Method of, apparatus for, and computer program product for trading goods

• US 7,216,093 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2000
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Deepak, Kejriwal, Manoj Kumar, Deo, Sandeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S.
• Application Number:
  US09/649,679
• Time in Patent Office: 2,444 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are disclosed for trading goods, or services, or both, using an electronic network. In the method, two or more entities are registered as traders. An entity is preferably a natural business, a legal entity, or a business. In turn, one or more business profile are generated for each of the traders. Further, one or more business opportunities are generated for one of the traders. The business opportunity or the at least one business profile of the one trader is compared with the business profiles of the remaining traders. One or more of the remaining traders are notified via the electronic network of a trading opportunity if the at least one business opportunity or the at least one profile matches the at least one business profile corresponding to one or more of the remaining traders.

Claims

1. A method of trading goods, or services, or both, using a computerized trading system coupled to an electronic network, said method including the steps of:

registering two or more business entities as traders;

generating at least one business profile for each of said traders, wherein the traders include buyers and sellers and the respective profiles for traders that are buyers identify them as buyers and the respective profiles for traders that are sellers identify them as sellers;

generating business opportunities for ones of said traders, wherein such business opportunities include i) selling opportunities, in which respective buyers define immediate requirements to buy, and ii) buying opportunities, in which respective sellers define immediate requirements to sell;

comparing, automatically by the trading system, the business opportunities for respective ones of the traders to the profiles of other ones of the traders;

comparing, automatically by the trading system, the one or more profiles for respective ones of the traders to the one or more profiles of other ones of the traders;

notifying such a buyer about one of the buying opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the buying opportunity;

notifying such a seller about one of the selling opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selling opportunity;

notifying such a buyer about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the selected profile; and

notifying such a seller about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selected profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each business entity is selected from the group consisting of a natural person, a legal entity and a business.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said notifying steps includes the step of sending an email message to each of said one or more remaining traders having matching profiles.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of creating a trading shop communicable with each of said traders via said electronic network, said trading shop being a repository of said business profiles and said at least one business opportunity.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said creating step includes the steps of:

specifying attributes of a business profile for said trading shop;

specifying attributes of a business opportunity for said trading shop; and

creating tables with said specified attributes.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said creating step includes the step of customising workflow of said trading shop.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein trading includes:

buying goods, a service, or both; and

selling goods, a service, or both.

8. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of requesting payment from said trader during registration of said trader, creation of a business profile for said trader, or posting of a business opportunity by said trader.

9. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of searching by one of said traders for at least one business opportunity or at least one profile matching a specified business profile.

10. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of providing a database containing said at least one business opportunity and said business profiles.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a business profile specifies information about a trader and contains a plurality of attributes for storing information pertinent to a trader.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said business opportunities include attributes for storing information pertinent to said opportunity.

13. An apparatus for trading goods, or services, or both, using a computerized trading system coupled to an electronic network, said apparatus including:

means for registering two or more business entities as traders;

means for generating at least one business profile for each of said traders, wherein the traders include buyers and sellers and the respective profiles for traders that are buyers identify them as buyers and the respective profiles for traders that are sellers identify them as sellers;

means for generating business opportunities for ones of said traders, wherein such business opportunities include i) selling opportunities, in which respective buyers define immediate requirements to buy, and ii) buying opportunities, in which respective sellers define immediate requirements to sell;

means for comparing, automatically by the trading system, the business opportunities for respective ones of the traders to the profiles of other ones of the traders;

means for comparing, automatically by the trading system, the one or more profiles for respective ones of the traders to the one or more profiles of other ones of the traders;

means for notifying such a buyer about one of the buying opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the buying opportunity;

means for notifying such a seller about one of the selling opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selling opportunity;

means for notifying such a buyer about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the selected profile; and

