Abstract:
A method and system for conducting online auctions, and in particular, a method and system for conduction online auctions of copper concentrates in fixed amounts according to a bid term. The participants in the auction are granted access to a secure area of a website, and enter bids over a communications network on parcels of copper concentrates. The auction is conducted in two stages, namely, an opening round and a closing round. The winner of the auction is the participant that submits the lowest confirmed bid for the bid term to end the closing round. The auction allows for the auction participants to enter bids either manually or through the use of an automated bid feature. The automated bid feature entering a bid on behalf of an auction participant if the minimum bid threshold specified by the participant is lower than the previous confirmed bid by at least the minimum bid increment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
         [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/309,086, filed Jul. 31, 2001. The subject matter of that application is incorporated by this reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a method and system for conducting online auctions, and in particular, to a method and system for conducting online auctions of copper concentrates in fixed amounts. The participants in the auction will be granted access to a secure area of a website, and will enter bids on parcels of copper concentrates from the website&#39;s secure area. The bidding will be based on a combined smelting and refining charge per pound of payable copper, or, alternatively, on a separate smelting charge per dry metric ton (DMT) of concentrates and a refining charge per pound of payable copper. The auction will be conducted in two stages, namely, an opening round and a closing round. The auction also allows for auction participants to enter bids either manually or through the use of an automated bid feature.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    The use of the Internet to conduct auctions is well-established for a variety of goods and services. The use of the Internet to conduct auctions among auction participants is beneficial because it allows for the instant communication of bidding information among remote auction participants resulting in more efficient results for the auction holder. The auction method and system of the present invention benefits from the advantages of the Internet applicable to most online auction websites, but also is particularly designed for use for the online auction of copper concentrates and contains various features that are uniquely suited to copper concentrate auctions and sales transactions. It can be appreciated, however, that the online auction method and system of the present invention could be used to auction other products or services including, without limitation, other metals or commodities.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention is a method and system for using the Internet to conduct online auctions of copper concentrates among prequalified potential customers. The customers can participate in the auction electronically from remote terminals and systems by accessing the website at “www.copperconcentrate.com”. Before participating in an auction, each customer must be prequalified by the auction host. A customer is prequalified to participate in an auction based on certain information about the customer that the customer submits over the website intended to limit the auction participants to entities regularly engaged in the buying, selling, trading or smelting of copper concentrates in commercial quantities. The auction website will have a “public area” that is accessible by any visitor to the website and a “secure area” that only prequalified auction participants may access through the use of a user ID and password obtained from the auction host. The auction host may or may not be the actual producer of the copper concentrates being auctioned. From the secure area of the website, auction participants will bid on one or more parcels of copper concentrate in an auction conducted at a prescheduled date and time. The bidding is conducted either on the basis of “combined terms”, or, alternatively, on the basis of “separated terms”. If the auction is conducted on the basis of combined terms, the winner of the auction shall be the bidder submitting the lowest bid amount for the “combined smelting and refining charge per pound of payable copper” for the parcel of copper concentrate being auctioned. The combined smelting and refining charge per pound of payable copper term is a copper concentrate sales transaction term that is generally known by sellers and buyers of copper concentrates in the industry. Alternatively, if the auction is conducted on the basis of separated terms, the bidders will submit bids for the first term, “the smelting charge per DMT of concentrates”, and the second term, “the refining charge per pound of payable copper”, will be calculated automatically based on the bid for the first term (in one embodiment, calculated as {fraction (1/1000)} of the first term). The winner of the auction shall be the bidder submitting the lowest bid amount for the first term and, because the second term is calculated directly from the first term, the lowest bid amount for the second term. Both the first term and the second term will collectively constitute the bid being placed by the auction participant. The smelting charge per DMT of concentrates and the refining charge per pound of payable copper are copper concentrate sales transaction terms that are generally known by sellers and buyers of copper concentrates in the industry.  
           [0007]    The auction is conducted in two stages, an opening round and a closing round. During the opening round, auction participants can bid as much and as often as desired during a predefined period of time. Upon completion of the opening round, the closing round will commence immediately. To participate in the closing round, an auction participant may only bid if the auction participant entered a confirmed bid during the opening round. The closing round will remain open until the passage of a specified period of time, typically five to fifteen minutes, during which no new, qualifying bid is confirmed. For a bid to qualify, a bid must be lower than the previous confirmed bid by a predetermined minimum bid increment or some multiple of the minimum bid increment. For bidding based on combined terms, the minimum bid increment is typically about 0.05 cents. For bidding based on separated terms, the minimum bid increment for the smelting charge term is typically about 0.25 dollars and for the refining charge term is about 0.00025 dollars. If an auction participant&#39;s bid is the lowest confirmed bid at the end of a closing round period, the auction participant is obligated to complete the sale transaction for the copper concentrate parcel auctioned.  
