KR20010097247A - Method of reverse auction providing low-limit price - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reverse auction method on the Internet. The reverse auction method in which a seller makes an offer for purchase of a product while an operator presents a lower auction limit, a seller presents a price, and a seller who presents a price closest to the lower auction lower limit is determined as a successful bidder. It is about. The reverse auction method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: building a reverse auction website on a reverse auction server, investigating the lowest price for a specific product from another shopping mall or auction site, determining a lower reverse auction price M among the lowest price checked, and determining the reverse reverse auction. Posting the lower limit on a web page, Buyer looking for a list of products posted on the website, making a purchase request, Receiving a selling price P (n) from seller n, Selling price P (n) and reverse auction on the server Calculating S (n), which is a difference value of the lower limit, M, and determining the smallest value of S (n) to determine the seller who presented the price as a successful bidder.

Description

Method of reverse auction providing a lower limit {Method of reverse auction providing low-limit price}

The present invention relates to a reverse auction method on the Internet. The reverse auction method in which a seller makes an offer for purchase of a product while an operator presents a lower auction limit, a seller presents a price, and a seller who presents a price closest to the lower auction lower limit is determined as a successful bidder. It is about.

Internet auction

As the use of the Internet increased and the number of e-commerce sites increased, various sales methods appeared. In particular, auctions using computer systems and Internet systems are becoming a new type of commerce that is very convenient and interesting to consumers.

There are many cases of obtaining a patent right or applying for a patent by technically approaching auction using the Internet. In the United States, for example, U. S. Patent 5890138 relates to a computer auction system, which relates to a so-called reverse auction in which a seller participates in an auction and sets a lowest price as a buyer bids. US Patent 5826244 relates to an intermediary auction apparatus and method in the document providing industry, 5794219 relates to a method of performing an online auction by forming a bid pool, 5966699 relates to a loan auction over the network. There is also 5905975 on how to auction the Internet.

In Japan, many internet auction methods are registered. JP7037015 relates to an apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving auction information, JP63168770 relates to an automatic auction control system, JP9171531 and 7073251 to a collective auction system using a computer, and JP4342065 relates to an auction system that can participate in an auction remotely. Many other auction techniques are patented.

In Korea, there is no patented case yet, but it has been filed for the real estate court auction information service method (Publication No. 10-1999-084130), and the price of a lot of buyers and sellers in a similar way to reverse auction A buyer-centered e-commerce method that can lower the cost has been published (Publication No. 10-1999-078767).

Auctions using the Internet are generally performed in the same manner as in FIG. First, a person who wants to do an internet auction establishes an internet auction web service system [1]. This usually consists of securing a large number of sellers on a server computer, constructing a database, developing web service content, and installing a website homepage.

Once the internet auction website is established, the registered seller or seller who wants to auction presents the product on the website [2]. A large number of users (buyers) access the website, submit a price, and participate in the auction [3]. If the auction participants win the highest price among the auction participants [4], the goods are delivered to the successful bidders [5].

Various element descriptions are necessary to implement an auction on the Internet (see FIG. 1B). First, a service provider side server system 6 and a buyer / seller side computer system 7 are required, and a communication network 8 for communicating with multiple sellers and multiple buyers in real time is required. The network 8 is not only an internet network such as the World Wide Web, but also a LAN or a WAN in which only a certain group is connected to form a communication network.

There is also a need for a website homepage 6a serving as an auction market on the server 6 of the service provider. To build a homepage, a server-class computer and various peripheral devices are required as hardware, HTML language and JavaScript as software, and communication means for basic communication with other computers are required. All the seller / buyer side computers 7 basically need a communication means 7a that can connect to the server 6 of the service provider, and a web browser 7b that can view the website homepage 6a.

Reverse auction

Reverse auction is a conventional auction in which a large number of buyers compete with each other to buy a certain product (including a service) at the highest price, whereas a reverse auction allows a large number of sellers to offer each other a price. It is characterized by selling a specific product at the lowest price.

Reverse auctions are currently patented in the United States (USP5794207, USP5890138). These are reverse auctions, in which a purchase request including a price and credit card information is provided to a computer, the purchase information is provided to a plurality of sellers, and a credit card is paid to the seller when one of the sellers accepts the computer. It is about a method.

