METHOD FOR PROVIDING VEHICLE INFORMATION AT A LIVE AUCTION

• US 20110161193A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lanechamp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lanechamp, Inc.
• Inventors: Heppe, George E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Detailed information about a particular used motor vehicle is quickly provided to a potential buyer having a personal digital assistant equipped with a receiving means. To provide the information, it is first necessary to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values in digital form from a provider of such information. It is then necessary to obtain specific information about an inventory of used motor vehicles from the owner or seller of the vehicles. The standard information and the specific information are then integrated on a server computer and transmitted to the potential buyer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving by a server specific information including an inventory of used motor vehicles that are to be sold at an auction where the vehicles are temporarily stored at a location at the auction and are sequentially placed on one or more auction blocks for sale, which specific information also includes the location of the vehicles at the auction site and the time at which each vehicle will be auctioned;

obtaining by the server standard information for all of the entire inventory of vehicles at the auction from an information provider;

transmitting by the server all of the specific information and the standard information for the entire inventory to a potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device and integrating the specific information and the standard information to display the information on the potential buyer'"'"'s apparatus, the buyer being physically present at the auction site.

2. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising:

receiving wirelessly from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting by the server to a seller an interest in bidding on a specific motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising:

transmitting wirelessly by the server to the potential buyer a notification when the specific motor vehicle is about to be placed on an auction block.

4. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising:

receiving bid information from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting the bid information to the seller.