           [0008]    During both the opening round and the closing round, the auction participant has the opportunity to submit bids either manually or through the use of an automated bid feature. The automated bid feature will allow auction participants to have bids automatically entered by the system on their behalf down to a specified minimum bid threshold.  
           [0009]    These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following Detailed Description and the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    For a further understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like parts are given like reference numerals and wherein:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a screen capture image of the auction announcement page accessible from the public area of the present invention in which the bidding is based on combined terms.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 shows how the auction announcement page could be reconfigured for bidding based on separated terms.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a screen capture image of the current status page of the secure area of the present invention in which the bidding is based on combined terms.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 shows how the current status page could be reconfigured for bidding based on separated terms.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a screen capture image of the automated bid entry page for the automated bid feature of the present invention in which the bidding is based on combined terms.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 shows how the automated bid entry page could be reconfigured for bidding based on separated terms.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the process of the automated bid feature of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a set of examples of manual and automated bidding by auction participants in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]    The website of the present invention is hosted on a server having a database for storing information relating to the auction and the bids received during the auction as further described below. The website can be accessed by customers over the Internet from remote terminals and computer systems by accessing the website at “www.copperconcentrate.com”.  
         [0020]    The website consists of a public, unsecured area accessible by all visitors to the website and a secure area that will only be accessible by customers that have been qualified as auction participants by the auction host. As shown in FIG. 1, the public area of the website  10  consists of general postings relating to upcoming scheduled auctions. The public area  10  also includes links to enable the visitor to review the contractual terms and conditions for participating in the auctions and to contact a marketing representative of the auction host. Also, the public area  10  includes links to enable the visitor to obtain additional information about the auction host and its affiliates and to access additional links of potential interest to the visitor.  
         [0021]    The information relating to upcoming auctions is set forth in an auction information table  20 . The auction information table  20  displays information relating to the scheduled date and time of the auction  22  as well as other information relating to certain commercial terms and conditions applicable to a copper concentrate sales transaction entered into as a result of the online auction. Although the auction information table  20  is designed specifically for the auction of copper concentrates, it can be appreciated that it could be used to auction other products or services, including, without limitation, other metals and commodities.  
         [0022]    For purposes of performing the auction, most of the commercial terms and conditions relating to the copper concentrates included in each upcoming auction are preset and displayed in the auction information table  20  so that the auction can be held with respect to bidding on the basis of “combined terms” or, alternatively, on the basis of “separated terms”. The commercial terms applicable to the sales transaction that are preset and displayed in the auction information table  20  include a description of the seller of the copper concentrate parcel  23 , the amount of the copper concentrate parcel expressed typically in DMT&#39;s  24 , the approximate analysis of the chemical composition of the copper concentrate parcel  25  and the projected shipping period for the copper concentrate parcel  26 . Other information and commercial terms applicable to the sales transaction can be displayed as desired by the auction host in additional rows  27  or can be agreed to by each auction participant and the auction host pursuant to contractual agreements entered into prior to the commencement of the auction.  
         [0023]    The public area  10  of the website also includes a bid information table  30 . As shown in FIG. 1, the bid information table is configured for bidding on the basis of combined terms. In FIG. 2, the bid information table may be reconfigured as shown for bidding on the basis of separated terms. If the auction is conducted on the basis of combined terms, the combined terms are well-known in the industry and referred to as the “combined smelting and refining charge per pound of payable copper”. If the auction is conducted on the basis of separated terms, the bidding is based on a first term, referred to as “the smelting charge per DMT of concentrates”, and the second term, “the refining charge per pound of payable copper”, is calculated automatically based on the bid for the first term. In the preferred embodiment, the second term, the refining charge term, is automatically calculated as {fraction (1/1000)} of the first term, the smelting charge term. Thus, the amount of dollars bid for the smelting charge term will equate to the number of tenths of a cent for the refining charge term. For example, if the bid is $74.00 for the smelting charge term, the refining charge term is automatically calculated to equal $0.07400. Alternatively, the refining charge term could be calculated based on the smelting charge term using another formula as set by the auction host.  
