Intelligent agents for electronic commerce

A method for searching for a product by a consumer, comprising in combination the steps of:

• selecting a decision agent manager to supervise the subsequent steps;
• composing a decision query;
• creating a decision agent;
• delivering the decision agent to a specified market;
• accepting the decision agent by the market;
• and searching for the product.

A method for quantifying demand by a provider for a product, comprising in combination the steps of:

• selecting a demand agent manager to supervise the subsequent steps;
• composing a demand query;
• creating a demand agent;
• delivering the demand agent to a market;
• accepting the demand agent by the market;
• and
• searching demand.

A system for electronic commerce wherein market data can be collected and analyzed comprising:

• a plurality of consumer agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a consumer;
• a consumer data base comprising consumer preference data associated with each said consumer;
• a plurality of provider agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a provider;
• and
• a data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• wherein said consumer agents conceal the identity of the associated consumer from agents not associated with said consumer in said system;
• wherein said consumer agents are capable of searching said data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• wherein said consumer agent searching generates persistent market data;
• wherein said provider agents are capable of searching said consumer database and said persistent market data;
• and
• wherein said provider agents analyze said consumer database and said persistent market data to quantify consumer demand.

A method for searching for product offers, comprising:

• providing a computer system adapted to operation of agents;
• providing a consumer agent, each associated with and capable of communicating with a consumer;
• providing a consumer data base of consumer preference data associated with each said consumer;
• providing a data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• concealing the identity of said consumer from agents not associated with said consumer;
• said consumer agent assisting said consumer in composing a query for a product or product category;
• said consumer agent searching said data base of offers to sell and offers to buy, wherein said searching generates persistent market data;
• said consumer agent retaining search results of said searching until the associated consumer's preferred delivery time;
• said consumer agent automatically filtering out any of said search results that violate any of said consumer preference data;
• said consumer agent ordering or ranking said search results according to said consumer preference data;
• said consumer agent formatting said search results for delivery to said associated consumer's preferred communication device;
• and
• said consumer agent delivering said search results to said communication device;
• whereby said consumer can gather product data that is automatically filtered and ranked according to said consumer preferences.

A method for collecting and analyzing market data, comprising:

• providing a computer system adapted to operation of agents;
• providing a plurality of consumer agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a consumer;
• providing a consumer data base of consumer preference data associated with each said consumer;
• providing a plurality of provider agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a provider;
• providing a data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• concealing the identity of said consumer from agents not associated with said consumer;
• searching by said consumer agents of said data base of offers to sell and offers to buy, wherein said searching generates persistent market data;
• searching by said provider agents of said consumer data base and of said persistent market data to discover which of said consumer agents possess certain preferences and generated certain records within said persistent market data;
• analyzing the results of said searching by said provider agents to quantify consumer demand;
• whereby consumers are encouraged to utilize said system because the identity of each said consumer is concealed from said agents not associated with said consumer in said system;
• and
• whereby providers can gain access to valuable said persistent market data without imposing on or invading the privacy of said consumers.

A method of extending a consideration payment to a consumer, whose identity remains concealed, in return for said consumer providing useful market data to a provider, comprising:

• said provider selecting consumer agents to receive a message;
• said provider causing said message to be delivered to said consumer agents;
• each of said consumer agents displaying said message to said consumer agent's associated consumer;
• each of said associated consumers generating a response to said message;
• said provider's associated provider agent generating, for each said response received, a consideration notice addressed to the consumer agent associated with the consumer that generated the response;
• said associated provider agent causing each said consideration notice to be delivered to said associated consumer agent;
• each said consumer agent crediting said associated consumer's consideration account;
• whereby said consumer can receive a consideration payment for divulging useful market data to said provider;
• and
• whereby said provider can solicit valuable market data without imposing on or invading the privacy of said consumers.

A method of a consumer automatically rejecting certain unsolicited messages from a provider, comprising:

• said provider causing a message to be delivered to a consumer agent;
• said consumer agent comparing aspects of said message to a consumer data base of consumer preference data;
• if said message satisfies said consumer preference data, said consumer agent allowing said message to complete delivery to said consumer;
• if said message violates said consumer preference data, said consumer agent rejecting said message by:
• automatically generating a rejection message including an indication of the violated consumer preferences;
• causing said rejection message to be delivered to said provider;
• whereby said provider can gain valuable market data even from messages that are blocked from delivery.

A method of a provider simulating demand, comprising:

• providing a data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• providing a provider agent associated with and capable of communicating with a provider;
• providing a plurality of consumer agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a consumer;
• said provider places an invisible advertisement in said data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• a consumer agent, when ordering or ranking search results, if said search results include a reference to said invisible advertisement, ranks said invisible advertisement along with other said search results;
• said consumer agent, when ranking said invisible advertisement, generates a message indicating the ranking of the invisible advertisement;
• said consumer agent sends said message to the associated provider agent;
• said consumer agent, when delivering said search results to the preferred communication device of the associated consumer, omits said invisible ad;
• whereby said provider can determine simulated demand for the product described by said invisible ad.

A method of a provider replaying demand, comprising:

• providing a plurality of consumer agents, each associated with and capable of communicating with a consumer;
• providing a data base of offers to sell and offers to buy;
• consumer agents searching said data base of offers to sell and offers to buy, whereby said consumer agent searching generates persistent market data;
• a provider composes an invisible advertisement;
• said provider selects at least one said consumer agent that has completed said searching;
• said consumer agent is instructed to rank said invisible advertisement;
• said consumer agent ranks said invisible advertisement along with other said search results;
• said consumer agent, when ranking said invisible advertisement, generates a message indicating the ranking of the invisible advertisement;
• said consumer agent sends said message to the associated provider agent;
• whereby said provider can determine simulated demand in historical time for the product described by said invisible ad.

In a computer network agent system for providing communication between an anonymous potential consumer of products which can be goods or services and a provider of such products, the combination comprising:

• a decision agent for receiving anonymous product queries from the consumer and transmitting product recommendations to the consumer;
• a demand agent for receiving demand queries from the provider and transmitting quantified demand information to the provider;
• and
• a market for gathering information from the agents, organizing the information and distributing organized information to the agents.