Method and system for configurable options in enhanced network-based auctions

• US 7,788,160 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Singh, Narinder, Zhang, Zhong, Srinivasamurthy, Guruprasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shrestha; Bijendra K
• Application Number:
  US11/026,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,066 Days
• Field of Search: 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method are provided for including a configurable order option in a listing on a network-based auction service. The system and method include specifying the configurable order using an auction application separate from the network-based auction service and communicating the configurable order option specified using the auction application to the network-based auction service as part of the listing. A seller may specify configurable order options during the creation of a listing that may be communicated to the network-based auction service along with the listing information. Configurable order options provide at least two possible choices for a bidder/buyer thereby allowing customization of the listing to the degree permitted by the seller. Configurable order options may include information such as, for example, the shipping method, payment method, an optional accessory purchase for a product in the listing, a warranty for a product in the listing, a color selection, and a model selection. The winning bidder/buyer'"'"'s selection for a configurable order option is communicated back to the auction application which may process the selection and send the appropriate order information to a back-end business information management system or the auction application may send the selection directly to the back-end business information management system for processing as part of the order.

Claims

1. An auction application system linking a business information management system and an auction system to automatically post an auction, the auction application system comprising:

a memory-based area storing computer data;

a processor executing instructions from the memory-based area that configure the processor to;

perform the following each time a user logs into the auction application system and specifies a listing criteria of the products;

(i) automatically execute a login script of the user that includes a query to the business information management system, the query including-specified listing criteria of the products,

(ii) transmit the query to the information management system to retrieve product information based on the user-specified listing criteria, and

(iii) transmit to the user an alert including a list of products that are ready for listing after receiving the product information from the information management system;

(iv) retrieve a listing theme designated for the user, the listing theme including a placeholder and a customizable element unique to the user;

copy the product information for each of a selected quantity of the products into the placeholder to create an auction listing for each product including the customizable element unique to the user;

transmit each auction listing to the auction system for automatic posting; and

reserve through the auction application system the selected quantity of the products in the business information management system to prevent their disposal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the auction listing is at least one of a listing for an auction and a posting-for-sale.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the business information management system is at least one of an SAP AG of Germany R/3 based system and an SAP AG of Germany Customer Relationship Management (CRM) based system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the auction is an Internet-based auction.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a synchronization system to synchronize information stored at the auction system with information stored at the business information management system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the synchronization system synchronizes feedback information obtained through the auction system at the business information management system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the auction listing is automatically updated after product information stored in the business information management system is changed.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein steps completed by the user are recorded and the user is returned to at least one of an intermediate state and a beginning of a last-good state in response to a system failure.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the auction listing is translated into an Application Programming Interface (API) call.

10. The system of claim 9, where the API call is stored in an XML packet.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the XML packet is transmitted to the auction system by means of an HTTP request.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the listing theme includes a header, product description, sales policy, shipping policy, and additional information data field, the product description data field being the placeholder.

13. The system for claim 12, wherein the header, sales policy, and shipping policy data fields are the customizable elements containing information identifying the user, a sales contract term of the user, and a shipping contract term of the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the customizable elements are the same for all auction listings of the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the additional information data field is a placeholder for inserting product information of an interoperable product with that in the auction listing.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein information relating to a battery compatible with a product of an auction listing is included in the additional information data field of the auction listing.

17. A method of using an auction application system processor to link a business information management system and an auction system through a network comprising:

performing the following each time a user logs into the auction application system and specifies a listing criteria of the products through the auction application system processor;

(i) automatically executing a login script of the user that includes a query to the business information management system, the query including user-specified listing criteria of the products,

(ii) transmitting the query through the network to the information management system to retrieve product information based on the user-specified listing criteria, and

(iii) transmitting to the user through the network an alert including a list of products that are ready for listing after receiving the product information from the information management system;

(iv) retrieving a listing theme designated for the user, the listing theme including a placeholder and a customizable element unique to the user;

copying the product information for each of a selected quantity of the products into the placeholder to create an auction listing for each product including the customizable element unique to the user;

transmitting through the auction application system processor each auction listing to the auction system for automatic posting; and

reserving through the auction application system processor the selected quantity of the products in the business information management system to prevent their disposal.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processor in an auction application system, cause the processor to:

perform the following each time a user logs into the auction application system and specifies a listing criteria of the products;

(i) automatically execute a login script of the user that includes a query to the business information management system, the query including user-specified listing criteria of the products,

(ii) transmit the query to the information management system to retrieve product information based on the user-specified listing criteria, and

(iii) transmit to the user an alert including a list of products that are ready for listing after receiving the product information from the information management system;

(iv) retrieve a listing theme designated for the user, the listing theme including a placeholder and a customizable element unique to the user;

copy the product information for each of a selected quantity of the products into the placeholder to create an auction listing for each product including the customizable element unique to the user;

transmit each auction listing to the auction system for automatic posting; and

reserve through the auction application system the selected quantity of the products in the business information management system to prevent their disposal.