Method and apparatus for forming expressive combinatorial auctions and exchanges
AssigneeCombineNet, Inc.
InventorsTuomas Sandholm, Subhash Suri, David L. Levine, Andrew G. Gilpin, John Heitmann, Robert Lawrence Shields JR.
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Abstract
A method of processing an exchange includes providing a solver/analyzer for determining a solution that includes at least one of a winning allocation and feasible allocations. At least one bid is received at the solver/analyzer, with each bid including at least one item and an associated price. Exchange description data (EDD) is associated with the at least one bid. The EDD is also received at the solver/analyzer. The processing of the at least one bid is modified in accordance with the at least one feature included in the EDD.
Claims47
A method of processing an exchange, comprising the steps of:
- providing a solver/analyzer responsive to at least one bid of an exchange for determining at least one of an infeasible allocation, a winning allocation and a feasible allocation for said exchange, with each allocation having an allocation value;
- receiving at the solver/analyzer the at least one bid, with each bid including at least one item and an associated bid price;
- associating exchange description data (EDD) with the at least one bid, said EDD including at least one of the features of reserve price, free disposal, non-price attribute, adjustment, objective, constraint, feasibility obtainer, constraint relaxer, conditional pricing and quote request;
- receiving the associated EDD at the solver/analyzer;
- and
- processing the at least one bid in accordance with the at least one feature included of the associated EDD.
33 The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the constraint relaxer feature causes the solver/analyzer to relax at least one soft constraint placed on an exchange and to determine a value associated with said relaxation.
The method as set forth in claim 33, wherein the exchange includes at least one hard constraint that the solver/analyzer cannot relax.
The method as set forth in claim 33, wherein the solver/analyzer aggregates the value associated with at least one relaxed soft constraint.
A computer readable medium having stored thereon instruction which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:
- receive a plurality of bids in connection with an exchange, with each bid including at least one item and an associated price;
- associating exchange description data (EDD) with at least one of the bids, the EDD including at least one of the following features:
- reserve price, free disposal, non-price attribute, adjustment, objective, constraint, feasibility obtainer, constraint relaxer, conditional pricing and quote request;
- and
- processing the at least one bid in accordance with the at least one feature included in the associated EDD to obtain an allocation for the exchange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.