Real time auction with end game

• US 8,266,000 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Auctions LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, III, Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US12/880,110
• Time in Patent Office: 730 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/26
• 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

Abstract

A real time auction system operates in a non real time mode, and an end game mode in which the users are placed in a forum. In both modes the users are capable of placing bids along with times when those bids should be executed. An agent treats the bids as secret until the time, and then at the time executes those bids.

Claims

1. A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:

using a computer to produce information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet;

said computer producing second information as part of said information representing a webpage, said second information having a first parameter indicative of an ending time for said electronic auction;

said computer also storing a predetermined set time before the ending time;

prior to said set time before said ending time, said computer carrying out the auction in a first mode, in which information that represents a webpage with information about the auction is updated only based on a manual request for update received from a client over the internet and is not automatically updated;

after said set time before said ending time, said computer changing a mode of carrying out the auction to a second mode, wherein said second mode, said computer automatically updating said information that represents the webpage to have new information and automatically sending said new information over the internet to each of a plurality of clients, in a way that causes said each of said plurality of clients to automatically display said new information without making a request for said new information.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said second mode starts automatically an hour before the ending time of the auction.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein said information that represents a webpage comprises information about at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction during said second mode of the auction, and automatically updates said information about at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction during said second mode of the auction.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein said automatically updating comprises automatically updating said information about a minimum bid during said second mode of the auction, but does not automatically update said information about said minimum bid during said first mode of the auction.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein said automatically updating comprises automatically updating only a portion of a complete webpage that is sent to users, where said portion that is updated includes a portion that changes a price for an item in the auction and also includes information about a name associated with a user that holds a highest bid.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein said automatically updating comprises a command that refreshes said portion without refreshing a whole of said webpage sent to said users.

7. The method as in claim 5, wherein said automatically updating comprises defining a first area of the complete webpage that will update and that includes said price of an object which changes over time based on bids from users, and a second area of the complete webpage that includes information about a name associated with the user that holds the highest bid and updating only said first and second areas of the webpage, and not the complete webpage.

8. The method as in claim 5, wherein said updating comprises using a streaming video object in said portion.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein said automatically updating in said second mode comprises determining new information indicative of both a new minimum price for the auction and a new bidder, and automatically sending said information indicative of said new minimum price for the auction and said new bidder to plural different clients, in a way that causes said plural different clients to automatically display said new information indicative of said new minimum price for the auction and said new bidder, without updating a remainder of a complete web page being sent to said plural different clients,

wherein said clients do not automatically receive said new information indicative of said new minimum price for the auction and said new bidder during said first mode of the auction, but do automatically receive said new information indicative of said new minimum price the auction and said new bidder during said second mode of the auction.

10. A method of interacting with a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:

on a client computer, receiving information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and has a location for entering a new bid to be sent over the internet;

displaying said information received as a webpage on the computer, said webpage displayed showing said bid amounts and accepting said bids, said webpage also showing an ending time for said electronic auction that is received as part of said information representing the webpage;

prior to a set, constant and predetermined time before said ending time, displaying said webpage in a first mode, in which information that represents the webpage with information about the auction is updated only based on a manual request for update that is received from a user;

after said set constant and predetermined time before said ending time, changing a mode of displaying the auction to a second mode, wherein said second mode, automatically updating and displaying said information that represents the webpage to display new information about the auction without receiving said request for update from said user.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein said second mode starts automatically an hour before the ending time.

12. The method as in claim 10 wherein said webpage displays information about at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction during said first mode of the auction, and updates said information about said at least one client bidder during said first mode only in response to a specific update request from the computer, and during said second mode of the auction, said webpage displays information about said at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction and automatically updates said information about said at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction.

13. The method as in claim 10, wherein said webpage automatically updates a display of said information about a minimum bid amount during said second mode of the auction, but does not automatically update said display of said information about said minimum bid amount during said first mode of the auction.

14. The method as in claim 10, wherein said automatically updating comprises automatically updating only a portion of a complete webpage that is displayed.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein said automatically updating comprises refreshing said portion of said display without refreshing a whole of said webpage that is displayed, where said portion that is updated includes a portion that changes a price for an item in the auction and also includes information about a name associated with a user that holds a highest bid.

16. The method as in claim 10, wherein said automatically updating in said second mode comprises automatically displaying new information indicative of both a new minimum price for the auction and a new bidder in said second mode,

and not displaying said new information indicative of said new minimum price for the auction and said new bidder during said first mode.

17. A computer product comprising a processor and memory storing executable instructions that when executed, implement a computer auction based program, said executable instructions comprising instructions which are executed by the computer to:

receive information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction;

display said information received as a webpage on the computer, said webpage displayed showing bid amounts;

accept bids on said webpage;

receive an ending time for said electronic auction;

display said webpage in a first specified mode prior to a set time which is a constant and predetermined time before said ending time, and wherein in said first specified mode, update the information that represents the webpage with information about the auction only based on a manual request for update that is received from a user; and

displaying the auction to a second mode, only after said set time before said ending time, and in said second mode, automatically update and display said information that represents the webpage to display new information about the auction without any request for update being received from the user.

18. The product as in claim 17, wherein said instructions cause said second mode to start automatically an hour before the auction ending time.

19. The product as in claim 17 wherein said instructions cause said webpage to display information about at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction during said first mode of the auction, and to update said information about said at least one client bidder during said first mode only in response to a specific update request from the computer, and during said second mode of the auction, said webpage displays information about said at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction and automatically updates said information about said at least one client bidder who is currently bidding on the auction.

20. The product as in claim 17, wherein said webpage automatically updates a display of said information about a minimum bid amount during said second mode of the auction, but does not automatically update said display of said information about said minimum bid amount during said first mode of the auction.

21. The product as in claim 17, wherein said instructions automatically update only a portion of a complete webpage that is displayed, where said portion that is updated includes a portion that changes a price for an item and also includes information about a name associated with a user that holds a highest bid.

22. The product as in claim 17, wherein said instructions automatically update in said second mode and automatically displaying new information indicative of both a new minimum price for the auction and a new bidder in said second mode,

and not displaying said new information indicative of said new minimum price for the auction and said new bidder during said first mode.

23. A method comprising:

using a computer to produce outputs representing an electronic auction;

storing an auction ending time for said electronic auction as a predetermined time for auction end;

determining a set and predetermined time before the auction ending time, where said set time is a constant time before the stored auction ending time;

prior to said set time before auction end, carrying out the auction in a first specified way;

after said set time, changing a mode of carrying out the auction to a second way, where displaying in said second way causes information that is sent to be automatically updated based on a new bid on the auction, while displaying in said first way does not cause said information that is sent to be automatically updated based on a new bid on the auction.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein said second way automatically updates an amount of said new bid, and also automatically updates a view showing at least one bidder.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein said second way automatically updates only a portion of a webpage which shows said information about said electronic auction, but does not update a complete webpage, where said portion that is updated includes a portion that changes a price for an item in the auction and also includes information about a name associated with a user that holds a highest bid.

26. A method as in claim 24, wherein said information that is sent, is sent to each of a plurality of different clients.