Computer implemented methods and apparatus for auctions

A dynamic computer implemented auction system for auctions for plural objects operating in multiple rounds at changing prices, said auction system comprising:

• a) an auctioneer's system and at least two user systems, the auctioneers system communicatively coupled to user systems;
• b) each user system including:
• b1) means for receiving messages from the auctioneer's system and for displaying those messages;
• b2) means for receiving bid related information from a user and for transmitting bid information to the auctioneer's system, where said bid informatioin specifies at least quantities of objects;
• and
• c) said auctioneer's system including:
• c1) means for generating and transmitting messages to user systems, said messages including a message to initiate an auction, a non-final message indicating that the auction will continue at least one more round, and a final message indicating that the auction has terminated, said non-final message also indicating a current quantity of objects, where the current quantity of objects may be greater than a quantity of objects in a prior round;
• c2) means for receiving bid information from user systems in one or more rounds of bidding;
• and
• c3) decision means responsive to the bid information received fiom the user systems for determining if an auction should continue or not, said decision means including:
• c31) means to initiate the generation of a non-final message to at least one user system in response to a determination to continue the auction;
• c32) means to initiate the generation of a final message to at least one user system in response to a determination not to continue the auction;
• and
• c33) means for comparing a sum of quantities specified in bids in a current round with the quantity of objects specified by the auctioneer's system for a current round and termninating the auction when that comparison shows that the sum ot quantities specified in bids is equal to or less than the quantity specified by the auctioneer's s,system.

A method for conducting a dynamic computer implemented auction for multiple dissimilar objects operating in multiple rounds comprising:

• a) providing an auctioneer's system,
• b) conveying messages concerning an auction to users from the auctioneer's system, said messages including a message to initiate an auction, a non-final message indicating that the auction will continue at least one more round, and a final message indicating that the auction has terminated
• c) receiving bid related information from plural users and, in response, conveying bid information from the users to the auctioneer's system, where said bid informaition includes a value parameter P.sub.i and an associated object subset identification S.sub.i, where the object subset identification S.sub.i identifies a set of objects and where the value parameter P.sub.i specifies a payment proposed by the bidder in return for the objects of subset S.sub.i ;
• d) determining, in response to the bid information, if an auction should continue or not, including selecting an n-tuple of bids (S.sub.i, P.sub.i), at most one from each user, to optimize the sum of the different value parameters P.sub.i of the selected bids subject to the constraint that the associated subsets S.sub.i of all of the selected bids are compatible.

A method for conducting a dynamic computer implemented auction for plural objects operating in multiple rounds at changing prices comprising:

• a) providing an auctioneer's system and transmitting messages from the auctioneer's system to users, said messages including a message to initiate an auction, a non-final message indicating that the auction will continue at least one more round, and a final message indicating that the auction has terminated, said non-final message also indicating a current quantity of objects, where the current quantity of objects may be greater than a quantity of objects in a prior round;
• b) receiving bid related information from users and, in response, transmitting bid information to the auctioneer's system, where said bid information specifies at least quantities of objects;
• and
• c) determining at the auctioneer's system, in response to the bid information received from the users if an auction should continue or not, including comparing a sum of quantities specified in bids in a current round with the quantity of objects specified by the auctioneer's system for a current round and terminating the auction when that comparison shows that the sum of quantities specified in bids is equal to or less than the quantity specified by the auctioneer's system.