KR20020057978A - System and method for conducting on-line auctions - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an online auction system. The system includes a database server system 10 for storing and providing on demand information about the number of products to be auctioned, the server system receiving the number of bids for these products when the products to be auctioned are auctioned. The number of bids received determines the amount of auction product. The system also includes a number of user clients, each of which is operated by a particular user and configured to communicate with a database server system. Each of the plurality of user clients receives information about the auction product from the database server system and relays bids about the auction product to the database server system.

Description

System and method for conducting on-line auctions

Auctions are a unique and fun buying environment. In the past, auctions were used only to sell expensive products such as art, collectibles and luxury goods. Therefore, auction participants were also limited to the rich.

With the advent of wireless communications, auctions were made available to the general public.

For example, the use of television for auction items is described in the March 1995 article entitled "Auction Become High Tech" by Dealer Business of V29 N7. This article describes an auction system in which the auction company uses a satellite to send signals to each car dealer's television. Dealers look at cars for sale on their televisions and bid on them using a telephone or remote terminal.

The widespread use of the Internet as a communication medium has resulted in numerous Internet-based auctions. These are called "online auctions," and individuals can bid on a variety of products ranging in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars or more.

Many online auctions are now being conducted over the Internet through e-mail bidding or web page bidding. An example of an e-mail bid is described in the article "Cathay Pacific Airways-USA to Hold First Ever Internet CyberAuction" on September 26, 1995, page 926-1084. This article describes how registered bidders bid on airplane tickets by submitting a secret bid via e-mail over a two-week bid period. At the end of the bidding period, an e-mail message is sent to the top 50 bidders on how to purchase the ticket.

More advanced online auctions are conducted through the World Wide Web site, see http://www.ebay.com or http://www.dealdeal.com. In this auction system, bidders can bid and participate in bidding in real time over the Internet. In addition to bidding information for each of the items to be sold, these items are displayed graphically on the bidder's screen. The bid information is updated at every bid period, which can last from several days to several weeks.

Although online auctions have many advantages for both sellers and buyers, these auctions have fundamental limitations.

Even when bidding online, the bidders are not able to access or observe the actual bidding process, but are periodically informed of the auction status via e-mail or website updates.

In addition, because online auctions are often conducted for a long time, bidders waste a significant amount of time tracking their bidding. Online auctions are usually an upward bidding scheme, where bidders bid in a real-time dynamic process until no more bids are issued. In this format, each bidder can see information about different bids, and this information is merged into the next bid as the auction proceeds. This feedback suggests more aggressive bidding, which makes the auction more efficient and yields higher returns to sellers, but the bidders must spend all their time during the long auctions, as well as the long auctions in a complex environment. There are disadvantages.

Therefore, the need for an online auction method that can avoid this restriction is widely recognized, and it would be very advantageous to present this auction method.

The present invention relates to an online auction system and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an online auction system and a method in which various bidders can participate in an auction in which the amount of auction product varies depending on the number of bidders participating.

1 is a block diagram of an online auction system according to the present invention.

According to one aspect of the invention, (a) storing and providing information about a plurality of auction products on demand, receiving multiple bids on the product when one of the plurality of products is auctioned, and receiving these received A database server system wherein the number of bids determines the amount of the auction product; And (b) a plurality of users operated by a particular user and configured to communicate with the database server system, the information receiving the auction product at the database server system and relaying bids for the auction product to a database server system. Provided is an online auction system comprising a user client.

According to another feature of the invention, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing information about the auction product through a communication network; (b) receiving a bid from the bidders of the product from the bottom up; (c) relating the quantity of the auction product to the number of bidders; And (d) determining one or more successful bids among the upward bids according to the bids and the amount of the auction product.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of providing information on the auction product through the communication network is performed at the request of the bidder.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the winning price of the bottom-up bids is higher than the bid specified for the product.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the price of a given bid varies as a function of two or more of the number of bids and the number of bids received from the database server system.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the information on the auction product includes the allowed auction price.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the information about the auction product includes a predetermined bid, the predetermined bid being varied as a function of the number of two or more bids of the number of bids and the number of bids received from the database server system.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the first bid is the allowable bid if no bid is received at the database server system.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the allowable bid is higher than the highest bid received at the database server system if one or more bids are received at the database server system.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the information about the auction product includes information selected from the group consisting of product description, suggested retail price, auction amount, time remaining until bidding, and number of suggested bids.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the communication between each user client and the database server system is established and maintained through a mode selected from the group consisting of telephone line connection mode and LAN connection mode.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the database server system is part of the World Wide Web and information about a number of auction products is included in the website.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the user runs a web browser.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the database server system receives a bid for the auction product for a selected period between 10 and 120 minutes.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, one or more winning bids are determined according to the bid and the amount of auction product.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the database server system stores information about each particular user.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the information comprises information provided by a particular user.

