Procurement and Salvage Auction System
First Claim
1. An automated auction system comprising:
- a network server communicatively connected to a telecommunications network, the server comprising an electronic procurement auction software program installed thereon to electronically receive a request for proposal (RFP) submitted over the telecommunications network by a requester to solicit a plurality of bids for repair of a damaged property and to electronically receive bids submitted over the telecommunications network by at least one repair bidder, wherein each repair bidder'"'"'s bid comprises the repair bidder'"'"'s price to repair the damaged property;
an electronic forward auction software program installed on the server, wherein the server concurrently conducts an electronic procurement auction and an electronic forward auction using the electronic procurement auction software program and electronic forward auction software program installed thereon, and wherein the electronic forward auction software program electronically receives bids submitted over the telecommunications network by a plurality of salvage bidders in response to an offer to sell the damaged property that is electronically submitted over the communications network by the requester; and
software installed on the server for comparing results of the electronic procurement auction and the electronic forward auction to make an automated recommendation that is presented to the requester concerning whether the damaged property is more valuable if repaired or if sold for salvage value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An on-line RFP procurement auction system with bidder sub-auctions for both repair and salvage of damaged property, using a telecommunications network accessible by network members including requesters, repair bidders, and salvage bidders, for processing an RFP for goods and services through at least one server and operating software. The system includes a database for each category of goods and services offered or desired by network members; software for requesters to generate RFPs for goods or services that include photographic and alpha-numeric RFP data; software for transmitting the RFPs to the server; capacity for e-mail and wireless distribution of RFP notices to bidders who have requested notices within selectable categories of RFP'"'"'s; capacity to enable a repair bidder to submit an encrypted bid to the server; and capacity within the server for generating a list of all responsive bids and e-mailing the same to the requester after conclusion of an auction.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automated auction system comprising:
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a network server communicatively connected to a telecommunications network, the server comprising an electronic procurement auction software program installed thereon to electronically receive a request for proposal (RFP) submitted over the telecommunications network by a requester to solicit a plurality of bids for repair of a damaged property and to electronically receive bids submitted over the telecommunications network by at least one repair bidder, wherein each repair bidder'"'"'s bid comprises the repair bidder'"'"'s price to repair the damaged property; an electronic forward auction software program installed on the server, wherein the server concurrently conducts an electronic procurement auction and an electronic forward auction using the electronic procurement auction software program and electronic forward auction software program installed thereon, and wherein the electronic forward auction software program electronically receives bids submitted over the telecommunications network by a plurality of salvage bidders in response to an offer to sell the damaged property that is electronically submitted over the communications network by the requester; and software installed on the server for comparing results of the electronic procurement auction and the electronic forward auction to make an automated recommendation that is presented to the requester concerning whether the damaged property is more valuable if repaired or if sold for salvage value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method comprising the steps of:
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(a) submitting to a computer system over a network a request for proposal (RFP) related to a cost to repair a damaged property, wherein the RFP is submitted by a requester; (b) soliciting bids electronically for repair of the damaged property using the computer system to conduct an automated electronic procurement auction that solicits bids, wherein the bids are solicited from repair bidders in response to the RFP for repair of the damaged property; (c) electronically accepting bids submitted electronically by repair bidders to the computer system, each bid comprising the repair bidder'"'"'s price to repair the damaged property; (d) soliciting bids electronically for the sale of the damaged property using the computer system to conduct an automated electronic forward auction concurrently with the electronic procurement auction, wherein the electronic forward auction electronically receives salvage bids from salvage bidders through the network so as to permit the requester to offer to sell the damaged property to the salvage bidder submitting a highest salvage bid; (e) electronically accepting bids submitted electronically to the computer system through the network by salvage bidders who wish to purchase the damaged property; and (f) electronically compiling the results of the electronic procurement auction and the electronic forward auction for comparison to determine whether the damaged property is more valuable if repaired or if sold for salvage value. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification