JP2024035573A - auction system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an auction system that can appropriately select participants and conduct high-quality auctions. [Solution] An auction system (1) includes first and second markets (16, 17), a member management table (9) in which information of members participating in these markets is managed, and a bidding system that stores auction history. A history table (10). The member management table (9) stores member identification information and member points, which are numerical data given to members. Member points are determined based on the history of bids and successful bids recorded in the bid history table (10), and are used as data for determining whether or not to participate in the second market (17). [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an auction system that auctions items to be bid on via a network, and is suitable for, but not limited to, works of art.

In auctions of works of art, etc., transactions are concluded by preparing an auction venue, inviting a large number of participants to attend, and allowing them to bid directly. However, in recent years, systems that conduct auctions via a network have been realized, such as the auction system described in Patent Document 1, for example. In such a system, a server equipped with an auction system is provided on the network. Participants then access the auction system from their computers, tablets, or smartphones. Participants will place bids on the auction system. Such an auction system is highly convenient because participants do not need to go to the auction venue.

JP2008-262298A

An auction system built on a server on a network is highly convenient and superior because participants can participate via the network. However, there are also issues that need to be resolved. Specifically, there is a problem in that it is not possible to select participants. In an auction held at an auction venue, there is a limit to the number of attendees. Appropriate participants are selected when auctioning items that are particularly popular. For example, there are participants who have a track record of winning bids for similar target items in the past, participants who have sufficient financial resources, and the like. Appropriate selection of participants will improve the quality of the auction. However, in an auction system built on a server on a network, bidding can be freely participated. In other words, participants cannot be selected. In this case, there is a possibility that a high-quality auction cannot be conducted.

Other issues can also be seen. For example, when the item to be bid on is a work of art, the English auction method is generally used in the auction. In the English auction system, the auction starts from a low price. The participants then submit bids by sequentially presenting higher prices. In the end, the bidder who offers the highest amount wins the bid. In this method, if a sufficient number of participants who are highly interested in the art work are held at auction, the work will be sold at an appropriate price commensurate with the art work. However, in an auction system on a network, the number of participants may be small. Alternatively, even if there are many participants, many of them may not be interested in the artwork that is the object of bidding. In such cases, there is a possibility that there will be no competition and the artwork will be sold at an unreasonably low price compared to its original value. In other words, there is a possibility that the item will be sold at an inappropriate price.

An object of the present invention is to provide an auction system that can appropriately select participants and conduct a high-quality auction. Another object of the present invention is to provide an auction system in which items to be bid on in an auction are not sold at unreasonably low prices.

The present invention is directed to an auction system built on a server on a network, in which a plurality of members participate from a plurality of terminals connected via the network and auction items to be bid on. The auction system of the present invention includes a database and various tables. That is, it stores the first and second markets, a member management table in which information of members participating in the first and second markets is managed, and the history of auctions conducted in the first and second markets. and a bidding history table. The member management table manages member identification information that identifies the member and member points, which are numerical data given to the member. - Make the decision based on the history of successful bids. The second market is configured such that only members whose membership points exceed a participation determination threshold, which is a threshold for determining whether or not to participate, are permitted to participate.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the item to be bid is a work of art, and the first market is configured to be a Dutch auction.
Furthermore, the invention described in claim 4 is configured such that the second market can be selected from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the auction system includes an art management table for managing art. The art management table contains art identification information that identifies the art, creator information including the email address or bank account of the art creator, and information indicating that the current owner of the art is the creator. Owner information, which is information as to whether the Then, when the ownership is transferred or an art work that has already been sold is re-listed on the auction system and sold, the resale refund is calculated based on the winning bid price and is given to the creator of the art work. The system is configured to send an e-mail to the customer to the effect that the resale return money will be deposited, or to deposit the resale return money into a bank account.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the auction system is configured to use the successful bid price of the item to be bid as a parameter in calculating member points.

