JP2002041857A - Method and device for selling/buying article and computer program product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a value-added auction over plural online auctioneers. SOLUTION: A method and a system are provided for a computerized auction for providing a value-added service to a bidder and a seller through an intelligent mediation agent capable of better matching of the bidder with an item. While using set bidding information, a mediation bidding agent intelligently offers a bid to auction. Similarly, a mediation auction agent intelligently puts an item for sale to various auctions. Such an agent works in place of plural clients and can execute an effective negotiation as well.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to computerized auction systems and, more particularly, to a method for providing value-added services to bidders and auctioneers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The Internet and the Internet
The proliferation of base technology has reached unprecedented levels in recent years. Many people around the world regularly use the Internet as part of their daily activities. Many companies also use the Internet for commercial activities. There is little doubt that such use will continue to grow significantly in the future. Already in the year 2000, there is increasing interest in the use of the Internet as a platform for electronic commerce transactions to provide access to an increasing number of buyers and sellers both domestically and abroad. The products and services provided over the Internet are vast, including, for example, banking services, online bookstores, online music shops, advertising, and direct sales of numerous products and services.

[0003] US Patent No. 5,802,497 describes a method for conducting computerized commerce using a computer system connected by a computer network. Conducting online auctions is one area that has drawn the attention of many commercial and research institutions.

[0004] Both US Pat. No. 5,890,138 and US Pat. No. 5,835,896 can be entered by a user using his or her computer connected to the auction system via a computer or communication network. A method for conducting an online auction is described. Online systems have made it possible to use auction-based selling methods in areas where at least some of the parties involved had to physically exist before.

Currently, there are various Internet sites that conduct online auctions. Common examples include http://auctions.yahoo.com and http: // www.
ebay.com is included. For most of these sites,
Users can register and participate in online auctions. Supported Auctions
The protocol is generally an open-cry auction.
An experimental auction at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, USA
Server, AuctionBot [http://auction.eecs.umich.edu]
Supports auction protocols such as Vickrey auction, (m + 1) th price auction, mth price auction, continuous double auction, and chronological auction. Auction sites generally display information describing the item to be auctioned. The description is typically in hyperlinked text format or hyperlinked multimedia format. The content of the information varies from the detailed specification of the item to the terms of delivery. The bidder optionally receives updates on the status of the bidding process.

[0006] US Patent No. 5,966,699 describes a method for conducting an electronic auction for financing that allows prospective borrowers to select the bid to offer the most appropriate financing. Further technical improvements allow for better and more sophisticated automation through the use of brokers and brokering agents.

[0007] US Patent No. 5,920,848 describes a method and system that uses intelligent agents to facilitate the integration of personal accounting software with online financial transactions.

US Pat. No. 5,913,202 describes an information intermediary system that collects optimal product information from a list available from financial institutions in the market. This is done so that the customer can quickly put the most suitable product on the selection list and select it. In many cases, the electronic nature of the transactions used allows for the use of online auctions and electronic brokers for these problem scenarios.

[0009] US Pat. No. 5,826,244 describes a system and method for conducting electronically wound auctions in situations where a looped auction was not previously considered possible. In this system and method, the price of the service is established and the transaction in the document service industry is finally approved.

A disadvantage of the above online auction system is that it does not support value-added auctions. Value-added auctions are auctions in which bidders can specify constraints to get better value for money. Such value-added auctions include combinatorial auctions, budget constraints (budget con
straint) auction, alternative order auction ("if
cannot get item X then get item Y (if item X is not available, get item Y))
"If sell then buy" constraint auction, "if quantity then buy"
Includes a restricted auction. Combination auctions (eg, AND, XOR, etc.)
ndholm, T.), “An Algorithm for Optimal Winner
Determination in Combinatorial Auctions ", Interna
tional Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
(IJCAI), pp. 542-547, Stockholm, Sweden, 1999. The "and" option of the combinatorial auction allows bidders to specify a list of desired items that must either be bought all or not all.
The "xor" option specifies that only one item must be purchased from the specified list of items. Similarly, the budget constraint option specifies that one or more items from the specified list can be purchased as long as the total expenditure does not exceed the specified value. "If
The "quantity then buy" constraint specifies that an item must be bought only if the available quantity is at least equal to the required minimum quantity. "If sell then b
The uy constraint is used when a customer wants to buy another item only if the item the customer wants to sell has been auctioned, won, and obtained the desired price.

In the absence of such a value-added auction, bidders need to make assumptions about items that they can expect to win in a later auction. This premise requires speculation on the value of other bidders for the item they are interested in. According to Sandholm's paper on determining winners, it is possible to consider all possibilities in such auctions involving a significant number of items, so that one can bid on combinations in a reasonable way, There is no known manageable method.

[0012] Such value-added auctions could not be imagined in a conventional non-electronic auction infrastructure where auctioneers and bidders physically existed at the auction site and had to bid on individual items. . In an online auction scenario, such value-added auctions have become feasible but not yet commercially implemented. In the case of bandwidth auctions by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [http://www.fcc.gov], the possibility of supporting combinatorial auctions has been investigated, but decisions regarding the conduct of combinatorial auctions have been negative. there were. The auction model currently used is referred to as a "multi-round simultaneous auction." In this manner, all auctions start and end at the same time. In this way, bidders are given the opportunity to bid on multiple bandwidth licenses simultaneously, thus allowing a combination of licenses to be won.

As described in US Pat. No. 5,926,798, combination services have been proposed in non-auction scenarios. However, these services
As applied on a customer-to-customer basis, this technique does not exploit the benefits of having multiple buyers.
In fact, this technique does not optimize the allocation to multiple customers.

In the auction domain, the problem of determining the optimal winner of a combination auction belongs to the class of NP-hard problems (Rothkopf, MH), Peck (Pekc
c, A.) and Harstad, TM,
"Computationally managablecombinatorial auction
s ”(Technical Report RRR 13-95, Rutgers Center fo
rOperations Research). The NP difficult problem is extremely difficult to solve in an appropriate time frame, and no algorithm for finding an optimal solution in an efficient form (for example, the number of steps of a polynomial) is known. Using a simple method to obtain an optimal solution to the NP-hard problem of size N (ie, N items to be auctioned) requires a number of steps proportional to 2 ^N. The optimal solution for a problem with a size of 100 or more will require an imagination time.
As a result, either heuristics or approximation algorithms are used to solve such problems.
Heuristics are not optimal, but give reasonably good solutions for a moderate number of problem instances. In the approximation algorithm, for all input instances,
The solution found is guaranteed to be within some coefficients of the optimal solution. Nevertheless, efficient implementation of a value-added auction with moderate performance requires a great deal of computational resources.

The exchange of goods facilitated by an intermediary is described in US Pat. No. 5,873,071. A system is described that allows multiple participants to participate in the exchange of financial instruments via an intermediary. In this system, messages can be exchanged between participants. The intermediary collects exchange terms from buyers and sellers and proposes product allocation. The individual allocations are then communicated to the respective buyers, who
Accept or reject the allocation. In case of rejection,
The buyer modifies the bargain and communicates a new set of bargains, based on which the intermediary proposes a revised allocation. The negotiation protocol used by the middleman concentrates this process on the final allocation by solving the competitive equilibrium problem. However, the mediator does not know the participant's purpose and therefore cannot use that information to provide more efficient matching in a shorter time frame. This implies that decision-making authority is entirely on the participant's side, not on the mediator. Therefore,
The intermediary cannot propose a combined transaction and has no authority to end the transaction unless such a transaction is explicitly accepted by all participants.

US Pat. No. 5,794,219 describes a method for conducting an online auction that allows individual bidders to pool bids during a bidding session. However, bid pooling is initiated by bidders and is used to bid on items that have been valued for more than the individual bidder's purchasing ability.

US Pat. No. 5,864,822 discloses a system and method that allows different groups of consumers to more efficiently utilize various benefits made available by merchandise providers and service providers. Has been described. These benefits are typically provided by certain product providers and service providers to members of a particular professional group or professional organization. However, because group discounts are provided by the seller,
The customer is a passive entity, and the importance of this system and method is not to create new benefits, but to use available benefits efficiently. Negotiations for group discounts based on a large customer base have not been investigated in the case of online auctions.

In the future, various online auction sites may develop efficient algorithms for providing value-added auctions commercially. However, it is advantageous for customers to have the potential to bid on combinations of items to be auctioned across multiple online auction sites. For example, an online auction site has a CPU
Offering a box, another online auction site may offer a package consisting of a keyboard and mouse. A customer interested in computer systems may want to place a bid in a way that either wins both of these items or neither. This is not imaginable in traditional non-electronic scenarios, as bidders cannot physically exist at multiple auction sites simultaneously. In the online scenario, solutions such as a combination auction winner determination algorithm do not apply because the items are at different auction sites that cannot cooperate with each other.

[0019]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for disclosing or proposing a value-added auction that spans multiple online auctioneers.

