REAL TIME AUCTION WITH END GAME
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:
- using a computer to produce information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet;
said computer producing second information as part of said information representing a webpage, said second information having a first parameter indicative of an ending time for said electronic auction;
said computer also storing a predetermined set time before the ending time;
prior to said set time before said ending time, said computer carrying out the auction in a first mode, in which clients joining the auction are presented with information representing a webpage with information about the auction, and said information about the auction is not automatically updated on the clients;
after said set time before said ending time, said computer changing a mode of carrying out the auction to a second mode, wherein said second mode, clients joining the auction or refreshing from said first mode are presented with information representing the webpage having new information about the auction, wherein said new information is automatically updated without making a manual request for said new information.
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Abstract
A real time auction system operates in a non real time mode, and an end game mode in which the users are placed in a forum. In both modes the users are capable of placing bids along with times when those bids should be executed. An agent treats the bids as secret until the time, and then at the time executes those bids.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:
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using a computer to produce information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet; said computer producing second information as part of said information representing a webpage, said second information having a first parameter indicative of an ending time for said electronic auction; said computer also storing a predetermined set time before the ending time; prior to said set time before said ending time, said computer carrying out the auction in a first mode, in which clients joining the auction are presented with information representing a webpage with information about the auction, and said information about the auction is not automatically updated on the clients; after said set time before said ending time, said computer changing a mode of carrying out the auction to a second mode, wherein said second mode, clients joining the auction or refreshing from said first mode are presented with information representing the webpage having new information about the auction, wherein said new information is automatically updated without making a manual request for said new information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of conducting a multiple mode computer-based auction, comprising:
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a viewing mode in which auction item information is presented to a remote terminal over a computer network, the auction item information comprising auction information which is sent to a remote terminal when the remote terminal joins the auction, the auction item information being infrequently updated or not automatically updated without the remote terminal user requesting an update; and an end-game mode in which real-time auction information is presented to the remote terminal over the computer network, the real-time auction information comprising auction information that is frequently and automatically updated and sent to the remote terminal and refreshed on the remote terminal without the remote terminal user requesting the updated auction information. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:
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using a computer to produce information representing an electronic auction webpage, where the webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet; the computer producing information representing the auction end time; the computer causing the auction to work initially in a first mode where portions of the webpage showing the progress of the auction are updated only if a user of the webpage manually requests a refresh of the page and in a second mode, after the first mode, in which users entering the auction after the mode switch or refreshing after the mode switch then have their pages updated automatically until the end of the auction; the computer automatically transitioning between the first mode and second mode. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification