On-line auction interface

• US 7,945,503 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Jellyvision Lab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Jellyvision Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Gottlieb, Harry N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan; Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US12/036,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 705 37- 38
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method for conducting a fantasy sports auction for a plurality of players utilizing a plurality of pre-recorded multimedia clips is disclosed. The method includes initiating an auction session including a plurality of participating team bidders, selectively displaying data associated with an individual player during the auction session, and displaying a starting bid for the individual player on the user interface. A series of progressively higher bid levels associated with the player is displayed and the participating bidders are prompted to make bids by playing at least one of the multimedia clips. Bids are received from the participating bidders and visual representations are provided for each bid on the user interface. A winning bidder is determined based on the receipt of a bid associated with the highest bid level displayed.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an online auction for selected goods utilizing a stored plurality of multimedia clips, the auction taking place among a plurality of online bidders, said method comprising:

logging in, via a processor, participating bidders from the plurality of bidders;

providing, via the processor, a dynamic visual representation of each of the participating bidders on a visual interface;

announcing, via the processor, the start of the auction by playing at least one of the plurality of multimedia clips;

selecting, via the processor, a good for bidding from a group of goods;

providing, via the processor, a series of progressively higher bid levels to the participating bidders for the selected good;

enabling, via the processor, each of the participating bidders to execute a bid at a current bid level for the selected good while providing representations for bid executions at the current bid level with the visual interface to each of the participating bidders and playing at least one of the plurality of multimedia clips;

determining, by the processor, a winning bidder and associating the selected good with the winning bidder;

repeating, via the processor, the selection and bidding process for a plurality of goods remaining in the group; and

compiling, by the processor, a simulated set of winning selected goods associated with each of the winning bidders.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting the amount of time that bids are executed for one or more bid levels.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the winning bidder to the participating bidders.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected good is a virtual character and the set is a roster of virtual characters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each good in the group of goods is associated with a set of dynamically changing characteristics and statistics.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the changing characteristics and statistics affect the desirability of the particular good.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising incorporating the characteristics and statistics into the simulated set of winning selected goods.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the simulated set of winning selected goods is configured to perform simulated interaction to vary the characteristics and statistics.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking funding credits associated with each of the participating bidders and deducting credits from the winning bidder in conjunction with the highest bid.

10. The method of claim 4 further comprising assigning ah initial bid increment level based on information associated with the selected good.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the information associated with the selected good is statistical data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a participating bidder may execute a bid by entering a keystroke on a keyboard.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a live chat window visible to the participating bidders to allow communication among participating bidders concurrently with the auction.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising selectively displaying information associated with at least one participating bidder.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising denying one or more participating bidders the opportunity to bid based on information associated with the one or more participating bidders.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a plurality of goods available for bidding by participating bidders.

17. A method for conducting a virtual auction in conjunction with the playing of a stored plurality of multimedia clips, the method comprising:

initiating, via a processor, an auction session including a plurality of participating bidders;

displaying, via the processor, icons representative of the participating bidders;

selectively displaying, via the processor, data associated with a plurality of virtual goods;

enabling, via the processor, the selection of a good from the plurality of virtual goods;

displaying, via the processor, a series of progressively higher bid levels associated with the selected virtual good to the participating bidders and prompting the participating bidders to make bids by playing at least one of the multimedia clips;

receiving, at the processor, bid execution signals at a current bid level from at least one of the participating bidders and providing, via the processor, multimedia representations for all bid execution signals at the current bid level to the participating bidders; and

determining, by the processor, a winning bidder based on the receipt of a bid execution signal associated with the highest bid level.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein providing multimedia representations for at least one bid execution signal includes providing visual representations for at least one bid execution signal on a display.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising limiting the amount of time that bids are executed for one or more bid levels.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying the winning bidder to the participating bidders.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising tracking funding credits associated with each of the participating bidders and deducting credits from the winning bidder in conjunction with the highest bid.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising assigning an initial bid increment level based on information associated with the selected good.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein a bidder may execute a bid by entering a keystroke on a keyboard.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising enabling a live chat window visible to the participating bidders to allow communication among participating bidders concurrently with the auction.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising selectively displaying information associated with at least one participating bidder.

26. The method of claim 17 further comprising denying one or more participating bidders the opportunity to bid based on information associated with the one or more participating bidders.

27. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying a plurality of goods available for bidding by participating bidders.

28. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying data related to a selected good to the participating bidders.

29. A method for conducting a fantasy sports auction for a plurality of players utilizing a plurality of pre-recorded multimedia clips, the method comprising:

initiating, via a processor, an auction session including a plurality of participating team bidders;

representing, via the processor, the team bidders as icons on a user interface for the auction session;

selectively displaying, via the processor, data associated with an individual player during the auction session;

displaying, via the processor, a starting bid for the individual player on the user interface;

displaying, via the processor, a series of progressively higher bid levels associated with the player and prompting the participating bidders to make bids by playing at least one of the multimedia clips;

receiving, at the processor, bids at a current bid level from the participating bidders and providing, via the processor, visual representations for each bid received at the current bid level to the participating bidders on the user interface; and

determining, by the processor, a winning bidder based on the receipt of a bid associated with the highest bid level displayed.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising limiting the amount of time that bids are executed for one or more bid levels.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising displaying the winning bidder to the participating bidders.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising tracking funding credits associated with each of the participating bidders and deducting credits from the winning bidder in conjunction with the highest bid.

33. The method of claim 29 further comprising assigning an initial bid increment level based on information associated with the selected good.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein a bidder may execute a bid by entering a keystroke on a keyboard.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising enabling a live chat window visible to the participating bidders to allow communication among participating bidders concurrently with the auction.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising selectively displaying information associated with at least one participating bidder.

37. The method of claim 29 further comprising denying one or more participating bidders the opportunity to bid based on information associated with the one or more participating bidders.

38. The method of claim 29 further comprising displaying a plurality of goods available for bidding by participating bidders.