Patent Publication Number: US-2005131799-A1

Title: Enhanced online auction method apparatus and system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/529,506 entitled “ENHANCED ONLINE AUCTION METHOD APPARATUS AND SYSTEM” and filed on Dec. 15, 2003 for Danny Clay, Steven F. McDaniel, and Morgan B. Adair. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to auctioning items for sale on an internetwork. Specifically, the invention relates to apparatus, methods, and systems for online auction trading.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram depicting a prior art online auction trading system  100 . The prior art online auction trading system  100  includes one or more auction web servers  110 , an auction database  115  that may include a plurality of database replicas or partitions  115   a  and  115   b,  an internetwork  120 , seller workstations  130 , seller data stores  135 , and buyer workstations  140 . The prior art online trading system  100  facilitates sellers of merchandise and services to post items for auction, and buyers to search or browse for items available for sale.  
      While the online auction trading system  100  enables certain transactions between auction buyers and sellers it does not provide means for buyers to post item-wanted listings, or for sellers to search for items that auction buyers want to purchase. Furthermore, the auction database is organized as a collection of sale items, and does not enable traders to organize sale items and item-wanted listings into a hierarchical structure corresponding to a product line or aggregate item-wanted listings into a set of related fulfillment requests.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram depicting a typical prior art search interface  200 . The prior art search interface  200  includes a search dialog  210 , search dialog tabs  220 , a search keyword text field  230 , search parameter interface elements  240 , search results interface elements  250 , a search initiation interface element  260 , a search results page  270 , a search options display  280 , and a search results listing  290 .  
      The prior art search interface  200  provide a basic user interface for searching an auction database for items that sellers have offered for sale. However, the prior art search interface  200  does not provide for item-wanted listings or facilitate auction sellers searching for item-wanted listings.  
      Accordingly, what is needed is an enhanced online auction system that expedites auction buyers creating item-wanted listings, facilitates auction sellers searching item-wanted listings, and enables auction traders to organize sale items and item-wanted listings into a hierarchical structure and aggregate multiple item-wanted listings into an aggregate fulfillment request.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available online auction systems. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an improved online auction apparatus, method, and system that overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.  
      In one aspect of the present invention, a system for facilitating online commerce facilitates posting items wanted for purchase in addition to items offered for sale. Items offered for sale may be auction items, immediate-sale items, or best-offer items. Items wanted for purchase may be immediate-purchase items, reverse-auction items, or best-offer items. In one embodiment, all sale and purchase offers may incorporate time-dependent pricing.  
      In another aspect of the present invention, a method for facilitating online commerce facilitates traders using an auction system to search for item-wanted listings, item-available listings, or both. Item-available listings or item-wanted listings may be posted by using an existing auction listing as a template.  
      In another aspect of the present invention, a method for facilitating marketing of a product line facilitates organizing product line listings into a hierarchical structure. In certain embodiments, users may post item-wanted listings within the hierarchical structure. For example, a user may post an item-wanted listing within a seller&#39;s product line for an item that is not in stock, or for an item which the user wishes the seller to begin offering for sale.  
      In another aspect of the present invention, a method for facilitating purchase fulfillment enables auction traders organize groups of item-wanted listings in a hierarchical structure. Fulfillment proposals facilitate auction sellers satisfying a set of item-wanted listings for one or more auction buyers.  
      In another aspect of the present invention, a method for linking listings facilitates linking or cross-linking item-available listings and item-wanted listings either manually by auction traders or automatically by auction system processes.  
      The present invention facilitates a variety of sale and purchase models for auction traders including but not limited to: buyers and sellers of individual items, manufacturers and sellers of a product line, system integrators, and commodity traders. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a typical prior art system for conducting an online auction;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a typical prior art search interface for entering auction search parameters and displaying search results;  
       FIGS. 3, 3A , and  3 B are block diagrams illustrating several embodiments of an enhanced search interface of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an enhanced search method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a user interface method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a customer request method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a proposal fulfillment method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted search method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8A  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an auction item search method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted solicitation method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-available solicitation method of the present invention;  
       FIG. 11  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-available to item-wanted link method of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 12  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted to item-available link method of the present invention.  
       FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted listing dialog apparatus of the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the apparatus, method, and system of the present invention, as represented in  FIGS. 3 through 13 , is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention.  
      Many of the functional units described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like.  
      Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified module of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module.  
      Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.  
      Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment and the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a search interface  300  of the present invention. The depicted search interface  300  includes a search dialog  310 , a search ‘By Buyer’ tab  320 , a search keyword text field  330 , a search for wanted items checkbox  340 , and a search control  350 . The search interface  300  provides enhanced auction features to auction buyers and sellers beyond those provided by the prior art search dialog  210  shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      The depicted search dialog  310  may contain all of the search dialog components of the prior art search dialog  210 . The depicted search dialog  310  facilitates a user searching the auction database  115  for item-wanted listings by entering keywords into the search keyword text field  330 , checking the search for wanted items checkbox  340 , and clicking the search control  350 . The search ‘By Buyer’ tab  320  facilitates searching the auction database  115  for item-wanted listings by entering the user name or identification number of the buyer who posted the item-wanted listing.  
      In the depicted embodiment, a search for a wanted-item listing is performed by checking the search for wanted items checkbox  340 . In certain embodiments, item-wanted listings may be identified in the auction database  115  by a unique sequence of characters in the item description. For example, item-wanted listing descriptions may begin with the characters “*ISO” to identify the listing as an item the potential buyer is “in search of.” 
      By facilitating searches for item-wanted listings, the search interface  300  expedites transactions between auction sellers and potential buyers. Auction sellers may search item-wanted listings to measure demand for items the seller may offer for sale, to estimate the market price of wanted items, to identify new products the seller may be able to sell profitably, to identify product features desired by potential purchasers, or to identify potential purchasers that may be contacted when a wanted item is listed for sale.  
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are text-based diagrams depicting two alternate embodiments of an auction search and search results web page  360   a  and  360   b  of the present invention. The auction search and search results web page  360  may include all of the components of the auction search page  300 . In addition, the search results web page  360  may include a search results listing  370 , an auction items list  380 , a wanted items list  390 , one or more ‘link to wanted item’ controls  392 , one or more ‘post similar auction item’ controls  394 , one or more ‘link to auction item’ controls  396 , and one or more ‘post similar wanted item’ controls  398 .  
      The search results listing  370  displays a list of items found in a search of the auction database  115 . The search results listing  370  may include auction items and wanted items, as specified by search parameters entered in the search dialog  310  by the auction trader.  
      The auction items list  380  contains a list of auction items returned by a search of the auction database  115 . The auction items list  380  may include fields such as the auction item title, the current bid price, if any, the number of bids, and the time remaining in the auction. In the depicted embodiment, the ‘link to wanted item’ controls  392  and the ‘post similar auction item’ controls  394  are associated with each item in the auction items list  380 . The ‘link to wanted item’ controls  392  facilitate the auction trader establishing a link in the auction database  115  between an auction item and a similar wanted item listing. The ‘link to wanted item’ controls  392  may also appear on a display containing a detailed description of an auction listing. The ‘post similar auction item’ controls  394  facilitate an auction trader listing an auction item listing based on an existing auction item listing that was returned by a search of the auction database  115 . Listing an auction item based on an existing listing facilitates an auction trader listing items for sale without having to enter data for all fields describing the item.  
      The wanted items list  390  contains a list of wanted items returned by a search of the auction database  115 . The wanted items list  390  may include fields such as the auction item title, the current offering price, if any, the number of offers, and the time remaining in the auction. In the embodiment depicted, a ‘link to auction item’ control  396  and a ‘post similar wanted item’ control  398  is associated with each item in the wanted items list  390 . The ‘link to auction item’ control  396  facilitates the auction trader establishing a link in the auction database  115  between an item-wanted listing and a similar auction item listing. The ‘link to auction item’ control  396  may also appear on a display containing a detailed description of an item-wanted listing. The post similar wanted item controls  398  facilitates listing an item-wanted listing based on an existing item-wanted listing that was returned by a search of the auction database  115 . Listing an item-wanted listing based on an existing listing facilitates creating an item-wanted listing without entering data in all fields describing the item.  
      In some embodiments, the wanted items list  390  may identify the potential buyer listing the item-wanted listing. In other embodiments, the wanted items list  390  may display item-wanted listings anonymously. Anonymous display of items-wanted listings promotes communication of potential buyer demand to auction sellers without providing a means for contact between auction sellers and potential buyers outside the auction system. In this way, anonymous display of items-wanted listings helps protect the profitability of the auction system. In some embodiments, the wanted items list  390  may include a mechanism for allowing auction sellers to notify anonymous creators of item-wanted listings when an item possibly matching an item-wanted listing is listed for sale.  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an enhanced auction search method  400  of the present invention. The depicted enhanced auction search method  400  includes processing branches  415 ,  435 , and  455  that respectively correspond to searching for auction items, searching for immediate-purchase items, and searching for wanted items. In certain embodiments, the enhanced auction search method  400  prompts a user with an option to post a listing if no listings are found that match the search criteria provided by the user.  
