Auction overbidding vigilance tool
First Claim
1. A method for preventing overbidding by a user in an electronic auction comprising:
- receiving by a computer from a user'"'"'s console a command to monitor an first item with a link to a listing for the first item in an online auction by an online auction server;
extracting by a computer from an electronic auction server one or more item descriptive parameters of the first item from an online listing of the electronic auction server;
throughout a window of auction for the first item;
using by a computer the extracted parameter to query one or more electronic sales servers for alternative items matching the extracted parameters, wherein the sales servers comprise servers other than the electronic auction server;
monitoring in real-time by a computer at least one current price for at least one matching alternative item from the one or more sales servers;
monitoring in real-time a pace of bidding in the electronic auction on the first item; and
responsive detecting the pace being increased by a predetermined threshold and a current bid price in the electronic auction meeting or exceeding the monitored current price for at least one matching alternative item;
providing to a first user on a computer interface a bidding frenzy alert; and
disabling all automatic bidding on behalf of the first user by issuing a restraint signal to an automatic bidding agent of the electronic auction server, thereby preventing automatic overbidding on the first item on behalf of the user and reducing computational resource demand of the electronic auction server to handle the restrained bids.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Vigilance monitoring and a navigation aid are provided to a user in an electronic auction by receiving by a computer a command to watch similar items to a first item in an online or electronic auction; extracting by a computer from the command, from the auction, or from both the command and the auction one or more item descriptive parameters; using by a computer the extracted parameters to query one or more online or electronic sales sources for similar items matching the extracted parameters, the sales sources being electronic sources other than the auction; receiving by a computer at least one price for an available similar item from at least one sales source; and causing prompting by a computer a user of the auction with the similar item price and sales source.
18 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for preventing overbidding by a user in an electronic auction comprising:
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receiving by a computer from a user'"'"'s console a command to monitor an first item with a link to a listing for the first item in an online auction by an online auction server; extracting by a computer from an electronic auction server one or more item descriptive parameters of the first item from an online listing of the electronic auction server; throughout a window of auction for the first item; using by a computer the extracted parameter to query one or more electronic sales servers for alternative items matching the extracted parameters, wherein the sales servers comprise servers other than the electronic auction server; monitoring in real-time by a computer at least one current price for at least one matching alternative item from the one or more sales servers; monitoring in real-time a pace of bidding in the electronic auction on the first item; and responsive detecting the pace being increased by a predetermined threshold and a current bid price in the electronic auction meeting or exceeding the monitored current price for at least one matching alternative item; providing to a first user on a computer interface a bidding frenzy alert; and disabling all automatic bidding on behalf of the first user by issuing a restraint signal to an automatic bidding agent of the electronic auction server, thereby preventing automatic overbidding on the first item on behalf of the user and reducing computational resource demand of the electronic auction server to handle the restrained bids. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer program product for preventing overbidding by a user in an electronic auction comprising:
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one or more tangible, computer readable memory devices excluding a propagating signal per se; and one or more program instructions embodied by the one or more tangible, computer readable memory devices, configured to cause a computer processor to perform the operations of; receiving by a computer from a user'"'"'s console a command to monitor an first item with a link to a listing for the first item in an online auction by an online auction server; extracting by a computer from an electronic auction server one or more item descriptive parameters of the first item from an online listing of the electronic auction server; throughout a window of auction for the first item; using by a computer the extracted parameter to query one or more electronic sales servers for alternative items matching the extracted parameters, wherein the sales servers comprise servers other than the electronic auction server; monitoring in real-time by a computer at least one current price for at least one matching alternative item from the one or more sales servers; monitoring in real-time a pace of bidding in the electronic auction on the first item; and responsive detecting the pace being increased by a predetermined threshold and a current bid price in the electronic auction meeting or exceeding the monitored current price for at least one matching alternative item; providing to a first user on a computer interface a bidding frenzy alert; and disabling all automatic bidding on behalf of the first user by issuing a restraint signal to an automatic bidding agent of the electronic auction server, thereby preventing automatic overbidding on the first item on behalf of the user and reducing computational resource demand of the electronic auction server to handle the restrained bids. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for preventing overbidding by a user in an electronic auction comprising:
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a computer processor; one or more tangible, computer readable memory devices excluding a propagating signal per se; and one or more program instructions embodied by the one or more tangible, computer readable memory devices, configured to cause the computer processor to perform the operations of; receiving by a computer from a user'"'"'s console a command to monitor an first item with a link to a listing for the first item in an online auction by an online auction server; extracting by a computer from an electronic auction server one or more item descriptive parameters of the first item from an online listing of the electronic auction server; throughout a window of auction for the first item; using by a computer the extracted parameter to query one or more electronic sales servers for alternative items matching the extracted parameters, wherein the sales servers comprise servers other than the electronic auction server; monitoring in real-time by a computer at least one current price for at least one matching alternative item from the one or more sales servers; monitoring in real-time a pace of bidding in the electronic auction on the first item; and responsive detecting the pace being increased by a predetermined threshold and a current bid price in the electronic auction meeting or exceeding the monitored current price for at least one matching alternative item; providing to a first user on a computer interface a bidding frenzy alert; and disabling all automatic bidding on behalf of the first user by issuing a restraint signal to an automatic bidding agent of the electronic auction server, thereby preventing automatic overbidding on the first item on behalf of the user and reducing computational resource demand of the electronic auction server to handle the restrained bids. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification