Methods and systems for supporting asset exchange

• US 8,266,010 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sri Raghavan
• Original Assignee: Sri Raghavan
• Inventors: Raghavan, Sri
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/609,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.3
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

In typical two-way trading systems, bidders cannot trade directly with other bidders, and sellers cannot trade directly with other sellers, resulting in possible missed trading opportunities. Methods, systems, devices, and networks for enabling two-way trading systems to perform multi-party exchanges are disclosed. Example embodiments allow multiple bidders (buyers), multiple sellers, or a seller and bidder of separate marketplaces to trade among themselves. Embodiments may discover, for bidders and sellers, opportunities to trade with other sellers or bidders, or both, without a time-consuming and limited process of searching and discovering relevant opportunities. Bidders and sellers may not find such opportunities on their own in typical two-way trading systems. The embodiments may be implemented as stand-alone systems or as add-ons that may be used to augment or enhance existing two-way trading systems.

Claims

1. A system for supporting asset exchanges between parties of an auction including sellers and bidders, the system comprising:

a processor and memory implementing;

a transformation module configured to transform representations of bidders'"'"' auction bids into representations of bidders'"'"' bidding assets and representations of bidders'"'"' bid-on auction assets;

a translation module configured to (i) translate representations of sellers'"'"' auction assets into vertices of a directed graph and representations of sellers'"'"' auction desires into edges of the directed graph and (ii) translate the representations of bidders'"'"' bidding assets into vertices of the directed graph and the representations of bidders'"'"' bid-on auction assets into edges of the directed graph;

a cycle determination module configured to determine cycles in the directed graph, a cycle being a path starting at a given vertex and ending at the given vertex, the path including multiple edges and at least one intermediate vertex; and

an offer module configured to transform the cycles into offers among the parties and to perform an action based on the offers.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein (i) the cycle determination module is configured to determine whether a first cycle shares a vertex or edge with a second cycle and (ii) the offer module is configured to transform either the first cycle or the second cycle into an offer in an event the first cycle shares a vertex or edge with the second cycle.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the representations of sellers'"'"' auction desires include representations of desired assets with precise values.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein the representations of assets with a precise values include at least one of the following representations of instruments having precise values:

cash, loyalty points, or an asset having a market value that is guaranteed, appraised, or certified for a specific value or value range in cash or points.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein the offer module is configured to (i) transform cycles having positive values into offers, a cycle having a positive value if a total value offered exceeds a total value demanded and (ii) present representations of the offers to respective sellers.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein the offer module is further configured to determine whether excess positive value exists in a cycle and to direct the excess positive value to at least one of the following parties:

a seller, a bidder, or an asset exchange intermediary.

7. A system as in claim 5 wherein the offer module is further configured to, for a cycle having a negative value, make a determination whether one or more parties involved in the cycle is or are willing to (i) accept an offer that is less than their respective desired asset or (ii) offer more than their respective desired offer, and to adjust the representations of the parties'"'"' auction desires based on the determination.

8. A system as in claim 1 wherein the cycle determination module is further configured to prioritize the cycles based on representations of preferences associated with the sellers'"'"' auction desires.

9. A system as in claim 1 wherein the cycle determination module is further configured to sequence and prioritize the cycles according to preset parameters.

10. A system as in claim 9 wherein (i) the preset parameters include parameters of exact matches and inexact matches, and (ii) the cycle determination module is further configured to order the cycles from exact matches to inexact matches according to the parameters.

11. A system as in claim 9 wherein (i) the preset parameters include parameters representing committed desires and uncommitted desires, and (ii) the cycle determination module is further configured to order the cycles from committed desires to uncommitted desires according to the parameters.

12. A system as in claim 1 wherein the offer module is further configured to close an offer upon (i) acceptance of the offer by the corresponding seller, (ii) decline of the offer by the corresponding seller, or (iii) reaching a timeout associated with the offer.

13. A system as in claim 1 wherein the offer module is further configured to transform a cycle into a contingent offer if (i) the cycle includes representations of three parties, (ii) the sellers'"'"' auction desires are not exactly matched, or (iii) the cycle has an associated timeout that is set to be reached at a given time in the future.

14. A system as in claim 1 wherein the offer module is further configured to (i) present representations of the offers to the sellers if the sellers'"'"' auction desires are not met and (ii) execute asset exchanges between the sellers and bidders if the sellers'"'"' auction desires are met.

15. A system as in claim 1 wherein the offer module is further configured to present representations of the offers to the sellers or execute an asset exchange based on asset exchange parameters set by the sellers and bidders.

16. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

an interface to multiple auctions or trading forums occurring at the same time, the interface enabling a party of the auction to list an auction asset in at least one of the multiple auctions or trading forums; and

a monitor module to monitor the multiple auctions or trading forums and, in an event the party'"'"'s auction asset is exchanged or sold in one of the auctions or trading forums, to withdraw the party'"'"'s auction asset from the remaining auctions or trading forums.

17. A method of supporting asset exchanges between parties of an auction including sellers and bidders, the method comprising:

translating representations of sellers'"'"' auction assets into vertices of a directed graph and representations of sellers'"'"' auction desires into edges of the directed graph;

transforming representations of bidders'"'"' auction bids into representations of bidders'"'"' bidding assets and representations of bidders'"'"' bid-on auction assets;

translating the representations of bidders'"'"' bidding assets into vertices of the directed graph and the representations of bidders'"'"' bid-on auction assets into edges of the directed graph;

determining cycles in the directed graph, a cycle being a path starting at a given vertex and ending at the given vertex, the path including multiple edges and at least one intermediate vertex;

transforming the cycles into offers between the parties; and

performing an action based on the offers,

wherein at least one of the translating, transforming and determining is performed by at least one processor and the performing an action is optionally performed by the at least one processor.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising determining whether a first cycle shares a vertex or edge with a second cycle, and wherein transforming the cycles into offers includes transforming either the first cycle or the second cycle into an offer in an event the first cycle shares a vertex or edge with the second cycle.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the representations of the sellers'"'"' auction desires include representations of desired assets with precise values.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the representations of assets with precise values include at least one of the following representations of instruments having precise values:

cash, loyalty points, or an asset having a market value that is guaranteed, appraised, or certified for a specific value or value range in cash or points.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein transforming the cycles includes (i) transforming cycles having positive values into offers, a cycle having a positive value if a total value offered exceeds a total value demanded, and (ii) presenting representations of the offers to respective sellers.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

determining whether excess positive value exists in a cycle; and

removing the excess positive value from the cycle.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising providing the excess positive value to at least one of the following parties:

a seller, a bidder, or an asset exchange intermediary.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein transforming the cycles includes, for a cycle having a negative value, making a determination whether one or more parties involved in the cycle is or are willing to (i) accept an offer that is less than their respective desired asset or (ii) offer more than their respective desired offer, and adjusting a representations of the parties'"'"' auction desires based on the determination.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising prioritizing the cycles based on representation of preferences associated with the representations of the sellers'"'"' auction desires.

26. The method of claim 17 wherein determining the cycles includes sequencing and prioritizing the cycles according to preset parameters.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein (i) the preset parameters include parameters of exact matches and inexact matches, and (ii) determining the cycles includes ordering the cycles from exact matches to inexact matches according to the parameters.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein (i) the preset parameters include parameters representing committed desires and uncommitted desires, and (ii) determining the cycles includes ordering the cycles from committed desires to uncommitted desires according to the parameters.

29. The method of claim 17 further comprising closing an offer upon (i) acceptance of the offer by the corresponding seller, (ii) decline of the offer by the corresponding seller, or (iii) reaching a timeout associated with the offer.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein transforming the cycles into offers includes transforming a cycle into a contingent offer if (i) the cycle includes three parties, (ii) the sellers'"'"' auction desires are not exactly matched, or (iii) the cycle has an associated timeout that is set to be reached at a given time in the future.

31. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action includes presenting representations of the offers to the corresponding sellers if the corresponding sellers'"'"' auction desires are not met.

32. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action includes executing asset exchanges between the sellers and bidders if the sellers'"'"' auction desires are met.

33. The method of claim 17 wherein performing an action includes presenting representations of the offers to the sellers or executing an asset exchange between the parties based on asset exchange parameters set by the sellers or bidders.

34. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

enabling a party of the auction to list an auction asset in multiple auctions or trading forums occurring at the same time; and

in an event the party'"'"'s auction asset is exchanged or sold in one of the auctions or trading forums, withdrawing the party'"'"'s auction asset from the remaining auctions or trading forums.