      The depicted method begins by receiving  410  a request to conduct a search. In one embodiment, receiving  410  a request to conduct a search corresponds to a user filling out a search dialog such as the search dialog  310  depicted in  FIG. 3 . In response to receiving  410  the search request, the depicted method  400  proceeds sequentially or concurrently through the processing branches  415 ,  435 , and  455 .  
      The processing branch  415  relates to searching for auction items and begins by testing  420  whether the search as specified by the user includes searching for auction items. If the specified search does not include searching auction items, the processing branch  415  is aborted. If the specified search includes searching for auction items the method proceeds by testing  424  whether the database contains one or more auction items that match the search criteria.  
      If the one or more auction items that match the search criteria are found, the ° O B method  400  continues by displaying  428  a listing of the auction items to the user. However, if no auction items are found that match the search criteria, the method continues by prompting  450  the user with an option to create an item-wanted listing. In one embodiment, prompting  450  includes displaying a pop-up dialog. In another embodiment, prompting includes displaying a link to a listing page.  
      In the depicted embodiment, the processing branch related to immediate-purchase items includes an immediate-purchase search test  440 , an immediate-purchase match test  444 , a display immediate-purchase items step  448 , and a prompt for immediate-purchase listing step  450 .  
      In the depicted embodiment, the processing branch related to wanted items includes a wanted items search test  460 , a wanted item match test  464 , a display wanted items step  468 , and a prompt for sell-item listing  470 . The enhanced auction search method  400  is used in accordance with the auction search and search results pages  300  shown in  FIG. 3 , and the auction database  115  shown in  FIG. 1 . The enhanced auction search method  400 , in addition to the search capabilities provided in prior art, facilitates searching the auction for wanted items that have been posted by auction buyers.  
      The receive request step  410  receives a request to search the auction database  115  from an auction trader utilizing the search dialog  310  or the like. The auction web server  210  receives search parameters entered by the auction trader and initiates a search of the auction database  115 .  
      The auction items requested test  420 , determines whether the auction trader is searching the auction database  115  for items posted for auction. If the trader is searching for auction items, the auction search method  400  continues with matching auction items test  424 , otherwise the auction search method  400  continues with the immediate-purchase items requested test  440 .  
      The matching auction items test  424 , determines whether the auction database  115  contains auction items matching the parameters received from the auction trader in the receive search request step  410 . If there are matching items, the auction search method  400  continues with the display auction items step  428 , otherwise the auction search method  400  continues with the display items wanted element step  430 .  
      The display auction items step  428  displays the results of the matching auction items test  424  using the search results listing  370 . The items may be displayed in chronological order by the date and time they were posted, in chronological order by the auction end date and time, in numerical order by current bid, or in reverse numerical order by current bid. The display order and the auction item data fields displayed maybe configurable by the auction trader.  
      The display auction items wanted element step  430  provides an auction trader with the option of listing an auction item-wanted listing by displaying a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like. The item-wanted element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The immediate-purchase items requested test  440  determines whether the auction trader has initiated a search for items available for immediate-purchase. If the trader is searching for immediate-purchase items, the auction search method  400  continues with the matching immediate-purchase items test  444 , otherwise the auction search method  400  continues with the wanted items requested test  460 .  
      The matching immediate-purchase items test  444  determines whether the auction database  115  contains immediate-purchase items matching the parameters received from the auction trader in the receive search request step  410 . If there are matching items, the auction search method  400  continues with the display immediate-purchase items step  448 , otherwise the auction search method  400  continues with the display items wanted element step  450 .  
      The display immediate-purchase items step  448  displays the results of the matching immediate-purchase items test  444  using the search results listing  370 . The items may be displayed in chronological order by the date and time they were posted, in chronological order by the auction end date and time, in numerical order by current bid, or in reverse numerical order by current bid. The display order and the auction item data fields displayed may be configurable by the auction trader.  
      The display immediate-purchase items wanted element step  450  provides an auction trader with the option of listing an immediate-purchase item-wanted listing by displaying a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like. The item-wanted element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The wanted items requested test  460  determines whether the auction trader has initiated a search for wanted items. If the trader is searching for wanted items, the auction search method  400  continues with the matching wanted items test  464 , otherwise the auction search method ends  480 .  
      The matching wanted items test  464  determines whether the auction database  115  contains wanted items matching the parameters received from the auction trader in the receive search request step  410 . If there are matching items, the auction search method  400  continues with the display wanted items step  468 , otherwise the auction search method  400  continues with the display sell item element step  470 .  
