REAL-TIME INTERNET AUCTION SYSTEM
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A real-time auction system that is the same as traditional auctions by utilizing the internet. The system utilizes computers in which a number of buyers bid a price for an article and the bids are transmitted over the internet from the buyers'"'"' computers to a computer for an organizer, an assessor, a center and each buyer. If there is more than one bid equal to of above the reserve price set by the assessor, the process repeats until there is only one bid left. The one bid left the successful bidder. When there are no bids above the reserve price set, the process repeats a predetermined number of times.
21 Citations
50 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A real-time auction system comprising:
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a first computer operated by an auction organizer;
a second computer operated by an assessor who exhibits and sells articles;
a plurality of third computers operated by buyers;
a fourth computer in a center for processing;
all of the computers being connected to an online system for receiving and sending data on an auction;
the auction being performed under the control of the fourth computer as follows;
step 1;
the buyers bid a price for an article during a first predetermined time period, with the bid information being transmitted to the first computer;
step 2;
status of bidding on the article is transmitted to all of the computers over the online system;
step 3;
the organizer, the assessor and the buyers confirm the bidding status during a second predetermined time period;
step 4;
If the fourth computer determines that there is more than one bid above a reserve price for the article set by the assessor, the fourth computer controls step 1, step 2 and step 3 to be repeated a predetermined number of times until the fourth computer determines that there is one bid left;
the one bid being the successful bidder. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A real-time auction system having a center system and bidder equipment of bidders that are formed of computers interconnected via internet,
wherein the center system compares a reserve price of an article for auction stored in a predetermined storage unit with one or more of bid prices input and sent from input unit of the bidder equipment so as to determine a winning bidder such that if a single bid price is equal to or higher than the reserve price, the center system determines the bidder of the single bid price as a winning bidder, while if multiple bid prices are equal to or higher than the reserve price, the center system determines the bidder of the highest one of the bid prices as a winning bidder, wherein the center system stores in the storage unit: - a starting price indicating an initial bidding price;
a ceiling price indicating an upper limit of bid price to be input by the input unit of the bidder equipment; and
the reserve price of the article,wherein the center system further stores in the storage unit;
a first predetermined period of a cycle of auction from a starting point to an end point of the cycle; and
a second predetermined period corresponding to a bidding period, which is shorter than the first predetermined period, andwherein the center system performs;
a cycle starting step for starting and continuously counting a cycle with the first predetermined period including the bidding period;
a first determining step for determining whether or not bid price data, which is transmitted from the bidder equipment and temporarily stored in the storage unit, and which is transmitted between a starting point of the bidding period to an end point of the second predetermined period, contains price data between the starting price and the ceiling price, in which the center system relates a set of the starting price and the ceiling price for an immediately preceding bidding period to the immediately preceding bidding period, and stores the correlated starting price, ceiling price and immediately preceding bidding period in the storage unit;
a second determining step for determining whether or not at least one of the bid price data is equal to or higher than the reserve price if the center system determines, in the first determining step, that the bid price data contains price data between the starting price and the ceiling price;
a third determining step for determining whether or not the bid price data contains a single bid price equal to or higher than the reserve price in the immediately preceding bidding period if the center system determines, in the first determining step, that the bid price data contains price data between the starting price and the ceiling price, and further determines, in the second determining step, that at least one of the bid price data is equal to or higher than the reserve price;
a first repeating step (i) for determining the highest one of the transmitted bid price data to be a next starting price for a next cycle, and storing the next starting price in the storage unit, and further re-performing the cycle starting step, the first determining step, the second determining step and the third determining step after the end of the first predetermined period, and (ii) for repeating the re-performance until the center system determines a winning bidder, if the center system (a) determines, in the first determining step, that the bid price data contains price data between the starting price and the ceiling price, and (b1) determines, in the second determining step, that each of the bid price data is lower than the reserve price, or (b2a) determines, in the second determining step, that at least one of the bid price data is equal to or higher than the reserve price, and (b2b) determines, in the third determining step, that the bid price data contains multiple bid prices equal to or higher than the reserve price in the immediately preceding bidding period; and
a first winning determination step (i) for determining the bidder of the bid price equal to or higher than the reserve price to be a winning bidder by providing data of the winning bidder with winning bidder data, if the center system (a) determines, in the first determining step, that the bid price data contains price data between the starting price and the ceiling price, and (b2a) determines, in the second determining step, that at least one of the bid price data is equal to or higher than the reserve price, and (b2c) further determines, in the third determining step, that the bid price data contains a single bid price equal to or higher than the reserve price in the immediately preceding bidding period. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
- a starting price indicating an initial bidding price;
Specification