Real time auction with end game

A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising:

• using a computer to produce information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet;
• said computer producing second information as part of said information representing a webpage, said second information having a first parameter indicative of an ending time for said electronic auction;
• prior to said ending time, said computer carrying out the auction in a first mode, in which said computer transmits said entire webpage indicative of an electronic auction in response to a manual request to open or refresh said webpage indicative of an electronic auction from a user of one or more client computers;
• said webpage capable of receiving an indication of interest from a user of one or more client computers after said webpage receives an indication of interest, said webpage carrying out the auction in a second mode, wherein said webpage automatically receives new auction information and updates said webpage with said new auction information, without users of said one or more client computers making a manual request for said new information.

A computer-code product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for conducting a multiple mode, computer-based auction, the computer-code product comprising:

• first computer code generated by a server, able to be downloaded and executed by a plurality of remote terminals, to cause any such remote terminal that has downloaded the code to operate in a first competitive bidding mode in which the remote terminal would display auction information including information about the auction item, the current high bid on the item as of the last update of the remote terminal, and an indication of the predetermined ending time of the auction, all without automatic updating of said auction information displayed by the remote terminal during the first competitive bidding mode;
• second computer code generated by a server, able to be downloaded and executed by a plurality of remote terminals, to cause any such remote terminal that has downloaded the code to operate in a second competitive bidding mode in which the remote terminal would display auction information including information about the auction item, the current high bid on the item as of the last update of the remote terminal, and an indication of the predetermined ending time of the auction, with automatic updating of said auction information displayed by the remote terminal during the second competitive bidding mode;
• and
• third computer code generated by a server to cause the server to automatically provide the first computer code for download by said plurality of terminals during the first competitive bidding mode that is before a set and predetermined transition time that is before the predetermined ending time of the auction, and to cause the server to automatically provide the second computer code for download by said plurality of terminals during the second competitive bidding mode that is after a set and predetermined transition time that is before the predetermined ending time of the auction.