JP2002532789A - Integrated auction for remote online bidders and live participants at auction sites - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) SUMMARY A method and apparatus for conducting an integrated auction that integrates various functions of conventional and online auctions is provided. According to one aspect of the invention, the integrated auction includes a real live auction component (620) and an online bidding environment component. The bid information associated with the item in the online bidding environment is updated to reflect the current bid associated with that item in the actual live auction. During a live live auction, bids of online bidders in an online environment that reflect the maximum price the online bidder will pay for the item are accepted. Accordingly, the system bids on behalf of online bidders for one or more bidders participating in a real live auction based on the maximum price (640).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60 / 111,717, filed December 8, 1998.

(Notes on Copyright) The materials described in this specification are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner does not object to the exact reproduction of the patent disclosure by any person appearing in the Patent and Trademark Office's patent file or record, but otherwise reserves all copyrights.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates generally to auctions and online commerce. More specifically, the present invention relates to an integrated auction format that integrates the functions of both the Internet and traditional real-world auctions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION eBay Inc., the assignee of the present invention. With the advent of online auctions pioneered by the company, an increasing number of Internet users are realizing the ease and convenience of purchasing items online. As a large individual-to-individual commercial site, there is a lot of content available, so buyers conduct commerce on eBay's web site. Similarly, the seller is the eBa with the largest number of buyers
Do business with an attractive y. eBay currently offers over 2 million new auctions and 250,000 new user-selectable items.

[0005] Live, real-time, on-site auctions ("traditional auctions")
The auction house hosting the auction) is still very successful. However,
Geographical barriers, costs of travel, and other constraints limit participation in such auctions.

[0006] It is therefore desirable to extend the scope of conventional auctions over the Internet. In particular, it is advantageous to integrate the best parts of both the Internet and traditional auctions into an integrated auction format.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] A method and an apparatus for implementing an integrated auction integrating various functions of a conventional auction and an online auction will be described. According to one aspect of the present invention, an integrated auction includes a real live auction component and an online bidding environment component. Bid information associated with an item in the online bidding environment is updated to reflect the current bid associated with that item in the actual live auction. During a real live auction, a bid is received from an online bidder in an online environment that reflects the maximum price that the online bidder is willing to pay for the item. Accordingly, the system places a bid on behalf of an online bidder against one or more bidders participating in a real live auction based on the maximum price.

[0008] Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A method and apparatus for performing an integrated auction incorporating various features of conventional auctions and online auctions will be described. In the following description, for purposes of clarity, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific examples. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form.

As described in detail below, the present invention includes features that seek to extend the traditional auction experience. In one embodiment, the integrated auction incorporates various features of a traditional auction and an Internet auction (also called an online auction). In the first phase of the integrated auction, for example, the "pre-auction bidding phase", a starting bid for a conventional live auction can be established based on bids received from online bidders. After that,
In the second stage of the integrated auction, for example, the "live auction stage", the live auction is executed using the maximum bid amount of the pre-auction bidding stage and the Gua.
Performed by auction houses such as ernsey's. live·
During the auction phase, the bidding information is updated at the online auction site and online bidders can submit an additional maximum proxy amount. Finally, an optional third stage of the integrated auction, for example,
In the (proxy showdown) phase, if the commission price of the online bidder is higher than the maximum bid in the live auction phase, the integrated auction returns to the live auction until the commission price is reached. In this manner, the range of the conventional auction can be extended via the Internet.

In a preferred embodiment, the procedure of the present invention is embodied in machine-executable instructions. This instruction can be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the above instruction to execute the procedure of the present invention. Alternatively, the procedures of the present invention may be performed by specific hardware components, including logic embedded in the hardware performing the procedures, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components. it can.

The present invention is provided as a computer program product that can include a machine-readable medium having instructions embodied therein that can be used to program a computer (or other electronic device) to perform a method according to the present invention. it can. The machine-readable medium includes, but is not limited to, a floppy disk, optical disk, CD-ROM, and magneto-optical disk, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical card, flash memory, or electronic memory. Other types of media / machine-readable media suitable for storing instructions may be included. Further, the invention can be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program is executed by a data signal embodied in a carrier or via a communication link (eg, a modem or network connection). Other propagation media may transfer from a remote computer (eg, a server) to a requesting computer (eg, a client).

