System and method for determining right of access

• US 7,853,500 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: John Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D April 13 2010
• Inventors: Erisman, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Hai
• Application Number:
  US11/776,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20080015973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 80, 707 1- 6, 707/10
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

Various methods and systems for auctioning items such as golf tee times, restaurant reservations, concert tickets or hotel reservations are disclosed. Users can effectively bid on a large number of items but receive at most one item at the end of the auction. This method has the favorable effects for the users of: (1) increasing the probability of successfully bidding for at least one item; (2) making the auction process more convenient by greatly reducing the need for actively monitoring the auction; and, (3) decreasing the possibility a user will be out bid at the last moment and receive no item. This method has the favorable effects for the seller of increasing the probability their listed items will sell and increasing the expected average sales price.

Claims

1. A method of permitting users to participate in an electronic auction, the method being implemented using a computing system and comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting items to users with the computing system from a set of N items from a database of items available for auction, said set of N items being characterized by a common auction expiration period;

(b) receiving a set of N bids for said set of N items from said users using the computing system, such that said set of N bids includes at least one unconditional bid for one item in said set of N items, and the remainder of said set of N bids being comprised of conditional bids for a remainder of said N items;

(c) processing said set of bids with the computing system prior to said common auction expiration period to determine if there is at least one winning bid in said set of bids, said processing being performed such that said conditional bids are not considered unless said unconditional bid for said one item is unsuccessful, and such that at most only a single item from said set of N items is matched to a single one of said set of N bids when determining said at least one winning bid.

2. The method of claim 1, further wherein during step (b) said N bids are ranked in accordance with a desired auction resolution order.

3. The method of claim 1, where said processing step (c) determines how said corresponding set of items should be auctioned based on first considering a highest ranking bid submitted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein during step (b), said set of bids includes at least one unconditional bid for a highest ranked item taken from said corresponding set of items, and the remainder of said set of bids being comprised of conditional bids for items ranked below said highest ranked item.

5. A method of permitting users to participate in an electronic auction, the method being implemented using a computing system and comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a first bid from a first user with the computing system for a first auction item that is to be auctioned during a first auction expiration period; and

(b) receiving a second bid from said first user with the computing system, prior to expiration of said first auction expiration period, for a second auction item that is to be to be auctioned during a second auction expiration period;

(c) processing said first bid with the computing system prior to an end of said first auction expiration period to determine if it is a winning bid for said first auction item; and

1) discarding said second bid for said first user when said first bid is a winning bid; and

2) when said first bid is not a winning bid, said second bid is processed prior to said second auction expiration period to determine if it is a winning bid for second auction item;

wherein a first user can submit both a first bid for a first item and a second bid for said second auction item and still only win at most one of such items.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said first bid is treated an unconditional bid, and said second bid is treated as a conditional bid until said first bid is determined to be unsuccessful.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein at most only one of said first bid and second bid are declared as a winning bid during an overlap between said first auction expiration period and said second auction expiration period.

8. A method of allowing a purchaser to bid on a right of access to one or more facilities, each of which facilities has a finite capacity for accommodating purchasers at a particular time, said method being implemented using a computing system and comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting access items related to the one or more facilities with the computing system, said access items each corresponding to an access time available at the one or more facilities;

(b) selecting a set of access items from said access items with the computing system, said set of access items being based on a selected access time and selected facility chosen by the purchaser;

(c) receiving a set of bids for said set of access items, such that each bid from said set of bids includes both a bid price and a bid ranking for an access item;

wherein said bid ranking for said access item designates an order for resolving a bid relative to other bids provided by a purchaser for other access items, and such that the purchaser can control through said bid ranking in what order said set of bids are considered to determine whether they are winning bids for any of said access items.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said set of bids further includes personal information concerning the purchaser, and said personal information is compared against that of other purchasers to determine a final access time awarded to the purchaser for said access items.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said access items are auctioned across different auction expiration periods.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein after any bid from the purchaser is determined to be a winning bid, any remaining bids from the purchaser are disregarded.

