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US 2014/0372243 A1Published application
Live Auction System
OwnerLarry Ciulla, William Frontieroinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A decrementing live online auction system is provided. The auction system is capable of handling any number of potential buyers bidding on one or more items in one or more auctions. The system may be implemented on a computer and accessible by users on computers. This system may be accessible to a user even with a slow and intermittent internet connection, such as a user on a cellular network connection.
Claims23
A live online auction method comprising the steps of:
- providing an online auction room interface by at least one computer to a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users utilizing a computer to access the auction room, the auction room allowing access to an auction, providing a catalog to each of the plurality of users, and allowing bidding by the plurality of users, the catalog comprising a quantity of information relating to each of a plurality of items to be auctioned;
- receiving a pre-bid by the at least one computer from one of the plurality of users on one of the plurality of items to be auctioned, and the pre-bid being received before the one of the plurality of items is brought up for bid;
- controlling the auction taking place in the auction room interface by an auctioneer in computerized communication with the auction room;
- initiating the auction by the auctioneer, wherein the step of initiating comprises the steps of:
- bringing a first item of the plurality of items to be auctioned up for bid by the auctioneer;
- configuring a decrement amount for the first item;
- configuring a decrement rate for the first item;
- configuring a starting price for the first item;
- and
- initiating the decrementing of a price of the first item beginning at the starting price, wherein the decrementing price is displayed to the plurality of users accessing the auction room interface;
- receiving a bid from a bidder-user of the plurality of users, the bid being a first bid input received from the plurality of users by the at least once computer providing the auction room, the step of receiving the bid being the only communication from the plurality of users to the at least one computer;
- ending the bidding on the first item after the bid is received by the at least one computer;
- awarding the first item to a bidder-user of the plurality of users whose bid was received;
- providing an output by the at least one computer to the computer of a bidder-user of the plurality of users indicating that a bidder-user of the plurality of users has won the item;
- continuing the auction after the bidding on the first item has ended.
12 more elements
A system of live online auctioning comprising:
- a host server providing an auction room interface accessible to a plurality of bidders, the auction room being a user interface making available information regarding an auction, the information regarding the auction comprising a price and price status of an item up for auction, and details regarding a plurality of items up for auction, the host server configured to control the auction as a price decrementing live auction;
- a plurality of user computers in communication with the host server, each user computer configured to access the auction room provided by the host server and configured to provide a bid input to the host server;
- wherein the host server is configured to receive auction control information, the auction control information comprising:
- descriptive information regarding the plurality of auction items, price decrement rate, price decrement amount, and starting price;
- the host server configured to begin a sale of one of the plurality of items by beginning at the starting price and decrementing the price at the set decrement rate and amount, the decrementing price being communicated to the plurality of users via their computerized access to the auction room interface;
- wherein one of the plurality of user computers is configured to provide a bid input to the host server, upon receipt of the bid input, the host server is configured to award the one of the plurality of items to the user of the one of the plurality of user computers, and bring a next of the plurality of items up for bid;
- and
- wherein the host server is further configured to receive and record a pre-bid amount for one of the plurality of items up for auction from at least one of the plurality of user computers, the pre-bid amount automatically awarding the item to a user who input the pre-bid if the price of the item decrements to the pre-bid amount without being first purchased.
5 more elements
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.