Read-only user access for web based auction

• US 8,612,296 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Wiesehuegel, Leland James, Roberts, Rebecca Lynn, Morrison, William James, Rzepka, Jacob Marvin
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US12/243,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A networked computer arrangement and method in which a manufacturer or service provider may communicate to a plurality of traders the items, including goods and/or services, which may be available for purchase, the quantities of those available items, and any other conditions to be met for the purchase of the available items. Traders may apply guest bidder profiles or entitlement schema to the available goods lists to produce offerings for a plurality of guest brokers. Only bid-relevant product information is presented to each guest broker as needed in order to protect the offering party'"'"'s overall position on the offered good(s). Guest broker profiles or entitlement schema may be based on perspective contractual arrangements between potential brokers, traders, and a manufacturer or service provider. Offerings are presented to the guest brokers, who are restricted from participating in the bidding process.

Claims

1. A method for providing read-only guest user access in a web based auction comprising the steps of:

in a first tier of an offering and bidding process provided to users by an interactive offer server computer, the interactive offer server computer notifying one or more traders via one or more trader console computers of available products, services, or both products and services from an offering party through the interactive offer server computer;

the interactive offer server computer in a second tier of the said offering and bidding process, communicating offerings from the one or more trader console computers to one or more broker parties via one or more broker console computers to resell the available products, services, or both products and services, wherein each of the one or more brokers are associated with a trader party;

the interactive offer server computer in a third tier of the offering and bidding process, receiving from one or more of the one or more broker parties via the one or more broker console computers bids to purchase the available products, services, or both products and services through the trader;

the interactive offer server computer accessing a reseller master agreement in a computer-readable record for each of the one or more broker parties entitling a subset of the available said products, services or both products and services on which each of the one or more broker parties are allowed to bid, the subset being authorized for subsequent resale by each of the one or more broker parties to one or more end users,

the interactive offer server computer preparing and presenting one or more entitled offerings to a guest user of the offering and bidding process according to a guest profile, wherein the presenting of offerings comprising presenting to the guest user only the one or more entitled offerings for which the guest user is allowed to view information according to the guest profile and restricting display to the guest user of offerings to which the guest user is not entitled.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the guest profile comprises one or more item category parameters.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the guest profile comprises one or more guest location parameters.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of preparing the one or more entitled offerings comprises removing one or more items from an available items list which are unmatched by at least one or more category parameters within the guest profile to produce a minimized list of items for which the guest is entitled to receive offerings.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of preparing the one or more entitled offerings comprises removing items from an available items list which are unmatched by at least one or more guest location parameters produce a minimized list of items for which the guest is entitled to receive offerings.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of presenting comprises displaying in a web browser user interface.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of the interactive offer server computer disabling and restricting bid attempts from the guest user for items which are indicated as read-only in the guest profile.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of the interactive offer server computer enabling bid attempts from the guest user for items which are indicated as entitled in the guest profile.