Automatic auction method and system on server-client system

An auction device of determining a successful bidder for a single kind of product or products, the auction device being connected with a plurality of client computers via a network, each client computer belonging to a respective bidder, the auction device comprising:

• first means for transmitting information on a product to be auctioned to the plurality of client computers via the network;
• establishing means for establishing a current auction price against which bids are judged;
• second means for receiving a rules set including at least one rule defining participation in the auction by a bidder, from each of the plurality of client computers via the network;
• determining means for determining, based on the rules set received for each bidder, a desired auction price that a bidder, is willing to bid for the product, optionally with a maximum allowed price greater than said desired auction price that a bidder is willing to bid;
• third means for judging, whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than the desired auction price determined according to the rules set received by the second means from each of the plurality of client computers that the bidder, is willing to bid, for each bidder;
• fourth means for determining each remaining bidder who has sent the rules set by which it is judged that the current auction price is equal to or lower than the desired auction price judged in the third means;
• fifth means for judging whether a competitive state occurs or not, based on the amount of products to be auctioned and the sum of amounts of products that the bidders desire to purchase, wherein a state in which there is more than one remaining bidder as a result of said determining in step d) is defined as a competitive state;
• wherein in response to a judgment by the fifth means that the competitive state occurs, the third, fourth, and fifth means are repeatedly executed using an increased current auction price as the current auction price, wherein the repeated execution of the third, fourth, and fifth means is performed until it is judged by the fifth means that no competitive state occurs;
• wherein if the current auction price is greater than the desired auction price upon repeating execution of the third means, the repeated execution of the third means judges whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than the maximum allowed price if present in the rules set as determined according to the rules set received by the second means from each of the plurality of client computers that the bidder is willing to bid, for each bidder, and the repeated execution of the fourth means determines each remaining bidder if the current auction price exceeds the maximum allowed price judged by the third means;
• and
• sixth means for, in response to judgment by the fifth means that the competitive state does not occur, determining the remaining bidder as a successful bidder

An auction method of determining a successful bidder for a single kind of product or products, the auction method being executed in a server computer connected with a plurality of client computers via a network, each client computer belonging to a respective bidder, the auction method comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting, from the server computer, information on a product to be auctioned to the plurality of client computers via the network;
• a′) establishing, in the server computer, a current auction price against which bids are judged;
• b) receiving, in the server computer a rules set for ordering the product including at least one rule defined participation in the auction by a bidder, from each of the plurality of client computers via the network;
• c) judging, in the server computer, for each bidder, and based on the rules set received in step b) whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than a desired auction price that the bidder is willing to bid for the product;
• d) determining, in the server computer, each remaining bidder who has sent the rules set based on which it is judged that the current auction price is equal to or lower than the desired auction price judged in step c);
• e) judging, in the server computer, whether there is more than one remaining bidder as a result of said determining in step d), wherein a state in which there is more than one remaining bidder as a result of said determining in step d) is defined as a competitive state;
• f) in response to a judgment in step e) that there is a competitive state, increasing, in the server computer, the current auction price and repeating steps c), d), and e) using the increased current auction price as the current auction price, wherein the repeating of steps c), d), and e) is performed until it is judged in step e) that there is no competitive state;
• wherein if the current auction price is greater than the desired auction price upon repeating step c), the repeated step c) judges whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than a maximum allowed price if present in the rules set as determined according to the rules set received in step b) from each of the plurality of client computers that the bidder is willing to bid, for each bidder, and the repeated step d) determines each remaining bidder if the current auction price exceeds the maximum allowed price judged in step c);
• and g) in response to a judgment in step e) that there is no competitive state, determining, in the server computer, the remaining bidder as a successful bidder.

An auction device for determining a successful bidder for a single kind of product or products, the auction device being connected with a plurality of client computers via a network, each client computer belonging to a respective bidder, the auction device comprising:

• first means for transmitting information on a product to be auctioned to the plurality of client computers via the network;
• establishing means for establishing a current auction price against which bids are judged;
• second means for receiving a rules set including at least one rule defining participation in the auction by a bidder, from each of the plurality of client computers via the network;
• third means for judging, for each bidder and based on the rules set received by the second means, whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than a desired auction price that the bidder is willing to bid for the product;
• fourth means for determining each remaining bidder who has sent the rules set by which it is judged that the current auction price is equal to or lower than the desired auction price judged by the third means;
• fifth means for judging whether there is more than one remaining bidder as a result of said determining by said fourth means, wherein a state in which there is more than one remaining bidder as a result of said determining is defined as a competitive state,
• wherein in response to a judgment by the fifth means that there is a competitive state, the third, fourth, and fifth means are repeatedly executed using an increased current auction price as the current auction price, wherein the repeated execution of the third, fourth, and fifth means is performed until it is judged by the fifth means that there is no competitive state;
• wherein if the current auction price is greater than the desired auction price upon repeated execution by the third means, the repeated execution of the third means judges whether the current auction price is equal to or lower than the maximum allowed price if present in the rules set as determined according to the rules set received by the second means from each of the plurality of client computers that the bidder is willing to bid, for each bidder, and the repeated execution of the fourth means determines each remaining bidder if the current auction price exceeds the maximum allowed price judged by the third means;
• and
• sixth means for, in response to judgment by the fifth means that there is no competitive state, determining the remaining bidder as a successful bidder.