According to the present invention, the auction system includes a first market and a second market, and in order to participate in the second market, it is necessary for the member points possessed by the member to exceed a participation determination threshold. It has become. Then, for the second market, participants can be appropriately selected and a high-quality auction can be conducted. Note that participants in the first market are not selected, so even new members can participate and accumulate membership points by repeatedly making bids.
In the third aspect of the invention, the first market is implemented using a Dutch auction method. By conducting an auction using the Dutch auction method, even if the number of participants is small or the number of bids is small, it is possible to prevent the item from being sold at an unreasonably low price relative to the value of the item to be bid on.
According to the invention of claim 4, the second market can be selected from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system, so the degree of freedom is high.
According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, when a successful work of art is put up for bid again and sold, resale rewards are paid to the creator of the work of art, thereby supporting the creator. This provides excellent effects.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an auction system according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart showing a procedure for a member to participate in an auction in the auction system according to the present embodiment.

An auction system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The auction system according to the present invention is not limited to the types of items to be bid on, and can include various tangible items such as furniture, daily necessities, cars, etc., or intangible items such as the right to participate in a party, the right to stay overnight, and the right to talk to idols. Auctions can be held for items. However, the auction system 1 according to the present embodiment, which will be described below, targets works of art as bid targets.

FIG. 1 shows a network 2, a server 3 connected to the network 2, a plurality of terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, etc. also connected to the network 2, and a bank connected to the network 2. System 5 is shown. The server 3 is provided with the auction system 1 according to this embodiment. The auction system 1 according to the present embodiment is constructed on the server 3 connected to the network 2 as described above, and a plurality of members participate from a plurality of terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . to conduct an auction. It is supposed to be done. Note that the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . can be a personal computer, a tablet, a smartphone, etc., and there are no limitations on the type of device.

The auction system 1 is provided with a database for managing auctions, and the database is provided with various tables. That is, an art object management table 8 for managing art objects, a member management table 9 for managing members, and a bid history table 10 for storing auction history. When implementing the auction system 1 on the server 3, it is not necessarily necessary to provide tables similar to these three tables 8, 9, and 10, nor is it necessary to limit the number of tables to three. Here, for convenience, the description will be made assuming that three tables are provided, that is, an art object management table 8, a member management table 9, and a bid history table 10.

The art object management table 8 stores the following information.
・Art piece identification information Information to identify the artwork, such as the name that identifies the artwork, the artwork ID that is a unique ID for identifying the artwork, the category of the artwork, the size of the artwork, etc. include.
-Creator information Contains information about the creator, such as the creator's name, creator's contact information (email address), and the creator's bank account.
・Owner information Information regarding the current owner of the artwork. However, if no transfer of ownership occurs due to assignment or successful bid, the owner information is empty. Alternatively, if no transfer of ownership has occurred, the name of the creator may be stored.
・Indicator for calculating member points This is data belonging to art objects for calculating member points, which will be explained later.The system administrator of the auction system 1 registers art objects to be bid on in the art object management table 8. Sometimes, it is set in advance, taking into account the judgment of system administrators, art experts, etc. For example, there is an art object importance index that is given depending on the importance of the target art object, and is set in the range of 0 to 10. Alternatively, there is a creation time index given according to the time of creation, a size index given according to the size of the artwork, etc., which are similarly set in the range of 0 to 10. The larger the number, the more it affects the calculation of membership points.

The following information is stored in the member management table 9.
- Member identification information This is information for identifying the member, such as the member's name, member ID, which is a unique ID that identifies the member, and the member's debit account or card information.
・Membership points are given to each member and are used to determine whether or not to participate in the second market, as will be explained later. The value is corrected by calculation based on the history of bids and successful bids by members not only in the first market but also in the second market. At the time of new registration, 0 member points will be given.

The following information is stored in the bidding history table 10.
- Bidding/successful bid history For each art object, the art object ID, the member IDs and bid amounts of all members who made bids, and the member IDs and successful bid amounts of members who made successful bids are stored as a history.

The auction system 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a plurality of processes implemented by application programs. They are a communication department 12, an art object registration processing section 13, a membership registration processing section 14, a first market processing section 16, a second market processing section 17, a membership point calculation processing section 19, and a resale reward processing section 20. These will be explained.

