AU2015100010A4 - Motor vehicle sales system - Google Patents

Abstract

An online motor vehicle sales method including at least one server, the method including the steps of: (a) Receiving, with an online motor vehicle sales system, a motor vehicle sale offer from a seller; (b) Maintaining an electronic database of one or more buyers in association with the online motor vehicle sales system; (c) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, the motor vehicle sale offer to at least one of the one or more buyers; (d) Receiving, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a purchase offer from at least one of the buyers to whom the motor vehicle sale offer was sent; (e) Accepting, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a preferred purchase offer; and (f) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a notification regarding the acceptance of the preferred purchase offer to the buyer who made the preferred purchase offer. ----------------------------------

Description

MOTOR VEHICLE SALES SYSTEM TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle sales system. In particular, the present invention relates to an online motor vehicle sales system. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Traditionally, one of the main ways in which motor vehicle dealers have purchased stock for sale is through motor vehicle auctions. For the party selling a motor vehicle, this involves transporting the vehicle to the location of the auction with no guarantee that the car will sell at all, let alone for the desired price. [0003] Similarly, potential buyers may not end up purchasing any vehicles at an auction, either because the vehicles are unsuitable for their needs or because they are outbid by other buyers. In this situation, the time of the potential buyer has been wasted. [0004] In addition, there may be circumstances that prevent potential buyers from attending an auction, such as the auction being held at a location that is too far to travel to, or because the potential buyer cannot spare the time to attend the auction. [0005] Thus, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a motor vehicle sales system that minimised the costs and risks to both buyers and sellers and that allowed buyers to purchase motor vehicles regardless of the location of the vehicle and the buyer. [0006] It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country. SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0007] The present invention is directed to a motor vehicle sales system which may at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice. [0008] With the foregoing in view, the present invention in one form, resides broadly in an online motor vehicle sales method including at least one server, the method including the steps of: (a) Receiving, with an online motor vehicle sales system, a motor vehicle sale offer from a seller; (b) Maintaining an electronic database of one or more buyers in association with the online motor vehicle sales system; (c) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, the motor vehicle sale offer to at least one of the one or more buyers; (d) Receiving, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a purchase offer from at least one of the buyers to whom the motor vehicle sale offer was sent; (e) Accepting, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a preferred purchase offer; and (f) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a notification regarding the acceptance of the preferred purchase offer to the buyer who made the preferred purchase offer. [0009] Preferably, the seller generates the motor vehicle sale offer using a motor vehicle sale offer interface which is produced and displayed on an electronic display device according to instructions stored in the memory of a computer device which is a part of, or is accessible by, the online motor vehicle sales system. Changes to the interface produced and displayed are preferably made and/or a new interface is produced and displayed depending upon the instructions and/or interaction that a user has with the interface, and thereby with the online motor vehicle sales system. [0010] It is envisaged that different users of the online motor vehicle sales system may be provided with different levels of access to the online motor vehicle sales system. For instance, a user may be provided with access primarily to the portion of the online motor vehicle sales system that relates to the generation of motor vehicle sale offers, and may be prevented from generating purchase offers. More preferably, however, all users of the online motor vehicle sales system may be provided with access to the online motor vehicle sales system such that a user can generate both motor vehicle sales offers and purchase offers. [0011] In some embodiments of the invention, at least one user may be classified as an administrator. An administrator may have access to all portions of the online motor vehicle sales system, including access to the accounts of other users. An administrator may have the power to add, suspend and/or remove users from the electronic database and online motor vehicle sales system. [0012] The level of access a user has to the online motor vehicle sales system is preferably assigned by the administrator. Users may be provided with user names and/or passwords to access the online motor vehicle sales system using any suitable device. For instance, users may access the online motor vehicle sales system using any suitable electronic device. Preferably, however, the device includes a processor, electronic memory and a display. Thus, the device may comprise a desktop computer, laptop computer, computing tablet, mobile telephone, PDA or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. [0013] In some embodiments of the invention, a user may access the online motor vehicle sales system through a website. Alternatively, the online motor vehicle sales system may be accessed by a user through an application, such as an application downloaded to a mobile phone, computing tablet or the like. [0014] It