Patent ID: 6021398
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: G06Q,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A dynamic computer implemented auction system for multiple dissimilar objects operating in multiple rounds comprising:a) an auctioneer's system and at least two user systems, the auctioneer's 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 information 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.1 ;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;c2) means for receiving bid information from user systems in multiple rounds of bidding;c3) decision means responsive to the bid information received from the user systems for determining if an auction should continue or not, wherein the decision means includes: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; andc33) selecting means to select an n-tuple of bids (S.sub.i, P.sub.i), at most one from each user system, which selection is effective 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.