Dual purchase process within an online auction environment

• US 7,870,058 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Maltzman, Reed
• Primary Examiner(s): Subramanian; Narayanswamy
• Application Number:
  US11/776,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20080015971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 37, 705 26- 28
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Methods are provided for a dual purchase process. The method includes enabling, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item. In addition, responsive to receipt of a bid for the item, the method includes disabling the fixed-price purchase process.

Claims

1. A method including:

presenting simultaneously, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item, the presenting done through the use of one or more processors; and

responsive to receiving a bid for the item, withdrawing the fixed-price purchase process, the receiving and withdrawing done through the use of the one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting includes generating a first interface identifying both the auction purchase process and the fixed-price purchase process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first interface is a markup language document generated at the first computer system, and wherein the presenting includes communicating the markup language document from the first computer system to a second computer system via a network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the withdrawing of the fixed-price purchase process includes generating a second interface that identifies only the auction purchase process to a buyer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the auction purchase process is presented with an initial bid value and wherein the fixed-price purchase option is presented with a seller determined price.

6. The method of claim 1 including, responsive to the receipt of the bid, as part of the auction process, maintaining only the auction purchase process for a predetermined period of time to receive further bids.

7. The method of claim 6 including, at conclusion of the predetermined time period, establishing an electronic transaction between a winning buyer, who submitted a highest valid bid, and a seller.

8. The method of claim 1 including presenting to a seller a purchase process option to sell the item by both the auction and the fixed-price purchase processes, and receiving a purchase process indication from the seller responsive to the presentation of the purchase process option.

9. A tangible machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

present simultaneously, via a first computer system, both an auction purchase process and a fixed-price purchase process for purchase of an item; and

responsive to receipt of a bid for the item, withdraw the fixed-price purchase process.