The communication unit 12 is responsible for managing communication with the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . via the network 2. It also communicates with the bank system 5. In this embodiment, the communication unit 12 is equipped with a WEB server, and various screens prepared by other processes, that is, the art object registration processing unit 13, the member registration processing unit 14, the first market processing unit 16, etc. 4a, 4b, 4c,... Data sent based on screen operations from these terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, etc. is then passed to the art object registration processing section 13, member registration processing section 14, first market processing section 16, etc. There is.

The artwork registration processing unit 13 performs a process of recording artworks to be bid on in the artwork management table 8. A system administrator accesses the auction system 1 from any of the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . and receives user authentication on a user authentication screen. When the system administrator performs a predetermined operation, a screen exclusively for the system administrator provided by the artwork registration processing section 13 is displayed on the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . . The system administrator inputs necessary information for each artwork to be bid. Then, information about the artwork is stored in the artwork management table 8. Specifically, the system administrator inputs information such as a name for identifying the artwork, the category of the artwork, and the size of the artwork. Then, the artwork registration processing unit 13 assigns a unique artwork ID in the system. Furthermore, the system administrator inputs the above-mentioned creator information and member point calculation index. This information is registered in the art object management table 8. Note that although it has been described that the artwork ID is automatically assigned by the artwork registration processing unit 13, it may be specified by the system administrator as long as it is a unique ID.

It is also possible to modify the information stored in the art object management table 8 regarding the art object already registered. The system administrator accesses the auction system 1 from the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, etc., receives user authentication on the user authentication screen, and displays the system administrator-only screen provided by the art object registration processing unit 13 by performing a predetermined operation. . Enter the art object ID and search for the art object whose information you want to modify. Information about the relevant artwork will then be displayed. Any information can be modified.

The member registration processing unit 14 is responsible for registering and managing members who participate in the auction system 1. In order to participate in the first and second markets hosted by the first market processing section 16 and second market processing section 17, which will be explained later, it is necessary to become a member. You will need to register as a member. Furthermore, members are given membership points, and it is determined whether or not they can participate in the second market depending on the membership points. Referring to FIG. 2, the flow of processing from when a member accesses the auction system 1 to participating in the first and second markets will be explained, and the member registration processing section 14 will be explained in detail.

A person who wishes to participate in the auction accesses the auction system 1 from any terminal 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . Then, the auction system 1 executes user authentication (step S01) as shown in FIG. In other words, a user authentication screen is displayed. Those wishing to participate must log in. The auction system 1 determines whether login is possible in step S02. If the login is successful, the process moves to step S05. Step S05 will be explained later. On the other hand, if login is not possible, step S03 is processed to determine whether the person wishing to participate is a new member. If the user is already a registered member and the user authentication fails, the process returns to step S01. On the other hand, if the member is a new member, membership registration processing is executed in step S04. In other words, the auction system 1 calls the member registration processing section 14. Then, a new member input screen provided by the member registration processing section 14 is displayed on the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . . A new member enters information such as member name, debit account, card information, and contact information. Then, the member registration processing unit 14 assigns a member ID, which is a unique ID that identifies the member, and registers the member in the member management table 9 together with these IDs. At this time, the membership points of the relevant member are registered as 0 in the membership management table 9. Note that the member ID may be designated by the member himself as long as it is a unique ID.

In step S05, the auction system 1 allows the member to select a market in which he/she wishes to participate. If the member wishes to participate in the first market, the process moves to step S06. Participation in the market is permitted in step S06. In other words, the member starts an auction in the first market executed by the first market processing section 16. On the other hand, if the member desires to participate in the second market in step S05, the process moves to step S07. In step S07, the auction system 1 refers to the member management table 9 and confirms the member points held by the member. Then, it is checked whether the participation determination threshold value preset in the auction system 1 is exceeded. If the member points exceed the participation determination threshold, participation in the market is permitted in step S06. Thereafter, the member starts an auction in the second market executed by the second market processing section 17. On the other hand, if the member points are smaller than the participation determination threshold, the auction system 1 disallows participation in the market in step S07. Finish the process.

The first market processing section 16 and the second market processing section 17 respectively provide the first market and the second market via the WEB screen. In either market, a system administrator puts up a work of art to be bid on, and a plurality of participating members bid accordingly. Then, the successful bidder is determined and awarded. We provide a series of such processes.

In this embodiment, the first market provided by the first market processing unit 16 is implemented by a down-bid type, a so-called Dutch auction type. The system administrator selects a predetermined art registered in the art management database 8 as a bid object, sets three parameters for the art, and puts it on the first market. Participating members will be able to bid freely from now on. Note that the three parameters are the bidding start price, the set reduction amount, and the auction stop price, and these are determined after consulting with the creator in advance. First, the first market processing unit 16 displays the starting bid price for the art object and starts the auction. If there is no bid from any of the participating members, the first market processing unit 16 lowers the price by the set reduction amount after a certain period of time, for example, one minute has passed. Furthermore, if there are no bids, the amount will be further reduced by the set reduction amount after a certain period of time. In this way, as prices gradually decline, participants who wish to acquire works of art place bids as appropriate. When a bid occurs, the first market processing unit 16 determines a successful bid and ends the auction. The first market processing unit 16 notifies the members of the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, etc. that the successful bid has been made, and also communicates with the bank system 5 and transfers the successful bid price and commission from the member's account. Perform procedures to withdraw the total amount. For example, the commission is 10% of the winning bid price. Then, the first market processing unit 16 writes the history of price reductions and the history of bids and successful bids for the artwork in the bid history table 10. Further, in the artwork management table 8, the owner information for the artwork is updated and information about the successful bidder is written. On the other hand, there may be cases where there are no bids for the artwork. The set reduction amount is reduced several times from the bidding start price, and when the auction stop price is eventually reached, the first market processing unit 16 stops the auction for the art object. A history indicating that there was no bid is written in the bid history table 10.

In this embodiment, the second market provided by the second market processing unit 17 can be selected from two types: a Dutch auction system and an English auction system. The English auction system is a bidding system. The system administrator selects a predetermined art object registered in the art object management database 8 as an object to be bid, and selects which method to conduct the auction in the second market processing section 17. When selecting the Dutch auction method, the system administrator sets the three parameters described above. Then, the second market processing section 17 performs the same processing as described for the first market processing section 16. Avoid duplication and omit explanations. On the other hand, when selecting the English auction method, the system administrator sets the following two parameters. That is, the bid starting price and the successful bid determination time. These are also determined by the system administrator after consulting with the creator in advance. The second market processing unit 17 displays the bidding start price for the artwork exhibited by the system administrator and starts the auction. Members participating in the second market bid by presenting a price that is higher than the bidding start price. If there are multiple bids, the second market processing unit 17 displays the highest bid amount. Participating members make further bids by offering prices that exceed the highest price displayed. Each time, the second market processing section 17 displays the highest bid amount. If no bid is made during the successful bid determination time after the maximum price is updated, the second market processing unit 17 determines the successful bid and ends the auction. The second market processing unit 17 notifies the members of the terminals 4a, 4b, 4c, etc. that the successful bid has been made, and also communicates with the bank system 5 and transfers the successful bid price and commission from the member's account. Perform the procedure to withdraw the total amount. For example, the commission is 10% of the winning bid price. Then, the second market processing unit 17 writes the history of bids and successful bids for the art object into the bid history table 10. Further, in the artwork management table 8, the owner information for the artwork is updated and information about the successful bidder is written. On the other hand, there may be cases where there are no bids for the artwork. If the successful bid determination time elapses without any bids being made after the bidding start price is displayed, the second market processing unit 17 stops the auction for the art object. A history indicating that there was no bid is written in the bid history table 10.