As described above, the reverse auction method in the electronic commerce is based on a product catalog presented by a shopping mall operator on the Internet. When a product buyer selects and registers a product, many sellers participate in the auction at a lower price and present the lowest price. Says how it is won.

According to reverse auctions, unlike traditional auctions, many sellers are competitively bidding, resulting in lower selling prices and the lowest price so buyers can buy the same product at the lowest price. There is a problem of forming a floating minimum price without being presented with a lower price than this. That is, in the case of general auction, the price can be determined as the buyer asks because the upper limit price is not fixed, but in the case of reverse auction, since the lower price is implicitly determined, even if the seller quotes the price lower, the price is not lower than this limit. Do not.

This is a limitation of reverse auction, and since the reverse auction is made in a state where a minimum price is set, it is inevitable that there is no (if any) slight reverse auction between sellers who present the price. This is fading the original meaning of reverse auction (the seller who offered the lowest price is a successful bidding), and the reverse auction method only attracts consumers and does not give a special price discount.

Group buying

On the other hand, in the Internet shopping malls are a lot of joint purchase method. Co-purchasing is a method in which a plurality of buyers who want to purchase the same product on a site in a shopping mall request the purchaser to offer a discounted price and offer the lowest price as a supplier. .

This method is also basically performed by using the reverse auction method. In other words, when a plurality of buyers who want to purchase the same product are regarded as one buyer, a plurality of sellers responding to each other offer a price to the co-buyer by a seller who bids the lowest price to each other.

Therefore, as described above, a problem occurring around the lowest price of the reverse auction method may occur in the case of the joint purchase. In addition, in the case of joint purchase, the buyer delays the purchase application, and when the purchase deadline arrives, there is a problem that the purchase is congested by the purchase application.

Therefore, Applicant frequently checks the floating minimum price on the reverse auction site and the lowest price of the product on the general site, suggests the price (hereinafter referred to as the lower auction lower limit), and reversely auctions in which the seller who bids the price closes to the bidder. Invented the way. As a result, the consumer can purchase the product at a price close to the state while knowing the lower limit of the reverse auction anyway, unlike the conventional reverse auction, it will be possible to obtain satisfaction that the product is purchased at a low price with confidence in the price.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention, in a reverse auction method in which a buyer applies for a product purchase and a plurality of sellers offer a price, the reverse auction server presents the lower auction lower limit so that the buyer and the seller can grasp the lower auction, and the lower auction lower limit and the seller present It is to provide a reverse auction method that determines the closest seller as a successful bidder.

1 is a general Internet auction method, (a) is an Internet auction method and (b) shows a system required for this.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of the determination of the lower limit of the reverse auction method according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of the reverse auction process of the present invention.

4 is an exemplary view of a screen configuration for realizing the reverse auction of the present invention.

summary

The reverse auction method according to the present invention

Building a reverse auction website on the reverse auction server, investigating the lowest price for a particular product from another shopping mall or auction site, determining the lower reverse auction price M among the lowest prices checked, and publishing the determined reverse auction lower price on a web page. , The purchaser makes a purchase request based on the list of products posted on the website, receives the selling price P (n) from seller n, and calculates the difference between the selling price P (n) and the lower reverse auction price M at the server. Calculating the value S (n), and determining the seller who presented the corresponding price as the successful bidder by determining the smallest proximity value among the S (n).

In the above step of posting the reverse auction lower limit price to the server, the server preferably determines whether it is time to update (update) the reverse auction lower limit, and includes the step of examining and updating the new reverse auction lower limit.

In addition, after the purchaser makes a purchase request, it is determined whether the server is a joint purchase, and in the case of the joint purchase, it is determined whether the purchase quantity has exceeded the limit quantity or the deadline has elapsed, and has exceeded the limit quantity or the deadline time. If this has elapsed, it is preferable to add the step of disabling.

Meanwhile, in the step of calculating the proximity S (n), if the same S (n) is calculated, each seller enters a sale price and compares the time entered by the seller to determine a successful bidder. Steps may be included.

