×

Method and apparatus for electronic trading of carrier cargo capacity

  • US 6,035,289 A
  • Filed: 07/14/1998
  • Issued: 03/07/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A method for receipt and double-auction heuristically-based matching a plurality of electronically posted bid records with a plurality of electronically posted ask records, comprising steps of:

  • (a) receiving said plurality of bid records and said plurality of ask records, each of said bid records including a price data and a plurality of bid attributes representing shipping performance requirements, and each of said ask records including an ask price data and a plurality of ask attributes representing shipping performance capabilities;

    (b) selecting an ask record from said plurality of ask records;

    (c) initializing a trade route data list, for insertion of bid records, corresponding to said selected ask record;

    (d) selecting a candidate bid record from said plurality of bid records based on the bid attributes of the selected candidate bid record meeting a predetermined feasibility criteria relative to the ask attributes of said selected ask record and bid attributes of bid records inserted in said trade route data list, and based on a price/cost ratio improvement heuristic determined from the price data of said plurality of bid records, and the price data and attributes of said selected ask record and the price data and bid attributes of bid records inserted in said trade route data list;

    (e) generating first true/false price feasibility value from the price data and attributes of said selected ask record and the price data and bid attributes of bid records inserted in said trade route data list based on a predetermined function, and a second true/false price feasibility value from the price data and attributes of said selected ask record, the price data and bid attributes of bid records inserted in said trade route data list, and said candidate bid record based on the same predetermined function;

    (f) designating said trade route data list as completed in response to a comparative state of said first and second price feasibility values meeting a predetermined completion condition;

    (g) inserting said candidate bid record into said trade route data list, and removing said inserted bid record from said plurality of bid records, in response to the comparative state of said first and second price feasibility values not meeting said predetermined completion condition;

    (h) repeating said steps (e)-(g) until said trade route data list is designated as completed or until no bid records remain, whichever occurs first;

    (m) designating said trade route data list as completed in response to said first and second price feasibility values meeting a predetermined price feasibility condition;

    (n) replacing into said plurality of bids all bid records inserted into said trade route list in response to said first and second price feasibility values not meeting said predetermined price feasibility condition;

    (o) repeating said steps (b) through (n), wherein step (b) selects an ask record not previously selected, until all ask records have been selected; and

    (p) generating a completed trade data representing all trade route lists designated as completed.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×