Cascade bidding

• US 20080114671A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Goel, Amit, Loper, Christopher Scott, Maliwat, Christopher, Gilani, Sohilraj A.
• Application Number:
  US11/595,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Some embodiments may provide a method and a system for receiving a first limit price, associated with a bidder, on a first auction-format listing, receiving a second limit price, associated with the bidder, on a second auction-format listing, making a first determination as to whether a first condition exists that prevents a first winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the first winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price, and based on the first determination being in the affirmative, selectively making a second determination as to whether a second condition exists that prevents a second winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the second winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

Claims

1. A system including:

a communication module to receive a first limit price associated with a bidder, on a first auction-format listing and to receive a second limit price, associated with the bidder, on a second auction-format listing; and

a bid progression module to make a first determination as to whether a first condition exists that prevents a first winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the first winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price, and selectively to make, based on the first determination being in the affirmative, a second determination as to whether a second condition exists that prevents a second winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the second winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first condition is selected from the group including the bidder not winning the first auction-format listing, a reserve price on the first auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price, a current bid on the first auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price, a current bid on the first auction-format listing being more favorable to the bidder than the first limit price by less than a minimum auction increment, the bidder being ineligible to place a bid on the first auction-format item, the first auction-format item not being susceptible to the placement of a bid, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second condition is selected from the group including the bidder not winning the second auction-format listing, a reserve price on the second auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price, a current bid on the second auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price, a current bid on the second auction-format listing being more favorable to the bidder than the second limit price by less than a minimum auction increment, the bidder being ineligible to place a bid on the second auction-format item, the second auction-format item not being susceptible to the placement of a bid, and combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bid progression module is to make a third determination as to whether a first current bid associated with the first auction-format listing was placed on behalf of the bidder, and wherein the system includes a bid placement module selectively to place, based on the third determination being in the negative, a first new bid on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the price of the first new bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a first fixed price, and wherein the first new bid is equal to the first fixed price.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the bid progression module is to make a fourth determination as to whether a second current bid associated with the second auction-format listing was placed on behalf of the bidder, and wherein the system includes a bid placement module selectively to place, based on the first determination being in the affirmative and the fourth determination being in the negative, a second new bid on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the price of the second new bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a second fixed price, and wherein the second new bid is equal to the second fixed price.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first limit price is the same as the second limit price.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein an item described by the first auction-format and an item described by the second auction-format listing are essentially the same item.

10. A system including:

a communication module to receive from a bidder a first limit price with respect to a first auction-format listing, and to receive from the bidder a second limit price with respect to a second auction-format listing, and to receive an indication that the bidder requests that a network-based publication system carry out a method, the method including attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a first bid with respect to the first auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price, making a determination as to whether the bidder is a winning bidder with respect to the first auction-format listing, based on the determination being in the negative, selectively attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a second bid with respect to the second auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a fixed price, and wherein the second bid has a price no less favorable to the bidder than the fixed price.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first limit price is the same as the second limit price.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first auction-format listing is substantially the same auction-format listing as the second auction-format listing.

14. A method including:

receiving a first limit price associated with a bidder, on a first auction-format listing;

receiving a second limit price associated with the bidder, on a second auction-format listing;

making a first determination as to whether a first condition exists that prevents a first winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the first winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price;

based on the first determination being in the affirmative;

selectively making a second determination as to whether a second condition exists that prevents a second winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the second winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first condition is selected from the group including the bidder not winning the first auction-format listing, a reserve price on the first auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price, a current bid on the first auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price, a current bid on the first auction-format listing being more favorable to the bidder than the first limit price by less than a minimum auction increment, the first being ineligible to place a bid on the first auction-format item, the first auction-format item not being susceptible to the placement of a bid, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second condition is selected from the group including the bidder not winning the second auction-format listing, a current bid on the second auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price, a current bid on the second auction-format listing being more favorable to the bidder than the second limit price by less than a minimum auction increment, a reserve price on the second auction-format listing being less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price, the bidder being ineligible to place a bid on the second auction-format item, the second auction-format item not being susceptible to the placement of a bid, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 14, further including:

making a third determination as to whether a first current bid associated with the first auction-format listing was placed on behalf of the bidder; and

based on the third determination being in the negative, selectively placing a first new bid on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the price of the first new bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a first fixed price, and wherein the first new bid is equal to the first fixed price.