As described above, the server executing the reverse auction method according to the present invention searches the other shopping mall or the reverse auction site (or is linked) and checks the lower reverse auction price for a specific product at any time. The server posts the lower limit of the reverse auction on the web page so that the buyer and seller can see it.

When a buyer requests a purchase of a product, many sellers respond to the auction by offering a selling price. Since the lower reverse auction price is posted, the buyer has a lower selling price than the selling price offered by the seller. You can see how much it compares with.

Configuration of the Method (Examples)

2 and 3 are schematic process flowcharts of the reverse auction method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a process of investigating and publishing a reverse auction lower limit value in a reverse auction server, and FIG. 3 a process of actually executing a reverse auction in a state where the lower limit value is investigated. Indicates.

Referring to Fig. 2, first, a reverse auction website is constructed on a reverse auction server [101]. Like a normal web site, an HTML-based page file is produced, and a database server and a web server are constructed to construct a reverse auction website.

Investigate the lowest price for a particular product from another shopping mall or auction site [105]. This step may be implemented in the form of pulling the lowest price of a specific product by accessing another shopping mall or auction site (pull method), or in the form of providing the lowest price at another shopping mall or auction site in connection with another shopping mall or auction site. It may be implemented in a (push manner). Since the minimum price will be different for individual purchases and for joint purchases, we have investigated both cases.

The lowest reverse auction price M to be used on this website is determined from the lowest prices surveyed in various places [107]. The lower reverse auction price M is also determined for both individual and joint purchases. By comparing the lowest prices, we can determine the lowest price among them as the lower auction price M. This is a skill that is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the programming arts.

Next, the determined reverse auction lower limit is posted on the web page [109]. The format posted on the web page will be described later as a screen diagram.

During the posting, the server determines whether it is time to update (update) the lower reverse auction price [111]. Because the lower reverse auction price is a price that can change from time to time, this website updates the lower price by setting a certain renewal period. Since the renewal period may vary depending on the type of the product and the price level, the renewal period is preferably set separately for each product.

Referring to Figure 3 through the reverse auction execution process as follows. When a buyer requests a product after viewing the list of products posted on the website, the server receives it [113]. This step can be implemented in a conventional manner. For example, when a buyer's browser calls a web page of a server and clicks a product name in a product list, a hyperlinked page may be floated to request input of personal information required for a product application. However, this may be practiced with appropriate modifications at the level of those skilled in the art.

The server determines whether the purchase request is a joint purchase [115]. In the case of a joint purchase, it is judged whether the purchase quantity has exceeded the limit quantity [117] or the deadline has passed [119], and if the limit quantity has been exceeded or the deadline has elapsed, processing is impossible. The reason for checking the deadline and deadline is that the time-saving buyer does not decide whether to make a personal purchase or a joint purchase, but when the price of the joint purchase becomes much lower than that of the individual purchase, Applying for a joint purchase to prevent the buyer from congesting.

Next, the selling price P (n) is received from the seller n [121]. Like a general reverse auction site, a number of sellers respond to reverse auctions by presenting a selling price to a server.

The server calculates S (n) by calculating the difference between the selling price P (n) suggested by the seller n and the lower reverse auction price M [123]. Next, the smallest value of S (n) is determined [125], and the seller who presents the price is determined as a successful bidder [131]. In other words, the seller is determined to have offered a selling price that is closest to or smaller than the selling price lower limit M.

At this time, S (n), which is a result of calculating the close value between the selling price lower limit M and the present selling price P (n), may have three cases. When S (n)> 0, when S (n) = 0, when S (n) <0, in the first case the seller offers a price higher than the lower limit, in the second case the seller equals the lower limit In the case of offering a price, the third case is a case in which the seller presents a price lower than the lower limit. Therefore, in the step [125] of determining the minimum value of S (n), the seller who has presented the minimum value should be determined in consideration of the sign of S (n).

If the same S (n) is calculated [127], the seller who inputs the selling price is determined as the successful bidder by comparing the time at which each seller enters the selling price [131].

4 is an exemplary diagram of a screen configuration of a website for executing the reverse auction method according to the present invention. (a) is an example of the case where the individual purchase and the joint purchase are made in one application window without distinction, and (b) is an example of the case where the application windows for the individual purchase and the joint purchase are separately displayed.

