Method and system to automatically qualifying a party to participate in a network-based commerce transaction

• US 20060074780A1
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Maltzman, Reed, Fung, Elaine, Taylor, Jeffrey, Goodwine, Annette, Sze, Vicky, Morin, Noel, Hsin, James, Shaviv, Vered, Cooney, Kevin W
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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

A system to facilitate network-based commerce includes receiving information relating to an item to be transacted via a network-based commerce system from a first party. Criterion information specifying at least one criterion to be satisfied by a second party in order for the second party to be qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system is received from the first party. An automatic determination is made as to whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion and if so, then the second party is automatically qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate network-based commerce, the method including:

receiving, from a first party, item information relating to an item to be transacted via a network-based commerce system;

receiving, from the first party, criterion information specifying at least one criterion to be satisfied by a second party in order for the second party to be qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system;

automatically determining whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion; and

if so, then automatically qualifying the second party to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the second party fails to satisfy the at least one criterion, automatically disqualifying the second party from transacting for the item via the network-based commerce system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the criterion information specifies a plurality of criterion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the criterion information specifies a relationship among the plurality of criterion so as to define a criterion function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises an identification criterion identifying the second party, and wherein the determining includes determining whether the second party satisfies the identification criterion.

6. The method of claim 1, including receiving a request from the second party to transact the item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a geographic criterion specifying a geographic location associated with the second party.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises an age criterion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a reputation criterion relating to a reputation of the second party within the network-based commerce system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reputation on the second party is at least partially determined by feedback information provided to the network-based commerce system by a third party.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the feedback information indicates a score on a feedback scale.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the feedback information is positive or negative.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises an activity criterion relating to previous transaction activity of the second party within the network-based commerce system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the activity criterion identifies a specific previous transaction activity that, if performed by the second party, disqualifies the second party from being authorized to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the activity criterion specifies a threshold for the previous transaction activity that, if exceeded by the second party, disqualifies the second party from being authorized to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the previous transaction activity includes a retraction of a bid offer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a transaction criterion relating to transaction activity pertaining to a transaction for the item.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transaction criterion includes submitting a purchase offer price for the item that exceeds a threshold value.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the criterion information is associated with the item information and pertains only to the item.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the criterion information is associated with the first party, and pertains to a plurality of items to be transacted by the first party via the network-based commerce system.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the item information identifies and describes at least one of a product and a service.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes accessing second party information concerning the second party stored by the network-based commerce system.

23. The method claim 22, wherein the second party information comprises profile information profiling the second party.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the profile information is submitted by the second party.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the profile information is automatically generated by the network-based commerce system.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the second party information includes activity information collected by the network-based commerce system, the activity information to include transaction activity of the second party while utilizing the network-based commerce system.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based commerce system is an auction system, and the transaction for the item includes an auction process.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the qualification of the second party includes enabling the second party to submit a bid for the item within the auction process.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based commerce system is a fixed-price transaction system, and the transaction for the item includes a fixed-price transaction process.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the qualification of the second party to transact for the item includes enabling the second party to accept an offer for the item within the fixed-priced transaction process.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the qualification of the second party includes, at the commerce system, recording the second party as qualified to transact with respect to the item.

32. The method of claim 2, wherein the qualification of the second party includes, at the commerce system, enabling the second party to establish a transaction with respect to the item, and wherein the disqualification of the second party includes, at the commerce system, preventing the second party from establishing a transaction with respect to the item.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the qualification of the second party includes, at the commerce system, making the item information relating to the item available to the second party, and wherein the disqualification of the second party includes, at the commerce system, hiding in the information relating to the item from the second party.