is envisaged that the online motor vehicle sales system may be housed on a server by the administrator, and users are able to gain access to the online motor vehicle sales system through an internet connection whereby the user remotely accesses the online motor vehicle sales system. Preferably, the online motor vehicle sales system is provided with one or more user interfaces that are displayed on the display of the electronic device the user uses to access the online motor vehicle sales system. [0015] In some embodiments, all users may access the same user interface. In other embodiments, the user interface that a user can access may be determined by the level of access granted to that user. It is envisaged that what an interface allows a user to do within the online motor vehicle sales system will be limited to only the relevant functionality for the user's level of access. [0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a user (whether a seller or buyer) may be required to register with the online motor vehicle sales system before access to the online motor vehicle sales system may be granted. A user may register by contacting an administrator and requesting registration. More preferably, however, registration is automated using the online motor vehicle sales system. [0017] In embodiments of the invention in which registration is automated, registration may be limited to users who can supply one or more predetermined pieces of information. For instance, registration may be limited to users having a registered business number or company number, a local business address or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, however, registration may be limited to users who hold a current motor vehicle dealer licence. In some embodiments of the invention, registration may be further restricted to users holding a current motor vehicle dealer licence issued by one or more -r specific authorities (country, state, province, region etc.). [0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the online motor vehicle sales system may be provided with a registration interface into which a user may enter their registration information. The registration information may include one or more of the following: name, address, telephone number, email address, registered business or company name, registered business or company number, motor vehicle dealer licence number, date of birth and the like. More preferably, the user may be required to enter a motor vehicle dealer number and one or more of their name, address, telephone number, email address, registered business or company name, registered business or company number, date of birth and the like into the registration interface. [0019] It is envisaged that, once the user has entered the required information into the registration interface, the online motor vehicle sales system may access one or more electronic databases to verify that the information supplied by the user is valid. The one or more electronic databases may include the electronic database of the one or more buyers, or may be a different electronic database. In some embodiments, the electronic database may be an external database, such as an electronic database maintained by a government authority (such as a government authority that issues motor vehicle dealer licences). [0020] If the online motor vehicle sales system is unable to verify that the information supplied by the user is valid, the user's application for registration will be refused. Alternatively, if the online motor vehicle sales system is able to verify that the information supplied by the user is valid, the user's registration will be accepted. [0021] If the user's registration is accepted, the user may then immediately gain access to the online motor vehicle sales system. Preferably, however, if the if the online motor vehicle sales system is able to verify that the information supplied by the user is valid, the user may be sent an access key with which to access the online motor vehicle sales system. Any suitable access key may be sent to the user, although in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the access key may comprise a password, numerical code or the like. The access key may be sent to the user in any suitable manner, although preferably the access key is sent to the user electronically in an email message, text message or the like. In this embodiment of the invention, the user may be required to enter the access key into an interface of the online motor vehicle sales system before gaining access to the online motor vehicle sales system. [0022] If desired, a user may be required to pay a fee to the online motor vehicle sales system in order to complete its registration. [0023] As previously stated, a seller (who, in a most preferred embodiment of the invention, is a registered user of the online motor vehicle sales system) generates a motor vehicle sale offer that is received by the online motor vehicle sales system. Preferably, the motor vehicle sale offer is generated using a sale offer interface of the online motor vehicle sales system. [0024] Preferably, the seller is required to enter one or more pieces of information regarding the motor vehicle to be sold into the sale offer interface. Any suitable information may be provided, such as, but not limited to, vehicle make, model, colour, odometer reading, registration number, vehicle identification number (VIN), year of manufacture, sale price and the like, or any suitable combination thereof. [0025] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the seller may be required to enter only one piece of information into the sale offer interface. In this embodiment of the invention, the piece of information is preferably the motor vehicle registration number. In some embodiments of the invention, the seller may also be required to enter the state, province or country in which the vehicle has been registered. [0026] It is envisaged that, once the user has entered the motor vehicle registration number into the sale offer interface, the online motor vehicle sales system may access one or more electronic databases to automatically generate further information for the sale offer and/or to verify that the sale offer is valid and may proceed. The one or more electronic databases may include the electronic database of the one or more buyers, or may be a different electronic database. In some embodiments, the electronic database may be an external database, such as an electronic database maintained by a government authority (such as a government authority responsible for the registration of motor vehicles). The online motor vehicle sales system may access one or more further databases to determine other information regarding the vehicle, such as whether there are securities registered over the vehicle, whether there are outstanding fines attributed to the vehicle, whether the vehicle has been reported as stolen and so on. [0027] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the online motor vehicle sales system may automatically populate at least one of the fields into which information regarding the vehicle may be entered into the sale offer interface with information retrieved from the one or more electronic databases. [0028] In some embodiments of the invention, the seller may customise certain aspects of the sale offer by entering further information into the sale offer interface. For instance, the seller may select the length of time for which the sale offer remains open (for instance, one hour, one day, one week etc. or any other suitable period of time). The seller may also optionally enter a preferred sale price for the vehicle. In other embodiments of the invention, the seller may upload one or more photographs of the vehicle, one or more videos of the vehicle or one or more maps of the location of the vehicle (or any suitable combination thereof) to the sale offer interface. [0029] It is envisaged that, if the seller does not select the length of time for which the sale offer will remain open, the online motor vehicle sales system will automatically set an end time for the sale offer of 24 hours after the sale offer has been sent to the online motor vehicle sales system. [0030] Once sufficient information has been entered into the sale offer interface to complete the sale offer, the seller may send the sale offer to one or more buyers via the online motor vehicle sales system. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sale offer is completed on, and sent from, the electronic device used by the seller to access the online motor vehicle sales system. The sale offer is received by the online motor vehicle sales system and is then sent to the one or more buyers from the online motor vehicle sales system. Preferably, when a sale offer is received, the online motor vehicle sales system consults the electronic database of one or more buyers (for instance, to gather contact information) before sending the sale offer to the one or more buyers. [0031] It is envisaged that the sale offer will be sent electronically to one or more electronic devices associated with the one or more buyers. For instance, the sale offer may be sent to the one or more buyers as an email message, a text message or as a notification associated with an application. [0032] In some embodiments of the invention, the sale offer may be sent to all of the buyers in the electronic database. Alternatively, the sale offer may be sent to a portion of the buyers in the electronic database. Thus, in some embodiments of the invention, a buyer may be able to select what sales offers are received, and/or a seller may be select what buyers receive a sales offer. [0033] In embodiments of the invention in which the buyer is able to select what sales offers are received, it is envisaged that a buyer may be able to add one or more filters to their profile in the electronic database so that any sales offers that do not match the buyer's preferences are not sent to the buyer. For instance, the buyer may be able to add filters so that only sales offers relating to certain makes or models of motor vehicles are sent to it. Similarly, the buyer may be able to add filters so that only sales offers for vehicles within a particular price range, or vehicles with an odometer reading below a particular value, are sent to it. In other embodiments of the invention, buyers may be able to add a filter so that only sales offers for vehicles located within a particular distance of the buyer are sent to it. [0034] The seller may be able to add one of more filters to its profile in the electronic database so that any sales offers it generates are only sent to suitable buyers. For instance, the seller may add a filter so that only buyers located within a certain distance of the motor vehicle's location received the sale offer. Alternatively, the seller may add a filter so that sales offers are not sent to its direct competitors. [0035] It is envisaged that, upon receipt of a sale offer, a buyer may elect to make a purchase offer for the motor vehicle using the online motor vehicle sales system. Thus, in some embodiments of the invention, the online motor vehicle sales system may further comprise a purchase offer interface in which a buyer may generate a purchase offer. [0036] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the purchase offer may comprise a price that the buyer is prepared to pay for the vehicle. Preferably, the buyer may enter the price into the online motor vehicle sales system (or purchase offer interface) using its electronic device before submitting the purchase offer to the online motor vehicle sales system. [0037] Upon receipt of the purchase offer, the online motor vehicle sales system may send at least one purchase offer to the seller. For instance, the purchase offer may be sent to the seller as an email message, a text message or as a notification associated with an application. In some embodiments of the invention, the purchase offer may be sent to the seller immediately upon receipt from the buyer. Alternatively, the purchase offer may only be sent to the seller after the expiry of the period of