In (a), it can be seen that the buyer's name or ID, item, quantity, product price, lower reverse auction, sellable price, and deadline are displayed. In the case of TV xx that Kim Sang-soo applied for, the product price is 500,000 won, but the lower reverse auction price investigated by the server is 350,000 won.If a seller offers 355,000 won, the seller's suggested price is close to the lowest reverse auction price. The seller is determined to be the winner. Proposal for sale is possible until the deadline (YMDT).

In the case of joint purchase in (a), if the purchaser is indicated as joint purchase and the quantity is up to 30, the quantity of joint purchase is at this time, the lower limit of reverse auction is investigated as 320,000 won and the selling price is 330,000 won, which is closest to the lower limit of reverse auction. The seller is determined to be the winner. In the case of a joint purchase, the selling price may vary depending on the quantity of the joint purchase. The larger the number of joint purchases, the lower the seller's available price (bid). Seller's suggested selling price can be checked through a browser in real time so that the change can be grasped at any time.

In Figure 4 (a), the "quantity" column is preferably displayed together with the marginal quantity available for joint purchases and the number of joint purchases received at the current joint purchase, as described above, the seller's available price varies from time to time according to the purchase quantity. It is preferable to indicate that it becomes.

(b) shows the case where the individual purchase and the joint purchase are separately indicated. In the case of a joint purchase, as described above, when the buyer who has a spare time does not decide whether to make an individual purchase or a joint purchase, the deadline is when the price of the joint purchase becomes much lower than that of the individual purchase. In order to prevent the congestion of buyers by applying for a joint purchase in the near future, it is desirable to limit the purchase quantity and the deadline.

Similarly in Figure 4 (b), the "quantity" column, it is preferable to display the marginal quantity available for joint purchases and the number of joint purchases received at the current joint purchase, and as described above, the seller's selling price depends on the purchase quantity. It is desirable to indicate changes from time to time.

According to the present invention, since the reverse auction proceeds in such a manner that the server constantly checks the lower auction lower price and presents the investigated lower limit price, and the seller who presented the price closes to the bid, the consumer knows the predetermined lower auction lower limit. The product can be purchased at a close price, and unlike the previous reverse auction, it is possible to obtain a sense of confidence that the price is purchased and the satisfaction of purchasing the product at a low price. In addition, in the case of the joint purchase, the purchase application cannot be applied if the purchase quantity is exceeded, so that the congestion phenomenon caused by the multiple buyers applying for the joint purchase can be prevented due to the impending deadline.

Claims (6)

Building a reverse auction website on the reverse auction server [101], Investigating the lowest price for a particular product from another shopping mall or auction site [105], Determining the lower reverse auction price M out of the lowest prices investigated [107], Publishing the determined reverse auction lower price on a web page [109], A purchaser submits a purchase based on a list of products posted on a website [113], Receiving a selling price P (n) from seller n [121], Calculating S (n) by calculating a difference between the selling price P (n) and the lower auction lower limit M in the server [123], Determining the smallest value of S (n) [125], and determining a seller who has given this value as a selling price as a successful bidder. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of posting the reverse auction lower limit price to the server, the server determines whether it is time to update (update) the lower auction lower limit value [111]. In claim 1 or 2, after the purchaser makes a purchase request [113], It is determined whether the server is a joint purchase [115], and in the case of a joint purchase, it is determined whether the purchase quantity has exceeded the limit quantity [117] or the deadline has passed [119]. Reverse auction method with additional processing steps. In claim 1 or 2, in the step [123] of calculating the proximity value S (n), if the same S (n) is calculated [127], each seller sells earlier by comparing the time at which the seller enters the selling price. And determining a seller who has entered a price as a successful bidder. The method according to claim 3, in the step [123] of calculating the proximity S (n), if the same S (n) is calculated [127], each seller compares the time at which the seller enters the selling price, and then the selling price is first determined. The reverse auction method comprising the step of determining the seller entered as a successful bidder [131]. The reverse auction method of claim 1, wherein a buyer can check in real time a change in the selling price P (n) received from the seller n.