According to another feature of the preferred embodiment, the information comprises demographic information collected about a particular user by the database server system.

Users can access the auction process in real time, similar to the actual auctions where participants actually participate in the auction process, but also participate in the auction process at a remote location to receive a large amount of information about the auction product in electronic form, but conduct an auction for the product. The present invention can successfully overcome the disadvantages of conventional auctions by providing a system and method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are merely exemplary. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are only described to most effectively and easily understand the principles and concepts of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will be able to actually implement various aspects of the present invention.

The present invention relates to systems and methods that can be used to conduct an online auction. In detail, the present invention may be used for an online auction in which the bidder tracks the auction in real time and changes the auction amount according to the number of bidders participating in the auction.

The principle and operation of the system and method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before describing an embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the details and configurations shown in the drawings and described in the future. The invention can be practiced in a variety of ways. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and is not to be limited to the meaning thereof.

Now, the online auction system 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As used herein, "product" includes both non-rottable consumer goods as well as rotting. This product also means a service when expressed in terms of credits, vouchers, tickets, etc., in which the owner has a right to the service.

This system 10 includes a database server system 12. The database server system 12 functions to store and provide information on the quality of the product to be auctioned on demand. The database server system 12 also functions to accept any number of bids for the products currently being auctioned. The database server system 12 is configured to receive the number of bids and / or each bid to determine the amount of products currently auctioned. That is, the amount of the product currently being auctioned increases with the number of bids offered for this product. It can be said that the maximum auction amount is predetermined by the database server system 12 according to the type of the auctioned product and the designated price of the product. In order to process the received information, the database server system 12 includes a processing device 13 which functions to process the received information to update the provided information immediately.

The system further includes a number of user clients 14. Each of the user clients 14 may be connected to the database server system 12 via a telephone line or a LAN 15.

As used herein and in the claims, "user client" means a PC having an operating system such as DOS, Windows, OS / 2, Linux, or the like; Macintosh computer; A computer with JAVA-OS as its operating system; Graphics workstations such as Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics; Computers with UNIX operating systems such as Sun Microsystems' AIX or SOLARIS; PalmPilot, PilotPC, Nokia Communicator and other handheld devices; Or other conventional commercially available operating systems, but is not necessarily limited thereto. "User client" includes a mobile telephone or a mobile communication device having a capability such as a PC or a PDA.

Here, Windows includes, but is not necessarily limited to, upgraded versions of operating systems of Microsoft Corporation in Washington, Seattle, Windows 95, Windows 3.x (where x is an integer), Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows CE, etc. .

The user client 14 functions to receive information from the server system 12 and to relay user provided information to the server system 12. The information received by the client 14 includes product related information stored in the server system 12, such as a product description, the number of auctions for each product, the initial quantity of the product offered at the auction, the suggested retail price, and the like. In addition, the information received by the client 14 includes detailed information of each product currently auctioned. This information includes the current highest bid that the bidder must go beyond in order to purchase the auction product, and the allowable bid that can vary according to the specified bid. This information also includes information such as the remaining bidding time, the minimum bid for the next bid, and the quantity of products presented. Information about the auctioned product is received by the user client 14 in real time when the auction is conducted. Therefore, the user operating the client 14 may determine whether to bid according to the current highest bid information, time information remaining in the bid, product quantity information and the like. If a bid by a user using the client 14 is accepted by the server system 12, information that may be provided to the user in the server system 12 about the auction product may be updated immediately.

