Commerce information processor, commerce terminal, commerce information processing method, and recorded medium

• US 7,349,880 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBI SECURITIES Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SBI SECURITIES Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kitao, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/890,171
• Time in Patent Office: 2,721 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A transaction information processing apparatus and the like for carrying out electronic business transactions of various products and services is provided. Equipped with a subscription information database (12) for storing a subscription total number or a subscription total amount, a bid information database (15) for storing a bid unit price and a bid number or a bid total amount, and successful bid processing section (21h) for carrying out a successful bid processing of a transaction item. This successful bid processing section (21h) includes a successful bid stock price determination section (21j) for determining the same successful bid price to all the successful bidders, and a successful bid stock number determination section (21k) for determining successful bid numbers to all the successful bidders. According to this apparatus, it is possible to determine objectively and rationally prices of products of which actual transaction volumes are small.

Claims

1. A transaction information processing apparatus that is connected to a plurality of transaction terminal units via a network, for processing information relating to a predetermined transaction item, the transaction information processing apparatus comprising:

a subscription information storage unit which stores a subscription total number or a subscription total amount as a condition for inviting bids for the transaction item;

a bid information storage unit which stores a bid unit price and a bid total number or a bid total amount transmitted from each of a plurality of bidders via the respective transaction terminal unit; and

a successful bid processing unit operable to carry out a successful bid processing of the transaction item, based on the subscription total number or the subscription total amount stored in the subscription information storage unit, and the bid unit prices and the bid numbers or the bid total amounts stored in the bid information storage unit,

the successful bid processing unit including,

a successful bid price determination unit operable to determine the same successful bid price to all the successful bidders; and

a successful bid number determination unit operable to determine successful bid numbers to all the successful bidders;

wherein when

(i) a cumulative bid number of the bid numbers or a cumulative bid amount of the bid amounts by the plurality of bidders exceeds the subscription total number or the subscription total amount, respectively, and

(ii) a plurality of bidders present bids that generate said excess and the plurality of bidders exceeding the subscription total number or the subscription total amount present the same bid unit price,

then the successful bid number determination unit is operable

(a) to determine successful bid numbers of all the bidders who present the same bid unit price as that of the bidder that generates said excess, by proportionally allocating a successful bid number remaining at the time when the excess occurred according to the respective bid numbers of the bidders, or

(b) to select, by lot, successful bidders from the plurality of bidders who present the same bid price as that of the bidder that generate the excess.

2. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the successful bid price determination unit is operable

to calculate the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount (1) until the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount reaches the subscription total number or the subscription total amount, respectively, in the order of bidders of high bid unit prices, or (2) until the calculation for all the bidders is finished, and

to determine the bid unit prices presented by the bidders, who are subjects of the calculation when the calculation of the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount is completed, as the successful bid price.

3. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the bid total amount is included in bid information stored in the bid information storage unit, the successful bid price determination unit is operable to recalculate a bid number of each bidder accumulated so far, based on the bid unit price presented by a bidder that becomes a new basis of calculation, each time the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount is calculated.

4. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the subscription information storage unit stores a unit number as a unit capable of allocating the transaction item to the bidders, and

the successful bid number determination unit is operable to carry up or down a successful bid number into an integer times of the unit number when the determined successful bid number is not an integer times of the unit number.

5. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the bid information storage unit stores a lowest permissible purchase number as a lower limit of the successful bid number, and

the successful bid number determination unit is operable to set the successful bid number to 0 when the determined successful bid number does not reach the lowest permissible purchase number.

6. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transaction item information storage unit which stores item information relating to the transaction item; and

a transmitting unit operable to transmit the item information stored in the transaction item information storage unit to at least one of the transaction terminal units, based on a request made from the bidder via the at least one transaction terminal unit.

7. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the successful bid processing unit further comprises:

a reference record storage unit which stores record information when the transmitting unit transmits the item information to said at least one transaction terminal unit, and

a decision unit operable to decide whether the bidder has received the provision of the item information, based on the record information stored in the reference record storage unit.

8. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a bidder information storage unit which stores bidder information relating to the bidders;

a reference information storage unit which stores reference information that becomes a basis for selecting a bidder who can participate in the bidding for the predetermined transaction item; and

a selecting unit operable to select a bidder who can participate in the bidding for the transaction item, based on the bidder information stored in the bidder information storage unit and the reference information stored in the reference information storage unit.

9. The transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transaction amount calculating unit operable to calculate a transaction amount when the bidder has been successful in the bid for the transaction item, based on the bid unit price and the bid number posted from the bidder; and

a communication unit operable to transmit the transaction amount calculated by the transaction amount calculating unit to the transaction terminal unit of said bidder.

