System and method for negotiating according to improved matching criteria
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented system for conducting an automatic negotiation, comprising:
- a database operable to store profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, these values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; and
a matching server operable to;
access an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated;
compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party;
if the distance is acceptably small, cause the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and
if the distance is not acceptably small, automatically modify one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, cause the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
18 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented system (10) for conducting automatic negotiations stores profiles for parties (12, 14) to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party (12, 14). A matching server (16) accesses an offer from a first party (12, 14) containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated and computes a distance between the offer values and the profile values of a second party (12, 14). If the distance is acceptably small, the matching server (16) causes the offer to be accepted by the second party (14, 12) to conclude the negotiation. Alternatively, if the distance is not acceptably small, the matching server (16) automatically modifies one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties (12, 14) are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, causes the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties (12, 14) to conclude the automatic negotiation. Similar distance computation and offer evaluation may occur at one or both of the parties (12, 14) instead of, or possibly in addition to, at the matching server (16).
45 Citations
70 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented system for conducting an automatic negotiation, comprising:
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a database operable to store profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, these values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; and a matching server operable to; access an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated; compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; if the distance is acceptably small, cause the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the distance is not acceptably small, automatically modify one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, cause the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-implemented system for conducting an automatic negotiation, comprising:
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means for storing profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, these values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; means for accessing an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated; means for computing a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; means for, if the distance is acceptably small, causing the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and means for, if the distance is not acceptably small, automatically modifying one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, causing the modified offer to be accepted by the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
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17. Software for conducting an automatic negotiation, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:
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access profiles of parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, these values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; access an offer from a first party that contains values for the parameters being negotiated; compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; if the distance is acceptably small, cause the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the distance is not acceptably small, automatically modify one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, cause the modified offer to be accepted by the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
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18. A computer-implemented method for facilitating an automatic negotiation, the method performed using one or more computer systems each comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the method comprising:
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using the one or more computer systems, accessing profiles of parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, these values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; using the one or more computer systems, accessing an offer from a first party that contains values for the parameters being negotiated; using the one or more computer systems, computing a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; if the distance is acceptably small, causing, using the one or more computer systems, the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the distance is not acceptably small, then automatically modifying, using the one or more computer systems, one or more values in the offer such that the distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, causing, using the one or more computer systems, the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. Software for conducting a negotiation, the software being embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:
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at a first party, receive an offer generated at a second party containing values for one or more parameters being negotiated; compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in a profile of the first party, the profile specifying values for the parameters being negotiated to reflect a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the first party; if the distance is acceptably small, accept the offer to conclude the negotiation; and if the distance is not acceptably small, modify one or more values in the offer such that the distance is decreased and communicate the modified offer to the second party to continue the negotiation. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A system for conducting a negotiation, comprising:
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means for receiving at a first party an offer generated at a second party, the offer containing values for one or more parameters being negotiated; means for computing a distance between the values in the offer and the values in a profile of the first party, the profile specifying values for the parameters being negotiated to reflect a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the first party; means for, if the distance is acceptably small, accepting the offer conclude the negotiation; and means for, if the distance is not acceptably small, modifying one or more values in the offer such that the distance is decreased and communicating the modified offer to the second party to continue the negotiation.
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50. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a negotiation, the method performed using one or more computer systems each comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the method comprising:
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at a first party, receiving, using the one or more computer systems, an offer generated at a second party containing values for one or more parameters being negotiated; using the one or more computer systems, computing a distance between the values in the offer and the values in a profile of the first party, the profile specifying values for the parameters being negotiated to reflect a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the first party; if the distance is acceptably small, accepting, using the one or more computer systems, the offer conclude the negotiation; and if the distance is not acceptably small, modifying, using the one or more computer systems, one or more values in the offer such that the distance is decreased and communicating, using the one or more computer systems, the modified offer to the second party to continue the negotiation. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A computer-implemented system for conducting an automatic negotiation, comprising:
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a database operable to store profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the parameters being organized into one or more subsets, the parameter values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; and a matching server operable to; access an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated; for each parameter subset, compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; for each parameter subset, apply a weight to the distance to compute a weighted distance for the subset; compute an overall distance between the offer and the profile according to the weighted distances of the parameter subsets; if the overall distance is acceptably small, cause the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the overall distance is not acceptably small, automatically modify one or more values in the offer such that the overall distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, cause the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
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67. Software for conducting an automatic negotiation, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:
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access profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the parameters being organized into one or more subsets, the parameter values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; and access an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated; for each parameter subset, compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; for each parameter subset, apply a weight to the distance to compute a weighted distance for the subset; compute an overall distance between the offer and the profile according to the weighted distances of the parameter subsets; if the overall distance is acceptably small, cause the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the overall distance is not acceptably small, automatically modify one or more values in the offer such that the overall distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, cause the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
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68. A computer-implemented method for facilitating an automatic negotiation, the method performed using one or more computer systems each comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the method comprising:
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using the one or more computer systems, accessing profiles for parties to the negotiation, each profile specifying values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the parameters being organized into one or more subsets, the parameter values reflecting a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the associated party; and using the one or more computer systems, accessing an offer from a first party containing values for one or more of the parameters being negotiated; for each parameter subset, computing, using the one or more computer systems, a distance between the values in the offer and the values in the profile of a second party; for each parameter subset, applying, using the one or more computer systems, a weight to the distance to compute a weighted distance for the subset; using the one or more computer systems, computing an overall distance between the offer and the profile according to the weighted distances of the parameter subsets; if the overall distance is acceptably small, causing, using the one or more computer systems, the offer to be accepted by the second party to conclude the negotiation; and if the overall distance is not acceptably small, automatically modifying, using the one or more computer systems, one or more values in the offer such that the overall distances between the modified offer and the profiles of the first and second parties are acceptably small simultaneously and, in response, causing, using the one or more computer systems, the modified offer to be accepted by both the first and second parties to conclude the automatic negotiation.
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69. Software for conducting a negotiation, the software being embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:
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at a first party, receive an offer generated at a second party containing values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the parameters being organized into one or more subsets; for each parameter subset, compute a distance between the values in the offer and the values in a profile of the first party, the profile specifying values for the parameters being negotiated to reflect a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the first party; for each parameter subset, apply a weight to the distance to compute a weighted distance for the subset; compute an overall distance between the offer and the profile according to the weighted distances of the parameter subsets; if the overall distance is acceptably small, accept the offer to conclude the negotiation; and if the overall distance is not acceptably small, modify one or more values in the offer such that the overall distance is decreased and communicate the modified offer to the second party to continue the negotiation.
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70. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a negotiation, the method performed using one or more computer systems each comprising one or more processing units and one or more memory units, the method comprising:
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at a first party, receiving, using the one or more computer systems, an offer generated at a second party containing values for one or more parameters being negotiated, the parameters being organized into one or more subsets; for each parameter subset, computing, using the one or more computer systems, a distance between the values in the offer and the values in a profile of the first party, the profile specifying values for the parameters being negotiated to reflect a desirable outcome of the negotiation for the first party; for each parameter subset, applying, using the one or more computer systems, a weight to the distance to compute a weighted distance for the subset; using the one or more computer systems, computing an overall distance between the offer and the profile according to the weighted distances of the parameter subsets; if the overall distance is acceptably small, accepting, using the one or more computer systems, the offer to conclude the negotiation; and if the overall distance is not acceptably small, modifying, using the one or more computer systems, one or more values in the offer such that the overall distance is decreased and communicating the modified offer to the second party to continue the negotiation.
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Specification