means for notifying such a seller about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selected profile.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each business entity is selected from the group consisting of a natural person, a legal entity and a business.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said notifying means include means for sending an email message to each of said one or more remaining traders having matching profiles.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, further including means for creating a trading shop communicable with each of said traders via said electronic network, said trading shop being a repository of said business profiles and said at least one business opportunity.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said creating means includes:

means for specifying attributes of a business profile for said trading shop;

means for specifying attributes of a business opportunity for said trading shop; and

means for creating tables with said specified attributes.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said creating means includes means for customising workflow of said trading shop.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein trading includes:

buying goods, a service, or both; and

selling goods, a service, or both.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, further including means for requesting payment from said trader during registration of said trader, creation of a business profile for said trader, or posting of a business opportunity by said trader.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, further including means for searching by one of said traders for at least one business opportunity or at least one profile matching a specified business profile.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13, further including means for providing a database containing said at least one business opportunity and said business profiles.

23. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a business profile specifies information about a trader and contains a plurality of attributes for storing information pertinent to a trader.

24. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said business opportunities include attributes for storing information pertinent to said opportunity.

25. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having a computer program recorded therein for trading goods, or services, or both, using a computerized trading system coupled to an electronic network, said computer program product including:

computer program code means for registering two or more business entities as traders;

computer program code means for generating at least one business profile for each of said traders, wherein the traders include buyers and sellers and the respective profiles for traders that are buyers identify them as sellers;

computer program code means for generating business opportunities for ones of said traders, wherein such business opportunities include i) selling opportunities, in which respective buyers define immediate requirements to buy, and ii) buying opportunities, in which respective sellers define immediate requirements to sell;

computer program code means for comparing said at least one business opportunity or said at least one business profile of said one trader with said business profiles of said remaining traders; and

computer program code means for notifying via said electronic network one or more of said remaining traders of a trading opportunity if said at least one business opportunity or said at least one profile matches said at least one business profile corresponding to one or more of said remaining traders;

computer program code means for comparing, automatically by a trading system, the business opportunities for respective ones of the traders to the profiles of other ones of the traders;

computer program code means for comparing, automatically by the trading system, the one or more profiles for respective ones of the traders to the one or more profiles of other ones of the traders;

computer program code means for notifying such a buyer about one of the buying opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the buying opportunity;

computer program code means for notifying such a seller about one of the selling opportunities, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selling opportunity;

computer program code means for notifying such a buyer about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the buyer matching the selected profile; and

computer program code means for notifying such a seller about a selected one of the profiles, by the trading system automatically via said electronic network, responsive to the profile of the seller matching the selected profile.

26. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein each business entity is selected from the group consisting of a natural person, a legal entity and a business.

27. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein said computer program code means for notifying includes computer program code means for sending an email message to each of said one or more remaining traders having matching profiles.

28. The computer program product according to claim 25, further including computer program code means for creating a trading shop communicable with each of said traders via said electronic network, said trading shop being a repository of said business profiles and said at least one business opportunity.

29. The computer program product according to claim 28, wherein said computer program code means for creating includes:

computer program code means for specifying attributes of a business profile for said trading shop;

computer program code means for specifying attributes of a business opportunity for said trading shop; and

computer program code means for creating tables with said specified attributes.

30. The computer program product according to claim 28 wherein said computer program code means for creating includes computer program code means for customising workflow of said trading shop.

31. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein trading includes:

buying goods, a service, or both; and

selling goods, a service, or both.

32. The computer program product according to claim 25, further including computer program code means for requesting payment from said trader during registration of said trader, creation of a business profile for said trader, or posting of a business opportunity by said trader.

33. The computer program product according to claim 25, further including computer program code means for searching by one of said traders for at least one business opportunity or at least one profile matching a specified business profile.

34. The computer program product according to claim 25, further including computer program code means for providing a database containing said at least one business opportunity and said business profiles.

35. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein a business profile specifies information about a trader and contains a plurality of attributes for storing information pertinent to a trader.

36. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein said business opportunities include attributes for storing information pertinent to said opportunity.