The member point calculation processing section 19 will be explained. The auction system 1 according to this embodiment is characterized in that participation in the auction is determined based on member points. The member points are calculated by the member point calculation processing section 19. The member point calculation processing unit 19 executes processing every time a new bid/successful bid history is added to the bid history table 10. The member point calculation processing unit 19 reads out the newly added bid/successful bid history from the bid history table 10. First, the member points for the successful bidder included in this bid/successful bid history are updated. The member management table 10 is searched for the member who made the successful bid, and the current member points are read. Next, an index for calculating membership points is obtained for the relevant art object from the art object management table 8. The membership point calculation processing unit 19 calculates the increase in membership points based on the successful bid price of the artwork and the membership point calculation index. There is no limitation on the calculation method, and any calculation may be adopted, but for example, the following can be used. If the successful bid price is 3 times or more higher than the bidding start price, 20 points will be given, if it is 2 times or more but less than 3 times, then 10 points will be given, and if it is less than 2 times, 5 points will be given. Then, it is added up with the membership point calculation index to obtain the increase in membership points. This is added to the current membership points to update the membership points of the member in the membership management table 10.

The member point calculation processing unit 19 updates the member points not only for the successful bidder but also for the bidder. First, processing is performed for each bidder included in the bid/successful bid history read from the bid history table 10. The member management table 10 is searched for the member who made the bid, and the current member points are read. The member point increase is calculated based on the bid amount bid by the member and the member point calculation index read earlier. Although there are no limitations on the calculation method for this, for example, the following calculation method can be used. If the bid price is three times or more higher than the bidding start price, the point is 3; if the bid price is two times or more but less than three times the bid price, the point is 2; and if it is less than twice the bid price, the point is 0.5. The membership point calculation index is multiplied by 0.1 times and these are added to obtain the increase in membership points. This is added to the current membership points to update the membership points of the member in the membership management table 10. Note that when the same participant bids multiple times, these bids may be added in a superimposed manner. Furthermore, for successful bidders, the number of bids may be added by the number of bids in the history.

The resale refund processing unit 20 will be explained. When the system administrator puts an art object up for sale in the first and second markets hosted by the first and second market processing units 16 and 17, the owner information for the art object is already stored in the art object management table 8. Suppose that was recorded. In other words, the item has been sold at auction in the past, or the ownership has been transferred from the creator. In this case, when an auction is completed and a successful bid is made in the first and second market processing sections 16 and 17, the resale reward processing section 20 is activated in the auction system 1. The resale reward processing unit 20 reads creator information for the art work that has been successfully bid for from the art work management table 8. Also, the winning bid price is read from the bidding history table 10. The resale refund processing unit 20 multiplies the successful bid price by a predetermined percentage, for example 1%, to obtain a resale refund. The resale reward processing unit 20 sends an email to the creator to inform that there is a resale reward based on the creator information. Or transfer the resale refund to the creator's bank account.

The auction system 1 according to this embodiment has been described above, but this embodiment can be modified in various ways. For example, in this embodiment, it has been explained that there are only two markets, the first and second markets. However, three or more markets may be provided. It was also explained that when a successful bid is made in the first and second markets processed by the first and second market processing units 16 and 17, the successful bid amount and commission are immediately debited from the successful bidder's account. However, it is also possible to only notify successful bidders by email and have them withdraw or deposit money at another time. In this case, it is not necessary to register the member's account number in the member management table 9, and it is sufficient to register the e-mail address or the like as the contact information. Furthermore, the first and second market processing units 16 and 17 do not specifically credit the winning bid price to the creator at the time of winning a bid. The deposit may be automatically performed by the first and second market processing units 16 and 17, but it is preferable that the creator is simply notified that the bid has been made, and then the system administrator manually performs the payment. Alternatively, the money may be deposited into the creator's bank account. Furthermore, the fees can also be modified. Although it has been explained that the fee is collected only from the member who is the successful bidder, it may also be collected from the creator according to the winning bid price.

The member point calculation processing section 19 can be modified in various ways. For example, in calculating membership points, the winning bidder member may be determined based on the bidding method at the time of bidding. Did the member repeatedly make multiple bids before winning the artwork, or did they make just one last bid? Furthermore, the bid price was significantly higher than the highest bid ever offered. Did they submit a bid and make a successful bid? In the latter case, in which the bidder makes a successful bid by offering a sufficiently large amount compared to others, it is conceivable to increase the number of additional membership points.

