Interactive remote auction bidding system

A method for conducting an auction to produce a winning bidder who receives the subject of the auction in exchange for the winning bid, the auction having bidders located remote from the auction site, where bidders have data input devices for communicating over a first network to the auction site and wherein information from the auction site is broadcast to the remote bidders over a second network, comprising:

• generating at the auction site an asking bid;
• displaying at the auction site in real-time, the asking bid;
• broadcasting in real-time over the second network the asking bid to bidders remote from the auction site;
• generating bid acceptance signals representing a desire to acquire the subject of the auction at a current bid by the bidders using the data input devices communicating over the first network to the auction site;
• beginning a bid acceptance time window in which to accept bid acceptance signals after delaying a variable controlled amount of time following broadcasting the asking bid;
• monitoring the first network for bid acceptance signals;
• accepting a first bid acceptance signal after the bid acceptance time window begins;
• terminating the bid acceptance time window after receiving the first bid acceptance signal and prior to receiving any subsequent bid acceptance signals;
• identifying at the auction site the bidder whose bid acceptance signal was accepted as the current bid;
• generating a response communicating confirmation of bid acceptance and communicating the response over the first network to the bidder having the current bid;
• generating a response communicating bid not accepted and communicating the response over the first network to each bidder who communicates a bid acceptance received after the bid acceptance time window terminated;
• changing the asking bid to the current bid;
• adjusting the bid acceptance time window before accepting subsequent bid acceptance signals to a modified bid acceptance time window by modifying the variable controlled amount of time delay after broadcasting the asking bid and before beginning the bid acceptance time window;
• generating at the auction site a new asking bid;
• displaying at the auction site in real-time, the new asking bid and the current bid;
• broadcasting in real-time over the second network the new asking bid and the current bid to bidders remote from the auction site;
• beginning the modified bid acceptance time window after delaying the modified variable controlled amount of time after broadcasting the new asking bid;
• monitoring the first network for bid acceptance signals generated by the data input devices communicated over the first network to the auction site;
• accepting the first bid acceptance signal after the modified bid acceptance time window begins;
• terminating the modified bid acceptance time window after receiving the first bid acceptance signal and prior to receiving any subsequent bid acceptance signals;
• identifying at the auction site the bidder whose bid acceptance was accepted as the current bid;
• generating a response communicating confirmation of bid acceptance over the first network to the current bidder;
• generating a response communicating bid not accepted and communicating the response over the first network to each bidder who communicates a bid acceptance received after termination of the bid acceptance time window;
• identifying the bidder whose bid acceptance was accepted as the new current bid;
• and
• changing the new asking bid to the new current bid.

A method for conducting an auction to produce a winning bidder who receives the subject of the auction in exchange for the winning bid, the auction having bidders located remote from the auction site, where bidders have data input devices for communicating over a network to the auction site, comprising:

• generating at the auction site an asking bid;
• displaying at the auction site in real-time the asking bid;
• broadcasting in real-time over the network the asking bid to bidders remote from the auction site;
• generating bid acceptance signals representing a desire to acquire the subject of the auction at a current bid by the bidders using the data input devices communicating over the network to the auction site;
• introducing a fixed programmed delay time period before accepting a first of a plurality of bid acceptance signals at the auction site;
• monitoring the network for bid acceptance signals;
• accepting a first bid acceptance signal after the programmed delay time period;
• identifying at the auction site the bidder whose bid acceptance signal was accepted as the current bidder;
• changing the asking bid to the current bid;
• generating at the auction site a second asking bid;
• displaying at the auction site in real-time, a second asking bid and the current bid;
• broadcasting in real-time over the network the second asking bid and the current bid to bidders remote from the auction site;
• introducing a programmed delay time period before accepting a second of a plurality of bid acceptance signals at the auction site;
• monitoring the network for bid acceptance signals;
• accepting a first bid acceptance signal after the programmed delay time period;
• identifying at the auction site the bidder whose bid acceptance signal was accepted as the new current bidder;
• and
• changing the second asking bid to the new current bid.

A method for conducting an auction to produce a winning bidder who receives the subject of the auction in exchange for the winning bid, the auction having bidders located remote from the auction site, where bidders have data input devices for communicating over a first network to the auction site and wherein information from the auction site is broadcast to the remote bidders over a second network, comprising:

• generating at the auction site an asking bid;
• displaying at the auction site in real-time, the asking bid;
• broadcasting in real-time over the second network the asking bid to bidders remote from the auction site;
• generating bid acceptance signals representing a desire to acquire the subject of the auction at a current bid by the bidders using the data input devices communicating over the first network to the auction site;
• beginning a bid acceptance time window in which to accept bid acceptance signals after delaying a controlled amount of time following broadcasting the asking bid;
• monitoring the first network for bid acceptance signals;
• accepting a first bid acceptance signal after the bid acceptance time window begins;
• terminating the bid acceptance time window after receiving the first bid acceptance signal and prior to receiving any subsequent bid acceptance signals;
• identifying at the auction site the bidder whose bid acceptance signal was accepted as the current bid;
• generating a response communicating confirmation of bid acceptance and communicating the response over the first network to the bidder having the current bid;
• generating a response communicating bid not accepted and communicating the response over the first network to each bidder who communicates a bid acceptance received after the bid acceptance time window terminated;
• changing the asking bid to the current bid;
• repeating at least one additional cycle of generating, displaying, broadcasting, generating, beginning, monitoring, accepting, terminating, identifying, generating, generating, and changing, wherein each cycle starts with a new asking bid and ends with a new current bid which was the preceding new asking bid.