Method for reposting a good for sale using a consignment node

• US 7,831,477 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Woolston, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; William J.
• Application Number:
  US10/824,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,401 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 26- 27, 705/37, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• 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 method and apparatus for creating a computerized market for used and collectible goods by allowing the electronic present of goods from one market to another in a trusted network, allowing the electronic auctioning of goods, enabling an electronic agent to search the markets for locate a good, and enabling an electronic agent to search for the owner of a hard to find good.

Claims

1. A method for re-posting a good for sale using a consignment node computer and at least one participant terminal comprising the steps of:

posting a used or collectable good using a consignment node computer by creating a data record for said good, the data record having identification information for said good and an offer price of said good;

displaying data related to said good on a participant terminal in response to a participant request from said participant terminal;

receiving an offer to buy said good from said participant using said participant terminal;

receiving, from said participant using said participant terminal, a selection indicating to transfer electronic ownership of the good to the participant and post a new offer defined by the participant, said new offer including a new offer price;

transferring ownership of said good by said consignment node computer to said participant by changing an ownership entry in the data record of said good;

changing said offer price of said good to reflect said new offer price as defined by said participant, wherein only said offer price is changed as part of said new offer; and

re-posting said good at a consignment node computer selected by said participant, said good re-posted at said new offer price.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

clearing the transfer of ownership of said used good by debiting an account of said participant.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

electronically presenting a good from a first computerized market to a second computerized market for goods by transferring said data record from said first computerized market to said second computerized market.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

automatically paying a commission to said computerized market from said transfer of ownership of said good by said computerized market deducting said commission from said purchase price paid to said seller.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating a data record of said step of transferring ownership of said good and storing said data record on a storage device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

searching said data records from said step of creating a data record in response to a search request from a participant.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

analyzing said data records from said step of creating a data record to identify the price of a good over a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

when changing said data record to reflect a new offer price from said second owner, updating the data record for said good to indicate that said good is awaiting an auction date.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

when updating the data record for said good to indicate that said good is awaiting an auction date, updating the data record to indicate that the good is not to be visible in the marketplace until a future auction date.