Systems and methods for facilitating media playback in online auctions

• US 9,684,930 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manheim Investments Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Manheim Investments Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Humble, Mark William, Enge, Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US14/729,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150356672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1471, 705 262
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating media playback in online auctions. A method may include detecting an indication of an auction event associated with an online vehicle auction for a first vehicle. The method may also include determining current auction information associated with the online vehicle auction. The method may further include determining auction event information associated with the auction event. Additionally, the method may include identifying, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more media files for playback on a bidder device. The method may also include transmitting, to the bidder device in response to the indication of the auction event, the one or more media files for playback on the bidder device according to a determined sequence, which may result in acoustic output of one or more auctioneer phrases.

Claims

1. A method for operating previously unscheduled, spontaneous online auctions, comprising:

determining, by a service provider server comprising one or more processors, bidder preference information;

determining, based at least in part on the bidder preference information, if a threshold number of bidders have a common bidder preference;

identifying, based at least in part on the common bidder preference, one or more vehicles for online auction that include an attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

inviting a number of bidders associated with the common bidder preference to participate in the online auction of the one or more vehicles that include the attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

detecting an indication of an auction event associated with the online vehicle auction for the one or more vehicles;

determining current auction information associated with the online vehicle auction;

determining auction event information associated with the auction event;

identifying, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more media files for playback on a bidder device;

determining a sequence in which to play the one or media files consistent with an auction status; and

transmitting, to the bidder device in response to the indication of the auction event, the one or more media files for playback on the bidder device according to the determined sequence, and ordering the one or more media files to form a naturalistic auctioneer phraseology and a naturalistic timing and flow, wherein playback of the one or more media files according to the determined sequence results in acoustic output of one or more auctioneer phrases.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more media files comprises:

streaming the one or more media files to the bidder device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more bidder devices from a plurality of bidder devices; and

streaming the one or more media files to the selected one or more bidder devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media files comprise information associated with one or more auction announcements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more media files is further based at least in part on one or more auction announcement options associated with the bidder device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the auction information comprises information associated with at least one of an auction identifier, a bidder name, a seller name, a current ask price, one or more vehicle attributes associated with the one or more vehicles, or an auction location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the auction event information comprises information associated with at least one of a welcome announcement, an auction start time, a vehicle introduction, an auction bid, a new auction ask price, a sold vehicle, an unsold vehicle, an time remaining threshold, an elapsed time with no bidding, or an auction end time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media files comprises one or more prerecorded audio files, one or more video files, or one or more text files.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a seller device, a minimum ask price for the one or more vehicles;

determining a current bid price for the one or more vehicles, wherein the current bid price is less than the minimum ask price; and

determining, based at least in part on one or more seller rules input by the seller device, whether to sell the one or more vehicles at the current bid price.

10. A service provider server, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory storing computer-readable instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine bidder preference information;

determine, based at least in part on the bidder preference information, if a threshold number of bidders have a common bidder preference;

identify, based at least in part on the common bidder preference, one or more vehicles for online auction that include an attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

invite a number of bidders associated with the common bidder preference to participate in the online auction of the one or more vehicles that include the attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

detect an indication of an auction event associated with the online vehicle auction for the one or more vehicles;

determine current auction information associated with the online vehicle auction;

determine auction event information associated with the auction event;

identify, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more media files for playback on a bidder device;

determine a sequence of playback of the one or media files consistent with an auction status; and

transmit, to the bidder device in response to the indication of the auction event, the one or more media files for playback on the bidder device according to the determined sequence, and ordering the one or more media files to form a naturalistic auctioneer phraseology and a naturalistic timing and flow, wherein playback of the one or more media files according to the determined sequence results in acoustic output of one or more auctioneer phrases.

11. The service provider server of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instruction to transmit the one or more media files further comprise instructions to:

stream the one or more media files to the bidder device.

12. The service provider server of claim 11, further comprising computer-executable instruction to:

select, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more bidder devices from a plurality of bidder devices; and

stream the one or more media files to the selected one or more bidder devices.

13. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein the one or more media files comprise information associated with one or more auction announcements.

14. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein identifying the one or more media files is further based at least in part on one or more auction announcement options associated with the bidder device.

15. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein the auction information comprises information associated with at least one of an auction identifier, a bidder name, a seller name, a current ask price, one or more vehicle attributes associated with the one or more vehicles, or an auction location.

16. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein the auction event information comprises information associated with at least one of a welcome announcement, an auction start time, a vehicle introduction, an auction bid, a new auction ask price, a sold vehicle, an unsold vehicle, an time remaining threshold, an elapsed time with no bidding, or an auction end time.

17. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein the one or more media files comprises one or more prerecorded audio files, one or more video files, or one or more text files.

18. The service provider server of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least on processor to:

receive, from a seller device, a floor price for the one or more vehicles;

determine a current bid price for the one or more vehicles, wherein the current bid price is less than the floor price; and

determine, based at least in part one or more seller rules input by the seller device, whether to sell the one or more vehicles at the current bid price.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine bidder preference information;

determine, based at least in part on the bidder preference information, if a threshold number of bidders have a common bidder preference;

identify, based at least in part on the common bidder preference, one or more vehicles for online auction that include an attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

invite a number of bidders associated with the common bidder preference to participate in the online auction of the one or more vehicles that include the attribute associated with the common bidder preference;

detect an indication of an auction event associated with the online vehicle auction for the one or more vehicles;

determine current auction information associated with the online vehicle auction;

determine auction event information associated with the auction event;

identify, based at least in part on the current auction information and the auction event information, one or more media files for playback on a bidder device;

determine a sequence in which to play the one or media files consistent with an auction status; and

transmit, to the bidder device in response to the indication of the auction event, the one or more media files for playback on the bidder device according to the determined sequence, and ordering the one or more media files to form a naturalistic auctioneer phraseology and a naturalistic timing and flow, wherein playback of the one or more media files according to the determined sequence results in acoustic output of one or more auctioneer phrases.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction to transmit the one or more media files further comprise instructions to:

stream the one or more media files to the bidder device.