METHOD FOR PERFORMING A NETWORK AUCTION

• US 20080040232A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dirk Perchthaler
• Original Assignee: Dirk Perchthaler
• Inventors: Perchthaler, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US11/464,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040232A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

The present invention relates to conducting an auction over an electronic network such as the Internet. In an exemplary embodiment, the auction is administered by a central computer, that enables a seller to enter listing information regarding an auction item and enables bidders to enter bids for the auction item. The seller may manually select a bid prior to expiration of a predefined auction period, even if the selected bid is not the highest. The seller may also enter one or more auction conditions desired of a bid and/or bidder. The auction ends as soon as a bid by a bidder is entered that meets the auction conditions, even if the full auction period has not expired. A bidder may also enter a bid group of multiple bids to participate in multiple auctions for substantially similar auction items. If one bid is accepted, the other bids are cancelled.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an auction over an electronic network, comprising:

receiving from a seller client over the electronic network, listing information regarding an auction item;

enabling potential bidders to access the listing information and to enter a bid on the auction item for up to a predefined period of time, and

awarding the auction item to a particular bidder prior to expiration of the predefined period if an instruction is received from the seller client over the electronic network, to accept a particular received bid associated with the particular bidder.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the seller client over the electronic network at least one auction condition to win the auction other than by a highest bid price; and

automatically awarding the auction item to the particular bidder prior to expiration of the predefined period upon receiving from a bidder client over the electronic network a bid that meets the at least one auction condition and the instruction is not received from the seller client to accept the particular received bid.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising ending the auction upon one of the following:

receiving an instruction from the seller client to cancel the listing information;

expiration of the predefined period without receiving any bids;

expiration of the predefined period without receiving any bids that meet the at least one auction condition and without receiving an instruction from the seller client to accept a particular received bid.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the auction condition comprises at least one of the following:

a price, a quantity, and a bidder profile.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the price is a minimum selling price that a seller would like to get for the auction item.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the quantity is one of the following:

a minimum quantity required to be purchased; and

a maximum quantity required to be purchased.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the bidder profile specifies characteristics of a bidder with which a seller desires to conduct the auction.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the bidder profile includes characteristics comprising at least one of the following:

age, gender, ratings, and location.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending a message to the seller client indicating that bids have been received that do not meet the auction conditions, but the predefined period will expire within a certain time.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined period of time starts at one of the following:

immediately upon receipt of the listing information; and

at a selectable point in time specified by a seller.

11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising determining on a random basis which of a plurality of received bids will be accepted, wherein each of the plurality of received bids are received at substantially the same time.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the potential bidders to enter a grouped bid for a plurality of items substantially similar to the auction item, wherein the grouped bid is applied to a plurality of substantially similar listings during the predefined period of time.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising automatically retracting the grouped bid if a bid grouped with the grouped bid has been accepted for one of the items substantially similar to the auction item.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the particular bidder to retract the bid as long as the auction item has not been awarded.

15. A computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that cause a computing device to perform the operations of claim 1.

16. An apparatus for conducting an auction over an electronic network, comprising:

a communication interface in communication with the electronic network;

a processor in communication with the communication interface; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing processor readable instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations including;

receiving from a seller client over the electronic network, listing information regarding an auction item;

enabling potential bidders to access the listing information and enter a bid on the item for auction for up to a predefined period of time, and

awarding the auction item to a particular bidder prior to expiration of the predefined period if an instruction is receiving from the seller client over the electronic network, to accept a particular received bid associated with the particular bidder.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor readable instructions further cause the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving from the seller client over the electronic network at least one auction condition to win the auction other than by a highest bid price; and

automatically awarding the auction item to the particular bidder prior to expiration of the predefined period upon receiving from a bidder client over the electronic network a bid that meets the at least one auction condition and the instruction is not received from the seller client to accept the particular received bid.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the auction condition comprises at least one of the following:

a price, a quantity, and a bidder profile.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bidder profile specifies characteristics of a bidder with which a seller desires to conduct the auction.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor readable instructions further cause the processor to perform the operation of enabling the potential bidders to enter a grouped bid for a plurality of items substantially similar to the auction item, wherein the grouped bid is applied to a plurality of substantially similar listings during the predefined period of time.