Facilitator for aggregating buyer power in an on-line market system

• US 6,584,451 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Cruikshank, Kirk, Perry, Greg, Shoham, Yoav
• Primary Examiner(s): Coggins, Wynn W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Forest
• Application Number:
  US09/328,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The Online Buyers Club System (OBCS) is a mechanism for the online purchasing of goods and services. The mechanism is targeted at user communities consisting of a large number of small-volume buyers (the “Buyers Club”). The primary function of the mechanism is to automatically aggregate the buying power of these buyers. The present invention provides a mechanism to promote competition among vendors as well as a mechanism to incent buyers to make a purchase.

Claims

1. An on-line trading market system comprising:

a seller interface to receive a dynamic pricing schedule from one or more sellers via a network;

a buyer interface to receive a set of optional purchase terms from a plurality of buyers via the network; and

a facilitator coupled with said seller interface and said buyer interface and configured to aggregate the set of optional purchase terms from said plurality of buyers to form an aggregated buyer purchase specification and to determine a best fit transaction based on the dynamic pricing schedule and the aggregated buyer purchase specification, at least one of the sellers to change the dynamic pricing schedule after the aggregated buyer purchase specification is formed, the changed pricing schedule to apply to the set of purchase terms retroactively.

2. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the best fit transaction is one, which maximizes quantity sold by the sellers and minimizes price paid by the buyers.

3. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the best fit transaction is one in which a highest volume offered by a seller is matched with a lowest price offered in the aggregated buyer purchase specification.

4. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one seller pricing schedule is disclosed to at least one buyer.

5. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said aggregated buyer purchase specification is disclosed to at least one buyer.

6. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said aggregated buyer purchase specification is disclosed to at least one buyer, and said aggregated buyer purchase specification includes a quantity of additional buyers needed to make a specific transaction a best fit transaction.

7. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a description of goods or services offered by a seller is disclosed to at least one buyer.

8. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the seller pricing schedule is disclosed to at least one buyer.

9. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one seller pricing schedule can be automatically modified based on the rate at which the facilitator receives buyer purchase terms.

10. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one seller pricing schedule is manually or automatically modified based on information received in at least one buyer purchase term.

11. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of seller pricing schedules include at least one competing good or service.

12. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one buyer previously committed to a particular seller is allowed to switch and commit to a different competing seller.

13. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the facilitator determines a quantity of sellers admitted to a buying session.

14. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the facilitator determines which of a plurality of sellers may participate in a buying session.

15. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one buyer purchase term includes a price above which the buyer will not accept a purchase in a specific transaction.

16. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one buyer is allowed to switch from a first seller to a different second seller based on a predefined price differential between the first seller and the second seller.

17. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim, 1, wherein a message is sent from one buyer to another buyer in a buying session.

18. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a buying session is terminated upon exhaustion of seller'"'"'s supply of goods or services.

19. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a buying session having a number of buyers greater than the available supply of goods or services is transacted using a buyer first come first served methodology.

20. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a buying session having a number of buyers greater than the available supply of goods or services is transacted using a lottery of buyers methodology.

21. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a buying session has a number of buyers greater than the available supply of goods or services, wherein the available supply of goods or services is partitioned into a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being distributed using a buyer first come first served methodology, said second portion being distributed using a lottery of buyers methodology after said first portion is exhausted.

22. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a buying session has a number of buyers greater than the available supply of goods or services, wherein the available supply of goods or services is partitioned into a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being distributed using a buyer first come first served methodology, said second portion being distributed using an auction methodology after said first portion is exhausted.

23. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one seller of said one or more sellers and said facilitator each represent the same organization.

24. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one seller pricing schedule is manually or automatically modified based on a lowered offered price on the pricing schedule of one of the one or more sellers.

25. An on-line trading market system comprising:

a seller interface for receiving a dynamic pricing schedule from one or more sellers via a network;

a buyer interface for receiving a set of optional purchase terms from a plurality of buyers via the network; and

a facilitator coupled with said seller interface and said buyer interface and configured to aggregate the dynamic pricing schedule from said one or more sellers to form an aggregated seller pricing schedule and to determine a best fit transaction based on the set of optional purchase terms and the aggregated seller pricing schedule, at least one of the sellers to change the dynamic pricing schedule after receiving the set of optional purchase terms from the plurality of buyers via the network, the changed pricing schedule to apply to the set of purchase terms retroactively.

26. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein multiple sellers aggregate a supply of goods or services to meet quantity requirements of at least one willing buyer.

27. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one buyer purchase term is disclosed to at least one seller.

28. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein said aggregated seller pricing schedule is disclosed to at least one buyer.

29. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein said aggregated seller pricing schedule is disclosed to at least one buyer, and said aggregated seller pricing schedule includes a quantity of additional sellers needed to make a specific transaction a best fit transaction.

30. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a description of goods or services required by a buyer is disclosed to at least one seller.

31. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a portion of the buyer purchase term is disclosed to at least one seller.

32. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one buyer purchase term can be automatically modified based on the rate at which the facilitator receives seller pricing schedules.

33. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one buyer purchase term is manually or automatically modified based on information received in at least one seller pricing schedule.

34. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a plurality of buyer purchase terms include at least one competing good or service.

35. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one seller previously committed to a particular buyer is allowed to switch and commit to a different competing buyer.

36. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the facilitator determines a quantity of buyers admitted to a selling session.

37. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the facilitator determines which of a plurality of buyers may participate in a buying session.

38. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one seller pricing schedule includes a price below which the seller will not accept a sale in a specific transaction.

39. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a message is sent from one seller to another seller in a selling session.

40. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a buying session is terminated upon exhaustion of buyer'"'"'s requirement for goods or services.

41. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a buying session having a number of sellers greater than the available demand for goods or services is transacted using a seller first come first served methodology.

42. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a buying session having a number of sellers greater than the available demand for goods or services is transacted using a lottery of sellers methodology.

43. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a buying session has a number of sellers greater than the available demand for goods or services, wherein the available demand for goods or services is partitioned into a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being satisfied using a seller first come first served methodology, said second portion being satisfied using a lottery of sellers methodology after said first portion is satisfied.

44. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein a buying session has a number of sellers greater than the available demand for goods or services, wherein the available demand for goods or services is partitioned into a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being satisfied using a seller first come first served methodology, said second portion being satisfied using an auction methodology after said first portion is satisfied.

45. The on-line trading market system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one buyer purchase specification is manually or automatically modified based on a lowered offered price on the pricing schedule of one of the one or more sellers.