time that the seller wished the sale offer to remain open. [0038] In some embodiments of the invention, all purchase offers received from the one or more buyers may be sent to the seller. Alternatively, only the purchase offer with the highest purchase price may be sent to the seller. More preferably, some but not all of the purchase offers may be sent to the seller. In this embodiment of the invention, it is envisaged that only a relatively small number of purchase offers having the highest purchase prices may be sent to the seller. For instance, only the purchase offers representing up to the five highest purchase prices may be sent to the seller. In this way, the seller can quickly make a selection from the highest offers to purchase the vehicle. [0039] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sale offer may function as an 0 auction. In this embodiment of the invention, a buyer may view the current highest purchase offer so that buyers can ensure that any subsequent purchase offer includes a purchase price higher than the current highest bid. [0040] In some embodiments of the invention, buyers may be limited to offering a single purchase price per sale offer. Alternatively, a buyer may make multiple purchase offers during the duration of the sale offer. Multiple purchase offers may be made when, for instance, an earlier purchase price is outbid by another buyer and the outbid buyer wishes to increase their purchase offer. [0041] In embodiments of the invention in which a seller indicates the purchase price that it would like to receive for a motor vehicle, the sale offer may end as soon as a buyer makes a purchase offer that matches or exceeds the seller's desired purchase price. In this embodiment, a buyer that makes a purchase offer that matches or exceeds the seller's desired purchase price may automatically have its purchase offer accepted by the online motor vehicle sales system. [0042] It is envisaged that, if a buyer does not wish to make a purchase offer for the motor vehicle contained in the sale offer, the buyer may reject or delete the sale offer. Alternatively, the buyer may simply ignore the sale offer. [0043] Upon receipt of the purchase offers, the seller may view each purchase offer and then, if satisfied with the purchase price contained in a purchase offer, accept a purchase offer using the online motor vehicle sales system. It is envisaged that, when the online motor vehicle sales system receives notification of the acceptance of a purchase offer by a seller, the online motor vehicle sales system may generate and send an acceptance notification to the buyer whose purchase offer has been accepted. It is envisaged that the acceptance notification will be sent electronically to one or more electronic devices associated with the successful buyer. For instance, the acceptance notification be sent to the successful buyer as an email message, a text message or as a notification associated with an application. [0044] Optionally, notifications regarding the non-acceptance of purchase offers may also be sent to any unsuccessful buyers. [0045] In some embodiments of the invention, the online motor vehicle sales system may further comprise a payment interface. It is envisaged that, in this embodiment of the invention, users of the online motor vehicle sales system may register their financial details (bank account details, trust find details, credit card details etc.) with the online motor vehicle sales system. In this way, once a purchase offer has been accepted, a buyer may transfer payment for the motor vehicle to the seller through the payment interface. [0046] Preferably, the online motor vehicle sales system further comprises a search interface. It is envisaged that users may be able to access the search interface in order to search current and/or expired sale offers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the search interface may allow users to search for sale offers based on one or more criteria (such as make and/or model of motor vehicle, age of motor vehicle, location of motor vehicle etc.). In this way, users may search for (and optionally make a purchase offer for) a motor vehicle for which the sale offer was initially ignored, but about which the user has changed their mind. Similarly, a user may search for a motor vehicle which may fall outside their usual interests (and for which, therefore, a sale offer may not have been received depending on any sale offer filters that the user has set up). Still further, a user may make use of the search interface to determine what other motor vehicles of similar make, model and/or age to a motor vehicle for which a sale offer has issued have sold for previously to establish a suitable purchase price. [0047] In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in an online motor vehicle sales system including at least one computational device configured to: Receive a motor vehicle sale offer from a seller; Maintain an electronic database of one or more buyers; Send the motor vehicle sale offer to at least one of the one or more buyers; Receive a purchase offer from at least one of the buyers to whom the motor vehicle sale offer was sent; Accept a preferred purchase offer; and Send a notification regarding the acceptance of the preferred purchase offer to the buyer who made the preferred purchase offer. [0048] It is envisaged that the term "motor vehicle" may be used to describe any suitable motor vehicle. For instance, the term "motor vehicle" may include cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, agricultural vehicles, vehicles used in mining, road-making, construction, trains and the like. While the present invention is described primarily in terms of motor vehicles, it will also be understood that the invention could equally apply to vehicles such as bicycles. [0049] Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention. [0050] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as I V an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0051] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows: [0052] Figure 1 illustrates steps in the registration of a user with an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0053] Figure 2 illustrates a user interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0054] Figure 3 illustrates a user interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0055] Figure 4 illustrates a user interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0056] Figure 5 illustrates a sale offer interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0057] Figure 6 illustrates a sale offer interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0058] Figure 7 illustrates a sale offer of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0059] Figure 8 illustrates a purchase offer of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0060] Figure 9 illustrates a search interface of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0061] Figure 10 illustrates a sale offer of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 11 illustrates the steps in generating a purchase offer using an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0063] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an online motor vehicle sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [0064] In Figure 1 there are illustrated steps in the registration of a user with an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, the online motor vehicle sales system 10 is accessed by a user using an electronic device in the form of a mobile telephone 11. [0065] In Figure 1, a user has completed the initial registration to access the online motor vehicle sales system by entering their personal details (including their motor vehicle dealer licence number) into a registration interface. The online motor vehicle sales system 10 has then consulted an electronic database operated by the government agency that issues motor vehicle dealer licences to determine whether the user registration is valid. [0066] If the online motor vehicle sales system 10 determines that the user's registration is valid, the online motor vehicle sales system 10 will electronically issue a verification code to the user (for instance, by text message or email message). [0067] In order for the user to complete their registration, they must access the online motor vehicle sales system 10 where the registration interface 12 will request the input of the verification code. Upon entry of the verification code 13 into the registration interface 12, the user presses a button 14. Once the button 14 is pressed, the online motor vehicle sales system 10 will verify that the verification code 13 matches the user's registration details. If the registration details and the verification code 13 matches, the online motor vehicle sales system 10 will display a confirmation message 15 to confirm that the user now has access to the online motor vehicle sales system 10. [0068] In Figure 2 there is illustrated a user interface 16 of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the user interface 16, a user may perform a number of actions by pressing buttons provided on the user interface 16. For instance, a user may enter the search interface by pressing the "view all cars" button 17, may view all current (unexpired and non-accepted) sales offers by pressing the "my open cars" button 18, may view all cars for which a purchase offer has been accepted by pressing the "my sold I / cars" button 19 or may view all cars for which a sale offer was generated but for which no purchase offers were received by pressing the "my expired cars" button 20. If a user wishes to update or change any details of their profile, the "edit profile" button 21 may be pressed. [0069] If the "my open cars" button 18 button is pressed, the open cars interface 22 shown in Figure 3 is displayed. The open cars interface 22 displays sale offers 23 for which a purchase offer is yet to be accepted or for which the period of time for which the sale offer 23 remains open is yet to expire. A user may open each sale offer 23 to view further details of the sale offer 23. [0070] The online motor vehicle sales system 10 includes a menu button 24 that, when pressed, allows a user to return to the user interface 16 shown in Figure 2. [0071] If the "edit profile" button 21 in Figure 2 is pressed, the edit profile interface 25 shown in Figure 4 is displayed. The edit profile interface 25 allows a user to enter and/or update contact information (including phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, social media pages, maps etc.) that facilitates contact from other users. [0072] Figure 5 illustrates a sale offer interface 26 of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The user enters the registration number 27 and state/province/country of registration 28 into the sale offer interface 26 and then submits these details to the online motor vehicle sales system database. The online motor vehicle sales system database consults an electronic database of vehicle registration information to obtain information regarding the motor vehicle for sale (such as the vehicle's make, model, year of manufacture, odometer reading, registration status, VIN and the like) and automatically populates the sale offer interface 26 with this information. [0073] Once the sale offer interface 26 has been populated with information received from the electronic database of vehicle registration information, the user may then customise the sale offer by entering additional information into the sale offer interface 26 as illustrated in Figure 6. The user may upload photos of the motor vehicle, as well as an end date and end time for the expiry of the sale offer. [0074] In Figure 7 there is illustrated a completed sale offer 27 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sale offer 27 includes information regarding the make of the motor vehicle, as well as photos of the motor vehicle. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 7, the seller has not included a desired purchase price, meaning that buyers may enter a bid for the motor vehicle at a purchase price of their choosing.