      The display wanted items step  468  displays the results of the matching wanted items test  464  using the search results listing  370 . The items may be displayed in chronological order by the date and time they were posted, in chronological order by the auction end date and time, in numerical order by current bid, or in reverse numerical order by current bid. The display order and the auction item data fields displayed maybe configurable by the auction trader.  
      The display sell item element step  470  provides an auction trader with the option of listing a new item listing for an auction or immediate-sale item by displaying a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like. The item-wanted element may be linked to a data entry page, form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a user interface method  500  of the present invention. The user interface method  500  includes a display home page step  510 , a user type test  515 , a display seller page step  520 , a seller activity test  525 , a matching wanted items test  530 , a post sale offer test  535 , a receive offer data step  540 , an enter offer in database step  545 , a create sale item record step  550 , a display buyer page step  560 , a buyer activity test  565 , a matching sale items test  570 , a post bid test  575 , a receive bid data step  580 , an enter bid data in database step  585 , and a create item-wanted record step  590 . The user interface method  500  obtains database search parameters from auction traders, presents results of database searches, provides auction traders with the option to create new sale item and item-wanted listings, and provides auction traders with the option to post sale offers and bids.  
      The display home page step  510  provides user interface elements that introduce auction traders to the highest level operations of the auction system. Operations may be accessed using user interface elements such as menus, tabs, lists, icons, or the like. The display home page step  510  typically provides basic instructions to auction traders in the use of the auction system and links to detailed instructions, frequently asked questions about the auction system, an auction trader registration page, an auction trader login page, and the like.  
      The user type test  515  determines whether the auction trader accessing the auction system is operating as a buyer or seller. If the auction trader is acting as a seller, the user interface method  500  continues with the display seller activity page step  520 . If the auction trader is acting as a buyer, the user interface method  500  continues with the display buyer activity page step  560 . Auction traders may act in either role at various times, and in some embodiments the user interface method  500  provides operations associated with both roles to all auction traders.  
      The display seller page step  520  provides user interface elements that facilitate auction sellers selling items using the auction system and search the auction database  115  for wanted item records. In some embodiments, the display seller page step  520  includes registering the auction trader or logging the auction trader into the auction system.  
      The seller activity test  525  determines whether the auction seller is searching the auction database  115  for wanted item records or selling items. If the auction seller is searching the auction database  115  for wanted item records, the user interface method  500  continues with the matching wanted items test  530 . If the auction seller is selling items, the user interface method  500  continues with the create sale item record step  550 .  
      The matching wanted items test  530  obtains search parameters from the auction seller, searches the auction database  115  for records matching the search parameters, and presents the search results to the auction seller. Search results may be presented as a list of wanted item titles with links to pages with a detailed display of data associated with the wanted item.  FIG. 8  is a flow chart diagram with the steps of an embodiment of the matching wanted items test  530  and create sale item record step  550  in greater detail. If the auction database  115  contains records that match the search parameters entered by the auction seller, the user interface method  500  continues with the post sale offer test  535 , otherwise the user interface method  500  continues with the create sale item record  550 .  
      The post sale offer test  535  determines whether the auction seller wants to post a sale offer for one of the wanted item records displayed by the matching wanted items test  530 . If the auction seller wants to post a sale offer, the user interface method  500  continues with the receive sale offer data step  540 , otherwise the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
      The receive offer data step  540  obtains data from the auction seller concerning the offer to be made for a wanted item. In some embodiments, the receive offer data step  540  is initiated by the auction seller selecting a user interface element such as an icon, a control, a menu item, or the like. In some embodiments, the receive offer data step  540  includes registering the auction trader or logging the auction trader into the auction system. The receive offer data step  540  may ask the auction seller to verify the accuracy of data entered. The receive offer data step  540  may obtain offer data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The enter offer in database step  545  records the sale offer entered by the auction seller into the auction database  115 . The enter offer in database step  545  may generate an email message to notify the auction buyer who created the wanted item record that an offer has been made on the wanted item. The enter offer in database step  545  may generate an email message to notify the auction seller that a sale offer has been entered into the auction database  115  using the auction seller&#39;s account. When the enter sale offer in database step  545  is completed, the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
      The create sale item record step  550  obtains data from an auction seller concerning an item to be offered for sale in the auction system.  FIG. 8  is a flow chart diagram with the steps of an embodiment of the matching wanted items test  530  and create sale item record step  550  in greater detail. The create sale item record step  550  may be initiated by the auction seller selecting a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like, or the create sale item record step  550  may be initiated when the matching wanted items test  530  does not return any wanted item records matching the search parameters entered by the auction seller. The create sale item record step  550  may obtain data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. When the create sale item record step  550  is completed, the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
      The display buyer page step  560  provides user interface elements that facilitate auction buyers searching the auction database  115  for sale item records and creating item-wanted records in the auction database  115 . In some embodiments, the display buyer page step  560  includes registering the auction trader or logging the auction trader into the auction system.  
