Real-time bidding using instant messaging clients

• US 20080091550A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Zacarias, Arturo, Ahmed, Zahid N., Pandurangan, Senthil K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems

Abstract

A system and method are provided to implement real-time bidding using instant messaging. In one embodiment, real time messaging may be provided through IM messaging via an IM server over the internet, between a client and a web-based commerce system. The IM server may be provided by various service providers. In another embodiment, real-time messaging between a client and a web-based commerce system may take place over a P2P network provided by a service provider e.g. Skype. The real time messages may include notification messages communicated from the commerce system to a client. A notification message may include an outbid alert message. The real time messages may include re-bid messages communicated from a client to the commerce system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an IM server, connectable with a market place environment and connectable with a client via a first and a second communication channel using a real-time communication protocol, at least one of the first and second communication channels being a secure channel, the IM server to communicate an event notification to the client and to communicate a bid to the market place environment via the secure channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the market place environment further includes a commerce server to communicate with the IM server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the commerce system includes a notification engine module to generate the event notification and communicate the event notification to the IM server.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the commerce system includes an API server module to receive the bid from the IM server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the bid is a re-bid message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the bid includes a text message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the IM server includes a text parser module to parse a text message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the IM server further includes a bid logic module to receive a parsed message from the text parser and, from which, to retrieve a bid information including, a bid type, a bid value, a bidder name, and a listing from the parsed message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the event notification is generated by the market place environment.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the event notification is generated in response to the detection of a predetermined event corresponding to an auction listing.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the bid is generated by the client, in response to the event notification.

12. A system comprising:

a market place environment which comprises,

a website including at least one page, to publish auction listings of a network-based commerce system;

a commerce server to host said website, and to broadcast signals to a plurality of user units and to receive signals from a plurality of said units, said signals being real time messages related to auction listings, and auction activities related to auction listings, including bidding, re-bidding, and out-bid alert messages;

a P2P network to connect users directly to each other through a cluster of local nodes; and

a user unit to communicate real-time messages with said market place environment via said P2P network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the P2P network connects a P2P client to a P2P gateway via internet.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a P2P gateway communicatively coupled to the commerce server and the P2P network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the commerce system includes,

a notification engine to generate one or more real-time messages to be communicated to the P2P gateway;

an API server to receive the one or more real-time message from the P2P gateway; and

a NE Q module to queue one or more real-time messages generated by the notification engine.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the P2P gateway includes, a voice/text parser to parse a received voice/text message from the P2P network;

a voice/text generator to generate a real-time voice/text message to be communicated to the P2P network;

a bid logic module, the bid logic module,

to receive a parsed message from the voice/text parser and to retrieve a bid information, including a bidder name, a bid type, a bid value, and a listing from the parsed message,

to communicate the retrieved bid information to the commerce server,

to receive real-time messages communicated from the commerce server,

to process real-time received from the commerce server, and

to communicate the processed real-time messages to the voice/text generator.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the received voice/text message is a re-bid message originated from a certain P2P client.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more real-time messages generated by the notification engine include outbid message alerts to be received by a certain P2P client.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more real-time messages generated by the notification engine include voice XML alerts reading out, to a user, a listing description and a corresponding current bid price for a listing being watched by a user.

20. The system of claim 19, including inquiring whether the user wants to place a bid for that listing.

21. A method comprising:

detecting a predetermined event corresponding to a pre-selected auction listing;

communicating an event notification related to the detected predetermined event via a first communication channel using a real-time communication protocol; and

accepting a bid in response to the event notification via a second communication channel using the real-time communication protocol, the second communication channel being a secure channel.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein real-time communication protocol is an Instant Messaging protocol, in said protocol, messages between the user and the network-based commerce system is communicated via an intermediary server.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein real-time communication protocol is a peer-to-peer protocol, in said protocol, messages between the user and the network-based commerce system are communicated directly without the need for any intermediary IM server.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the communicated messages include text messages.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the communicated messages include text messages.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the communicated messages are voice messages.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the first communication channel is a secure channel.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the event notification includes an outbid alert message.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the bid is a re-bid.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the event notification includes an end of auction notice, the notice being communicated to a user, whenever the auction for the user'"'"'s desired listing is closed.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said notice further notifies the user, if the user'"'"'s bid is the winning bid, and provides the user with further instruction to proceed with the transaction.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined event is a bid placed on a listing watched by a user.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the event notification include a voice XML alert reading out, to a user, a listing description and a corresponding current bid price for a listing being watched by a user.

34. The method of claim 33 , including inquiring whether the user wants to place a bid for that listing.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined event is defined by the user.

36. The method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined event is the availability of the user'"'"'s desired listing in the auction listings.

37. The method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined event is the availability of the user'"'"'s desired listing in the auction listings at a pre-set price.

38. The method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined event is the withdrawal of the listing from the auction listings.