Electronic multilateral negotiation system

• US 7,296,001 B1
• Filed: 10/25/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Shoham, Yoav, Ephrati, Eithan Y., Wellman, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/426,410
• Time in Patent Office: 2,941 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37, 705/80, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A system and method for managing multilateral negotiations are disclosed. The method generally includes sending a negotiation initiating offer object to a first negotiating party for specifying rules of the negotiation and for forming a negotiation initiating offer including specification of at least one attribute. The method also includes receiving the negotiation initiating offer from the first negotiating party, sending a counter offer object to a second negotiating party for forming a counter offer to the first negotiating party, receiving the counter offer from the second negotiating party, validating the counter offer if the counter offer complies with the rules of the negotiation, and sending the validated counter offer to the first negotiation party to engage the negotiation parties in an active negotiation. The counter offer object is adapted for specification of at least one additional attribute. A negotiation facilitator system for managing an electronic negotiation and a computer program product for managing a multilateral negotiation are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having instructions to cause a machine to perform a method of managing a switchable bilateral electronic negotiation, the method comprising:

facilitating a first active negotiation between a first party and a second party, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes exchanging multi-attribute offers between the first party and the second party;

facilitating a first inactive negotiation between the first party and a third party, wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes receiving a submitted multiattribute offer from the third party;

automatically dropping the first active negotiation between the first party and the second party based on one or more rules relevant to the multi-attribute offers;

facilitating a second active negotiation between the first party and the third party;

facilitating a second inactive negotiation between the first party and the second party;

receiving an indication of an acceptable negotiation associated with the second active negotiation, the indication of an acceptable negotiation indicating that the third party has one last chance to submit a final multi-attribute offer; and

sending a message to the third party requesting the final multi-attribute offer.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes updating a first negotiation object.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes updating a second negotiation object.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein facilitating the second active negotiation includes receiving a multi-attribute offer from the third party.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the submitted multi-attribute offer is greater than a most recent submitted multi-attribute offer from the second party associated with the first active negotiation.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a retraction of an offer associated with the acceptable negotiation associated with the second active negotiation and retracting the offer associated with the second active negotiation.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules indicate to automatically drop the first active negotiation if the multiattribute offer received from the second party is less than a predetermined amount.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules indicate to automatically drop the first active negotiation if the multiattribute offer is not received from the second party within a predetermined amount of time.

9. A method of managing a switchable bilateral electronic negotiation, the method comprising:

facilitating a first active negotiation between a first party and a second party, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes exchanging multi-attribute offers between the first party and the second party;

facilitating a first inactive negotiation between the first party and a third party,

wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes receiving a submitted multiattribute offer from the third party;

automatically dropping the first active negotiation between the first party and the second party based on one or more rules relevant to the multi-attribute offers;

facilitating a second active negotiation between the first party and the third party;

facilitating a second inactive negotiation between the first party and the second party;

receiving an indication of an acceptable negotiation associated with the second active negotiation, the indication of an acceptable negotiation indicating that the third party has one last chance to submit a final multi-attribute offer; and

sending a message to the third party requesting the final multi-attribute offer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes updating a first negotiation object.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes updating a second negotiation object.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein facilitating the second active negotiation includes receiving a multi-attribute offer from the third party.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the submitted multi-attribute offer is greater than a most recent submitted multi-attribute offer from the second party associated with the first active negotiation.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a retraction of an offer associated with the acceptable negotiation associated with the second active negotiation and retracting the offer associated with the second active negotiation.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more rules indicate to automatically drop the first active negotiation if the multi-attribute offer received from the second party is less than a predetermined amount.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more rules indicate to automatically drop the first active negotiation if the multi-attribute offer is not received from the second party within a predetermined amount of time.

17. A system for managing a switchable bilateral electronic negotiation, including:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to;

facilitate a first active negotiation between a first party and a second party, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes exchanging multi-attribute offers between the first party and the second party;

facilitate a first inactive negotiation between the first party and a third party, wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes receiving a submitted multiattribute offer from the third party;

automatically drop the first active negotiation between the first party and the second party based on one or more rules relevant to the multi-attribute offers;

facilitate a second active negotiation between the first party and the third party;

facilitate a second inactive negotiation between the first party and the second party;

receive an indication of an acceptable negotiation associated with the second active negotiation, the indication of an acceptable negotiation indicating that the third party has one last chance to submit a final multi-attribute offer; and

send a message to the third party requesting the final multi-attribute offer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein facilitating the first active negotiation includes updating a first negotiation object.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein facilitating the first inactive negotiation includes updating a second negotiation object.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein facilitating the second active negotiation includes receiving a multi-attribute offer from the third party.