Client-Server Environment FIG. 1 illustrates a World Wide Network where the online portion of the integrated auction is executed.
1 is a schematic diagram of an example client-server environment, such as the web (web). The web architecture follows a traditional client-server model. The terms "client" and "server" refer to the general role of a computer as a data requestor (client) and a data provider (server). Web client 105 and web server 110 communicate using a protocol such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). In the web environment,
A web browser resides on the client and causes a web server to serve web documents (pages). A client-server model is used to communicate information between the client 105 and the server 110. Web server 110 is coupled to Internet 100 and responds to document requests and / or other queries from web client 105. When a user submits a uniform resource locator (URL) and selects a document, a Netscape Navigator or Internet E
A web browser, such as xproler, opens a connection to the server 100 and initiates a request for a document (such as HTTP acquisition). The server 110 sends the requested document, typically in the form of a text document encoded in a standard markup language such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

FIG. 2 illustrates an online auction site interface for online bidders to participate in an integrated auction.
It is an example of an auction site screen. In one embodiment, when an online bidder requests to view an item associated with an integrated auction, the text of the item
A screen 200 showing the list 205 is presented. In this example, each item 210 includes a hypertext link 215 having the title (or short description) of the item to be sold, an indication 220 of whether an image of the item is available, a current minimum bid 230, , The number of accepted bids 240 and the end date and / or time 250 of the auction. In response to selection of hypertext link 215, a subsequent screen (not shown) may prompt online bidders to enter their maximum bid for item 210. By providing the maximum bid amount, as described in more detail below, the proxy bidding system allows online bidders to increase their bids by the current bid increment as needed until the maximum bid is reached. You can place a bid on behalf of. Advantageously, this way, online bidders do not need to track the progress of the auction, and unless they exceed the specified maximum amount,
It is guaranteed that you will not be charged higher at the end.

Exemplary Computer System Computer system 300 representing an exemplary server on which the functionality of the present invention may be implemented.
Will be described with reference to FIG. Computer system 300 includes a bus or other communication means 301 for transmitting and receiving information, and processing means such as a processor 302 coupled to bus 301 for processing information. Computer system 300 further includes a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device 304 (referred to as main memory) coupled to bus 301 for storing information and instructions to be processed by processor 302. . Maine·
Memory 304 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor 302. Computer system 302 also includes a read-only memory (ROM) and / or other static storage 306 coupled to bus 301 for storing static information and instructions for processor 302.

A data storage device 307, such as a magnetic or optical disk, and a corresponding drive are also connected to the computer system 300 for storing information and instructions. The computer system 300 is also connected via a bus 301 to a display device 321 such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying information to a computer user. Typically, an alphanumeric input device 322, including alphanumeric and other keys, is also connected to bus 301 for transmitting information and / or selection commands to processor 302. Another type of user input device is a cursor control device 323, such as a mouse, trackball, or cursor direction keys that sends direction information and selection commands to the processor 302 and controls cursor movement on the display 321.

A communication device 325 is also connected to the bus 301 for accessing a remote server via the Internet, for example. Communication device 325 may include a modem, network interface card, or other commercially available network interface device such as that used to connect to an Ethernet, Token Ring, or other type of network. Can be. In any event, in this manner, computer system 300 is connected to a number of clients and / or other services via a conventional network infrastructure, such as, for example, a corporate intranet and / or the Internet. .

System Overview FIG. 4 is a high-level interaction diagram between various devices and processes according to one embodiment of the present invention. According to the illustrated embodiment, an online auction site 4
00 may include one or more listing servers 410. In this example, listing server 410 includes a listing management process 415, a proxy bidding process 425, and a live auction interface 430. Client 470 interacts with listing management process 415 and proxy bidding process 425 to display information about items for sale, respectively, and submit commission prices.

[0020] The listing management process 415 interacts with the online bidder to provide the online bidder with information about the items that the online bidder is interested in. The listing management process 415 is a text-based item listing process as shown in FIG.
Format and / or "Information Presententati
on and Management in an Online Trade
ng Environment "and a Gallery (TM) presentation format containing thumbnail images of items for sale described in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09 / 177,726, assigned to the assignee of the present invention (GALLERY is eBay, San Jose, CA). Inc. trademark).

The proxy bidding process 425 tracks the maximum amount an online bidder can pay for item 210. Based on the maximum amount provided, the proxy bidding process 425 automatically submits bids on behalf of online bidders as other bidders (online or onsite bidders) increase their bids.

The live auction interface 430 is an interface where online bids are communicated to on-site bidders and live bids are communicated to a proxy bidding process 425 to be updated on various online auction site screens. .

Although the listing server 410 has been described as a single device for simplicity, in practice, the listing server 410 may have multiple physical and connected devices in a distributed architecture. And / or may include logic devices, and the various functions performed may actually be distributed among multiple devices. For example, any function can be performed on any number of machines or on a single machine. Also, any process can be split between multiple machines.

