Method for providing vehicle information at a live auction

• US RE42,300 E1
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lanechamp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: George E. Heppe
• Inventors: Heppe, George E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/868,103
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/26.61, 705/26.62, 705/26.63, 705/26.3, 705/27, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Detailed information about a particular used motor vehicle is quickly provided to a potential buyer having a personal digital assistant equipped with a receiving means. To provide the information, it is first necessary to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values in digital form from a provider of such information. It is then necessary to obtain specific information about an inventory of used motor vehicles from the owner or seller of the vehicles. The standard information and the specific information are then integrated on a server computer and transmitted to the potential buyer.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a potential buyer at a live auction of used motor vehicles, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting receiving remotely via electronic means by a seller to a server specific information including an inventory of used motor vehicles that are to be sold at an auction where the vehicles are temporarily stored at a particular location at the auction and are sequentially placed on one or more auction blocks for sale, which specific information also includes the particular location of the vehicles at the auction site and the particular time at which each vehicle will be auctioned;

(b) transmitting by the server the specific information remotely via electromagnetic radiation to the potential buyer who is physically present at the auction site and who has an apparatus equipped with a means for receiving the specific information;

(c) selecting by the potential buyer particular vehicles receiving by the server a potential buyer'"'"'s selection of particular vehicles from the specific information;

(d) selecting by receiving by the server from the potential buyer an a selected information provider from a plurality of information providers from which to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values;

(e) obtaining by the server the standard information for all of the selected particular vehicles simultaneously from the selected information provider and integrating on the server the specific information and the standard information for each selected vehicle;

(f) transmitting by the server the integrated information by electromagnetic radiation to the potential buyer; and

(g) providing the integrated information to displaying display the transmitted integrated information on the potential buyer'"'"'s apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising:

(e h) transmitting receiving wirelessly from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting by the server to the a seller an interest in bidding on a specific motor vehicle; and

(f i) transmitting from the seller wirelessly by the server to the potential buyer a notification when the specific motor vehicle is about to be placed on the an auction block.

3. The method of claim 2 1 additionally comprising:

(g j) transmitting receiving bid information from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting the bid information to the seller by either electromagnetic radiation or through physical actions.

4. A method comprising:

receiving by a server specific information including an inventory of used motor vehicles that are to be sold at an auction where the vehicles are temporarily stored at a location at the auction and are placed on one or more auction blocks for sale;

transmitting by the server the specific information to a potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device wherein the potential buyer is physically present at the auction site;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selection of one or more particular vehicles from the specific information;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selected information provider from a plurality of information providers from which to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values;

receiving the standard information for the one or more selected particular vehicles from the selected information provider; and

providing the specific information and the standard information to display on the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device.

5. The method of claim 4 additionally comprising:

wirelessly receiving from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting by the server to a seller an interest in bidding on a specific motor vehicle.

6. The method of claim 4 additionally comprising:

wirelessly transmitting by the server to the potential buyer a notification when the specific motor vehicle is about to be placed on an auction block.

7. The method of claim 4 additionally comprising:

receiving bid information from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting the bid information to the seller.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the specific information further comprises VIN history data, vehicle photos, and auction dates and times.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the standard information from the selected information provider is provided directly to the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device from the information provider.

10. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device with a vehicle recondition report.

11. The method of claim 4 further comprising storing the standard information and the specific information for the selected one or more vehicles.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein one of the specific information and the standard information provided to the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device is limited by the potential buyer'"'"'s subscription.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein the selection of one or more vehicles is based at least in part on an average distance traveled per year of the one or more vehicles.

14. A method comprising:

receiving by a server specific information including an inventory of used motor vehicles that are to be sold at an auction where the vehicles are temporarily stored at a location at the auction and are sequentially placed on one or more auction blocks for sale, which specific information also includes the location of the vehicles at the auction site and the time at which each vehicle will be auctioned;

transmitting by the server the specific information to a potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device, the potential buyer being physically present at the auction site;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selection of one or more particular vehicles from the specific information;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selected information provider from a plurality of information providers from which to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values;

obtaining by the server the standard information for the selection of one or more particular vehicles simultaneously from the selected information provider and integrating on the server the specific information and the standard information for the selected one or more vehicles; and

providing the integrated information to display the integrated information on the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device.

15. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising:

wirelessly receiving from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting by the server to a seller an interest in bidding on a specific motor vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising:

transmitting by the server to the potential buyer a notification when the specific motor vehicle is about to be placed on an auction block.

17. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising:

wirelessly receiving bid information from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting the bid information to the seller.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the specific information further comprises VIN history data and vehicle photos.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device with a vehicle recondition report.

20. A method comprising:

receiving by a server specific information including an inventory of used motor vehicles that are to be sold at an auction where the vehicles are temporarily stored at a location at the auction and are sequentially placed on one or more auction blocks for sale, which specific information also includes the location of the vehicles at the auction site and the time at which each vehicle will be auctioned;

transmitting by the server the specific information to a potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device, the buyer being physically present at the auction site;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selection of particular vehicles from the specific information;

receiving by the server from the potential buyer a selected information provider from a plurality of information providers from which to obtain standard information about used motor vehicle values;

obtaining the standard information for all of the selected particular vehicles simultaneously from the selected information provider; and

providing the standard information and the specific information to display both the standard information and the specific information on the potential buyer'"'"'s apparatus.

21. The method of claim 20 additionally comprising:

wirelessly receiving from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting by the server to a seller an interest in bidding on a specific motor vehicle; and

wirelessly transmitting by the server to the potential buyer a notification when the specific motor vehicle is about to be placed on an auction block.

22. The method of claim 20 additionally comprising:

wirelessly receiving bid information from the potential buyer by the server and transmitting the bid information to the seller.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing the potential buyer'"'"'s wireless handheld device with a vehicle recondition report.