I1-) [0075] Figure 8 illustrates a purchase offer 28 of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the purchase offer 28, a buyer has offered a purchase price ($29,175.00) to purchase the motor vehicle. The purchase offer is sent from the electronic device of the buyer to the online motor vehicle sales system server, from where it is forwarded to the electronic device of the seller. [0076] The purchase offer 28 may be accepted by the seller by pressing the "accept" button 29. Once the purchase offer 28 has been accepted, the online motor vehicle sales system server sends a notification to an electronic device of the winning buyer that their purchase offer 28 has been accepted. [0077] Figure 9 illustrates a search interface 30 of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment of the invention, a user may search all open sale offers on the online motor vehicle sales system 10 by entering one or more search criteria in the search interface 30, such as the location of the motor vehicle, the make and model, the year of manufacture, the odometer reading and the price. Alternatively, a user may press the "view all" button 33 to view all open sale offers. [0078] Once search criteria have been entered and the search button 31 has been pressed, the online motor vehicle sales system 10 will deliver the results of the search to the electronic device of the user. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 9, the search results matching the user's search criteria are delivered in the form of a list 32 of motor vehicles for which open sale offers exist. [0079] Figure 10 illustrates a sale offer 23 of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. When a sale offer 23 is selected from the list 32 shown in Figure 9, a buyer may then look at details of the sale offer 23, such as the current highest bid 34, the contact details 35 of the seller, the location 36 of the motor vehicle and photographs 37 of the motor vehicle. [0080] In Figure 11 there are illustrated the steps in generating a purchase offer using an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a buyer selects a sale offer 23 for a motor vehicle and presses the "make an offer" button 38. The online motor vehicle sales system 10 then displays a purchase offer interface 39 into which the buyer may enter a purchase price. Once a purchase price has been entered and confirmed, the purchase offer interface displays a confirmation 40 that the bid has been made. In cases where existing bids have been made, the online motor vehicle sales system I -r 10 will only accept bids that are higher than the highest existing bid. [0081] Once the purchase offer has been generated and sent using the online motor vehicle sales system, the sale offer 23 is updated to reflect that a purchase offer has been made (i.e. a highest bid value 41 is now displayed in the sale offer 23). The seller can either accept the purchase offer and end the sale offer 23 or allow the sale offer 23 to continue for it allotted period of time to see whether any higher purchase offers might be made. [0082] In Figure 12 there is illustrated a schematic diagram of an online motor vehicle sales system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Before a seller 100 can generate a sale offer using the online motor vehicle sales system 10, the seller must register with the online motor vehicle sales system 10. Thus, the seller 100 enters their registration information into a registration interface provided via the internet on an electronic device 101 of the seller 100. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 12, the seller 100 must provide a motor vehicle dealer licence number in order to register. Thus, once the seller 100 has entered their registration information (including the motor vehicle dealer licence number) into the registration interface, the registration information is received via the internet 102 by the online motor vehicle sales system server 103. The online motor vehicle sales system server 103 consults with (via the internet 102) a motor vehicle dealer licence server 108 containing an electronic database maintained by an authority (such as a government authority) of motor vehicle dealer licences. If the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 receives confirmation from the motor vehicle dealer licence server 108 that the registration information is correct and valid, the seller 100 may then complete the registration process and become a registered user. [0083] The online motor vehicle sales system 10 allows a registered user (in this case a seller 100) to enter a sale offer into the seller's electronic device 101 (computer, mobile telephone, computing tablet etc.). In order to generate the sale offer, the seller 100 must enter the motor vehicle's registration number (or similar identifier) into a sale offer interface. Once this information is entered, the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 consults with (via the internet 102) a vehicle registration server 107 containing an electronic database maintained by an authority (such as a government authority) of motor vehicle registrations. The vehicle registration