      The buyer activity test  565  determines whether the auction buyer is searching the auction database  115  for sale item records or listing wanted items. If the auction buyer is searching the auction database  115  for sale item records, the user interface method  500  continues with the matching sale items test  570 ; if the auction buyer is listing wanted items, the user interface method  500  continues with the create wanted item record step  590 .  
      The matching sale items test  570  obtains search parameters from the auction buyer, searches the auction database  115  for records matching the search parameters, and presents the search results to the auction buyer. Search results may be presented as a list of sale item titles with links to pages with a detailed display of data associated with the sale item.  FIG. 8   a  is a flow chart diagram with the steps of an embodiment of the matching sale items test  570  and create sale item record step  590  in greater detail. If the auction database  115  contains records that match the search parameters entered by the auction buyer, the user interface method  500  continues with the post bid test  575 , otherwise the user interface method  500  continues with the create item-wanted record  590 .  
      The post bid test  575  determines whether the auction buyer wants to post a bid for one of the sale item records displayed by the matching sale items test  570 . If the auction buyer wants to post a bid, the user interface method  500  continues with the receive bid data step  580 , otherwise the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
      The receive bid data step  580  obtains data from the auction buyer concerning the bid to be made for a sale item. In some embodiments, the receive bid data step  580  is initiated by the auction buyer selecting a user interface element such as an icon, a control, a menu item, or the like. In some embodiments, the receive bid data step  580  includes registering the auction trader or logging the auction trader into the auction system. The receive bid data step  580  may ask the auction buyer to verify the accuracy of data entered. The receive bid data step  580  may validate the data entered by the auction buyer by assuring that the bid entered exceeds the current bid by a required amount. The receive offer data step  540  may obtain offer data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The enter bid data in database step  585  records the bid entered by the auction seller into the auction database  115 . The enter bid in database step  585  may generate an email message to notify the auction seller who created the sale item record that a bid has been made on the sale item. The enter bid in database step  585  may generate an email message to notify the auction buyer that a bid has been entered into the auction database  115  using the auction buyer&#39;s account. When the enter bid in database step  585  is completed, the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
      The create item-wanted record step  590  obtains data from an auction buyer concerning an item-wanted to be purchased through the auction system.  FIG. 8   a  is a flow chart diagram with the steps of an embodiment of the matching sale items test  570  and create item-wanted record step  590  in greater detail. The create item-wanted record step  590  maybe initiated by the auction buyer selecting a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like, or the create item-wanted record step  590  may be initiated when the matching sale items test  570  does not return any sale item records matching the search parameters entered by the auction buyer. The create wanted item record step  590  may obtain data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. When the create item-wanted record step  590  is completed, the user interface method  500  ends  599 .  
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a customer request method  600  of the present invention. The customer request method  600  includes a display product hierarchy step  610 , a display item-wanted element step  620 , and a display item available element step  630 . The customer request method  600  facilitates an auction buyer creating an item-wanted record in the auction database  115  that identifies a product in an auction seller&#39;s product line that the auction buyer wants to purchase, or requesting a new product to be added to the auction seller&#39;s product line. The customer request method  600  also facilitates an auction seller creating a sale item record in the auction database  115  that offers a new or used item in an auction seller&#39;s product line for purchase by other auction traders.  
      The display product hierarchy step  610  displays products in an auction seller&#39;s product line. Products may be displayed using user interface elements such as icons, text strings containing product names, tree components, or the like.  
      The display item-wanted element step  620  displays a user interface element that facilitates an auction buyer creating an item-wanted record in the auction database  115 . The user interface element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. The item-wanted record may correspond to an existing product in the auction seller&#39;s product line hierarchy that is not available for sale, for example, if the product is not in stock by the auction seller. The item-wanted record may also correspond to a product that does not yet exist in the auction seller&#39;s product line, which the auction buyer is requesting to be added to the product line.  
      The display item available element step  630  displays a user interface element that facilitates an auction seller creating a sale item record in the auction database  1   1   5 . The user interface element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. The sale item record may correspond to a new or used product from the product line hierarchy that the auction seller is offering for auction or immediate-sale.  