Other variations are possible. It has been explained that the first market provided by the first market processing unit 16 is a down-bid type, a so-called Dutch auction type. However, the first market provided by the first market processing section 16 may be an English auction method. Furthermore, although it has been described that a successful bid is determined based on the successful bid determination time in the English auction system, the timing of a successful bid may be determined by the judgment of the system administrator (auctioneer).

Although the calculation of membership points has been described as being carried out by the membership point calculation processing unit 19, the system administrator may update the membership points. Based on the bid/successful bid history recorded in the bid history table 10, the updated value of membership points may be determined and written directly into the membership management table 9. Further, for example, the system administrator may input membership points to a certain trusted member even if there is no history of bids and successful bids.

Furthermore, the membership points may be an evaluation value consisting of several levels. In other words, membership points are given in five stages, and new members are given the first stage, that is, 1 member point. Then, the stages are reviewed based on the history of bids and successful bids, and the membership points are changed to 2 or 3 at the second or third stage. As a participation condition for the second market, for example, if the third or higher stage is to be selected, the participation determination threshold value may be set to 3. In this case, whether or not to participate in the second market is determined based on whether the membership points are equal to or higher than the participation determination threshold. That is, when determining whether or not to participate using the participation determination threshold, it may be determined whether the membership points exceed the participation determination threshold, or it may be determined whether the membership points are equal to or greater than the participation determination threshold. Furthermore, new members will be given 5 out of 5 points as membership points, and the tiers will be reviewed based on the history of bidding and pressure, and 3 or 2 will be given to member points as the 3rd or 2nd tier. Sometimes it's like giving. In other words, preferable members are given membership points of smaller value. In such a case, the possibility of participation in the second market may be set to be less than or equal to the participation determination threshold.

1 Auction system 2 Network 3 Server
4a, 4b, 4c Terminal 5 Bank system 8 Art object table 9 Member management table 10 Bid history table 12 Communication department 13 Art object registration processing section 14 Member registration processing section 16 First market processing section 17 Second market processing section 19 Membership Point Calculation Processing Department 20 Resale Refund Processing Department

The present invention is directed to an auction system that is built on a server on a network, and in which a plurality of members participate from a plurality of terminals connected via the network and auction art objects as bid targets. The auction system of the present invention includes an art object management table for managing art objects. In the art management table, art identification information that identifies the art, creator information including the email address or bank account of the creator of the art, and whether or not the current owner of the art is the creator. Owner information, which is information about the owner, is managed. The auction system of the present invention, when a work of art is put up for auction, determines whether the ownership of the work of art has been transferred from the creator by transfer or successful bid based on the owner information. When an artwork that has already been sold is sold, the resale refund is calculated based on the winning bid price, and an email is sent to the creator of the artwork to inform that the resale refund will be deposited, or the resale refund is calculated based on the winning bid price. The sales return money is deposited into the bank account.
The invention according to claim 2 provides a database that includes first and second markets, a member management table in which information of members participating in the first and second markets is managed, and the first and second markets. A bid history table is provided that stores the history of auctions conducted at the auction site. The member management table manages member identification information that identifies the member and member points, which are numerical data given to the member. - Make the decision based on the history of successful bids. The second market is configured such that only members whose membership points exceed a participation determination threshold, which is a threshold for determining whether or not to participate, are permitted to participate.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first market is configured to be implemented in a Dutch auction method.
Furthermore, the invention described in claim 4 is configured such that the second market can be selected from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the auction system is configured to use the successful bid price of the bid target item as a parameter in calculating member points.

According to the present invention, the auction system supports the creator of the work of art by providing a resale reward to the creator of the work of art when the work of art that has already been bid is put up for bid again and is sold. The excellent effect of being able to do this can be obtained.
The invention according to claim 2 includes a first market and a second market, and in order to participate in the second market, the member points held by the member must exceed a participation determination threshold. It has become. Then, for the second market, participants can be appropriately selected and a high-quality auction can be conducted. Note that participants in the first market are not selected, so even new members can participate and accumulate membership points by repeatedly making bids.
In the third aspect of the invention, the first market is implemented using a Dutch auction method. By conducting an auction using the Dutch auction method, even if the number of participants is small or the number of bids is small, it is possible to prevent the item from being sold at an unreasonably low price relative to the value of the item to be bid on.
According to the invention of claim 4, the second market can be selected from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system, so the degree of freedom is high.

