Demand aggregation through online buying group

• US 6,604,089 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vulcan SA (Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation)
• Inventors: Gustafsson, Niklas, Woodford, Dale, Van Horn, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON JR, FOREST
• Application Number:
  US09/475,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.2
• 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 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An online buying group (referred to herein as a “co-op”) is formed for the specific purpose of purchasing a particular product at (102) by defining a start time, end time, critical mass, any minimum number of units offered, any maximum number of units offered, starting price and product cost curve. As data is gathered from buyers, by means of their making binding purchase offers, the co-op is modified at (108) using a pricing tool, so as to take into account for this market data in the definition of the price curve. A buyer chooses a product co-op of interest at (114). The buyer is presented with the following essential co-op information: current price, closing time, next price level (as defined by a price curve visibility window and the price curve) sufficient to entice the buyer to make an offer. Once a buyer has made up his mind, the decision must be made at (116) to offer a purchase price which includes the current price, guaranteeing availability if critical mass has been achieved, or to make an offer at a lower price range that can be accepted only if the co-op price drops to that level, which may not occur. Given a decision to make an offer at such lower price, the buyer enters such maximum price at which he is willing to purchase the product at (118). Should the current price drop to the level at which the offer was made, the price contingency is removed from such offer and assuming critical mass is achieved, the offer is accepted at at the close of the co-op at (122), and processed accordingly. Inventory is allocated to fulfill the accepted offer at (126) following the closing of the co-op at (124).

Claims

1. A buyer client data processing system for implementing an online buying co-op, comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive data from an e-commerce data processing system describing a buying co-op for a product/service, wherein the received data defines the buying co-op for the product/service by specifying the product/service for the co-op, a time interval for which the co-op is available, any minimum or maximum quantity of the product/service available through the co-op, and at least one price curve having two prices for the product/service available through the co-op;

a display configured to display the received data describing the buying coop for the product/service;

a second receiver configured to receive buyer order input for the product/service, wherein the buyer order input includes a price between the two prices of the at least one price curve received from the e-commerce data processing system; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the received buyer order input for the product/service to said e-commerce server data processing system.

2. The buyer client data processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an e-commerce electronic mail preparer configured to receive buyer information regarding the product/service, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the received buyer information to at least one of the e-commerce server data processing system or another buyer client data processing system.

3. A method for defining an on-line buying co-op for a product/service in a buyer client data processing system, comprising:

(a) receiving at the buyer client data processing system from an e-commerce data processing system data describing a buying co-op for a product/service, wherein the received data defines the buying co-op for the product/service by specifying the product/service for the co-op, a time interval for which the co-op is available, any minimum or maximum quantity of the product/service available through the co-op, and at least one price curve having two prices for the product/service available through the co-op;

(b) displaying the received data describing the buying co-op for the product/service on the buyer client data processing system;

(c) receiving a buyer'"'"'s purchase offer for the product/service in the buyer client data processing system, wherein the buyer'"'"'s purchase offer includes a price between the two prices of the at least one price curve received from the e-commerce server data processing system; and

(d) transmitting the received buyer'"'"'s purchase offer for the product/service from the buyer client data processing system to the e-commerce server data processing system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

(e) receiving buyer information regarding the product/service; and

(f) transmitting the received buyer information to at least one of the e-commerce server data processing system or another buyer client data processing system.

5. An e-commerce server data processing system for implementing an online buying co-op, said e-commerce server data processing system including e-commerce server software executable on said e-commerce server data processing system and configured to receive e-mail messages from prospective buyers requesting a product/service, configured to determine that said requested product/service is not located in an e-commerce database containing products/services available for sale in the online buying co-op, configured to store in a memory an indication of said requested product/service, and configured to generate a product/service request when a number of indications for said requested product/service in the memory equals or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The e-commerce server data processing system of claim 5 wherein the e-commerce server data processing system sends the generated product/service request to a seller of the requested product/service.

7. The e-commerce server data processing system of claim 6 wherein the generated product/service request further requests the seller to define a buying co-op for the requested product/service by specifying any minimum or maximum quantity of the requested product/service available through the online buying co-op and one or more price curves for the requested product/service available through the online buying co-op.

8. A process for selecting a product/service for an on-line buying co-op, comprising:

(a) receiving e-mail messages from prospective buyers requesting the product/service;

(b) determining that said requested product/service is not located in an e-commerce database identifying products/services available for sale in the online buying co-op;

(c) storing in a memory an indication of said requested product/service; and

(d) generating a product/service request when a number of indications in the memory for said requested product/service equals or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The process of claim 8, further comprising sending the generated product/service request to a seller having the requested product/service.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein sending the generated product/service request comprises requesting the seller to define a buying co-op for the requested product/service by specifying any minimum or maximum quantity of the requested product/service available through the co-op and requesting the seller to provide one or more price curves for the requested product/service available through the co-op.

11. An e-commerce server data processing system for collecting price/demand curve data during an online buying co-op, said e-commerce server data processing system including e-commerce server software executable on said e-commerce server data processing system and configured to define a buying co-op for a product/service by specifying the product/service for the co-op, one or more price curves for the product/service available through the co-op, configured to receive purchase offers from buyers for the product/service, and further configured to retain received purchase offers, wherein the retained purchase offers define an empirical price/demand curve for the product/service by including a price and a corresponding quantity for the product/service in the buying co-op.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the e-commerce server data processing system is further configured to send the empirical price/demand curve for the product/service to an external computing system.

13. A method for collecting price/demand curve data during an online buying co-op sale of a product/service, comprising:

(a) defining a buying co-op for the product/service by specifying the product/service for the co-op and at least one price curve for the product/service during the online buying co-op sale;

(b) receiving purchase offers from buyers for the product/service; and

(c) retaining received purchase offers, wherein the retained purchase offers define an empirical price/demand curve for the product/service by including a price and a corresponding quantity for the product/service in the buying co-op.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein at least one retained received purchase offer is below a final sale price for the product/service in the on-line buying co-op sale.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending the empirical price/demand curve for the product/service to an external computing system.

16. A computer-readable data transmission medium containing a data structure comprising:

(a) a first portion that specifies a product/service for an on-line buying co-op;

(b) a second portion that specifies.a time interval for which the on-line buying co-op is available;

(c) a third portion that specifies at least a minimum quantity of the product/service available through the on-line buying co-op;

(d) a fourth portion that specifies a present price for the product/service available to buyers through the on-line buying co-op; and

(e) a fifth portion containing product/service solicitation language, wherein the product/service solicitation language informs a buyer that the product/service may be purchased for the present price and that a binding offer may also be provided for the product/service at a price lower than the present price.

17. The computer-readable data transmission medium of claim 16 wherein the product/service solicitation language further informs the receiver that a final price for the product/service is determined once the time interval for which the on-line buying co-op is available has elapsed.

18. The computer-readable data transmission medium of claim 17 wherein the product/service solicitation language further informs the receiver that the product/service is sold at the final price even if binding offers have been received at higher prices.