12. A method of conducting an electronic auction for access rights to a facility, the method being implemented using a computing system and comprising the steps of:

(a) dividing a capacity of the facility into a set of access time windows with the computing system;

(b) creating a set of access right items based on said set of access time windows with the computing system, said access right items including at least an access starting time and access duration associated with a user performing an activity at the facility;

(c) receiving bids for said access right items with the computing system, each of said bids including a bid price and a bid ranking;

wherein said bid ranking for said access right item designates an order for resolving a bid relative to other bids provided by said user for other access right items;

(d) processing said bids with the computing system based on both said bid price and bid ranking to determine whether any successful bids exist for any of said access right items;

wherein all of said access right items are auctioned at the same time with the computing system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said access right items further include a capacity value specifying a number of persons that can perform said activity at the facility during said access time window.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said access right items further include an access time spacing, such that a plurality of access right items can be associated with an access time window, and said plurality of access right items are separated in time by said access time spacing.

15. The method of claim 12 further including a step of defining a minimum bid price for said set of access right items.

16. The method of claim 12 further including a step of defining a guaranteed bid price for said set of access right items, which guaranteed bid price specifies a bid price that will result in a an automatic successful bid.

17. A system for participating in an electronic auction comprising:

(a) a set of N items stored in a database of items available for auction, said set of N items being characterized by a common auction expiration period;

(b) a bid input interface for entering a set of N bids for said set of N items, said bid input interface constraining said set of N bids such that at least one unconditional bid is provided by a user for one item in said set of N items, and the remainder of said set of N bids from said user are comprised of conditional bids for a remainder of said N items;

(c) an auction processor coupled to said database of items and said bid input interface, and being further adapted to process said set of bids prior to said common auction expiration period to determine if there is at least one winning bid in said set of bids, said processing being performed such that said conditional bids are not considered unless said unconditional bid for said one item is unsuccessful, and such that at most only a single item from said set of N items is matched to a single one of said set of N bids for said user when determining said at least one winning bid.

18. A system for participating in an electronic auction comprising:

(a) a database of auction items, said auction items including first auction items available for bidding during a first auction period, and second auction items available for bidding during a second bidding period;

(b) a bid input device for transmitting a first bid for one of said first auction items and a second bid for one of said second auction items, said first and second bids being received from a single bidder prior to an expiration of said first auction period;

(c) an auction processor coupled to said database of auction items and said bid input device, and being further adapted to determine if said first bid is a winning bid prior to said expiration of said first auction period; and

being further configured to process said second bid when said first bid is finally determined to be not a winning bid;

wherein said single bidder can submit both a first bid for a first item and a second bid for a second item and still only win at most one of such items.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said item is an access right to a venue having a finite capacity.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said item is an intangible property.

21. A system for allowing a purchaser to bid on a right to play golf at a selected time and at a selected golf facility in an electronic auction, said system comprising:

(d) a query interface for presenting a list of available golf playing opportunities to the purchaser, said golf playing opportunities including information identifying both a golf course and a time at said golf course available for playing golf;

(e) a bid interface adapted to allow the purchaser to enter a bid for each of said one or more golf playing opportunities, said bid including both a bid price and a bid ranking for each of said one or more golf playing opportunities, so that a set of purchaser bids are created for said one or more golf playing opportunities;

(f) an auction processor for processing said set of purchaser bids, along with third party bids for said one or more golf playing opportunities, to determine winning bids for said golf playing opportunities;

(g) an e-mail notification system for notifying the purchaser when a currently highest ranked bid from said purchaser is determined to be a winning bid or when said currently highest ranked bid is determined to be not a winning bid;

said auction processor being further configured;

1) to allow the purchaser to increase said bid price for said highest ranked bid within a predetermined time period when said highest ranked bid is determined to be not a winning bid;

2) to evaluate new bids until the end of the common expiration period, and until all of said purchaser bids are determined to be not winning bids, or until one of said purchaser bids is determined to be a winning bid;

wherein the purchaser is permitted to bid on multiple golf playing opportunities using said set of purchaser bids, but at most only a single one of said set of purchaser bids is satisfied as a winning bid.