[0020]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the method comprising a plurality of purchasing parties. Receiving at the intermediary agent over the network an offer from the purchasing party to purchase an amount of the product, according to requirements specified by one or more of the following: Matching by the intermediary agent in a database with the requirements, and purchasing the list of goods from the one or more supplying parties by the intermediary agent over the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements. And a method comprising:

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the method comprising one or more of a plurality of supplier parties. Locating an amount of goods for sale by the mediation agent; matching the list of products for sale with the mediation agent in a database along with requirements specified by the supplying party; Determining by the mediation agent a combination of products from the list of
Steps that are relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party than the products when individually offered, and that the combination of the products is multiplied by the intermediary agent over the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements. And receiving one or more offers by one or more of the purchasing parties to purchase one or more of the product combinations by the intermediary agent over the network. Performing the steps of:

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the apparatus being provided by one or more of a plurality of purchasing parties. Means for receiving at the intermediary agent over the network an offer from the purchasing party to purchase an amount of the product according to the requirements specified, and a list of the products to be purchased; Means for matching by the intermediary agent in a database with the intermediary agent, and for purchasing the list of goods from the one or more supplying parties by the intermediary agent via the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements. Means are provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the apparatus comprising one or more of a plurality of supplier parties. Means for locating a quantity of goods for sale by an intermediary agent;
Means for matching the list of items for sale with requirements specified by the supplier party in the database by the intermediary agent, and determining the combination of items from the list of items by the agent. Means, wherein said combination of products is relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party than said products when individually offered;
Means for offering the combination of goods to a plurality of purchasing parties by the intermediary agent over the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements; and a combination of the goods by one or more of the purchasing parties. Of 1
Means for receiving one or more offers to purchase one or more over the network by the intermediary agent.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a computer usable program having incorporated therein a computer program for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks. A computer program product having a medium, wherein an offer from the purchasing party to purchase an amount of the goods is transmitted via a network according to requirements specified by one or more of the plurality of purchasing parties. Computer program code means for receiving at the intermediary agent; computer program code means for matching the list of products to be purchased with the requirements in the database by the mediation agent; Lists that meet the above requirements Computer program product via a serial network comprising a computer program code means for purchase from one or more supply party by the mediation agent is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer usable program having incorporated therein a computer program for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks. A computer program product having a medium, the computer program code means for locating, by an intermediary agent, an amount of an article for sale by one or more of a plurality of supplier parties, and the article for sale. Computer program code means for matching the list of items with the requirements specified by the supplying party in the database by the mediation agent, and determining the combination of products from the list of products by the mediation agent. Computer pro for Ram code means, wherein the combination of goods is computer program code means which is relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party than the goods when individually offered; and Computer program for offering to a plurality of purchasing parties by the intermediary agent via the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements.
Code means and a computer for receiving, by the intermediary agent, one or more offers by one or more of the purchasing parties to purchase one or more of the product combinations via the network. A computer program product comprising program code means is provided.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention relate to computerized auction systems and, more particularly, to providing an intelligent mediation agent to facilitate better matching between buyers and sellers.

FIG. 1 shows a framework based on a mediation bidding agent in which bidders 101-106 communicate with auction sites 121-123 via a network 190, such as the Internet. Contemplated networks include public networks, private networks, wireless networks, telephone lines, and leased lines. Bidders 101-106 typically have one or more intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112
Communicate directly with. Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 communicate with auction sites 121-123. However, as shown in FIG. 1, certain bidders 103 can communicate directly with the mediation bidding agent 111 and the auction site 122. Bidders 101-106 are entities that desire to obtain certain items, such as products or services, that are being auctioned over network 190 by online auction sites 121-123. Bidders 101-106 select items to purchase by visiting online Internet auction sites 121-123. The bidders 101-106 then submit the list of items to the preferred intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 along with the relevant bid information.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
Is usually online, but can also communicate in other forms such as mail, telephone, or facsimile. Intermediary bidding agent 1 by bidders 101-106
The relevant bid information submitted to 11 and 112 typically includes the value of the item and the address of the online auction site 121-123 where the item is for sale. In addition, in the bidding information,
It may include multiple requirements specified by bidders 101-106 that must be satisfied if bidder 101-106 wins all or a portion of the specified item.

The requirements specified by bidders 101-106 may include one of the following: (A) An "and" condition which means that bidders 101-106 want to either win all of the specified items or not win at all. Winning the specified subset of items is not allowed. (B) An "exclusive OR" (XOR) condition, which means that bidders 101-106 want to win exactly one of the designated items. (C) A "K out of N" condition, meaning that bidders 101-106 want to win exactly K of the specified N items. In this case, additional conditions, such as priority or maximum expense, may be specified for these K items. (D) A "budget constraint" condition that specifies that bidders 101-106 want to win as many items as possible without violating budget constraints. In this case, if there are multiple options, some preferred items can be specified. (E) "if sell then buy," in which bidders 101-106 may wish to bid on one or more items, requiring one or more items to sell at or above the minimum specified price. "conditions. (F) "if quantity then," where bidders 101-106 wish to purchase an item in an amount only if the item is available in excess of the specified amount.
buy "condition. (G) A general formula condition that can specify a combination of the above conditions using one or more formulas. In a logical expression, relational primitives such as logical product, logical sum, and logical negation can be used.

Online auction site 121
Through 123 are entities that accept items from sellers and sell these items by conducting online auctions using one of the standard methods described in the Background section. Auction sites 121 to 12
3 bids on a plurality of bidders 101-106 and conducts an auction according to the particular auctioning protocol used. After the auction ends, the winning bidder is determined and notified.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
Is an entity that acts as an intermediary between bidders 101-106 and auction sites 121-123. The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 typically compete with other mediation bidding agents 111 and 112, but
Can also work together to develop a relatively better joint bidding strategy.

The bidder can be a person who inputs information via a computer terminal, which has an input / output device and is connected to a network 190. The terminal communicates the bidding information to intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 via communication network 190.

Instead, bidders 101 through 106
May be represented by a computer-based agent implemented in a computer software program. Referring to FIG. 2, at step 201, a client bidder process, preferably implemented in software, is initialized. At step 202, the bidding information is compiled and
At 3, preferred intermediary bidding agents 111 and 11
Transfer to 2. In step 204, the event,
Wait for results from intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112. When an event occurs, decision step 205
It is determined whether the auction result has arrived from the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112. If so (Y), at step 206, the winning item is purchased by means such as a signed contract or fund transfer. Otherwise, if the event that occurred in step 204 does not represent a completed auction (N), then the event is
Represents the latest auction status from 11 and 112. The current auction situation may consist of information such as the last few bids in the auction, the current bidder and associated high bids, or the current probability that bidders 101-106 will win the auction. it can. Processing continues at step 208. In step 208, it is determined whether the previous bid information needs to be changed. If it is necessary (Y), at step 207, the mediation bidding agents 111 and 1
Perform the change according to the rules specified by 12.
Thereafter, processing continues at step 203. Otherwise, if decision step 208 indicates that no changes are required (N), processing continues at step 203.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
Is preferably implemented by the computer software program shown in FIG. The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 are initialized at step 301 and then wait for an event to occur at step 302. Such events include bidders 101 through 10
6, entering new bidding information, changing bidders 101-106 existing bidding information, changing the status of an ongoing auction announced by auction sites 121-123, or another intermediary bidding agent. The arrival of new information from 111 and 112 can be triggered.

If, at decision step 303, the event is triggered by the bidders 101-106 entering new bid information (Y), at step 304,
The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 store the newly obtained information in its bid database. The bid database is either an organized secondary storage or data structure in memory with fast data storage and retrieval capabilities, and is used to calculate various bidders 101 through for later use in calculating efficient bid strategies. Used to store bid information from. Step 30
After updating the bid database in step 4, step 30
At 5, the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 recalculate the bidding strategy for all items. Intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 that have prepared these new strategies
Proceeds to submitting new bids or updating existing bids at existing or new auction sites 121-123 at step 315. Existing bids are
Can be changed only if permitted by auction rules. Bidders 101-106 are only allowed to change bid information according to the rules set by intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112. For example, bidders 101-106 may only be able to increase the maximum allowable bid for an item. Such rules ensure that the bidding strategy of the mediation bidding agent is consistent and that the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112, upon completion of the auction, list all won items in bidders 101-1.
06 is guaranteed. Thereafter, the process continues from step 315 to step 302.

If decision step 303 indicates that the event is not due to new bid information from bidders 101-106 (N), processing continues at decision step 306.

Each of the bidders 1 to obtain bid information
There may be multiple intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 communicating with 01-106. Each intermediary bidding agent 111 and 112 manages its bidder 10 at various auction sites 121-123.
Place intelligent bidding instead of 1-106. Some intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112
Are their clients, bidders 101 through 106
By exchanging some of their bid information, a relatively stronger bidding strategy can be developed. Instead, some intermediary bidding agents 111
And 112 may compete with each other and consequently do not exchange any information. In step 306, step 3
If event 02 was triggered by information arriving from another intermediary bidding agent 111 and 112 (Y), step 305 recalculates the bidding strategy for all items. The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112, having prepared these new strategies, proceed to submit new bids or update existing bids at existing or new auction sites 121-123 at step 315. Thereafter, the process continues from step 315 to step 302.

If decision step 306 indicates that the event is not due to information arriving from another intermediary bidding agent 111 and 112 (N), processing continues at decision step 307. Step 307
If the event is triggered by the bidders 101-106 updating the bid information (Y), processing continues at step 309. In step 309, the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 check whether the bidders 101-106 have changed the bid information according to the specified rules. If the change is valid, step 313 updates the changed information in the bid database. Updating the bid database
This leads to a recalculation of the bidding strategy at step 305, which may lead to the submission of a new bid or a change to an existing bid at step 315. After that, the process proceeds to Step 3.
From 15 is continued to step 302.

If decision step 307 indicates that the event is not due to an update of bid information by bidders 101-106 (N), processing continues at decision step 308.

Changes in the status of a plurality of types of auctions
Can occur as the bidding progresses. For example,
In open-cry auctions, the auction situation changes with each higher bid offered. Further, the status of the auction changes with the end of the auction. Such a change in the auction situation causes an event to be generated at the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112. A change in the auction status is identified (Y) at decision step 308, so that at step 310, the intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 check whether the changed status of the auction is due to the completion of the auction. When the auction is completed (Y), in step 311, the winning item is temporarily allocated to the bidders 101 to 106. The allocation is temporary at this stage,
Intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 may later reallocate some of these items to other bidders 101-106 to ensure that the requirements of all bidders 101-106 are eventually met. This is because there is a possibility of doing so. Such reallocation may depend on the set of auctions that can be won by the intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 at a later stage. This is because the mediation bidding agents 111 and 1
12 because brokerage bidding agents 111 and 112 may actually lose to an auction that they previously considered very likely to win.

At decision step 312, it is further checked whether the previous allocation can be made decisive. The final allocation is that the results of all overlapping auctions are obtained and all of the won items are allocated to bidders 101-106, and the allocation allows the bidders 101-106 to meet their requirements. It can only occur when an efficient matching of items to parties 101-106 is provided.
Two auctions overlap when the interest of bidders 101-106 participating in one does not bring the interest of bidders 101-106 participating in the other. If at decision step 312 any of the allocations are final (Y), then at step 314 this information is sent to participating bidders 101-106, and at step 315 the bid database is updated and step 30
Recalculate the bidding strategy for all items in step 5 and step 31
At 5 the new bid is issued or the old bid is changed. If there is no final allocation (N) at decision step 312, the bidding strategy for all items is recalculated at step 305, which results in the submission of new bids or changes to existing bids at step 315. Connect. Thereafter, the process continues from step 315 to step 302.

If the event identified in decision step 310 does not indicate the completion of the auction (N), the event indicates that some progress has occurred in one of the auctions. For example, the mediation bidding agent 111
And 112 may have been priced higher in one of the auctions. As a result, step 31
At 5, broker bid agents 111 and 112 submit new bids or modify existing bids in the affected auctions. After that, the process proceeds to Step 3.
From 15 is continued to step 302.

If the event identified in decision step 308 does not indicate a change in the status of the auction (N),
Processing continues at step 302.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
Is effective in developing a bidding strategy that attempts to maximize the number of winning items and the number of satisfied bidders 101-106 by performing efficient matching of items to bidders 101-106. It is a target. Auction site 1 with bidders 101 to 106
Matching between items 21-123 is performed such that the requirements of each bidder 101-106 are satisfied. Bidders 101-106 increase the likelihood of winning the auction using intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112, so that the allocation of items to bidders 101-106 is relatively more efficient, The economic surplus generated by this system increases.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
Can also collect information about the number of auction sites 121-123 that the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 can display on their own online auction sites. by this,
For multiple auctions in progress at multiple auction sites 121-123, a single point of access is efficiently provided to bidders 101-106.

Auction sites 121 to 123
May support a type of value-added auction in which bidders 101-106 can specify a group of items of interest and requirements. in this case,
The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 utilize this function to bid on a combination of items. In extreme situations, the auction sites 121-123 and the intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 can be imaginary identical entities.

In addition, intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 can negotiate group discounts or other benefits from sellers of products and services based on the bidder's bulk customer base.

Mediation bidding agents 111 and 112
May also facilitate the formation of groups of individual bidders to participate in high stake auctions, such as auctions that sell large quantities of items.

[0049] Rather than an online auction, auction sites 121-123 can use other online negotiation protocols for selling items. In this case, multiple rounds of messages may be exchanged between the intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 and the auction sites 121-123 before a final decision to award the item is made. The mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 collect information from the client sets of the bidders 101-106,
This information is used to perform more efficient negotiations on behalf of these clients. The authority to make a decision is that if the requirements of bidders 101-106 are met,
It is on the mediation bidding agents 111 and 112 side. The bidders 101 to 106 are the mediation bidding agents 11
Negotiation conditions can also be modified according to the rules specified by 1 and 112.

In another embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
It shows how sellers 801-806 and auction sites 811-813 can also get value-added services via intermediaries. These intermediaries act as agents for sellers 801-806 and auction sites 811-813, and are therefore referred to as intermediary auction agents 821 and 822. Broker auction agents 821 and 822 collect auction information from sellers 801-806 and store that information in an auction database. The auction database is similar to the bid database described earlier, either as an organized secondary storage or data structure in primary storage with fast data storage and retrieval capabilities. Auction information consists of parameters including, but not limited to, a specified price, a preferred price, and seller requirements. Brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 may include a plurality of geographically dispersed auction sites 811-813.
And collectively use this information to intelligently provide items such as goods and services for auction. The auction is arranged to maximize revenue or other parameters desired by sellers 801-806. Sellers 801-8
The requirements specified by 06 can include one of the following: (A) An "and" condition that means that sellers 801-806 want to either sell all specified items or not sell items at all. Selling a subset of the specified items is not allowed. (B) An "exclusive OR" (XOR) condition, which means that sellers 801-806 want to sell exactly one of the specified items. (C) A "K out of N" condition, which means that sellers 801-806 want to sell exactly K of the specified N items. In this case, additional conditions such as priority or lowest price may be specified for these K items. (D) "minimum reve", which means that sellers 801-806 wish to sell items on the list only if the total revenue generated exceeds a specified minimum revenue amount.
nue ". (E) sellers 801-806 may need to purchase one or more other items at or above the maximum specified price and may wish to sell one or more specified items; "If buy then sell" condition. (F) If the sellers 801-806 only want to sell an item in a certain quantity, and only if the seller can sell the item in excess of the specified quantity, "if quantity th
en sell "condition. (G) A general formula condition that can specify a combination of the above conditions using one or more formulas. In a logical expression, relational primitives such as logical product, logical sum, and logical negation can be used.

The sellers 801 to 806 can directly apply to the intermediary auction agents 821 and 822 to use the value-added service described above.

In addition, brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 may collect multiple items into a single packaged auction. By grouping the items together, the broker auction agent 821
And 822 expect to get a better bid than the sum of the individual bids when each item is auctioned individually.

Mediation auction agents 821 and 822
Can provide a value-added service called a set auction to sellers 801 to 806 and auction sites 811 to 813. According to this value-added service, sellers 801 to 806
A set of items is specified along with a minimum auction price for each of the sets. Brokerage Auction Agents 821 and 822
Puts each item in the set separately into an auction. Individual items in the set are sold only if the total revenue generated from individual sales of the items in the set exceeds a specified minimum auction price. Some of the items in the set auction can be further incorporated into a packaged auction.

Mediation auction agents 821 and 822
Can provide a value-added service called a retail auction. In this case, sellers 801 through 80
6 specifies the item and the minimum amount of that item to sell at the lowest auction price. Brokerage Auction Agents 821 and 822
Does either auction different quantities of items separately, or combine items together with other items to form a packaged auction. However, items of sellers 801-806 are sold only if the specified minimum quantity can be sold at least at the lowest auction price.

According to another value-added service, intermediary auction agents 821 and 822 provide K out of N
The service called auction is a seller 801-8
06. Sellers 801 through 80
6 specifies N items with corresponding minimum auction prices and wishes to sell exactly K of these N items.

Mediation auction agents 821 and 822
Has a variety of auction sites 121 through 12
Information about the bidders 101-106 can be collected from 3 to perform targeted auctions or sales. In extreme situations, auction sites 811-813 and intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112
Can be the same entity.

[0057] Instead of an online auction, auction sites 121-123 can sell items using other online negotiation protocols. In this case, before the final decision to give the item is made,
Multiple rounds of messages are sent to brokerage auction agent 8
21 and 822 and bidders 101-106. Broker auction agents 821 and 822 are clients, sellers 801-806 and auction sites 811-813.
From the sellers 801-806 or the auction
Perform more efficient negotiations on behalf of sites 811-813. The authority to make the decision is that the sellers 801-806 and the auction site 8 are clients.
If the requirements of 11 to 813 are satisfied, it is on the side of brokerage auction agents 821 and 822. The client may also change the negotiation conditions according to the rules specified by brokerage auction agents 821 and 822.

Further, there may be a plurality of intermediary auction agents 821 and 822, each communicating with sellers 801-806 and auction sites 811-813, respectively, to obtain auction information. Each brokerage auction agent 821 and 822
Has a variety of auction sites 811 through 81
At 3, proceed to intelligent submission of these items to the auction sites 811-813 on behalf of the client sellers 801-806 and auction sites 811-813. Some brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 have their clients, seller 801 and auction site 8
By exchanging a portion of the auction information from 11 to 813, one can cooperate with each other to develop a relatively stronger auction strategy. Instead, some intermediary auction agents 821 and 822 may compete with each other and consequently do not exchange any information.

Referring to FIG. 4, brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 are initialized at step 401,
In step 402, the process waits for an event to occur. The event is
It can be generated either as a result of new information from auction sites 811-813 or sellers 801-806, or as a result of new information from bidders 101-106 or intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112. . Step 40
At 3, if the event indicates new information from auction sites 811-813 or sellers 801-806 (Y), then at step 404, brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 cause auction sites 811-813 or sellers 801- Collect auction information from 806. At step 405, the newly obtained information is entered into the auction database, and at step 406, the auction strategy is updated. According to this new strategy, at step 407, brokerage auction agents 821 and 822 initiate a new auction or terminate an existing auction that has become inappropriate. The mediation auction agents 821 and 822 then proceed to step 402 and wait for the next event.

However, if it is determined in decision step 403 that there is no new information (N), processing continues at decision step 408. At step 408, the event
Indicating new information from bidders 101-106 or broker bid agents 111 and 112 (Y)
In step 409, the mediation auction agent 821
And 822 obtain this new information. Such new information may include a new bid message or other negotiation message. Step 410
Then, after receiving the new information and processing the information, auction sites 811-813 send the latest auction status to bidders 101-106 and intermediary bidding agents 111 and 112 according to the protocol used. For example, in the case of an open-cry auction, after receiving the new highest bid from bidders 101-106, broker auction agent 821
And 822 may send the new highest bid value to all active bidders 101-106.

Next, at decision step 411, a check is made to determine whether the auction is over. If the auction is over, at step 412, the broker auction agents 821 and 822 have successfully bid and have won the bidders 101-106 or broker bid agents 111 and 112 and the respective sellers 8.
Send a notification to 01-806 or auction sites 811-813. Finally, step 413
Update the auction database, which leads to the update of the auction strategy in step 406, and in step 40
7 results in the start of a new auction or the end of an existing auction. When it is determined in the determination step 411 that the auction is not completed (N), the processing is:
Returning to step 402, the process waits for an event to occur.

FIG. 5 shows a plurality of bidders 541 to 54
8, consisting of a plurality of sellers 501-508, a plurality of auctioneers or auction sites 511-513, a plurality of brokerage bidding agents 531 and 532, and a plurality of brokerage auction agents 521 and 522;
4 shows a combined framework for the two previous embodiments. Sellers 501-508 place items for sale on either auction sites 511-513 or brokerage auction agents 521 and 522, but in the latter case, brokerage auction agent 521.
And 522 are provided.
Bidders 541-548 can locate items of interest and bid on either auction sites 511-513 directly or to intermediary auction agents 521 and 522. Instead, the bidders 541 through 548 may use
1 and 532, and thus utilize the value-added services provided by the intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532.

Mediation bidding agents 531 and 532
Develops a bidding strategy on behalf of bidders 541-548, and various auction sites 511-513 or brokerage auction agents 521 and 522.
Bid on. Some intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532 may exchange some of their bidding information and cooperate with each other in bidding. Similarly, some intermediary auction agents 521 and 522 may
01-508 and auction sites 511-513 to provide more efficient services,
They can cooperate and exchange information. An auction or negotiation proceeds and messages are exchanged between the parties. Finally, some of the items are sold either individually or as part of a package. Bidder 541
548 may obtain these items either directly or via allocations made by broker bid agents 531 and 532. At the end of the transaction, payment is made to the seller 50 by bidders 541-548.
1 to 508, where the items are physically exchanged. The mediation bidding agents 531 and 532 and the mediation auction agents 521 and 522 can charge a fee or service fee for the provided value-added service.

Referring to FIG. 5, a more detailed example will be presented.
1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.

Auction sites 511 to 513
Corresponds to an existing Internet web site such as www.ebay.com or www.auction.yahoo.com. Each of these sites is a Uniform Resource Locator
(URL) address, Netscape Navigator or
It can be accessed by a web browser such as Internet Explorer. A web site consists of web pages that provide information about items currently auctioned or that will be auctioned in the near future. Sellers 501 through 5
08 each have a personal computer connected to the Internet in a known manner. Seller 501
508 create a page at one or more web-based auction sites 511-513 that describes the item being sold. Such explanations include:
It typically includes payment terms, delivery terms, contact information, and possibly a digital photograph of the item being sold.

The bidders 541 to 548 also have personal computers connected to the Internet in a known manner. Bidders 541-548 visit auction sites 511-513 to locate items of interest, and possibly bid on those items at auction sites 511-513.

Mediation bidding agents 531 and 532
Has an Internet web site very similar to the auction sites 511-513. The sites of the intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532 also include web pages that provide information about items currently auctioned or expected to be auctioned in the near future. The items displayed at the sites of the intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532 are often the same as the items displayed at the auction sites 511-513. The sites of the intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532 have the supported requirements (a
nd, xorxor, budget constraints, etc.) are also displayed, along with a list of instructions on how bidders 541-548 specify these requirements. Bidder 54
1-548 visit the sites of the mediation bidding agents 531 and 532 to specify the items of interest, the valuation of these items, and the requirements. Bidder 541
Through 548 specify the URL address of the auction site 511 through 513 that provides the item of interest, but the auction site 511 through 513, but the mediation bidding agent 531
And items that are not displayed on the 532 site can also be specified. Mediation bidding agent 531
And 532 replace various bidders 541-548 with various auction sites 511-51.
Give a bid at 3.

[0069] Brokerage auction agents 521 and 522
Also has an Internet web site that provides information about items sold at the sites of the brokerage auction agents 521 and 522. This information is very similar to that provided by the mediation bidding agents 531 and 532. Further, the mediation bidding agent 531
And 532 provide value-added services to bidders 541-548, and brokerage auction agents 521 and 522 provide value-added services to sellers 501-508 through intelligent auction of items to increase the total revenue of sellers 501-508. Providing services. The sites of the brokerage auction agents 521 and 522, when submitted for intelligent auction,
Accept items from sellers 501-508. Broker auction agents 521 and 522 may also select items from auction sites 511-513 for intelligent auction at the broker auction agents 521 and 522 site. However, such items can only be selected by brokerage auction agents 521 and 522 when they are marked "available for intelligent auction" by auction sites 511-513 at the request of sellers 501-508. .

Mediation bidding agents 531 and 532
And intermediary auction agents 521 and 522 collect information about items auctioned at auction sites 511-513 through the use of intelligent Internet-based software similar to a "web crawler". A "web crawler" is a computer software program used by internet-based search engines to locate and obtain information contained on internet websites.

For simplicity, FIG. 5 shows a limited number of sellers 501-508, bidders 541-548, auction sites 511-513, intermediary bidding agents 531 and 532, and intermediary auction agents. 521 and 522 are shown.
New brokerage agents and auction sites can enter this system by creating web sites that potential bidders 541-548 and sellers 501-508 can visit. Similarly, new bidders and sellers may visit one or more brokerage auction agent 521, 522 sites and brokerage bid agent 531, 532 sites or auction sites 511-513, register as clients, and broker brokerage auctions. Agents 521, 522 and mediation bidding agent 531;
532 and auction sites 511-513
You can enter this system by obtaining the services provided by.

Mediation bidding agents 531 and 532
One of the value-added services that can be provided by bidders allows bidders 541 through 548 to “exclusive OR” (x
or) A condition can be specified. In this manner, bidders 541-548 may specify a list of possible items of which only a single item is desired to be purchased. FIG. 6 and Appendix 1 show “exclusive OR” (xo
r) shows an embodiment of a sample algorithm for providing value-added services.

Referring to FIG. 6, the mediation bidding agent sets
Item i₁~ I_mBidder b₁~ B_nReceive request from
Suppose that. Bidder b₁~ B_nIs a single of them
Specify a list of items for which you want to purchase only items. This information
Are arranged as a bipartite graph in FIG. This group
Rough side (b_j, I_k) Is the bidder b_jIs item i_kInterest in
Indicates that you have. Each bidder b₁~ B_nWants a bid
Each item i₁~ I_mSpecify the valuation of. Enter this information
This is called tag information and is used by the mediation bidding agent.
Standard database such as IBM's DB2
Bid implemented using software package
Stored in the database. At the beginning of the auction,
The mediation bidding agent checks each item i₁~ I_mAbout bidder
b₁~ B_nCalculate the range of bids obtained from. Next,
Time to end, last bid history, last
Frequency and amount of some later bids, remaining available for bidding
Using information such as the amount of₁~ I_m
Calculate the probability of winning each of To the first bid
The probability of winning for item i₁~ I_mSmall for each of
Use a constant value. Next, the weight of each side, ie, item i
₁~ I_mItem i with the probability of winning₁~ I_mWin
Calculate the product with the surplus generated by taking
You. The surplus is the bidder b₁~ B_nItem i by₁~ I_mReview
Price and item i ₁~ I_mTo win the difference between the bid value and
Is defined as The mediation bidding agent determines the bidder b₁
~ B_nAnd item i₁~ I_mBy matching the results of the raw
Surplus generated and satisfied bidder b₁~ B_nIs the most
Largest weighted match for bipartite graphs
I get The mediation bidding agent determines that this bidder b₁~
b_nAnd item i₁~ I_mBid based on the matching of
put out.

Whenever a competitor bids higher than an intermediary bidding agent, the auction site usually notifies the intermediary bidding agent. However, if the auction site does not provide such a notification, the mediation bidding agent periodically polls the auction site to determine the current situation. If the higher than the intermediary agent value is attached, the bidder b ₁ ~b _n and the item i ₁ ~
i _m of either increasing the bid for a particular item using the same matching, increase the bids using different matching of bidders b ₁ ~b _n and material i ₁ through i _m, 1 s must determine whether the pull out of bidding for items i ₁ ~i _m. Mediation bid agent, each item i ₁ ~i _m
This is done by recalculating the probability of winning, and then obtaining the maximum weighted matching of the graph.

However, the item i _{1 in the} new matching
Through i _m is not included, because the items are assigned the highest bid submitted by the current mediation bidding agent, it may be necessary to give up the material. In this case, the mediation bidding agent withdraws its highest bid, if allowed by the auction rules. If withdrawal of the highest bid is not possible,
The mediation bidding agent recalculates the weighted matching after ignoring the winning bidder-item matching.

[0075] This process, material i ₁ through i _m desired by bidders b ₁ ~b _n is repeated until no left in the auction. After the last winner of the item i ₁ ~i _m has been determined, the auction site, the item i ₁ ~
the seller stop respective mediation bid agent of i _m to send the notification. Mediation bid agent forwards the notification, bidder item i ₁ through i _m is allocated b to ₁ ~b _n.
This notification is usually sent as an e-mail.

A simple algorithm for the "Exclusive OR" (xor) value-added service embodiment is shown in Appendix 1.

[0077] Other possible value-added services can also be provided by the intermediary agent by using similar algorithms.

Appendix 1— “Exclusive OR” (xor) Sample Algorithm for Value-Added Services Step 1: Initialization For all j = 1..n and k = 1..m V _jk = 0; / * Value of item i _k by bidder b _j * / b _jk = 0; / * Current bid * / W _jk = 0; / * Weight of bipartite graph * / D _k = 0; / * Item i _k * / M _cur = φ; / * Current maximum weighted matching set of bipartite graph * / M _prev = φ; / * Maximum weighted matching set before bipartite graph * / P _jk = 0; / * Probability that bidder j _k will win item i _k * / end_for Step 2: get_valuations (V); Step 3: get_maxbids (D); Step 4: while (auctions_on_desired_items_are_on ()) begin step 5: Calculate for all j = 1..n, k = 1..m P _jk ; W _jk = P _jk * (V _jk -D _jk ); end_for Step 6: M _cur = maximum_weighted_matching (W); Step 7: for each (e M _prev ) If (e M _cur ) then Drop_bid (e); end _for Step 8: for each (e M _cur ) If (e <notinclude> M _prev ) then submit_new_bid (e); end_for Step 9: M _prev = M _cur ; Step 10: if outbid_in_any_auction () update_maxbids (D); Step 11 : If a_user_changes_valuation () update_valuations (V); end_while end_of_alogrithm

In summary, the following items are disclosed regarding the configuration of the present invention.