19. The method of claim 14, further including:

based on the first determination being in the affirmative;

selectively making a fourth determination as to whether a second current bid associated with the second auction-format listing was placed on behalf of the bidder; and

based on the fourth determination being in the negative, selectively placing a second new bid on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the price of the second new bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a second fixed price, and wherein the second new bid is equal to the second fixed price.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the first limit price is the same as the second limit price.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein an item described by the first auction-format and an item described by the second auction-format listing are essentially the same item.

23. A method including:

receiving from a bidder a first limit price with respect to a first auction-format listing;

receiving from the bidder a second limit price with respect to a second auction-format listing; and

receiving an indication that the bidder requests that a network-based publication system carry out a method including;

attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a first bid with respect to the first auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price;

making a determination as to whether the bidder is a winning bidder with respect to the first auction-format listing; and

based on the determination being in the negative, selectively attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a second bid with respect to the second auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the second auction-format listing includes a fixed price purchase option and a fixed price, and wherein the second bid has a price no less favorable to the bidder than the fixed price.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first limit price is the same as the second limit price.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein an item described by the first auction-format and an item described by the second auction-format listing are essentially the same item.

27. A method including:

transmitting to a network-based publication system on behalf of a bidder a first limit price with respect to a first auction-format listing and a second limit price with respect to a second auction-format listing; and

transmitting to the network-based publication system an indication that it is requested that the network-based publication system carry out a method including;

attempting to place a first bid with respect to the first auction-format listing having a price not less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price;

making a determination as to whether the first bid is a winning bid with respect to the first auction-format listing; and

based on the determination being in the negative, selectively attempting to place a second bid with respect to the second auction-format listing having a price not less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first limit price is the same as the second limit price.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein an item described by the first auction-format and an item described by the second auction-format listing are essentially the same item.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the transmitting of the first limit price is via a web interface.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the transmitting of the first limit price is via an application programming interface (API)

32. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

receiving a first limit price associated with a bidder, on a first auction-format listing;

receiving a second limit price associated with the bidder, on a second auction-format listing;

making a first determination as to whether a first condition exists that prevents a first winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the first auction-format listing, the first winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the first limit price;

based on the first determination being in the affirmative;

selectively making a second determination as to whether a second condition exists that prevents a second winning bid from being placed on behalf of the bidder on the second auction-format listing, the second winning bid being at least as favorable to the bidder as the second limit price.

33. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

receiving from a bidder a first limit price with respect to a first auction-format listing;

receiving from the bidder a second limit price with respect to a second auction-format listing; and

receiving an indication that the bidder requests that a network-based publication system carry out a method including;

attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a first bid with respect to the first auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price;

making a determination as to whether the bidder is a winning bidder with respect to the first auction-format listing; and

based on the determination being in the negative, selectively attempting on behalf of the bidder to place a second bid with respect to the second auction-format listing having a price no less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price.

34. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

transmitting to a network-based publication system on behalf of a bidder a first limit price with respect to a first auction-format listing and a second limit price with respect to a second auction-format listing; and

transmitting to the network-based publication system an indication that it is requested that the network-based publication system carry out a method including;

attempting to place a first bid with respect to the first auction-format listing having a price not less favorable to the bidder than the first limit price;

making a determination as to whether the first bid is a winning bid with respect to the first auction-format listing; and

based on the determination being in the negative, selectively attempting to place a second bid with respect to the second auction-format listing having a price not less favorable to the bidder than the second limit price.