In addition to providing the bidding information described above, the client 14 may provide the server system 12 with user unique information stored in the server system 12. Such information includes personal registration information such as a personal ID and password for the user to access the information provided by the server system 12, and billing information that can be used to bill a user who wants to purchase an auction product by winning a bid. do. Such information may include personally identifiable information about the user, including products that the user prefers. The user's personal information may be used to confirm the user's interest in the next auction. In addition, it is possible to provide a product necessary for the user by using statistical information and the like extracted and accumulated from a number of personal images of the user.

All of the above information that may be provided to the client 14 in the server system 12 may be displayed by the client 14 in text, graphic (image or video) or voice form. Similarly, information provided by the user via the user client 14 may also be provided in this form.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bids accepted by the server system 12 are accepted in ascending order which must be higher than the highest bid accepted before. In this case, the information about the product currently being auctioned includes the lowest allowable bid. do. At the start of an auction, the first bid must be equal to or higher than the minimum bid set for each auction product. In addition, a particular user can raise a bid at any time during the auction. Therefore, a user who bids less than other bidders may update his bid to a price higher than the current highest bid. If at the end of the auction the highest bid is lower than the fixed bid but no one is willing to buy the auction product, the starting bid may be lower than the bid specified for the product.

In this case, the designated bid may be changed according to the number of users participating in the auction. For example, when a plurality of users bid on a product, the designated bid may change according to the number and bid of the users. Thus, according to the present invention, when many users bid, the bid specified is lowered such that the bidders may exceed the predetermined bid. In this case, if the specified bid is exceeded, the amount of products provided is increased. The added product is auctioned at the designated bid equal to the designated bid determined at the previous auction.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auction proceeds for any time between 10 and 120 minutes. This feature of the present invention is distinct from conventional online auctions that last from hours to days.

A relatively short auction period is advantageous for both the user and the system 10 operator, which allows the operator to run more auctions within a given time, while the user can track the entire bidding process in real time and respond to all bid events in real time. Because there is. If the bidding period is relatively short, users of the online auction system will be able to participate while watching the auction process in real time. This feature is provided only by the system of the present invention, and the short auction period can be implemented only by the system of the present invention.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the database server system is connected to the worldwide web. Thus, information that can be provided by the server system 12 can be provided to the user through the website interface. In this case, the client 14 is preferably a PC running with a web browser program such as Netscape Communicator, Internet Explorer, Opera, iCab, Mosaic, or the like.

Using a web browser program, the system 10 user can access the information provided by the server system 12 via the website, and provide the server system 12 with the information provided by the user through the website. have. This two-way communication between the server system 12 and a user-operated web browser via a website can be via, for example, a Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

Using CGI scripts, the information in server system 12 can be linked to the World Wide Web via a website interface, allowing users to actively access this information. The use of CGI scripts for this purpose is well known in the computer art and no further explanation is given.

Thus, in this case, the website forming the interface for server system 12 includes a plurality of web pages, each of which represents a portion of information that server system 12 can provide. For example, some web pages of a website may contain information about all auction products, including manufacturer descriptions that initiate the auction time. Another web page may display the currently active auction including information such as bid status.

Thus, the user can access the information provided in the various web pages by simply browsing through the web pages of the website. Since websites are typically accessible to the general public, it is good practice to ensure that webpages containing information such as current bidding status are only accessible to registered users of the system 10 or to registered users who wish to bid. . Thus, the general public may access the information on the auction product, but only registered users of the system 10 may access the specific auction information. This allows individuals who are not familiar with the system 10 to get information describing the system 10 and register if they wish to bid on current or future auction products.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the user client 14 may run a dedicated program configured to communicate only with the server system 12. This communication may be supported by Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) communication or other suitable communication protocol. In any case, the client 14 of this embodiment functions similarly for the web browser program.