(1) Trading protocol and one or more
Buy and sell goods between parties using a network of numbers
A method comprising: providing one or more of a plurality of purchasing parties
A quantity of said goods according to the requirements specified thereby
The offer from the purchasing party to purchase
Steps received by the mediation agent via the
And a list of the items to be purchased with the requirements
Both are referenced by the mediation agent in the database.
Matching the list of products with the requirements
From one or more supplier parties in a manner that satisfies
Purchased by the mediation agent via a network
Intercepting. (2) Regarding the list of goods from the supplier party
One or more purchase agreements through the network
Performing by the mediation agent
And one or more of the goods to the purchasing party
Mediate multiple sales contracts via the network
Further comprising the steps performed by the agent.
The method according to the above (1). (3) The network is an intranet, an extra
From the group consisting of Lanett and the Internet
The selected computer network, above
The method according to (1). (4) The trading protocol is an auction protocol
And the mediation agent is a mediation bidding agent.
The method according to (1) above, wherein (5) The step of purchasing by the mediation agent
At the auction by the mediation agent
The method of (1) above, comprising the step of bidding. (6) The network by the mediation bidding agent
A single access to the plurality of purchasing parties
(4), further comprising the step of providing
The method described. (7) The step of providing the single access point
May further include merchandise information from a plurality of suppliers,
By the intermediary bidding agent via a network.
Collecting, and a product corresponding to the product information
Through the network to the plurality of purchasing parties
Offering by the mediation bidding agent to
The method according to the above (6), comprising: (8) the plurality of mediation bidding agents
Steps to provide value-added services to the purchasing party
The method according to (4), further comprising: (9) The step of providing a value-added service includes
Each and every product in the list of defined products
Through the network to the mediation bidding agent
Buying the goods, and listing the goods
Is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties
Steps that are listed in the specified list of products
One product through the network
The step of buying by the billing agent, before
The list of goods is provided by one of the plurality of purchasing parties.
Is specified in the step and the specified list of products
Deliver the specified quantity of the listed products to the network
Purchase by the intermediary bidding agent via
Step, wherein the quantity of the product and the squirrel of the product
Is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties
Steps and a certain amount of budget, subject to specified budget constraints.
Intermediate the designated goods via the network
Buying by a bidding agent,
The product and the budget constraint are related to the plurality of purchasing parties.
Steps specified by one of the participants and one or more
Specified, subject to a previous sale of a number of specified products
The mediation bidding agent via the network.
The step of buying by the
The sale is subject to the specified minimum price constraint,
All and the minimum price constraint may be
Steps specified by one of the buyers,
The specified quantity of the specified goods that are available for use
In some cases, the product is
The step of buying by the intermediary bidding agent
The goods and the quantity are the plurality of purchasing parties
Group consisting of steps specified by one of
Logical combination of one or more steps selected from
The method according to the above (8), wherein (10) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
The method according to the above (4). (11) The mediation bidding agent determines whether the purchasing party
Group discounts or other groups instead of groups
The method according to (4) above, wherein the benefit is negotiated. (12) The broker bid agent is a large-scale oak
Above to facilitate grouping of purchasing parties
The method according to (4). (13) The mediation auction agent operates as a mediation auction agent.
The method according to (4), which is also an agent. (14) Two or more of the plurality of intermediary bidding agents
Are working together to develop a more efficient bidding strategy
The method according to (4), wherein the method cooperates with. (15) Trading protocol and one or more nets
This is a method of buying and selling goods between parties using work.
The sale by one or more of a plurality of
A certain amount of goods to be identified by the mediation agent
And listing the items to be sold,
Data with requirements specified by the supplier party
Step for matching by the mediation agent in the base
And the combination of items from the list of items
Step determined by the intermediary agent
The combination of the above-mentioned products when the offer was individually offered
Is relatively more desirable for potential buyers
New combination of steps and the product
The mediation agent via the network in a satisfactory manner
Steps to offer to multiple purchasing parties by the agent
And the quotient by one or more of the purchasing parties
One or more to purchase one or more of the product combinations
Through the network to the mediation agent
Receiving by an agent. (16) In relation to the list of products from the supplier,
One or more purchase agreements
Performing by said mediation agent via
And one or more of the goods to the purchasing party
One or more sales contracts for the combination are
Executed by the mediation agent via a network
The method according to (15), further comprising the step of:
Law. (17) If the network is an intranet,
Group consisting of a transnet and the Internet
Computer network selected from
The method according to (15). (18) The trading protocol is an auction / protocol
And the mediation agent is a mediation auction agent.
The method according to the above (15), which is an agent. (19) The brokerage auction agent allows the plurality
Providing Value-Added Services to the Supplier Parties
The method according to the above (18), further comprising: (20) The step of providing a value-added service includes:
Each product listed in the specified list of products
Goods via the network.
Selling by the client, said list of products
Is specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties
Steps and listed in the specified product list
Auctioning one product via the network
Selling by the agent, wherein the product
Is a list by one of the plurality of supplier parties.
Steps to be specified and listed in the specified list of products.
The specified quantity of goods via the network
And selling by the brokerage auction agent
The quantity of the product and the list of the products are
Steps specified by one of a plurality of supplier parties
And a certain amount of the specified budget according to the specified budget constraints
The merchandise is transferred to the brokerage auction age via the network.
The step of selling the product and
The budget constraint is imposed by one of the plurality of suppliers.
Steps and one or more specified steps
Subject to the previous purchase of goods, the specified goods shall be
Via the network by the auction agent
Selling, wherein the previous purchase is designated
Subject to the highest price constraint, all of the goods and the highest
A pricing constraint is specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties.
Steps to be specified and specification of specified products to be sold
Subject to the quantity given, the product
Step for selling by the brokerage auction agent via
The product and the quantity are the plurality of supplies.
Steps specified by one of the side parties
Argument of one or more steps selected from a group
The method according to (19), which is a logical combination. (21) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
The method according to the above (18). (22) The buying and selling of the goods is performed by the plurality of suppliers.
The method according to (18), wherein the method is started by one. (23) The brokerage auction agent has a plurality of purchase
The selected one of the items for sale
Offer to run targeted auctions,
The method according to the above (18). (24) Two or more of the plurality of auction agents are
To provide improved services to said supplier party
The method according to (18), wherein the methods cooperate with each other. (25) The intermediary auction agent operates as an intermediary bidding agent.
The method according to (18), which is also an agent. (26) Trading protocol and one or more nets
A device that buys and sells goods between parties using a workpiece.
Specified by one or more of the multiple purchasing parties
Purchasing a certain amount of the goods according to the required requirements
The offer from the purchasing party via a network
Means for receiving at the mediation agent
A list of the products to be entered along with the requirements
In the database by the intermediary agent
Means to meet the requirements
Through the network in the form of the mediation agent
Purchase from one or more supplier parties
And means for. (27) In relation to the list of the goods from the supplier,
One or more purchase agreements
Hand to execute by said mediation agent via
And one or more items to the purchasing party regarding the goods.
Makes a plurality of sales contracts through the network
Means to be performed by the intermediary agent and further
The apparatus according to (26), including: (28) If the network is an intranet,
Group consisting of a transnet and the Internet
Computer network selected from
The device according to (26). (29) The trading protocol is an auction prototype
And the mediation agent is a mediation bidding agent.
The device according to (26), which is an agent. (30) for purchasing by the mediation agent
Said means is provided by said mediation agent for an auction
(26), including means for bidding in
apparatus. (31) The intermediary bidding agent uses the net
A single access to the plurality of purchasing parties
(2) further comprising means for providing a set point.
Device according to 9). (32) The hand for providing the single access point.
The stage further receives product information from multiple suppliers.
By the mediation bidding agent through the network
Means for collecting the product information and a product corresponding to the product information.
Goods to the plurality of purchasing parties through the network.
To offer to the party by the intermediary bidding agent
(33) The apparatus according to the above (31), comprising:
For providing value-added services to the purchasing party
The device of claim 29, further comprising a step. (34) The means for providing a value-added service
Is each of the listed products
Goods via the network
Means for purchasing by the
List of goods is provided by one of said plurality of purchasing parties
The specified means and listed in the specified product list
One of the merchandise through the network
A means to buy by a tender agent
And the list of products is one of the plurality of purchasing parties.
And the list of specified products
The specified quantity of goods described in
Purchase by the intermediary bidding agent
Means for determining the quantity of the article and the quantity of the article.
List specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties
A certain amount, depending on the measures taken and the budget constraints specified.
Intermediate the designated goods via the network
A means for buying by bidding agents
The product and the budget constraint are
Means specified by one of the parties and one or more
Specified, subject to a previous sale of a number of specified products
The mediation bidding agent via the network.
Means for buying by a Gent, said
Is subject to the specified minimum price constraint,
All and the minimum price constraint are
Means specified by one of the parties and for the purchase
Subject to the specified quantity of the specified goods that are available to
As the product through the network
A means to buy by a tender agent
The goods and the quantity are the plurality of purchasing parties
From the group consisting of means specified by one of
A logical combination of one or more selected means,
The device according to the above (33). (35) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
The apparatus according to the above (29). (36) The intermediary bidding agent determines whether the purchasing party
Group discounts or other groups instead of groups
The apparatus according to (29), wherein the benefit is negotiated. (37) The broker bid agent is a large-scale oak
Above to facilitate grouping of purchasing parties
The device according to (29). (38) The mediation bidding agent is a mediation auction agent
The device according to (29), which is also an agent. (39) Two or more of the plurality of intermediary bidding agents
Are working together to develop a more efficient bidding strategy
The apparatus according to (29), wherein the apparatus cooperates with. (40) Trading protocol and one or more nets
A device that buys and sells goods between parties using a workpiece.
The sale by one or more of a plurality of
A certain amount of goods to be identified by the mediation agent
The list of products to be sold,
Data with requirements specified by the supplier.
In the database by the intermediary agent
Means and combination of products from the list of products
It is a means to be determined by the mediation agent.
The combination of the above-mentioned products when individually offered
Relatively better for potential buyers than products
The combination of the desired means and the product
Through the network in a manner that satisfies
Gent to offer to multiple purchasing parties
By means and one or more of said purchasing parties
One or more to purchase one or more of the above product combinations
A plurality of offers are sent to the mediation
Means for receiving by the agent. (41) In connection with the list of the products from the supplier,
One or more purchase agreements
Hand to execute by said mediation agent via
