Method and system for managing multi-party barter transaction
First Claim
1. A method for creating a barter transaction involving the trade of items between parties, comprising:
- maintaining a list of descriptions of items available for trade in a current database;
maintaining a list of descriptions of items sought in a current database;
enabling each party to access the current database to browse and search the descriptions using a communications network;
enabling each party to create links between one or more descriptions of the party'"'"'s items available and one or more descriptions of the party'"'"'s items sought, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link;
enabling each party to create links between two or more items at least one of which has a description in the current database, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link; and
analyzing the created links to determine the presence of potential barter trades, each potential barter trade involving a plurality of links wherein each party involved in the potential barter trade provides an available item included in one of the links and receives a sought item included in one of the links.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and system for bartering between trade parties each having one or more items available for barter, via a communications network. Items available for trade are listed and the parties can browse and search the lists to locate items they want to acquire and items they have available to trade, and create a barter listing or link between items, each link including one or more items a party wants to acquire, and one or more items the party has available to trade. The links are analyzed to determine when a potential trade can be completed between multiple parties to provide each party with one or more items they want from another party involved in the potential trade. If so, the parties involved in the potential trade are notified of the possibility of realizing the trade to enable the parties to approve or reject the potential trade.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for creating a barter transaction involving the trade of items between parties, comprising:
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maintaining a list of descriptions of items available for trade in a current database; maintaining a list of descriptions of items sought in a current database; enabling each party to access the current database to browse and search the descriptions using a communications network; enabling each party to create links between one or more descriptions of the party'"'"'s items available and one or more descriptions of the party'"'"'s items sought, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link; enabling each party to create links between two or more items at least one of which has a description in the current database, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link; and analyzing the created links to determine the presence of potential barter trades, each potential barter trade involving a plurality of links wherein each party involved in the potential barter trade provides an available item included in one of the links and receives a sought item included in one of the links. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for creating a barter transaction involving the trade of items between parties, comprising:
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a server for maintaining a current database containing a list of descriptions of items available for trade; and at least one terminal coupled to said server via a communications network for enabling a party using said at least one terminal to access said current database and browse and search the descriptions using the communications network, and create links between two or more items at least one of which has a description in said current database, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link, said server including a processor arranged to analyze the created links and a current database containing descriptions of items available for trade and sought in trade to determine the presence of potential barter trades, each potential barter trade involving a plurality of links wherein each party involved in the potential barter trade provides an available item included in one of the links and receives a sought item included in one of the links, said server being further arranged to notify parties having items involved in the potential barter trade about the potential barter trade via the communications network. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer program resident on computer-readable media and arranged to
maintain a list of descriptions of items available for trade in a current database; -
enable parties to access the current database to browse and search the descriptions using a communications network; enable each party to create links between two or more items, at least one which has a description in the current database, indicating a desire to trade at least one available item of the link for at least one sought item of the link; analyze the created links to determine the presence of potential barter trades, each potential barter trade involving a plurality of links wherein each party involved in the potential barter trade provides an available item included in one of the links and receives a sought item included in one of the links; notify each party involved in the potential barter trade of the possibility of actualizing the barter trade; and enable the notified parties to confirm or reject the barter trade. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification