System and mehtod for providing information about assets during a live auction

• US 9,697,566 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ten-X, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ten-X, LLC
• Inventors: Friedman, Robert, Kinder, Sarina, Johnson, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Thein, M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GALLUP, KAITLIN
• Application Number:
  US14/214,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method for providing information about an auction for a plurality of assets is provided. A plurality of assets that is made to be available during an auction is identified. Each of the plurality of assets includes an auction state. During the auction, a matrix interface is displayed. The matrix interface includes a plurality of entries, where each entry identifies a corresponding asset and the auction state of that asset. The auction state of one or more assets is dynamically updated during the auction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing information about a live auction event at which a plurality of assets are scheduled for individual auctions, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

identifying the plurality of assets that are indicated for auction at the live auction event, each of the plurality of assets being associated with one of a plurality of auction states, each of the plurality of auction states representing an availability of a corresponding asset of the plurality of assets to be auctioned at the live auction event, the plurality of auction states including at least each of (i) a first state for assets that are to proceed to auction, (ii) a second state for assets which have had their auction canceled, (iii) a third state for assets which have had their auction completed, and (iv) a fourth state for assets which have had their auction postponed;

communicating with multiple sources from which individual assets of the plurality of assets are provided in order to repeatedly receive, during the live auction event, information indicating a current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets; and

during the live auction event, generating a matrix interface that displays the current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets in real-time using information received from the multiple sources;

wherein generating the matrix interface includes;

(i) generating the matrix interface to include a plurality of cells in which each of the plurality of cells provides an indicator of a corresponding asset and a corresponding current auction state of that asset, wherein the indicator of the current auction state for each of the plurality of assets is provided by a visually distinguishable, non-textual characteristic of the corresponding cell that maps to one of the plurality of auction states;

(ii) dynamically updating the matrix interface by changing the indicators of current auction states of the plurality of assets to reflect changes in the current auction states of those assets; and

(iii) providing the updated matrix interface simultaneously in multiple computing environments for a plurality of users, including to (a) a display device provided at the live auction event to be viewable by bidders, and (b) one or more subscribers who are remote to the live auction event, via an online medium, the updated matrix interface being formatted for each subscriber based on profile information of the subscriber which indicates how the matrix interface is to be displayed by a device of that subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating each of the plurality of assets with an asset identifier in a mapping table for the live auction event, wherein each asset identifier is associated with a reference number, and wherein generating the matrix interface includes providing, for each of the plurality of cells, the reference number of the corresponding asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of assets corresponds to an item of real property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically updating the auction state of one or more of the plurality of assets includes adjusting a color of one or more cells.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator for each of the auction states corresponds to a color.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator of each cell of the matrix interface visually distinguishes the auction state of a corresponding asset from all of the other auction states which are also represented on the matrix interface.

7. A system comprising:

one or more network interfaces;

one or more memory resources storing instructions; and

one or more processors, coupled to the one or more network interfaces and the one or more memory resources, to execute the instructions, the instructions causing the system to perform operations comprising;

identify a plurality of assets that are indicated for auction at a live auction event, each of the plurality of assets being associated with one of a plurality of auction states, each of the plurality of auction states representing an availability of a corresponding asset of the plurality of assets to be auctioned at the live auction event, the plurality of auction states including at least each of (i) a first state for assets that are to proceed to auction, (ii) a second state for assets which have had their auction canceled, (iii) a third state for assets which have had their auction completed, and (iv) a fourth state for assets which have had their auction postponed;

communicate with multiple sources from which individual assets of the plurality of assets are provided in order to repeatedly receive, during the live auction event, information indicating a current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets; and

during the live auction event, generate a matrix interface that displays the current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets in real-time using information received from the multiple sources;

wherein the one or more processors generate the matrix interface by;

(i) including a plurality of cells in which each of the plurality of cells provides an indicator of a corresponding asset and a corresponding current auction state of that asset, wherein the indicator of the current auction state for each of the plurality of assets is provided by a visually distinguishable, non-textual characteristic of the corresponding cell that maps to one of the plurality of auction states;

(ii) dynamically updating the matrix interface by changing indicators of current auction states of the plurality of assets to reflect changes in the current auction states of those assets; and

(iii) providing the updated matrix interface simultaneously in multiple computing environments for a plurality users, including to (a) a display device provided at the live auction event to be viewable by bidders, and (b) to one or more subscribers who are remote to the live auction event, via an online medium, the updated matrix interface being formatted for each subscriber based on profile information of the subscriber which indicates how the matrix interface is to be displayed by a device of that subscriber.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform operations comprising:

associating each of the plurality of assets with an asset identifier in a mapping table for the live auction event, wherein each asset identifier is associated with a reference number, and wherein generating the matrix interface includes providing, for each of the plurality of cells, the reference number of the corresponding asset.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each asset of the plurality of assets corresponds to an item of real property.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the system to dynamically update the auction state of one or more of the plurality of assets by adjusting a color of one or more cells.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the indicator for each of the auction states corresponds to a color.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the indicator of each cell of the matrix interface visually distinguishes the auction state of a corresponding asset from all of the other auction states which are also represented on the matrix interface.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a server, cause the server to perform operations comprising:

identifying a plurality of assets that are indicated for auction at a live auction event, each of the plurality of assets being associated with one of a plurality of auction states, each of the plurality of auction states representing an availability of a corresponding asset of the plurality of assets to be auctioned at the live auction event, the plurality of auction states including at least each of (i) a first state for assets that are to proceed to auction, (ii) a second state for assets which have had their auction canceled, (iii) a third state for assets which have had their auction completed, and (iv) a fourth state for assets which have had their auction postponed;

communicating with multiple sources from which individual assets of the plurality of assets are provided in order to repeatedly receive, during the live auction event, information indicating a current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets; and

during the live auction event, generating a matrix interface that displays the current auction state of each asset of the plurality of assets in real-time using information received from the multiple sources;

wherein generating the matrix interface includes;

(i) generating the matrix interface to include a plurality of cells in which each of the plurality of cells provides an indicator of a corresponding asset and a corresponding current auction state of that asset, wherein the indicator of the current auction state for each of the plurality of assets is provided by a visually distinguishable, non-textual characteristic of the corresponding cell that maps to one of the plurality of auction states;

(ii) dynamically updating the matrix interface by changing the indicators of current auction states of the plurality of assets to reflect changes in the current auction states of those assets; and

(iii) providing the updated matrix interface simultaneously in multiple computing environments for plurality of users, including to (a) a display device provided at the live auction event to be viewable by bidders, and (b) to one or more subscribers who are remote to the live auction event, via an online medium, the updated matrix interface being formatted for each subscriber based on profile information of the subscriber which indicates how the matrix interface is to be displayed by a device of that subscriber.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the server to further perform operations comprising:

associating each of the plurality of assets with an asset identifier in a mapping table for the live auction event, wherein each asset identifier is associated with a reference number, and wherein generating the matrix interface includes providing, for each of the plurality of cells, the reference number of the corresponding asset.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of assets corresponds to an item of real property.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the server to dynamically update the auction state of one or more of the plurality of assets by adjusting a color of one or more cells.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the indicator of each cell of the matrix interface visually distinguishes the auction state of a corresponding asset from all of the other auction states which are also represented on the matrix interface.