Steps and one or more of the goods to the purchasing party
One or more sales contracts for the combination of
Executed by the mediation agent via a network
(40). The method according to (40), further comprising:
apparatus. (42) The network is an intranet,
Group consisting of a transnet and the Internet
Computer network selected from
The device according to (40). (43) The trading protocol is an auction / prototype
And the mediation agent is a mediation auction agent.
The device according to (40), which is an agent. (44) The brokerage auction agent allows the plurality
To provide value-added services to the supply parties
The device of claim 43, further comprising a step. (45) The means for providing a value-added service
Is each of the listed products
Goods through the network
Means for selling by the agent,
List specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties
Means are listed in the list of designated products
One product through the network
Means for selling by a selling agent, said means for selling
A list of goods is provided by one of said plurality of supplier parties.
Specified in the list of specified products.
The specified quantity of goods via the network
Means for selling by said intermediary auction agent
Wherein the quantity of the product and the list of products are
Means specified by one of the plurality of suppliers;
And a certain amount of the specified budget according to the specified budget constraints
The merchandise is transferred to the brokerage auction age via the network.
Means for selling by the agent, said goods and
And the budget constraint is imposed by one of the plurality of suppliers.
Means and one or more specified quotients
The designated goods shall be
By the intermediary auction agent through the network
Means for selling, wherein said previous purchase is designated
Subject to the highest price constraint, all of the goods and the highest
A pricing constraint is specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties.
Specified means and specified goods to be sold
Subject to the quantity,
Means for selling by said intermediary auction agent
Wherein the product and the quantity are on the plurality of supply sides
Glue consisting of means specified by one of the parties
Logical combination of one or more means selected from
An apparatus according to the above (44). (46) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
The apparatus according to (43), wherein (47) The buying and selling of the goods is performed by the plurality of suppliers.
Described in (43) above, initiated by one or more
On-board equipment. (48) The intermediary auction agent has a plurality of purchase
The selected one of the items for sale
Perform targeted auctions by first offering
The apparatus according to (43), wherein (49) Two or more of the plurality of auction agents are
To provide improved services to said supplier party
The device according to (43), further cooperating with each other. (50) The mediation auction agent operates as a mediation auction agent.
The device according to (43), which is also an agent. (51) Trading protocol and one or more nets
To use the work to buy and sell goods between the parties.
Computer program embedded in it
Computer program with computer usable medium
Product, and one or more of a plurality of purchasing parties
An amount of said quotient according to the requirements specified by
The offer from the purchasing party to purchase the goods
To receive at the mediation agent via the work
Computer program code means and
A list of the products to be
Code for matching by the mediation agent in the
Computer program code means;
The network in a manner that satisfies the requirements.
One or more by the mediation agent via
Computer procurement to buy from a supplier
Computer program including gram code means
Product. (52) In connection with the list of the goods from the supplier,
One or more purchase agreements
For executing by the intermediary agent via
Computer program code means and the purchase side
One or more sales contracts for the goods to the party
To the intermediary agent via the network
Therefore, a computer program code for executing
Computer means according to (51), further comprising:
Data program products. (53) The network is an intranet,
Group consisting of a transnet and the Internet
Computer network selected from
The computer program product according to (51). (54) The trading protocol is an auction proto
And the mediation agent is a mediation bidding agent.
The computer program described in (51) above.
Program products. (55) For purchasing by the mediation agent
Wherein said computer program code means comprises:
To bid in an auction by an agent
The above including computer program code means
The computer program product according to (51). (56) The intermediary bidding agent uses the net
A single access to the plurality of purchasing parties
Computer program to provide access points
Computer according to the above (54), further comprising a loading means.
Data program products. (57) The computer providing the single access point
Data program code means,
Product information from the party concerned is transmitted via the network
Compiled by the broker
Computer program code means and the product information.
The corresponding merchandise, the mediation bidding via the network
Offer by the agent to said plurality of purchasing parties
Computer program code means for
The computer program according to (56) above.
Goods (58) The plurality of items by the mediation bidding agent
To provide value-added services to the buyer
Further comprising computer program code means.
The computer program product according to (54). (59) The computer for providing a value-added service
・ A list of products whose program code means is specified
All products listed in the above, the network
Buy by the intermediary bidding agent via
Computer program code means for:
The list of goods is one of the plurality of purchasing parties
The computer program code specified by
Column and one of the listed items
The merchandise is transferred to the mediation bidding age via the network.
Computer program to buy by
Code means, wherein the list of commodities is
Computer designated by one of a number of purchasing parties
Program code means and a list of specified products
The specified amount of goods listed on the
Buy by the mediation bidding agent through the work
Computer program code means for
Thus, the quantity of the product and the list of the products are
Computer designated by one of a number of purchasing parties
Program code means and specified budget constraints
Therefore, a certain amount of the specified product is
Buy by the intermediary bidding agent via
Computer program code means for:
The product and the budget constraint are related to the plurality of purchasing parties.
Computer program specified by one of the participants
.In front of the code means and one or more designated goods
Specified merchandise is sold on the network, subject to
Purchase by the intermediary bidding agent
Computer program code means for
The previous sale is subject to the specified minimum price constraint,
If all of the goods and the minimum price constraint are
Computer designated by one of the purchasing parties
・ Can be used for program code means and purchase
Subject to the specified quantity of the specified product being
The merchandise is sent to the mediation bidding
Computer pro
Gram code means, said product and said quantity
Is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties
Guru consisting of computer program code means
One or more computer groups selected from the
(5) which is a logical combination of program code means
A computer program product according to 8). (60) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
Computer program according to the above (54).
Goods. (61) The intermediary bidding agent determines whether the purchasing party
Group discounts or other groups instead of groups
The computer according to (54) above, which negotiates benefits.
Program products. (62) The mediation bidding agent is a large-scale oak
Above to facilitate grouping of purchasing parties
The computer program product according to (54). (63) The mediation bidding agent is a mediation auction agent
The computer according to (54), which is also an agent
Program products. (64) Two or more of the plurality of intermediary bidding agents
Are working together to develop a more efficient bidding strategy
The computer professional according to (54), which cooperates with
G product. (65) Trading protocol and one or more nets
To use the work to buy and sell goods between the parties.
Computer program embedded in it
Computer program with computer usable medium
Product, and one or more of a plurality of supplier parties
A certain quantity of goods for sale by the agent to an intermediary agent
Therefore, a computer program
Supply means and a list of the products to be sold.
Database with requirements specified by the party
Code for matching by the mediation agent in the
Computer program code means;
The combination of products from the strike is
Computer program code to determine
Stage, wherein the combination of products is offered individually
More potential buyers than the product at the time
Computer program code that is more desirable
Means and a combination of the goods satisfying the required conditions
To the mediation agent via the network in the form
Therefore, a computer for offering to multiple purchasing parties
Program code means and one of the purchasing parties
One or more of the above product combinations by one or more
Make one or more offers to buy
Received by the mediation agent via the network
Computer program code means for
Computer program product. (66) In connection with the list of the goods from the supplier,
One or more purchase agreements
For executing by the intermediary agent via
Computer program code means and the purchase side
1 concerning one or more combinations of the goods to the party
One or more sales contracts via the network
A computer for execution by the mediation agent
Data program code means,
The computer program product according to (65). (67) The network is an intranet,
Group consisting of a transnet and the Internet
Computer network selected from
The computer program product according to (65). (68) The trading protocol is an auction prototype
And the mediation agent is a mediation auction agent.
The computer program described in (65) above.
Program products. (69) The brokerage auction agent allows the plurality
To provide value-added services to the
Further comprising computer program code means.
The computer program product according to (65). (70) The computer for providing a value-added service
・ A list of products whose program code means is specified
All products listed in the above, the network
For selling by said intermediary auction agent via
Computer program code means, wherein said
A list of goods is provided by one of said plurality of supplier parties.
Program code means specified by
And one of the products listed in the specified product list
Goods via the network.
Computer program components for sale by
Loading means, wherein the list of products includes the plurality of products.
A computer program specified by one of the paying parties
Program code means and specified product list
The specified quantity of goods listed is transferred to the network
For selling by said intermediary auction agent via
Computer program code means, wherein said
The quantity of goods and the list of goods are determined by the plurality of suppliers.
Computer program specified by one of the parties
According to the ram code means and the specified budget constraints
A specified amount of the specified product via the network
Computers for sale by brokerage auction agents
Program code means, said product and
The budget constraint is imposed by one of the plurality of suppliers.
Program code means specified by
Subject to a previous purchase of one or more specified products
As a designated product via the network
A computer to sell by the intermediary auction agent
Data program code means, wherein
Is subject to the specified maximum price constraint,
And said maximum price constraint is that of said plurality of
Computer program code specified by one
Code means and the specified quantity of the specified goods to be sold
Subject to the condition, the product via the network
A computer to sell by the intermediary auction agent
Data program code means, said product and
And the quantity is determined by one of the plurality of supplier parties.
From the computer program code means defined
One or more computers selected from a group
Is a logical combination of data program code means,
The computer program product according to (69). (71) If the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent,
Computer program according to (68) above.
Goods. (72) The buying and selling of the goods is performed by the plurality of suppliers.
Described in (68) above, initiated by one or more
Computer program product listed. (73) The intermediary auction agent has a plurality of purchase
The selected one of the items for sale
Offer to run targeted auctions,
The computer program product according to (68). (74) Two or more of the plurality of auction agents are
To provide improved services to said supplier party
The computer according to (68), which cooperates with each other.
Program products. (75) The mediation auction agent performs the mediation bidding
The computer according to (68), which is also an agent
Program products.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a framework based on a mediation bidding agent according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a client bidding process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a mediation bidding agent process according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a brokerage auction agent process according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an overall framework that incorporates a mediation bidding agent and a mediation auction agent, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows “exclusive OR” (XOR) of the first embodiment.
6 is a bipartite graph showing value-added services.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a framework based on a mediation auction agent according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

