DUAL PURCHASE PROCESS WITHIN AN ONLINE AUCTION ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080015971A1
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Maltzman, Reed
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Methods are provided for a dual purchase process. The method includes enabling, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item. In addition, responsive to receipt of a bid for the item, the method includes disabling the fixed-price purchase process.

Claims

1. A method including:

enabling, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item; and

responsive to receipt of a bid for the item, disabling the fixed-price purchase process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the enabling includes generating a first interface identifying both the auction purchase process and the fixed-price purchase process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first interface is a markup language document generated at the first computer system, and wherein the enabling includes communicating the markup language document from the first computer system to a second computer system via a network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the disabling of the fixed-price purchase process includes generating a second interface that identifies only the auction purchase process to a buyer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the auction purchase process is presented with an initial bid value and wherein the fixed-price purchase option is presented with a seller determined price.

6. The method of claim 1 including, responsive to the receipt of the bid, as part of the auction process, maintaining only the auction purchase process for a predetermined period of time to receive further bids.

7. The method of claim 6 including, at conclusion of the predetermined time period, establishing an electronic transaction between a winning buyer, who submitted a highest valid bid, and a seller.

8. The method of claim 1 including presenting to a seller a purchase process option to sell the item by both the auction and the fixed-price purchase processes, and receiving a purchase process indication from the seller responsive to the presentation of the purchase process option.

9. A method including:

receiving, at a computer system, selling information for an item including an item description, an indication whether to provide an opportunity to buy the item at a determined price and the determined price;

receiving purchase information including at least one of

an affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price;

or

a bid to purchase the item; and

initiating a transaction including;

if an affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price is received and no bids have been received for the item, then the transaction is initiated responsive to receiving the affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price,

if a first bid is received then the transaction is initiated responsive to receiving a highest bid, if the affirmative indication to allow the chance to buy the item at the determined price has been received, the chance to buy the item at the determined price terminates upon receipt of the first bid.

10. The method of claim 9 further including requesting additional bidding information used to determine whether to accept the affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein if the selling information includes a reserve price, a seller is notified of an error if the reserve price is not equal to or less than the determined price if the seller gives the affirmative indication to allow the chance to buy the item at the determined price.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein if a seller gives the affirmative indication to allow a buyer the chance to buy the item at the determined price, a bid desired by a first buyer is compared to the determined price and if the first bid is greater than the determined price, a message is sent to the first buyer inviting the first buyer to give the affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price before the first bid is received.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein if the seller gives the affirmative indication to allow a buyer the chance to buy the item at the determined price, a bid desired by a first buyer is compared to the determined price and if the first bid is less than the determined price, a message is sent to the first buyer inviting the first buyer to give affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price before the first bid is received.

14. The method of claim 9 further including presenting a part of the selling information to a buyer on a computer screen.

15. The method of claim 14 further including displaying a visual indicator in association with the selling information for the item an affirmative indication to allow the buyer the chance to buy the item at the determined price is received.

16. The method of claim 15 further including removing the visual indicator after the first bid is received on that item from a first buyer.

17. The method of claim 15 further including generating a user interface to receive the affirmative indication to purchase the item for which the affirmative indication to allow the purchase at the determined price has been received.

18. A machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

enable, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item; and

responsive to receipt of a bid for the item, disable the fixed-price purchase process.

19. A machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive, at a computer system, selling information for an item including an item description, an indication whether to provide an opportunity to buy the item at a determined price and the determined price;

receive purchase information including at least one of

an affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price;

or

a bid to purchase the item; and

initiate a transaction including;

if an affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price is received and no bids have been received for the item then the transaction is initiated responsive to receiving the affirmative indication to purchase the item at the determined price,

if a first bid is received then the transaction is initiated responsive to receiving a highest bid, if the affirmative indication to allow the chance to buy the item at the determined price has been received, the chance to buy the item at the determined price terminates upon receipt of the first bid.