Introducing a fixed-price transaction mechanism in conjunction with an auction transaction mechanism

• US 7,593,866 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Grove, Brian, Grove, Steve, Sandler, Andrew Leigh, Edson, Zak
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US10/749,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,093 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

An auction price-setting method to present an auction price-setting process and a fixed price process to provide a fixed price offer for an item and to publish the fixed price offer on a listing based on a criterion.

Claims

1. A network-based commerce system including:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a fixed price-setting process executed from the memory by the processor to cause the processor to facilitate the operation of a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing of an item, the fixed price-setting process to provide a fixed price offer for the item and to publish the fixed price offer on the listing, responsive to a bid to buy the item reaching a certain value during the auction.

2. The network-based commerce system of claim 1, wherein the fixed price offer is higher than a current highest bid.

3. The network-based commerce system of claim 1, wherein the fixed price offer is lower than a high proxy bid.

4. The network-based commerce system of claim 3, wherein the fixed price-setting process further causes the processor to automatically designate a buyer associated with the high proxy bid as the winner of the auctioned item.

5. The network-based commerce system of claim 4, wherein the automatic designation is performed when the buyer has opted into being designated the winner automatically.

6. The network-based commerce system of claim 3, wherein the fixed price-setting process further causes the processor to automatically notify a buyer associated with the current high proxy bid upon the publication of the fixed price offer.

7. A network-based commerce system including:

a means for facilitating the operation of a network-based auction price setting process for a listing of an item;

a processing means coupled to a memory through a bus;

a program means for providing a fixed price offer for the item, the program means to be executed from the memory by the processing means; and

a means for publishing the fixed price offer on the listing, responsive to a bid to buy the item reaching a certain value during the auction.

8. The network-based commerce system of claim 7, wherein the fixed price offer is higher than a current highest bid.

9. The network-based commerce system of claim 7, wherein the fixed price offer is lower than a high proxy bid.

10. The network-based commerce system of claim 9, further including:

a means for automatically designating a buyer associated with the high proxy bid as the winner of the auctioned item.

11. The network-based commerce system of claim 10, wherein the means for automatically designating is performed when the buyer has opted into being designated the winner automatically.

12. The network-based commerce system of claim 9, further including:

a means for automatically notifying a buyer associated with the current high proxy bid upon the publication of the fixed price offer.

13. A machine-readable medium having instructions to cause a machine to perform a method to facilitate operation of a network-based commerce system, the method including:

facilitating the operation of a network-based auction price setting process for a listing of an item;

providing a fixed price offer for the item; and

publishing the fixed price offer on the listing, responsive to a bid to buy the item reaching a certain value during the auction.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fixed price offer is higher than a current highest bid.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fixed price offer is lower than a high proxy bid.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further including:

automatically designating a buyer associated with the high proxy bid as the winner of the auctioned item.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the automatically designating is performed when the buyer has opted into being designated the winner automatically.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, further including:

automatically notifying a buyer associated with the current high proxy bid upon the publication of the fixed price offer.

19. A method to facilitate operation of a network-based commerce system, the method including:

facilitating the operation of a network-based auction price-setting process for a listing of an item using a fixed price-setting process executed from a memory by a processor;

providing a fixed price offer for the item; and

publishing the fixed price offer on the listing, responsive to a bid to buy the item reaching a certain value during the auction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the fixed price offer is higher than a current highest bid.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the fixed price offer is lower than a high proxy bid.

22. The method of claim 21, further including:

automatically designating a buyer associated with the high proxy bid as the winner of the auctioned item.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the automatically designating is performed when the buyer has opted into being designated the winner automatically.

24. The method of claim 21, further including:

automatically notifying a buyer associated with the current high proxy bid upon the publication of the fixed price offer.