34. A network-based commerce system, the system including:

a parser to receive, from a first party, item information relating to an item to be transacted via a network-based commerce system and criterion information specifying at least one criterion to be satisfied by a second party in order for the second party to be qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system; and

a qualification module automatically to determine whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion, and if so, then the qualification module automatically to qualify the second party to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the qualification module is automatically to disqualify the second party from transacting for the item via the network-based commerce system if the second party fails to satisfy the at least one criterion.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the criterion information specifies a plurality of criterion.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the criterion information specifies a relationship among the plurality of criterion so as to define a criterion function.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the qualification module is to utilize the at least one criterion as an identification criterion to identify the second party, and wherein the qualification module is to determine based on whether the second party satisfies the identification criterion.

39. The system of claim 34, including a transaction module to receive a request from the second party to transact the item.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a geographic criterion specifying a geographic location associated with the second party.

41. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one criterion comprises an age criterion.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a reputation criterion relating to a reputation of the second party within the network-based commerce system.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the qualification module is at least partially to determine the reputation of the second party based on feedback information provided to the network-based commerce system by a third party.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the feedback information indicates a score on a feedback scale.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the feedback information is positive or negative.

46. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one criterion comprises an activity criterion relating to previous transaction activity of the second party within the network-based commerce system.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the activity criterion identifies a specific previous transaction activity that, if performed by the second party, disqualifies the second party from being authorized to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the activity criterion specifies a threshold for the previous transaction activity that, if exceeded by the second party, disqualifies the second party from being authorized to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein the previous transaction activity includes a retraction of a bid offer.

50. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a transaction criterion relating to transaction activity pertaining to a transaction for the item.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the transaction criterion includes submitting a purchase offer price for the item that exceeds a threshold value.

52. The system of claim 34, wherein the criterion information is associated with the item information and pertains only to the item.

53. The system of claim 34, wherein the criterion information is associated with the first party, and pertains to a plurality of items to be transacted by the first party via the network-based commerce system.

54. The system of claim 34, wherein the item information identifies and describes at least one of a product and a service.

55. The system of claim 34, wherein the qualification module is automatically to determine whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion by accessing second party information concerning the second party stored by the network-based commerce system.

56. The system claim 55, wherein the second party information comprises profile information profiling the second party.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the profile information is submitted by the second party.

58. The system of claim 56, wherein the network-based commerce system automatically generates the profile information.

59. The system of claim 55, wherein the network-based commerce system collects the second party information that includes activity information, the activity information recording activity of the second party while utilizing the network-based commerce system.

60. The system of claim 34, wherein the network-based commerce system is an auction system, and the transaction for the item includes an auction process.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the qualification module to automatically qualify is to enable the second party to submit a bid for the item within the auction process.

62. The system of claim 34, wherein the network-based commerce system is a fixed-price transaction system, and the transaction for the item includes a fixed-price transaction process.

63. The system of claim 52, wherein the qualification module to automatically qualify is to enable the second party to accept an offer for the item within the fixed-priced transaction process.

64. The system of claim 34, wherein the qualification module to automatically qualify is to record the second party as qualified to transact with respect to the item.

65. The system of claim 35, wherein the qualification module is to qualify the second party by enabling the second party to establish a transaction with respect to the item, and wherein the qualification module is to disqualify the second party by preventing a transaction by the second party with respect to the item.

66. The system of claim 34, wherein the qualification module is to qualify the second party by making the item information that relates to the item available to the second party, and wherein the qualification module is to disqualify the second party by hiding information that relates to the item from the second party.

67. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to:

receive, from a first party, item information that relates to an item to be transacted via a network-based commerce system;

receive, from the first party, criterion information to specify at least one criterion to be satisfied by a second party in order for the second party to be qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system;

automatically determine whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion; and

if so, then automatically qualify the second party to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.

68. A system to facilitate network-based commerce, the system including:

a first means for receiving, from a first party, item information relating to an item to be transacted via a network-based commerce system and criterion information specifying at least one criterion to be satisfied by a second party in order for the second party to be qualified to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system; and

a second means automatically for determining whether the second party satisfies the at least one criterion, and if so, for automatically qualifying the second party to transact for the item via the network-based commerce system.