AUCTION METHOD AND SERVER

• US 20120239520A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeong Gab Lee
• Original Assignee: Jeong Gab Lee
• Inventors: LEE, JEONG GAB
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Provided are an auction method and server that enable a seller and bidders to determine the price of a product at their own discretion by enabling the bidders to participate in a bid between the lowest price offered by the seller and the highest price of the product, and give benefit to both the seller and successful bidders by applying the successful bid price of a lowest successful bidder to all the successful bidders as a sale price. The auction method includes maintaining, at an auction server, a database of the highest price of a specific product, the lowest price offered by a seller, and the limited number of successful bidders, receiving, at the auction server, bidding information including bid prices for the specific product between the lowest price and the highest price from bidders, selecting, at the auction server, a lowest successful bidder from among the bidders in consideration of the limited number of successful bidders and the bidding information when a predetermined bidding time elapses, and requesting, at the auction server, payment from all successful bidders using a successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder as a sale price on the basis of bidding information about the lowest successful bidder.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. An auction method, comprising:

maintaining, at an auction server, a database of a highest price of a specific product, a lowest price offered by a seller, and a limited number of successful bidders;

receiving, at the auction server, bidding information including bid prices for the specific product between the lowest price and the highest price from bidders;

selecting, at the auction server, a lowest successful bidder from among the bidders in consideration of the limited number of successful bidders and the bidding information when a predetermined bidding time elapses; and

requesting, at the auction server, payment from all successful bidders using a successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder as a sale price on the basis of bidding information about the lowest successful bidder

wherein the selecting the lowest successful bidder includes selecting successful bidders up to the limited number of successful bidders in decreasing order of bid price and selecting a successful bidder who has offered the lowest bid price among the successful bidders as the lowest successful bidder.

12. The auction method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing, at the auction server, a predetermined benefit to the lowest successful bidder.

13. The auction method of claim 11, wherein selecting the lowest successful bidder includes selecting one who has participated in the bid first among a plurality of successful bidders have offered the lowest bid price as the lowest successful bidder.

14. The auction method of claim 11, further comprising:

settling, at the auction server, an auction commission for the seller on the basis of an amount calculated by subtracting the lowest price from the successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder.

15. The auction method of claim 11, wherein requesting the payment includes, when the successful bidders have previously paid their bid prices, settling, at the auction server, amounts calculated by subtracting the successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder from the previously paid bid prices.

16. An auction server, comprising:

a storage configured to maintain a database of a highest price of a specific product, a lowest price offered by a seller, and a limited number of successful bidders;

a receiver configured to receive bidding information including bid prices for the specific product between the lowest price and the highest price from bidders;

a selector configured to select successful bidders up to the limited number of successful bidders in decreasing order of bid price and select a successful bidder who has offered the lowest bid price among the successful bidders as a lowest successful bidder when a predetermined bidding time elapses;

a payment requester configured to request payment from all successful bidders using a successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder as a sale price on the basis of bidding information about the lowest successful bidder; and

a controller configured to control the storage, the receiver, the selector, and the payment requester.

17. The auction server of claim 16, wherein the controller provides a predetermined benefit to the lowest successful bidder.

18. The auction server of claim 16, wherein the selector selects one who has participated in the bid first among a plurality of successful bidders have offered the lowest bid price as the lowest successful bidder.

19. The auction server of claim 16, further comprising:

a settlement unit configured to settle an auction commission for the seller on the basis of an amount calculated by subtracting the lowest price from the successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder.

20. The auction server of claim 16, wherein when the successful bidders have previously paid their bid prices, the payment requester settles amounts calculated by subtracting the successful bid price of the lowest successful bidder from the previously paid bid prices.