and

the joint purchase candidate selection unit selects desired purchase terms with the same product/service classification as candidates for joint purchase.

17. The server of claim 14, wherein

the desired purchase terms at least include information indicating a desired quantity of a product/service, and

the joint purchase candidate selection unit selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the information indicating a quantity of a product/service so as to increase prosecution quantity in joint purchase.

18. The server of claim 14, further comprising:

a program code transmitting the desired purchase terms received form the plurality of buyer terminals to the supplier terminals and receiving a participation response of a supplier intending to participate in reverse auction from the supplier terminals,

wherein the joint purchase candidate selection unit selects desired purchase terms as candidates for joint purchase according to the participation response of the supplier.

19. The server of claim 14, further comprising:

a program code transmitting an approval request for joint purchase to a buyer terminal of a buyer included in the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase; and

a program code receiving an approval for joint purchase from the buyer terminal and updating the combination of buyers participating in joint purchase according to the approval.