The present invention is directed to an auction system that is built on a server on a network, and in which a plurality of members participate from a plurality of terminals connected via the network and auction art objects as bid targets. The auction system of the present invention includes a database and various tables. That is, it stores the first and second markets, a member management table in which information of members participating in the first and second markets is managed, and the history of auctions conducted in the first and second markets. They are a bidding history table and an art management table for managing art . The member management table manages member identification information that identifies the member and member points, which are numerical data given to the member. - Make the decision based on the history of successful bids. The second market is configured such that only members whose membership points exceed a participation determination threshold, which is a threshold for determining whether or not to participate, are permitted to participate. The art management table contains art identification information that identifies the art, creator information including the email address or bank account of the art creator, and whether or not the current owner of the art is the creator. The owner information is managed. Then, when an art work is put up for auction, the auction system determines whether the ownership of the art work has been transferred from the creator by transfer or successful bid based on the owner information. When a work of art is sold, the resale refund is calculated based on the winning bid price, and an email is sent to the creator of the artwork to inform that the resale refund will be deposited, or the resale refund is calculated based on the winning bid price. Configure money to be deposited into your bank account.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the first market is configured to be implemented using a Dutch auction method.
In the third aspect of the invention, the second market is configured to be selectable from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the auction system is configured to use the successful bid price of the item to be bid as a parameter in calculating member points.

According to the present invention, the auction system includes a first market and a second market, and in order to participate in the second market, it is necessary for the member points possessed by the member to exceed a participation determination threshold. It has become. Then, for the second market, participants can be appropriately selected and a high-quality auction can be conducted. Note that participants in the first market are not selected, so even new members can participate and accumulate membership points by repeatedly making bids. According to the present invention, in the auction system, when a successful work of art is put up for bid again and sold, the resale reward is paid to the creator of the work of art. The excellent effect of being able to support the
According to the second aspect of the invention, the first market is implemented using a Dutch auction method. By conducting an auction using the Dutch auction method, even if the number of participants is small or the number of bids is small, it is possible to prevent the item from being sold at an unreasonably low price relative to the value of the item to be bid on.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the second market can be selected from the Dutch auction system and the English auction system, so there is a high degree of freedom.

Claims (6)

An auction system built on a server on a network, in which multiple members participate from multiple terminals connected via the network and auction items to be bid on,
The auction system is implemented in the first and second markets, a member management table in which information of the members participating in the first and second markets is managed, and the first and second markets. A bid history table that stores auction history;
The member management table manages member identification information that identifies the member, and member points that are numerical data given to the member,
The member points are determined based on the history of bids and successful bids by the members recorded in the bid history table,
In the auction system, whether or not the member can participate in the second market is determined based on the membership points and a participation determination threshold that is a threshold for determining whether or not participation is possible. The auction system according to claim 1, wherein the item to be bid is a work of art. 3. The auction system according to claim 1, wherein the first market is implemented using a Dutch auction method. 3. The auction system according to claim 1, wherein the second market can be selected from a Dutch auction system and an English auction system. The auction system includes an art management table for managing the art,
The artwork management table includes art identification information that identifies the artwork, creator information including the email address or bank account of the creator of the artwork, and information about the current owner of the artwork. Owner information, which is information on whether the person is the owner or not, is managed.
When the artwork is put up for auction, the auction system determines whether the ownership of the artwork has been transferred from the creator by transfer or successful bid based on the owner information. , an email informing that, when the transferred artwork is sold, the resale refund will be calculated based on the successful bid price at that time, and the resale refund will be deposited to the creator of the artwork. 3. The auction system according to claim 2, wherein the auction system transmits the resale return money or deposits the resale return money into the bank account. 3. The auction system according to claim 1, wherein the auction system uses the successful bid price of the bid target item as a parameter in calculating the member points.

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