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a proposal fulfillment method  700  of the present invention. The proposal fulfillment method  700  includes a receive proposal step  710 , a match proposal items to offers step  720 , a price greater than cost test  730 , a compare fulfilled to wanted test  740 , an add item available step  750 , a remove item-wanted step  760 , and an adjust units wanted step  770 . The proposal fulfillment method  700  facilitates an auction buyer purchasing a plurality of related items at or below a specified price.  
      The receive proposal step  710  receives a fulfillment proposal from an auction seller. A fulfillment proposal is type of sale offer wherein a number of identical items or numbers of related items are offered for sale at prices specified by the auction seller.  
      The match proposal items to offers step  720  matches items in a fulfillment proposal to items wanted offers posted by the auction seller. The match proposal items to offers step  720  may use specifications provided by the auction buyer to enumerate a set of product features or tolerances that will/be accepted in fulfilling the auction buyer&#39;s item-wanted listings.  
      The price greater than cost test  730  determines whether the prices in the auction buyer&#39;s item-wanted offers are greater than the item costs in the fulfillment proposal. If the prices in the items wanted offers are greater than the item costs in the fulfillment proposal, the proposal fulfillment method  700  continues with the compare fulfilled to wanted test  740 , otherwise the proposal fulfillment method  700  ends  780 .  
      The compare fulfilled to wanted test  740  compares the number of units of each item in the fulfillment proposal with the number of units of each item in the auction buyer&#39;s items wanted offers. The compare fulfilled to wanted test  740  may use rules provided by the auction buyer to determine when a number of units of various items will be accepted for purchase. For example, an auction buyer may specify that up to 1000 computer CPUs will be purchased, but only if the fulfillment proposal includes a number of computer monitors equal to the number of CPUs. If the number of units fulfilled is greater than the number of units wanted, the proposal fulfillment method  700  continues with the add item available listing step  750 . If the number of units fulfilled is equal to the number of units wanted, the proposal fulfillment method  700  continues with the remove item-wanted listing  760 . If the number of units fulfilled is less than the number of units wanted, the proposal fulfillment method  700  continues with the adjust units wanted step  770 .  
      The add item available step  750  removes an item-wanted listing and creates a sale item listing in the auction database  115  for one of the items in the fulfillment proposal. The add item available step  750  only executes when the auction buyer agrees to purchase more than the number of units wanted of one or more items in a set of item-wanted offers. For example, an auction buyer may have an item-wanted listing for 1000 computer CPUs, but agrees that up to 1200 CPUs will be purchased if a fulfillment proposal includes computer monitors for each CPU.  
      The remove item-wanted step  760  removes an item-wanted listing from the auction database  115 . The remove item-wanted step  760  occurs when a fulfillment proposal supplies the exact number of items in an auction buyer&#39;s item-wanted listing.  
      The adjust units wanted step  770  reduces the number of items wanted in the auction buyer&#39;s item-wanted listing by the number of items offered in an auction seller&#39;s fulfillment proposal. The item-wanted listing remains in the auction database  115 , but the number of items in the item-wanted listing is reduced.  
       FIG. 8  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted search method  800  of the present invention. The item-wanted search method  800  includes a display search items wanted page step  810 , a matching wanted items test  815 , a display matching wanted items step  820 , a display sell items page step  825 , a receive sell item data step  830 , an enter item record in database step  835 . The item-wanted search method  800  facilitates an auction seller determining whether an auction buyer has posted an item-wanted listing for an item the auction seller has available for sale.  
      The display search items wanted page step  810  obtains search parameters from the auction seller specifying attributes of items wanted records to search for in the auction database  115 . The parameters searched for may include immediate-purchase items, best-offer purchase items, time-dependent pricing items, new items, or used items.  
      The matching wanted items test  815  determines whether items wanted listings in the auction database  115  match the parameters provided by the auction seller. If the items wanted search parameters match any records in the auction database  115 , the item-wanted search method  800  continues with the display matching wanted step  820 , otherwise it continues with the display sell item page step  825 .  
      The display matching wanted items step  820  displays the items wanted listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction seller. When the display matching wanted items step  820  is completed, the item-wanted search method  800  ends  840 .  
      The display sell items page step  825  requests data from the auction seller concerning a sale item to be entered into the auction database  115 . The display sell items page step  825  may obtain data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The receive sell item data step  830  obtains data from the auction seller corresponding to a sale item to be entered into the auction database  115 . The receive sell item data step  830  may ask the auction seller to verify the accuracy of data entered.  