201 Step of Initializing 202 Step of Compiling Bidding Information 203 Step of Sending Bidding Information to Intermediary 204 Step of Waiting for Result from Intermediary 205 Step of Determining Whether Auction Result 206 Making Payment, Signing Contract Step 207 of terminating the allocated transaction, such as by step 207 Step of changing the bid information according to the rules of the intermediary 208 Step of determining whether it is necessary to change the bid information

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 ZEC G06F 17/60 ZEC (72) Inventor Arun Kumar India 110087 New Delhi Outer Ring Road Pastim Bihar JH-10 Thunder Apartments 95 Dee (72) Inventor Rahal Garg India 201009 Uttar Pradesh G Jiabad Model Town West 27

Claims (75)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A method of trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the method comprising the steps of: Receiving an offer from the purchasing party to purchase the product at a mediation agent over a network; and collating the list of products to be purchased with the requirements by the mediation agent in a database. And purchasing said list of goods from said one or more supplier parties via said network in a manner that satisfies said requirements. 2. executing one or more purchase contracts for the list of goods from the supplying party by the intermediary agent over the network; one for the goods to the purchasing party; Or executing a plurality of sales contracts by the broker agent over the network. 3. The computer of claim 2, wherein the network is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an intranet, an extranet, and the Internet.
The method of claim 1. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said trading protocol is an auction protocol and said mediation agent is a mediation bidding agent. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of buying by said intermediary agent includes bidding at an auction by said intermediary agent. 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of providing a single point of access to said plurality of purchasing parties via said network by said intermediary bidding agent.
The method described in. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the single access point further comprises: collecting merchandise information from a plurality of suppliers by the intermediary bidding agent via the network. Offering the merchandise to be offered to the plurality of purchasing parties via the network by the mediation bidding agent. 8. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing value-added services to said plurality of purchasing parties by said intermediary bidding agent. 9. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of providing a value-added service includes: a step of purchasing each of the goods listed in the specified list of goods by the intermediary bidding agent via the network. Is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and the step of purchasing one item listed in the specified list of items by the intermediary bidding agent via the network. Wherein the list of products is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and the intermediation of the specified quantity of products described in the specified list of products via the network. Buying by a bidding agent, wherein the quantity of the item and the list of items are A step specified by one of a plurality of purchasing parties; and a step of purchasing a quantity of the specified product by the intermediary bidding agent via the network according to specified budget constraints, the method comprising: And wherein the budget constraint is specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and subject to a prior sale of one or more specified products, the specified products are passed through the network. Buying by an intermediary bidding agent, wherein the previous sale is subject to a specified minimum price constraint,
All of the goods and the minimum price constraint are specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and subject to a specified quantity of the specified goods available for purchase, Purchasing the product and the quantity from the group comprising the step of purchasing the product and the quantity via the network, wherein the product and the quantity are specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is a logical combination of steps. 10. The method of claim 4, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 11. The method of claim 4, wherein the mediation bidding agent negotiates group discounts or other group benefits on behalf of a group of purchasing parties. 12. The method of claim 4, wherein the mediation bidding agent facilitates grouping of purchasing parties in a large auction. 13. The method of claim 4, wherein said brokering bidding agent is also a brokering auction agent. 14. The method of claim 4, wherein two or more of the plurality of intermediary bidding agents cooperate with each other to jointly develop a more efficient bidding strategy. 15. A method of buying and selling goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the method comprising: distributing an amount of goods for sale by one or more of a plurality of supplying parties. Locating by the intermediary agent; collating the list of products for sale with the requirements specified by the supplying party by the intermediary agent in a database; Determining by the intermediary agent, wherein the combination of products is relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party than the product when individually offered; and To the mediation agent via the network in a form that satisfies the conditions Providing the plurality of purchasing parties with one or more offers by one or more of the purchasing parties to purchase one or more of the combination of products via the network. Receiving by the method. 16. Performing one or more purchase contracts for the list of goods from the supplying party by the intermediary agent over the network; and one of the goods to the purchasing party. Or executing one or more sales contracts for a plurality of combinations by the intermediary agent via the network. 17. The network according to claim 17, wherein said network is an intranet,
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an extranet and the Internet. 18. The method according to claim 18, wherein said trading protocol is an auction
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mediation agent is a protocol and the mediation agent is a mediation auction agent. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing value-added services to said plurality of supplying parties by said intermediary auction agent. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the step of providing a value-added service comprises: selling each of the goods listed in the specified list of goods by the intermediary auction agent through the network. Is specified by one of the plurality of supplying parties; and sells one item listed in the specified list of items by the intermediary auction agent via the network. Wherein the list of products is specified by one of the plurality of supplying parties; and the intermediation of the specified quantity of products described in the specified list of products via the network. Selling by the auction agent, wherein the quantity of the item and the list of items are Selling an amount of a specified product by the intermediary auction agent via the network according to a specified budget constraint, the product and the budget constraint. Is designated by one of the plurality of supplying parties; and subject to a previous purchase of one or more designated goods, the designated goods are transferred to the intermediary auction agent via the network. Is the step of selling
Wherein the previous purchase is subject to a specified maximum price constraint, wherein all of the items and the maximum price constraint are specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties; and a specification of a specified item to be sold. Selling the item, provided that the amount is a condition, by the intermediary auction agent via the network, wherein the item and the amount are specified by one of the plurality of supplying parties. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method is a logical combination of one or more steps selected from the group consisting of: 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 22. The method of claim 18, wherein buying and selling of the goods is initiated by one of the plurality of supplying parties. 23. The agent of claim 18, wherein the intermediary auction agent performs a targeted auction by offering the selected combination of items for sale to a selected one of a plurality of purchasing parties. the method of. 24. The method of claim 18, wherein two or more of a plurality of said auction agents cooperate with each other to provide improved services to said supplying party. 25. The method of claim 18, wherein said brokerage auction agent is also a brokerage bidding agent. 26. An apparatus for buying and selling goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, wherein the quantity is determined according to requirements specified by one or more of the plurality of purchasing parties. Means for receiving at the intermediary agent over the network an offer from the purchasing party to purchase the item, and matching the list of items to be purchased with the requirements by the intermediary agent in a database. Means for storing the list of products by the intermediary agent via the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements.
Means for purchasing from one or more supplier parties. 27. Means for executing one or more purchase contracts for the list of goods from the supplying party by the intermediary agent over the network, and for the goods to the purchasing party. Means for executing one or more sales contracts by the intermediary agent over the network.
An apparatus according to claim 26. 28. The network according to claim 28, wherein the network is an intranet,
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an extranet and the Internet. 29. The method according to claim 29, wherein the trading protocol is an auction
28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the agent is a protocol and the agent is an agent bidding agent. 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said means for buying by said mediation agent includes means for bidding on an auction by said mediation agent. 31. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising means for providing a single point of access to said plurality of purchasing parties by said intermediary bidding agent over said network. 32. The means for providing a single point of access further comprises: means for collecting merchandise information from a plurality of supplier parties by the intermediary bidding agent over the network; Means for offering by the intermediary bidding agent an item corresponding to item information to the plurality of purchasing parties via the network. 33. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising means for providing value-added services to said plurality of purchasing parties by said intermediary bidding agent. 34. The means for providing a value-added service, wherein the means for purchasing each and every item listed in a specified list of items by the intermediary bidding agent via the network. Means for the list of products to be specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and one of the products listed in the specified list of products to the intermediary bidding agent via the network. Means for buying, wherein the list of goods is a means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and a specified amount of goods described in the specified list of goods, Means for buying by said intermediary bidding agent over a network, wherein the quantity of the goods and the list of goods are: Means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and means for purchasing a quantity of the specified product by the intermediary bidding agent via the network, according to specified budget constraints, Means for the product and the budget constraint to be specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and, subject to a previous sale of the one or more specified products, the specified product to the network. Means for purchasing by the intermediary bidding agent via the prior sale, wherein the previous sale is subject to a specified minimum price constraint, and all of the goods and the minimum price constraint are determined by one of the plurality of purchasing parties. Subjecting said goods to said net, subject to specified means and a specified quantity of specified goods available for purchase. One or more means for purchasing by the intermediary bidding agent via a network, wherein the goods and the quantity are selected from a group consisting of: means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties. 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the apparatus is a logical combination of the means. 35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 36. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the mediation bidding agent negotiates a group discount or other group benefits on behalf of a group of purchasing parties. 37. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the mediation bidding agent facilitates grouping of purchasing parties in a large auction. 38. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said mediation bidding agent is also a mediation auction agent. 39. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein two or more of a plurality of said mediating bidding agents cooperate with each other to jointly develop a more efficient bidding strategy. 40. An apparatus for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks, the method comprising: distributing an amount of goods for sale by one or more of a plurality of supplying parties. Means for locating by the intermediary agent; means for reconciling the list of items for sale with requirements specified by the supplier party in the database by the intermediary agent; and items from the list of items. Is determined by the mediation agent, wherein the combination of the products is more than the product when individually offered.