         [0024]    The bid information table  30  includes information relating to the starting minimum bid  32  for the copper concentrate parcel to be auctioned and the minimum bid increment  34 . For bidding based on combined terms, a single minimum bid amount for the combined terms and the minimum bid increment are displayed. The minimum bid increment for combined terms bidding is typically about 0.05 cents. For bidding based on separated terms, the minimum bid amount and the minimum bid increment are displayed for the smelting charge term and the refining charge term. Both the smelting charge term and refining charge term collectively will represent the total bid for the purpose of separated terms. The minimum bid increments for separated terms bidding is typically about 0.25 dollars for the smelting charge term and 0.00025 dollars for the refining charge term.  
         [0025]    As the auction progresses, all bids entered by auction participants must be entered in multiples of the minimum bid increment. Once the minimum bid increment is set it will apply for the duration of the auction and no bids will be accepted that are not some multiple of the minimum bid increment below the previous confirmed bid.  
         [0026]    In order for a visitor of the website to participate in an auction, the visitor must access the secure area of the website  40 . The secure area  40  is accessed by the visitor by entering a user ID and a password obtained from the auction host. The auction host will also provide each auction participant with an electronic certificate of qualification to participate in the auction. Before granting the auction participant with access to the secure area  40 , the auction host may require that the auction participant enter into contractual agreements such as a concentrate sales agreement setting forth, in greater detail, the terms and conditions that will apply to copper concentrate sales transactions entered into as a result of the online auction of the present invention.  
         [0027]    When the auction host announces a scheduled auction to potential auction participants, the auction participants will receive an invitation from the auction host including an addendum to the previously executed concentrate sales agreement. The addendum will specify whether the auction will be conducted on the basis of combined terms or separated terms. The addendum will also specify all of the commercial terms that relate to the parcel of copper concentrate to be auctioned with the exception of either the combined terms or the separated terms, which shall be determined during the auction. Auction participants will typically be required to execute the applicable addendum at least 3 business days prior to the auction.  
         [0028]    As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the secure area  40  displays a current status page  41  which includes an auction status table  42 , an auction status graph  43  and a bid entry bar  44 . The auction status table  42  lists confirmed bids in descending order by the amount and the time that the bid was confirmed. If a bid was entered by the auction participant viewing the current status page  41 , the bids entered by such auction participant will be highlighted in the auction status table  42 . The auction status graph  43  provides a graphical representation of the information contained in the auction status table  42 . On the vertical axis, the confirmed bid amounts are charted in descending order. On the horizontal axis, the date and times that the bids were confirmed are charted.  
         [0029]    The bid entry bar  44  enables the auction participant to submit bids manually through a bid submission link  46 . The bid entry bar  44  displays information relating to the current confirmed bid, the minimum bid increment and the next acceptable bid. The next acceptable bid is the current confirmed bid less the minimum bid increment. For combined terms bidding as shown in FIG. 3, a single field is provided for the bid submission link  46  for the auction participant to enter a bid. For separated terms bidding as shown in FIG. 4, a field is provided for the auction participant to enter a bid for the smelting charge term for the bid submission link  46 , but a second field  49  is also provided to display the refining charge term which is calculated automatically from the specified smelting charge term. After entering the bid information, the auction participant enters the bid by clicking on a submit button icon.  
         [0030]    In order for a bid to be accepted by the system, the bid must be lower than the previous confirmed bid by the amount of the prescribed minimum bid increment or some multiple of the minimum bid increment. If the bid does not satisfy the minimum bid increment, the auction participart submitting the bid will be notified that the bid cannot be accepted. If the submitted bid satisfies the minimum bid increment, a confirmation will be displayed to the auction participant to permit the auction participant to either accept or retract the bid. If the bid is accepted, the bid is officially submitted as a new bid. The bid entry bar  44  also provides a link  48  to enable the auction participant to use the automatic bid feature of the present invention.  
         [0031]    For purposes of making the auctions more efficient and enable more auction participants to participate in the auction process, auctions performed in accordance with the present invention will be conducted in two stages. The first stage is referred to as the opening round and the second stage is referred to as the closing round. The opening round is for a fixed period of time and may typically range anywhere from a period of 4 hours to 24 hours depending on the circumstances and the locations of the auction participants. During the opening round of bidding, a clock  45  is displayed on the current status page  41  for convenience and to show auction participants the amount of hours and minutes left in the opening round of bidding. At the expiration of the opening round, the closing round will commence immediately. In order for an auction participant to be able to submit a bid during the closing round, the auction participant must have entered a bid and the bid must have been confirmed during the opening round.  