      The enter item record in database step  835  creates a new sale item record in the action database  115 . The enter item record in database step  835  may generate an email message to notify the auction seller that a sale offer has been entered into the auction database  115  using the auction seller&#39;s account. When the enter item record in database step  835  is completed, the item-wanted search method  800  ends  840 .  
       FIG. 8   a  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an auction item search method  850  of the present invention. The auction item search method  850  includes a display search sale items page step  860 , a matching sale items test  865 , a display matching sale items step  870 , a display item-wanted page step  875 , a receive item-wanted data step  880 , and an enter item-wanted in database step  885 .  
      The display search sale items page step  860  obtains search parameters from the auction buyer specifying attributes of sale item records to search for in the auction database  115 . The parameters searched for may include immediate-sale items, best-offer sale items, time-dependent pricing items, new items, or used items.  
      The matching sale items test  865  determines whether items wanted listings in the auction database  115  match the parameters provided by the auction buyer. If the sale items search parameters match any records in the auction database  115 , the auction item search method  850  continues with the display matching sale items step  870 , otherwise it continues with the display item-wanted page step  875 .  
      The display matching sale items step  870  displays the sale items listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction buyer. When the display matching sale items step  870  is completed, the item-wanted search method  800  ends  890 .  
      The display item-wanted page step  875  requests data from the auction buyer concerning an item-wanted to be entered into the auction database  115 . The display item-wanted page step  875  may obtain data using a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like.  
      The receive item-wanted data step  880  obtains data from the auction buyer corresponding to a item-wanted to be entered into the auction database  115 . The receive item-wanted data step  880  may ask the auction buyer to verify the accuracy of data entered.  
      The enter item-wanted in database step  885  creates a new item-wanted record in the action database  115 . The enter item-wanted in database step  885  may generate an email message to notify the auction buyer that an item-wanted record has been entered into the auction database  115  using the auction buyer&#39;s account. When the enter item-wanted in database step  885  is completed, the item-wanted search method  800  ends  890 .  
       FIG. 9  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted solicitation method  900  of the present invention. The item-wanted solicitation method  900  includes a receive search request step  910 , a search items step  920 , a display items step  930 , and a display item-wanted element step  940 . The item-wanted solicitation method  900  facilitates an auction buyer creating an item-wanted listing based on an existing sale item listing, item-wanted listing, or search results listing. For example, after a search of the auction database  115  returns search results including an 1879 Morgan silver dollar, an auction buyer may create an item-wanted listing for an 1880 Morgan silver dollar.  
      The receive search request step  910  obtains search parameters from the auction buyer specifying attributes of item records to search for in the auction database  115 . The parameters searched for may include items wanted, immediate-sale items, best-offer sale items, time-dependent pricing items, new items, or used items. In another embodiment, the receive search request step  910  may comprise browsing records in the auction database  115  rather than searching.  
      The search items step  920  displays the item listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction buyer. The case where a search returns no matching items is not portrayed in the figure. In another embodiment, the search items step  920  comprises browsing records in the auction database  115  rather than searching.  
      The display items step  930  displays the item listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction buyer. The items may be displayed in chronological order by the date and time they were posted, in chronological order by the auction end date and time, in numerical order by current bid, or in reverse numerical order by current bid. The display order and the auction item data fields displayed may be configurable by the auction trader.  
      The display item-wanted element step  940  provides an auction buyer with the option of listing an auction item-wanted listing by displaying a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like. The item-wanted element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. The item-wanted element may give the auction buyer the option of creating a new item-wanted record or creating an item-wanted record based on an existing sale item listing, item-wanted listing, or search results listing. When the display item-wanted element step  940  is completed, the item-wanted solicitation method ends  950 .  
       FIG. 10  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-available listing solicitation method  1000  of the present invention. The item-available listing solicitation method  1000  includes a receive search request step  1010 , a search items step  1020 , a display list step  1030 , and a display item available element step  1040 . The item available solicitation method  1000  facilitates an auction seller creating a sale item listing based on an existing sale item listing, item-wanted listing, or search results listing. For example, after a search of the auction database  1   15  returns search results including an item-wanted listing for an 1879 Morgan silver dollar, an auction seller may create a sale item listing for an 1880 Morgan silver dollar.  
      The receive search request step  1010  obtains search parameters from the auction seller specifying attributes of item records to search for in the auction database  115 . The parameters searched for may include items wanted, immediate-sale items, best-offer sale items, time-dependent pricing items, new items, or used items. In another embodiment, the receive search request step  1010  may comprise browsing records in the auction database  115  rather than searching.  