10. A transaction terminal unit for transmitting/receiving information relating to a predetermined transaction item to/from the transaction information processing apparatus according to claim 1 connected thereto via a network, the transaction terminal unit comprising:

an input interface for allowing a bidder to selectively input either (i) a bid unit price and a bid number, or (ii) a bid unit price and a bid total amount in a bid for the transaction item; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting either (i) the bid unit price and the bid number, or (ii) the bid unit price and the bid total amount that have been input via the input interface, to the transaction information processing apparatus via the network.

11. A transaction information processing method for processing information relating to a predetermined transaction item, the method comprising:

a subscription condition storage step of storing a subscription total number or a subscription total amount as a condition for inviting bids for the transaction item;

a bid condition storage step of receiving a bid unit price and a bid number or a bid total amount relating to the transaction item transmitted by each of a plurality of bidders from respective transaction terminal units via the network, and storing the received information; and

a successful bid number determination step of determining a successful bid number of the transaction item, based on the subscription total number or the subscription total amount stored at the subscription condition storage step, and the bid unit price and the bid number or the bid total amount stored at the bid condition storage step,

wherein, in the successful bid number determination step,

when

(i) a cumulative bid number of the bid numbers or a cumulative bid amount of the bid amounts by the plurality of bidders exceeds the subscription total number or the subscription total amount, respectively, and

(ii) a plurality of bidders present bids that generate said excess and the plurality of bidders exceeding the subscription total number or the subscription total amount present the same bid unit price,

then

(a) successful bid numbers of all the bidders, who present the same bid unit price as that of the bidder that generates said excess, are determined by proportionally allocating a successful bid number remaining at the time when the excess occurred according to the respective bid numbers of the bidders, or

(b) successful bidders are selected, by lot, from the plurality of bidders who present the same bid price as that of the bidder that generate the excess.

12. The transaction information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising a successful bid price determination step, wherein

when the subscription total number is stored as a condition for inviting bids,

then

(I) the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount is calculated (1) until the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount reaches the subscription total number or the subscription total amount, respectively, in the order of bidders of high bid unit prices, or (2) until the calculation for all the bidders is finished, and

(II) the bid unit price presented by the bidders, who are subjects of the calculation when the calculation of the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount is completed, is determined as the successful bid price.

13. The transaction information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising

a successful bid price determination step, wherein

when the bid total number or the bid total amount is stored,

then a bid number of each bidder accumulated so far is recalculated based on the bid unit price presented by a bidder that becomes a new basis of calculation, each time the cumulative bid number or the cumulative bid amount is calculated.

14. The transaction information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a bidder information setting step of setting bidder information relating to the bidders;

a reference information setting step of setting reference information that becomes a basis for selecting a bidder who can participate in the bidding for the predetermined transaction item; and

a selection step of selecting a bidder who can participate in the bidding for the transaction item, based on the bidder information set at the bidder information setting step and the reference information set at the reference information setting step.

15. A computer readable medium storing therein instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform as:

a subscription condition storage unit which stores a subscription total number or a subscription total amount as a condition for inviting bids for a predetermined transaction item;

a bid condition storage unit operable to receive a bid unit price and a bid number or a bid total amount relating to the transaction item transmitted by each of a plurality of bidders via a network, and to store the received information; and

a successful bid processing unit operable to carry out a successful bid processing of the transaction item, based on the subscription total number or the subscription total amount stored in the subscription condition storage unit, and the bid unit price and the bid number or the bid total amount stored in the bid condition storage unit, the successful bid processing unit comprising;

a successful bid price determination unit operable to determine the same successful bid price to all the successful bidders; and

a successful bid number determination unit operable to determine successful bid numbers to all the successful bidders;

wherein when

(i) a cumulative bid number of the bid numbers or a cumulative bid amount of the bid amounts by the plurality of bidders exceeds the subscription total number or the subscription total amount, respectively, and

(ii) a plurality of bidders present bids that generate said excess and the plurality of bidders exceeding the subscription total number or the subscription total amount present the same bid unit price,

then the successful bid number determination unit is operable

(a) to determine successful bid numbers of all the bidders who present the same bid unit price as that of the bidder that generates said excess, by proportionally allocating a successful bid number remaining at the time when the excess occurred according to the respective bid numbers of the bidders, or

(b) to select, by lot, successful bidders from the plurality of bidders who present the same bid price as that of the bidder that generate the excess.