The system 10 according to the invention is used to auction as follows. Once an auction for a particular amount of a particular product begins, users can participate in the bidding of that product. Users participating in the bid are listed by the server system 12, and registered users who participate in or want to participate in the bidding process can view this list. This list may be part of all bids displayed in table form or the like, or only the current highest bid may be displayed. Next, a registered user using the web browser program can participate in the bid by selecting the "bid entry" button on the web page. The newly entered bid is higher than the current highest bid by a price predetermined by the system 10. After receiving the bid, the list automatically displays the new highest bid. As noted above, server system 12 tracks the number of users participating in the bid to vary the amount of product to be auctioned. This new feature of the system 10 of the present invention is beneficial to both the user and the system 10 operator. For example, by auctioning five products instead of one product, users who participated in a bid lower than the highest auction bid but higher than the designated bid may have a chance of winning a bid. At the end of the auction, the winning price is determined, and the winning users are confirmed by e-mail messages. Subsequently, the users pay the bill either directly or indirectly by each user using the payment information included in each user's personal information.

According to the present invention, the system 10 operator sells more products at a relatively high price because more users can receive more bids by increasing the amount of auctioned products in proportion to the users participating in the auction. The advantage is that you can.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, there is provided an online auction system and method that provides both operator and user with several significant advantages over conventional online auction systems or methods.

Since the auction of the product proceeds while the users approach the auction process in real time, the present invention is similar to the actual auction actually participating in the auction process, but can receive a large amount of information about the auction product in electronic form and the auction process at a remote location. It can benefit bidders by being able to participate in.

In addition, the amount of auction product is increased according to the number of bidding users, and the designated bid determined for the product as a function of the bid amount and the number of bidders is lowered to benefit both the user and the system 10 operator.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, many other variations or modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it goes without saying that all such modifications and changes are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (23)

(a) store and provide information about a plurality of auction products on demand, receive multiple bids for this product when one of the plurality of products is auctioned, and the number of these bids received A database server system for determining the amount; And (b) a plurality of users operated by a particular user and configured to communicate with the database server system, the user receiving information about the auction product at the database server system and relaying bids for the auction product to a database server system. Clients; on-line auction system comprising a. The on-line auction system according to claim 1, wherein the information about the auction product includes an allowable bid of the product. 3. The online auction system as claimed in claim 2, wherein if the bid is not received by the database server system, the allowable bid is a starting bid. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the auction product includes a designated bid, wherein the designated bid is changed as a function of a bid of two or more bids among the bid numbers and the bid number received by a database server system. Online auction system. 3. The online auction system of claim 2, wherein when the database server system receives one or more bids, the allowable bid is higher than the highest bid received by the data server system. The online auction of claim 1, wherein the information about the auction product includes information selected from the group consisting of a product description, a suggested retail price of the product, the quantity of the product to be auctioned, the time remaining in the bidding, and the number of bids. system. 2. The on-line auction system according to claim 1, wherein communication between each of said user clients and said database server system is established and maintained through a mode selected from the group consisting of a telephone line connection mode and a LAN connection mode. The online auction system of claim 1, wherein the database server system is part of the World Wide Web, and wherein the information about a plurality of auction products is included in a web site. The online auction system according to claim 8, wherein the user client runs a web browser. The online auction system according to claim 1, wherein the database server system receives bids for the auction product for a time between 10 minutes and 120 minutes. The online auction system according to claim 1, wherein one or more successful bids are determined according to a bid and an amount of the auction product. The online auction system according to claim 1, wherein the database server system stores information about each specific user. 13. The online auction system as recited in claim 12, wherein said information includes information provided by said particular user. 13. The online auction system as recited in claim 12, wherein said information includes information collected by said database server system about the identity of a particular user. (a) providing information about the auction product through a communication network; (b) receiving a bid from the bidders of the product from the bottom up; (c) relating the quantity of the auction product to the number of bidders; And and (d) determining one or more successful bids of the upward bid according to the bid and the quantity of the auction product. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said information about said auction product includes an allowed bid of said product. The method of claim 15, wherein the information about the auction product comprises information selected from the group consisting of product description, retail price of the product, auction amount, time remaining until bidding, and number of bids submitted for the product. How to Auction Online. The online auction method according to claim 15, wherein the communication network is the World Wide Web. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of receiving bottom-up bids from bidders is performed for a time selected between 10 and 120 minutes. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of providing information about the auction product through a communication network is performed at the request of bidders. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the amount of the auction product increases with an increase in the number of bidders. The method of claim 15, wherein the successful bid price of the upward bid is higher than a predetermined bid of the product. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the predetermined bid is varied as a function of two or more bids out of the bids and the number of bids received by a database server system.