      The search items step  1020  displays the item listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction seller. The case where a search returns no matching items is not portrayed in the figure. In another embodiment, the search items step  1020  comprises browsing records in the auction database  115  rather than searching.  
      The display list step  1030  displays the item listings that match the search parameters provided by the auction buyer. The items may be displayed in chronological order by the date and time they were posted, in chronological order by the auction end date and time, in numerical order by current bid, or in reverse numerical order by current bid. The display order and the auction item data fields displayed may be configurable by the auction trader.  
      The display item available element step  1040  provides an auction seller with the option of listing a sale item listing by displaying a user interface element such as a control, dialog, icon, hyperlink, or the like. The item available element may be linked to a data entry page, a form, a dialog, a wizard, or the like. The item available element may give the auction seller the option of creating a new sale item record or creating a sale item record based on an existing sale item listing, item-wanted listing, or search results listing. When the display item available element step  1040  is completed, the item-wanted solicitation method ends  1050 .  
       FIG. 11  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  of the present invention. The item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  includes a display item available offer step  1110 , a link to item-wanted test  1120 , and a create link step  1   130 . The item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  establishes a relationship between a sale item record and an item-wanted record in the auction database  115 . The relationship may be established by an auction trader or a database process.  
      The display item available offer step  1110  displays a sale item record in the auction database  115 . In some embodiments, the display item available offer step  1110  may provide the results of a search of the auction database  115  to a linking process.  
      The link to item-wanted test  1120  determines whether an auction trader or linking process is to establish a relationship between the sale item record displayed by the display item available offer step  1110  and an item-wanted record. If the auction trader or linking process is to establish a relationship, the item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  continues with the create link step  1130 , otherwise the item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  ends  1140 .  
      The create link step  1130  creates a relationship between the sale item displayed by the display item available offer step  1110  and the item-wanted record. The create link step  1130  may display a link to an item-wanted listing proximate to the sale item listing. After the create link step  1130  is completed, the item-available to item-wanted link method  1100  ends  1140 .  
       FIG. 12  is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  of the present invention. The item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  includes a display offer step  1210 , a link to item available test  1220 , and a display link step  1230 . The item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  establishes a relationship between an item-wanted record and a sale item record in the auction database  115 . The relationship may be established by an auction trader or a database process.  
      The display offer step  1210  displays an item-wanted record in the auction database  115 . In some embodiments, the display item-wanted offer step  1210  may provide the results of a search of the auction database  115  to a linking process.  
      The link to item available test  1220  determines whether an auction trader or linking process is to establish a relationship between the item-wanted record displayed by the display offer step  1210  and a sale item record. If the auction trader or linking process is to establish a relationship, the item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  continues with the create link step  1230 , otherwise the item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  ends  1240 .  
      The create link step  1230  creates a relationship between the item-wanted displayed by the display offer step  1210  and the sale item record. The create link step  1230  may display a link to a sale item listing proximate to the item-wanted listing. After the create link step  1230  is completed, the item-wanted to item-available link method  1200  ends  1240 .  
       FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an item-wanted listing dialog  1300  of the present invention. The item-wanted listing dialog  1300  includes auction description fields  1310 , auction parameters elements  1320 , a pricing element  1330 , payment and shipping option elements  1340 , and a post item control  1350 . The item-wanted listing dialog  1300  facilitates auction traders listing item-wanted listings in the auction database  115 .  
      Auction description fields  1310  receive information describing the item the auction buyer would like to purchase. Typical fields include an auction title, a description of the item-wanted, a URL for the location of an image file containing a picture of the item-wanted, and a category for the item-wanted listing.  
      Auction parameters elements  1320  allow the auction seller to specify information about the auction. Typical fields in the auction parameters elements  1320  include the length of the auction, and a definition of the auction type, reverse-auction, sell now auction, best-offer auction, or the like.  
      The pricing element  1330  allows the auction seller to specify the maximum price the seller is willing to pay for the item-wanted. In one embodiment, the pricing element  1330  consists of a text field where the auction buyer may enter a description of items the buyer is willing to accept in trade.  
      Payment and shipping option elements  1340  facilitate the auction buyer specifying what methods of payment the buyer has available for payment and acceptable methods of shipping. In one embodiment, payment and shipping option elements  1340  include separate shipping options for domestic and international shipping.  
      The post item control  1350  accepts the data entered by the auction buyer for entry into the auction database  115 . In one embodiment, the item-wanted listing dialog  1300  includes a method for validating data entered by the auction buyer before the data is transmitted to the auction database  115 . The method may be a Per1 script, Java applet, Javascript program, Python program or the like.  
      The present invention facilitates online auction trading. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.