Patent ID: 7003485
Filing Date: 2006-02-21
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for conducting a remote auction of event tickets from a central computer to a plurality of customers at remote locations, each said customer connected to the central computer by telecommunications apparatus for receiving and transmitting information, the method comprising the steps of: programming the computer with a template of an auditorium where the event is scheduled to take place; programming the computer with available seat data, the seat data identifying seats intended for sale during the auction, each of the seats intended for sale corresponding to a dill rent ticket; programming the computer with a minimum ticket price below which no ticket may be sold during the auction; transmitting from the central computer to the customers, before the individual customer registers and before said customer makes any bids, a first message to notify the customer that bids submitted by the customer during the auction are non-revocable; further transmitting from the central computer to the customers a message that customers can individually specify that partial orders and scattered seats are acceptable; requesting registration information from at least a first customer, the registration information, including the first customer's name, password, and payment information registering the first customer for the auction; receiving bids from at last two of the customers, each of the bids including a seat quantity indicating a number of seats bid for, an amount bid, means indicating whether the customer who submitted said each bid is willing to accept noncontiguous seats, and whether the consumer who submitted each bid is willing to accept fewer seats than indicated by said each bid's seat quantity, and performing in a computer a seat assignment algorithm for allocating the seats intended for sale during the auction among the received bids and incorporating at least one of the customers indication of willingness to accept noncontiguous seats and partial orders in a way that maximizes total amount receivable from the customers for the seats intended for sale during the auction.