Method and system for marketplace social proxies

• US 7,249,180 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malkin, Peter K., Erickson, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US09/727,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/220, 709/222, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228, 709/218, 709/245, 709/238, 705/37, 705/36, 707/10, 434/350, 345/418, 345/594
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing an electronic environment for facilitating user interaction with a business. The method displays an abstract graphical proxy for the environment, displays an abstract graphical proxy for at least one consumer within the environment, and provides the consumer with interactive business facilities. The environment is a marketplace structured by the business. The environment includes a chat application. The chat application includes one of private chat and public chat. The environment comprises interactive applets. Each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer input or each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer activity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

representing a social proxy of a marketplace in an abstract graphical display for facilitating consumer interaction through visual presentation of interactions, wherein the abstract graphical display of the market place is an auction proxy including concentric circles, an inner most circle for displaying auction information, an inner circle for indicating user bidding activity, and an outer circle for indicating user interest;

defining a consumer proxy of a consumer, the consumer proxy having updatable variables;

displaying the consumer proxy within one of the inner circle and the outer circle of the abstract graphical display of the marketplace; and

updating the consumer proxy variables periodically, wherein the consumer proxy moves within the auction proxy according to changes in the consumer proxy variables.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social proxy is defined by a provider.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social proxy is extensible.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the social proxy is used interactively by the consumer with an application, wherein the application is an extension of the social proxy.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further includes the step of displaying a link to a second social proxy.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social proxy is one of a plurality of social proxies within a hierarchical system of proxies.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the consumer proxy, further comprises limiting data displayed based on a consumer'"'"'s access credentials.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

defining a business proxy of a business, the business proxy having updatable variables;

displaying the business proxy within the abstract graphical display of the marketplace; and

updating the business proxy variables periodically.