Method and system for updating information on a merchandise catalog page

• US 9,189,813 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Fisher, Alan S., Kaplan, Samuel Jerrold
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US10/316,293
• Time in Patent Office: 4,725 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 method and system for updating information to a merchandise catalog page includes automatically regenerating a merchandise catalog page to include updated bid information if new bids have been placed relating to an item. According to another aspect of the invention, a merchandise catalog page for an item is automatically updated to reflect that an auction has closed, upon detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate an electronic auction, the method comprising:

querying one or more electronic databases using at least one processor and determining, using the at least one processor, that a bid has been placed in the one or more electronic databases, the bid submitted via a web based form accessible via a merchandise catalog page for an item to be sold in the electronic auction, wherein the merchandise catalog page further provides a buy feature allowing a potential customer to close the electronic auction immediately by purchasing the item at a specified price;

automatically reducing the specified price for the buy feature periodically, the automatically reducing being based on a combination of bidding activity over time in the electronic auction, amount of bids received in the electronic auction, and number of items bid for in the electronic auction;

when an order is received from a customer via the buy feature, immediately closing the electronic auction;

determining using at least one processor, a current time associated with an electronic auction system;

accessing, using the at least one processor, the one or more electronic databases to obtain a time value that specifies a fixed duration of time for the electronic auction of the item being sold;

determining, using the at least one processor, that the auction for the item is closed, based on a comparison of the current time and the time value or based on a potential customer utilizing the buy feature; and

based on the determining that the auction for the item is closed,

retrieving, using the at least one processor, a bid amount of the bid and a further bid amount from the one or more databases,

determining, using the at least one processor, a winning bidder by comparing the bid amount and the further bid amount, and

automatically updating, using the at least one processor, a merchandise catalog page for the item, the updated merchandise catalog page to be presented to a potential customer to reflect that the electronic auction for the item has closed, bid information relating to the bid for the item, and the winning high bidder for the item.

2. The method of claim 1, further including disabling a bid feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

3. The method of claim 1, further including disabling the buy feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

4. A system to facilitate an electronic auction, the system comprising:

one or more electronic databases;

a manager module executable by the processor and configured to;

query the one or more electronic databases and determine, using the at least one processor, that a bid has been placed in the one or more electronic databases, the bid submitted via a web based form accessible via a merchandise catalog page for an item to be sold in the electronic auction, wherein the merchandise catalog page further provides a buy feature allowing a potential customer to close the electronic auction immediately by purchasing the item at a specified price;

automatically reduce the specified price for the buy feature periodically, the automatically reducing being based on a combination of bidding activity over time in the electronic auction, amount of bids received in the electronic auction, and number of items bid for in the electronic auction;

when an order is received from a customer via the buy feature, immediately close the electronic auction;

determine using at least one processor, a current time associated with an electronic auction system;

access, using the at least one processor, the one or more electronic databases to obtain a time value that specifies a fixed duration of time for the electronic auction of the item being sold;

determine, using the at least one processor, that the auction for the item is closed, based on a comparison of the current time and the time value or based on a potential customer utilizing the buy feature; and

based on the determining that the auction for the item is closed,

retrieve, using the at least one processor, a bid amount of the bid and a further bid amount from the one or more databases,

determine, using the at least one processor, a winning bidder by comparing the bid amount and the further bid amount, and

automatically update, using the at least one processor, a merchandise catalog page for the item, the updated merchandise catalog page to be presented to a potential customer to reflect that the electronic auction for the item has closed, bid information relating to the bid for the item, and the winning high bidder for the item.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the manager module is further configured to disable a bid feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the manager module is further configured to disable the buy feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

7. A non-transitory machine readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more machines to perform a method to facilitate an electronic auction, the method comprising:

querying one or more electronic databases using at least one processor and determining, using the at least one processor, that a bid has been placed in the one or more electronic databases, the bid submitted via a web based form accessible via a merchandise catalog page for an item to be sold in the electronic auction, wherein the merchandise catalog page further provides a buy feature allowing a potential customer to close the electronic auction immediately by purchasing the item at a specified price;

automatically reducing the specified price for the buy feature periodically, the automatically reducing being based on a combination of bidding activity over time, amount of bids received, and number of items bid for in the electronic auction;

when an order is received from a customer via the buy feature, immediately closing the electronic auction;

determining using at least one processor, a current time associated with an electronic auction system;

accessing, using the at least one processor, the one or more electronic databases to obtain a time value that specifies a fixed duration of time for the electronic auction of the item being sold;

determining, using the at least one processor, that the auction for the item is closed, based on a comparison of the current time and the time value or based on a potential customer utilizing the buy feature; and

based on the determining that the auction for the item is closed,

retrieving, using the at least one processor, a bid amount of the bid and a further bid amount from the one or more databases,

determining, using the at least one processor, a winning bidder by comparing the bid amount and the further bid amount, and

automatically updating, using the at least one processor, a merchandise catalog page for the item, the updated merchandise catalog page to be presented to a potential customer to reflect that the electronic auction for the item has closed, bid information relating to the bid for the item, and the winning high bidder for the item.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, further including disabling a bid feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7, further including disabling the buy feature on the merchandise catalog page responsive to the detecting that the auction for the item is closed.