System and method for enhancing buyer and seller interaction during a group-buying sale

• US 8,489,466 B1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 79 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Van Horn, Tom, Woodford, Dale A., Halbert, Richard V., Wampler, Kevin Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/051,351
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A method and system are provided that enable buyers and sellers to communicate with each other and to negotiate the purchase terms of featured merchandise in a group-buying opportunity. Sellers and buyers may use various forms of on-line group-buying mechanisms in conjunction with the negotiation features of the invention. Buyers may send various inquiries to sellers regarding merchandise offered for sale through the online group-buying sale. Sellers may respond to buyer questions and queries, and in some instances, sellers may communicate instructions to the on-line group-buying mechanism to alter the course of an on-line group-buying sale in progress, e.g., a further reduction in price. The method and system further provides a mechanism for calculating a demand curve based on received buyer offers and applying the demand curve to an on-line group-buying sale.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:

providing, by a computer system, communication support for an on-line group-buying sale in a negotiating room;

providing, by the computer system, an initial price for a first featured item;

initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item;

providing, by the computer system, first communications via the negotiating room, wherein at least some of the first communications include first featured item unit offers for the first featured item;

producing, by the computer system, a first flash demand curve associated with the first featured item unit offers for the first featured item, wherein the first flash demand curve is generated based on real-time offers and wherein the first featured item unit offers are revocable offers;

providing, by the computer system, the first flash demand curve;

providing a modified price for the first featured item;

providing, by the computer system, a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable; and

providing, by the computer system, further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an instruction that modifies the first featured item in the on-line group-buying sale to include at least one additional product or service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an instruction to close the on-line group-buying sale.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified price is lower than the initial price.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item comprises selling a plurality of the first featured item at the modified price.

2. A method for communicating information in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:

providing, by a computer system, communication support for an on-line group-buying sale in a negotiating room;

providing, by the computer system, an initial price for a first featured item;

initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item;

providing, by the computer system, first communications via the negotiating room, wherein at least some of the first communications include first featured item unit offers for the first featured item;

producing, by the computer system, a first flash demand curve associated with the first featured item unit offers for the first featured item, wherein the first flash demand curve includes an indication of the offer;

providing, by the computer system, the first flash demand curve;

providing, by the computer system, a modified price for the first featured item;

providing, by the computer system, a second initial price for a second featured item;

initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the second featured item after receiving the second initial price;

providing, by the computer system, second communications via the negotiating room,

wherein at least some of the second communications contain second featured item unit offers for the second featured item;

producing, by the computer system, a second flash demand curve associated with the second featured item unit offers for the second featured item;

providing, by the computer system, the second flash demand curve;

providing, by the computer system, a modified price for the second featured item;

providing, by the computer system, an offer for the first featured item and the second featured item.

5. A system for determining demand for a featured item offered in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:

an on-line group-buying mechanism configured to conduct an on-line group-buying sale for a featured item;

a message receiver configured to receive communications wherein at least some of the communications include offers for the featured item;

a message transmitter configured to provide;

a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable, and

further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers;

a voting mechanism configured to receive the offers from the message receiver and transmitter and to calculate a flash demand curve using the offers, wherein the offers comprises revocable offers; and

an operator representative configured to provide the flash demand curve.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

an outgoing message transmitter configured to send a message to announce the beginning of the on-line group-buying sale.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the outgoing message transmitter is further configured to send the message via at least one of a wireless communications format and a television communications format.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the message receiver and transmitter is further configured to process the communications using at least one of a chat format, an auditorium chat format, a threaded message/newsgroup format, or a message board format.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the operator representative is further configured to announce the initiation of an auditorium chat forum using an electronic network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the electronic network is at least one of a cable network, the Internet, or the public switched telephone network.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a data process, comprising:

providing communications during an on-line group-buying sale for a first featured item;

providing a negotiating room;

providing an initial price for a first featured item;

providing the communications, wherein at least some of the communications include offers for the first featured item;

generating a first flash demand curve for the first featured item using the offers for the first featured item, wherein the first featured item unit offers are revocable offers;

providing the first flash demand curve;

providing a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable; and

providing further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

providing second communications during the on-line group-buying sale for a second featured item;

providing second communications,

wherein at least some of the second communications contain offers for the second featured item;

producing a second flash demand curve for the second featured item using the offers for the second featured item; and

providing the second flash demand curve.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a modified price for the first featured item.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

providing an instruction from the first seller that modifies the first featured item in the on-line group-buying sale to include at least one additional product or service.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the modified price is lower than the initial price.