Example of Stages of Integrated Auction FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing each stage of the integrated auction according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the integrated auction includes three distinct distinct stages. That is, there are a pre-auction bidding stage 530, a live auction stage 540, and a commission disclosure stage 550. Bidding results can be sent from one stage to the next, and the results of the previous stage can be used as a basis for the next stage. For example,
The first online bidding 530 performed during a predetermined time period may be the starting bid amount 510 of the live auction stage 540. Live Auction Stage 54
As a result of 0, if one or more online bidders submits a maximum commission price that is greater than the final bid in live auction phase 540, then the live auction is triggered until the maximum commission price is reached by triggering the public delegation phase 550. continue.

The flow of the integrated auction will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At step 610, the minimum bid for the live auction stage 540 is established by the online auction site 400. For example, one or more online bidders may submit a maximum bid amount to proxy bidding process 425 and have proxy bidding process 425 place a bid on their behalf. Other bidders can monitor the pre-auction bidding phase 530 and submit bids on a regular basis. Upon expiration of the predetermined period of the pre-auction bidding phase 530, the highest bid is presented to the auction house via the live auction interface 430. In this way, the starting bid for the live auction stage 540 is established in a new and exciting way, thereby creating a further advertising effect on the auction. At step 620, the auction house runs a live auction that starts bidding at the dollar amount provided by online auction site 400. During a live auction, live bids by on-site bidders are communicated to online bidders via live auction interface 430. In addition, online bidders may be provided with a conference call or other means to monitor the progress of the live auction 540. In any case, at the end of the live auction, the final bid is entered into live auction interface 430. At step 630, it is determined whether to perform delegated publication. If one or more online bidders have submitted a maximum commission price that is higher than the highest bid in the live auction phase, processing moves to step 640. Otherwise, the integrated auction is completed. At step 640, the onsite bidder competes with one or more online bidder agents. As described above, the live bid is presented to the online auction site 400 via the live auction interface 430 so that online bidders can see the updates in near real time. As described above, the proxy bidding process 425 automatically bids on behalf of online bidders as needed until the maximum amount is exceeded. Thus, step 640 continues until all maximum commissions have been exceeded or no live bids have been offered.

The present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof. However, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary client-server environment in which the online portion of an integrated auction is implemented according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary online auction site screen for online bidders to participate in an integrated auction according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example of a computer system that can implement an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a high-level diagram of the interaction between various devices and processes according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing each stage of an integrated auction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of an integrated auction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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Claims (6)

[Claims] Updating bid information associated with an item in an online environment to reflect a current bid for the item in an actual live auction; and reflecting a maximum commission price of the online bidder. Accepting bids from online bidders in the online environment, and placing bids for online bidders against one or more live bidders participating in the actual live auction based on the maximum commission price Performing the steps. 2. As long as the bidding step on behalf of an online bidder does not exceed a maximum commission price, and unless the current bid is not the bid of the online bidder,
The method of claim 1 including bidding an amount that exceeds a current bid amount. 3. Establishing a starting bid for the item by executing a pre-auction bidding process in an online environment for a predetermined period of time prior to a live live auction; Communicating to a live auction of the first party. 4. Establishing a starting bid for an item in a live portion of the auction by performing a pre-auction bidding process in an online environment for a predetermined period of time; Communicating; and during a live portion of the auction, updating bid information associated with the item in an online environment to reflect a current bid for the item in the live portion of the auction; Accepting bids from online bidders in the online environment to reflect the maximum delegated price of the online auction and competing against one or more live bidders participating in the live auction portion of the auction until the maximum delegated price is reached And bidding. 5. A storage device for storing one or more routines for integrating the online bidding process with the live portion of the auction, and executing one or more routines in the online environment during the live portion of the auction. And a processor coupled to the storage device for providing feedback to the online bidder of the online bidder and acting as a proxy for the online bidder.
A system for executing a pre-auction bidding process in an online environment for a predetermined period of time to establish a starting bid for an item in the live portion of the auction, and during the live portion of the auction, Updating the bidding information associated with the online bidder to reflect the current bid amount for the item in the live portion of the auction and provide one or more of the online bidders' maximum commissioned prices. One or more live bidders participating in the live portion of the auction until one of the one or more online bidders reaches each of the maximum commissioned prices. Proxy bidding is achieved by placing bids on behalf of online bidders A computer system that. 6. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing an instruction sequence, the instruction sequence being executed by a processor to cause the processor to perform a pre-auction bidding process in an online environment for a predetermined period of time. Establishing a starting bid for an item in the live portion of the auction by communicating the starting bid of the item to the live portion of the auction. Updating bid information to reflect the current bid for the item in the live portion of the auction and accepting bids from online bidders in the online environment reflecting the online bidder's maximum delegated price. And live auction until the maximum commission price is reached Placing a bid against one or more live bidders participating in the auction portion.