Means for offering a combination of goods that is relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party, to the plurality of purchasing parties by the intermediary agent over the network in a manner that satisfies the requirements; Means for receiving one or more offers by one or more of the purchasing parties to purchase one or more of the combination of goods over the network by the intermediary agent. 41. Means for executing one or more purchase contracts on the list of goods from the supplying party by the intermediary agent over the network; and Means for executing one or more sales contracts for one or more combinations by said intermediary agent via said network. 42. The network according to claim 42, wherein the network is an intranet,
41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the apparatus is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an extranet and the Internet. 43. The trading protocol according to claim 34, wherein the auction
41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the agent is a protocol and the agent is an agent. 44. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising means for providing value-added services to said plurality of supplying parties by said intermediary auction agent. 45. The means for providing a value-added service comprises: means for selling each and every product listed in a specified list of products by the intermediary auction agent via the network. Means for the list of goods to be specified by one of the plurality of supplying parties; and one of the goods listed in the specified list of goods to the intermediary auction agent via the network. Means for selling, wherein the list of goods is a means specified by one of the plurality of suppliers, and a specified quantity of goods described in the specified list of goods, Means for selling by the intermediary auction agent via a network, wherein the quantity of the goods and the list of the goods are Means designated by one of the side parties, and means for selling, according to designated budget constraints, an amount of the designated product by the intermediary auction agent via the network, wherein the product and the Means for budget constraints to be specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties; and, subject to a previous purchase of one or more of the specified goods, the mediation of the specified goods through the network. Means for selling by an auction agent, wherein said previous purchase is subject to a specified maximum price constraint,
All of the goods and the highest price constraint are specified by means of one of the plurality of supplying parties; and subject to the specified quantity of the specified goods to be sold, the goods are passed through the network. One or more means for selling by said intermediary auction agent via said means, wherein said goods and said quantity are selected from a group consisting of means specified by one of said plurality of supplier parties. 5. A logical combination of
An apparatus according to claim 4. 46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 47. The method of claim 43, wherein the buying and selling of the goods is initiated by one or more of the plurality of suppliers.
An apparatus according to claim 1. 48. The intermediary auction agent performs a targeted auction by first offering the combination of goods for sale to a selected one of a plurality of purchasing parties. An apparatus according to claim 1. 49. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein two or more of a plurality of said auction agents cooperate with each other to provide improved services to said supplying party. 50. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said mediation auction agent is also a mediation bidding agent. 51. A computer program product having a computer usable medium having a computer program for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks embedded therein. A computer for receiving, at a mediation agent via a network, an offer from said purchasing party to purchase a quantity of said goods, according to requirements specified by one or more of the plurality of purchasing parties. Program code means; computer program code means for matching the list of products to be purchased with the requirements in the database by the intermediary agent; and satisfying the requirements with the list of products. Through the network in the form 1 by the mediation agent
Computer program code means for purchasing from one or more supplier parties. 52. Computer program code means for executing one or more purchase agreements on the list of goods from the supplier party over the network by the intermediary agent; and the purchaser party 52. The computer program product of claim 51, further comprising: computer program code means for executing one or more sales contracts for the merchandise to the mediation agent over the network. 53. The network according to claim 53, wherein the network is an intranet,
The computer program product of claim 51, wherein the computer program product is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an extranet and the Internet. 54. The trading protocol according to claim 54, wherein the trading protocol is an auction.
52. The computer program product of claim 51, wherein said mediation agent is a mediation bidding agent. 55. The computer program code means for purchasing by the intermediary agent,
Including computer program code means for bidding in an auction by said mediation agent;
52. The computer program product according to claim 51. 56. The computer of claim 54, further comprising computer program code means for providing a single point of access to said plurality of purchasing parties by said intermediary bidding agent over said network.・ Program products. 57. The computer program code means for providing the single access point, further comprising: a computer for collecting merchandise information from a plurality of supplier parties via the network by the mediation bidding agent. A program code means, and a computer program for offering a product corresponding to the product information to the plurality of purchasing parties by the mediation bidding agent via the network.
Computer program product according to claim 56, comprising code means. 58. The computer program product of claim 54, further comprising computer program code means for providing value-added services to said plurality of purchasing parties by said intermediary bidding agent. 59. The computer program code means for providing a value-added service, wherein the computer-program code means for purchasing, by the intermediary bidding agent, each and every item listed in a specified list of items. Computer program code means, wherein the list of goods is computer program code means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and one of the list of goods specified in the specified list of goods. A computer program for purchasing goods by the mediation bidding agent via the network;
Code means, wherein the list of goods is stored on a computer designated by one of the plurality of purchasing parties.
Program code means; and computer program code means for purchasing, by the mediation bidding agent, a specified quantity of goods listed in a specified list of goods, via the network. And a list of the goods is provided by computer program code means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and, according to specified budget constraints, a quantity of the specified goods via the network. Computer program for purchasing by said mediation bidding agent
Code means, wherein the product and the budget constraint are:
Computer program code means specified by one of the plurality of purchasing parties; and subject to a prior sale of one or more specified goods, the specified goods are communicated via the network. Computer program code means for buying by an intermediary bidding agent, wherein the previous sale is subject to a specified minimum price constraint, and wherein all of the goods and the minimum price constraint are one of the plurality of purchasing parties. A computer program code means designated by one of the following, and subject to a specified quantity of a specified product available for purchase, for purchasing the product by the intermediary bidding agent over the network. Computer program code means of
The goods and the quantity are one of the plurality of purchasing parties;
59. The computer program product of claim 58, wherein the computer program product is a logical combination of one or more computer program code means selected from the group consisting of: 60. The computer program product of claim 54, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 61. The computer program product of claim 54, wherein the intermediary bidding agent negotiates group discounts or other group benefits on behalf of a group of purchasing parties. 62. The computer program product of claim 54, wherein the mediation bidding agent facilitates grouping of purchasing parties in a large auction. 63. The computer program product of claim 54, wherein the mediation bidding agent is also a mediation auction agent. 64. The computer program product of claim 54, wherein two or more of the plurality of intermediary bidding agents cooperate with each other to jointly develop a more efficient bidding strategy. 65. A computer program product having a computer usable medium having a computer program for trading goods between parties using a trading protocol and one or more networks embedded therein. Computer program code means for ascertaining, by an intermediary agent, an amount of goods for sale by one or more of a plurality of supplying parties; A computer for matching by said mediation agent in a database with specified requirements.
Program code means, and computer program code means for determining a combination of goods from the list of goods by the mediation agent, wherein the combination of goods is different from the goods when individually offered. A computer program code means that is relatively more desirable to a potential purchasing party; and Computer program code means for making an offer; and one or more offers by one or more of the purchasing parties to purchase one or more of the product combinations, via the network to the intermediary agent. Computer program for receiving by -
Computer program product including code means. 66. Computer program code means for executing one or more purchase contracts for the list of goods from the supplier party over the network by the intermediary agent; and the purchaser party 66. The computer program code means for further executing one or more sales contracts for one or more combinations of the goods to the mediation agent over the network. Computer program products. 67. The network according to claim 67, wherein said network is an intranet,
The computer program product of claim 65, wherein the computer program product is a computer network selected from the group consisting of an extranet and the Internet. 68. The method according to claim 68, wherein the trading protocol is an auction
66. The computer program product of claim 65, wherein said mediation agent is a protocol and said mediation agent is a mediation auction agent. 69. The computer program product of claim 65, further comprising computer program code means for providing value-added services to said plurality of supplying parties by said intermediary auction agent. 70. The computer program code means for providing a value-added service, wherein the computer program code means for selling each item on the specified list of items by the intermediary auction agent over the network. Computer program code means, wherein the list of goods is one of the plurality of suppliers.
And computer program code means for selling one item listed in the specified list of items by the intermediary auction agent via the network. Wherein the list of commodities comprises computer program code means designated by one of the plurality of suppliers; and a designated quantity of commodities listed in the designated list of goods, the network comprising: Computer program code means for selling by the intermediary auction agent via the computer program code, wherein the quantity of the goods and the list of goods are specified by one of the plurality of suppliers. A certain amount of finger according to the means and budget constraints specified. Computer program code means for selling said goods via said network by said intermediary auction agent, wherein said goods and said budget constraints are specified by one of said plurality of suppliers. Program code means, and computer program code means for selling the designated goods by said intermediary auction agent over said network, subject to a previous purchase of one or more specified goods. So, the previous purchase,
According to a specified maximum price constraint, all of the goods and the maximum price constraint are specified by computer program code means specified by one of the plurality of supplier parties; Computer program code means for selling the goods by the auction agent over the network, provided that the goods and the quantity are provided by one of the plurality of supplying parties. 70. A logical combination of one or more computer program code means selected from the group consisting of designated computer program code means.
A computer program product as described in. 71. The computer program product of claim 68, wherein the supplying party is also an intermediary bidding agent. 72. The buying and selling of the commodity is initiated by one or more of the plurality of supplying parties.
A computer program product as described in. 73. The mediation auction agent of claim 68, wherein the intermediary auction agent performs a targeted auction by offering the selected combination of merchandise to a selected one of a plurality of purchasing parties. Computer program products. 74. The computer program product of claim 68, wherein two or more of a plurality of said auction agents cooperate with each other to provide improved services to said supplying party. 75. The computer program product of claim 68, wherein said mediation auction agent is also a mediation bidding agent.