         [0032]    During the closing round, bidding will continue until the expiration of a specified period of time during which there have been no new confirmed bids. Typically, this period of time will be five to fifteen minutes in duration. If a new qualifying bid is confirmed prior to the expiration of the specified bidding period, the clock  45  will be reset and a new bidding period will begin. If the specified bidding period expires and no new bid has been confirmed, then the previous bid confirmed by the system will be the winning bid. A banner will appear notifying the successful auction participant that the auction has been completed and that the auction participant&#39;s bid was the lowest confirmed bid. Upon completion of the auction, the bid submission link  46  of the bid entry bar  44  for submitting new bids will be disabled and no new bids can be submitted by the other auction participants.  
         [0033]    In order for an auction participant to receive constantly updated bidding information on the current status page  41 , the auction participant must refresh the current status page  41  regularly in order to view the latest bids and update the clock  45 . The current status page  41  may be refreshed by the auction participant by clicking on the “Refresh” icon or text on the toolbar  47 .  
         [0034]    During the opening round and the closing round, the auction participant will have the option of submitting bids either manually or by using the automated bid feature of the present invention. If the auction participant desires to use the automated bid feature, the auction participant shall click on the automated bid link  48  located on the bid entry bar  44 . The auction participant will be prompted by an automated bid page  50  shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows the automated bid page  50  as configured for bidding based on combined terms, and FIG. 6 shows the automated bid page  50  as it may be reconfigured for bidding based on separated terms. In the automated bid threshold link  51 , the auction participant will enter a minimum bid threshold to be used and stored by the automated bid feature. For bidding based on combined terms, the auction participant enters the single minimum bid threshold for the combined terms. For bidding based on separated terms, the auction participant enters the minimum bid threshold for the smelting charge term and the corresponding minimum bid threshold is automatically calculated for the refining charge term. After the auction participant has completed entering the minimum bid threshold information, the auction participant enters the minimum bid threshold information in the automated bid feature by clicking on a submit button icon. The auction participant can also cancel the entry of the minimum bid threshold information by clicking on a cancel button icon.  
         [0035]    The process of the automated bid feature of the present invention is shown in greater detail in FIG. 7. The automated bid feature process is the same whether the bidding is based on combined terms or on separated terms. If an auction participant has already entered a minimum bid threshold, when the current status page  41  is updated with a new confirmed bid  52  the automated bid feature will compare the amount of the new confirmed bid to the auction participant&#39;s minimum bid threshold. If the auction participant&#39;s minimum bid threshold is lower than the previous confirmed bid by at least the minimum bid increment  53 , the automated bid feature will execute a new bid on behalf of the auction participant. If the bidding is based on combined terms, the bid will be a new bid for the combined terms. If the bidding is based on separated terms, the bid will be a new bid for the smelting charge term and the refining charge term will be automatically calculated based on the bid for the smelting charge term. The system will then confirm such bid  54  and the current status page  41  will be updated to include such confirmed bid  55 . The new bid will become the new confirmed bid  55  displayed in both the auction status table  42  and the auction status graph  43  on the current status page  41 . If the auction participant&#39;s minimum bid threshold is not lower than the previous confirmed bid by an amount equal to at least the minimum bid increment  53 , the automated bid feature will not execute a new bid on behalf of the auction participant.  
         [0036]    In those situations where two automated bids have the same minimum bid threshold, the auction participant that has an automated bid with a minimum bid threshold of the same amount as a previously entered automated bid will receive an error message and the automated bid will not be entered. If two automated bids are entered with different minimum bid thresholds, an automated bid will be executed for the auction participant having the lower minimum bid threshold in an amount that is lower than the minimum bid threshold of the other auction participant by the minimum bid increment. Automated bids are only entered on an auction participant&#39;s behalf in response to bids by other auction participants and not by a bid by that auction participant. Finally, if an automated bid is executed at a minimum bid threshold value and a bid is subsequently entered manually by another auction participant at exactly the same value, the manual bid shall govern. These and other aspects of the automated bidding feature of the present invention will become apparent from the examples illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0037]    An auction participant may modify the specified minimum bid threshold after an automated bid has been executed and confirmed. However, notwithstanding the auction participant&#39;s ability to modify the minimum bid threshold, any automated bids submitted prior to such modification may not be withdrawn, rescinded or retracted.  
         [0038]    Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing Detailed Description and has been illustrated in the accompanying Figures, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed but is capable of numerous modifications without departing from the scope of the invention claimed. Also, although the methods disclosed herein have been described and shown with reference to particular steps performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these steps may be combined, sub-divided or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the steps is not a limitation of the present invention.