Interactive vehicle auction and sale system

• US 7,908,180 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keith Goclowski
• Original Assignee: Keith Goclowski
• Inventors: Goclowski, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIASZEK, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/722,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,666 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• 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 online automobile auction, which allows the consumer to participate by using their home or portable computers and accessing the system via an Internet connection. Before the designated time for an auction, the consumer may access the database of available automobiles. Along with displaying visual depictions of the vehicles, the computer system affords the consumer the ability to access statistics on the current inventory of vehicles. Prior to the auction, using an automated auction feature, a plurality of bidders input their minimum starting bid, the maximum bid and the incrementing value. Bidders are also allowed to bid on vehicles during the auction process.

Claims

1. An interactive vehicle auction and sale system comprising:

a plurality of computers;

a computer network enabling communication between said plurality of computers;

a plurality of user interface terminals in connection with said computer network, said terminals utilized to display an amount of auction and sales information and to input a series of auction bids;

a plurality of databases and corresponding database servers for storage of an amount of vehicle statistics;

an input computer in communication with said network to receive and to route said amount of auction and sales information to a plurality of database servers;

a web server in communication with said plurality of user interface terminals and said plurality of database servers, through said network, said web server utilized to control said vehicle auction and sale system, coordinate said series of auction bids and maintain communications between said plurality of user interface terminals and a plurality of servers;

an applications server in communication with said network and said user interface terminals;

said applications server containing a system software program for operating said interactive vehicle auction and sale system;

a vehicle image and video server in communication with said network and said user interface terminals, containing a plurality of electronic vehicle images and a plurality of vehicle video media to be accessed by said user terminals;

a template server in communication with said network and said user interface terminals, containing plurality of templates to be accessed by said user interface terminals in conjunction with said system software program, an amount of data from said template server utilized as a plurality of interactive computer screens;

a plurality of mail servers in communication with said network, said plurality of mail servers utilized to receive an amount of auction and sales information from said users;

said mail servers also utilized to respond to said users;

a plurality of protection mechanisms contained within said network to protect said database servers from unwanted access;

a bank system connection in communication with said network to enable verification of a credit line of a vehicle purchaser; and

an auction timer, wherein said auction timer controls an amount of time allotted for said interactive vehicle auction and a readout of said timer is displayed on said user interface terminals, wherein said auction timer is programmed for a predetermined amount of time such that when the auction process begins, the timer begins to decrease in time from the predetermined time, and wherein upon submission of a higher bid than the previous bid on record by an individual participating in the auction, the auction timer resets to the original predetermined amount of time.

2. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 1 wherein, said auction timer automatically resets upon entry of a bid value higher then a currently pending highest bid value.

3. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 2 wherein, upon expiration of said auction timer, system user corresponding to said highest bid value entered in said interactive vehicle auction wins said interactive vehicle auction.

4. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 3 wherein, upon expiration of said auction timer, an electronic mail transmission is sent to said system user corresponding to said highest bid value.

5. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 4 wherein, said auction timer commences a count down process from a value of four minutes.

6. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 5 wherein, said auction timer commences said count down process from a value of two minutes.

7. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 6 wherein, said auction timer commences said count down process from a value of one minute.

8. The interactive vehicle auction and sale system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a starting time for the auction and does not provide a predetermined closing time prior to the auction.