server 107 may provide information via the internet 102 to the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 including registration details, vehicle identification details (such as a VIN), information regarding whether a security has been registered on the motor vehicle, information regarding whether the vehicle has been reported stolen and the like. [0084] Upon receipt of the information from the vehicle registration server 107, the online I1-) motor vehicle sales system server 103 automatically populates the sale offer interface for the seller 100 and allows the seller to complete the sale offer. In circumstances in which the information provided by the vehicle registration server 107 is adverse (such as if the vehicle has been reported as stolen) the seller 100 will be unable to complete the sale offer. [0085] Once completed, the sale offer is sent from the seller's electronic device 101 via the internet 102 to the online motor vehicle sales system server 103. The online motor vehicle sales system server 103 houses an electronic database of buyers 104a, 104b, 104c and forwards the sale offer from the seller 100 to at least one of the buyers 104a, 104b, 104c. [0086] Prior to forwarding the sale offer to the buyers 104a, 104b, 104c, however, the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 checks to ensure that the motor vehicle being offered for sale [0087] The sale offer is sent by the online motor vehicle sales system 10 to electronic devices 105a, 105b, 105c (computers, mobile phones, computing tablets etc.) connected via the internet 102 with the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 and associated with the buyers 104a, 104b, 104c. [0088] Upon receipt of the sale offer, one or more of the buyers 104a, 104b, 104c may generate a purchase offer. These purchase offers are submitted via the internet 102 to the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 using the electronic devices 105a, 105b, 105c of the buyers 104a, 104b, 104c. [0089] At least one of the purchase offers is sent from the online motor vehicle sales system server 103 via the internet 102 to the electronic device 101 of the seller 100. The seller 100 may then view the purchase offers using the electronic device 101 and, if a purchase offer is satisfactory, accept the purchase offer using the electronic device 101. Acceptance of the purchase offer is sent by the online motor vehicle sales system 10 via the internet 102 to the online motor vehicle sales server 103, from where a notification regarding the acceptance of the purchase offer is sent via the internet 102 to the buyer who made the accepted purchase offer. Notifications regarding the non-acceptance of other purchase offers may be sent to the unsuccessful buyers if desired. [0090] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word 'comprising' and its derivatives including 'comprises' and 'comprise' include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

I VJ [0091] Reference throughout this specification to 'one embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. [0092] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims (5)

1. An online motor vehicle sales method including at least one server, the method including the steps of: (a) Receiving, with an online motor vehicle sales system, a motor vehicle sale offer from a seller; (b) Maintaining an electronic database of one or more buyers in association with the online motor vehicle sales system; (c) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, the motor vehicle sale offer to at least one of the one or more buyers; (d) Receiving, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a purchase offer from at least one of the buyers to whom the motor vehicle sale offer was sent; (e) Accepting, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a preferred purchase offer; and (f) Sending, with the online motor vehicle sales system, a notification regarding the acceptance of the preferred purchase offer to the buyer who made the preferred purchase offer.

2. An online motor vehicle sales method according to claim 1 the seller and the one or more buyers is required to register with the online motor vehicle sales system before access to the online motor vehicle sales system is granted.

3. An online motor vehicle sales method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the purchase offer includes a purchase price.

4. An online motor vehicle sales method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the seller, when generating the sale offer, selects the length of time for which the sale offer remains open.

5. An online motor vehicle sales system including at least one computational device configured to: Receive a motor vehicle sale offer from a seller; Maintain an electronic database of one or more buyers; Send the motor vehicle sale offer to at least one of the one or more buyers; Receive a purchase offer from at least one of the buyers to whom the motor vehicle sale offer was sent; Accept a preferred purchase offer; and 1 0 Send a notification regarding the acceptance of the preferred purchase offer to the buyer who made the preferred purchase offer.