Patent Publication Number: US-6907405-B2

Title: Computer controlled priority right auctioning system

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/586,927, filed Jun. 5, 2000, which is a continuation of PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US00/03136, filed Feb. 7, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/862,547, filed May 23, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,685, which claims the priority of provisional patent application No. 60/018,211, filed May 23, 1996. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of auctions and, in particular, networked systems for conducting specialty auctions using computers. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     An important goal of anyone attempting to sell the right to attend an event, to own a product, or to perform an activity is to receive in return for that right the true market value of the right. For some rights, the market values of similar rights are all equal. For example, under normal conditions, the fair market value of two identical radios, both of the same brand and model, is the same. Thus, if a consumer were given the opportunity to purchase the right to obtain one of the radios instead of the other, there would typically be no incentive for the consumer to pay for that right. Therefore, the market value of the rights to obtain the radios are equal. However, the relative market values of some rights to similar products, services, or events are not the same, but are dependent upon a difference in some characteristic of the rights. For example, when purchasing tickets to a concert, although each of two tickets may allow the holder to see the same performer, on the same night, in the same venue, the market values of those tickets differ depending upon the location of the ticket within the venue. Therefore, the market value of the right to sit in a particular seat at a concert depends at least in part upon the characteristic of the proximity of the seat to center stage. 
     The right to perform an activity, or obtain a product, or attend an event wherein the difference between the market value of the right and the market value of another similar right is dependent upon the difference in some characteristic of the rights shall be referred to herein as a “priority right”. Too often, the established methods of selling priority rights do not result in prices for these rights that are equal to their true market value. Therefore, these established methods are incapable of maximizing the revenue of those selling priority rights. 
     For some priority rights, the manner in which differences in the pertinent characteristic affect the market value of the right are apparent. For instance, for most sports or concert performances, the market value of the ticket rights, i.e., the right to sit in a particular seat at a particular event, is greater if the seat is closer to the stage. Thus, it may be relatively easy for a seller to rank the ticket rights prior to any sale of the rights. However, for other priority rights, although the characteristic that affects the market value of the right may itself be obvious, the manner in which variance in the characteristic affects the market value is not apparent. For example, when an individual wishes to purchase the right to play a round of golf at a particular course, the time that the round begins will likely affect the amount that the individual is willing to pay. The golfer may wish to be the first to tee off and would be willing to pay more for such a time than for any other. On the other hand, the golfer may have another commitment in the morning and be interested only in tee times in the afternoon. Therefore, the amount the individual would be willing to pay for a time in the afternoon varies greatly from the amount for a time in the morning. Due to this variability in consumer preference, any ranking of the rights to play a round of golf at particular times on a particular day by the owner of the golf course may not result in sales prices for these rights that are equal to their true market values. Therefore, a system is needed whereby the true market values of all priority rights can be achieved, including both those rights with relative values that can be easily pre-ranked and those rights with relative market values dependent upon consumer preferences that are difficult to discern prior to the commencement of sales. 
     Types of Priority Rights 
     As discussed above, the right to sit in a particular seat for a particular event is a priority right wherein the market value of similar rights can be ranked prior to the sale of the rights, by ordering the seats in large part according to their proximity to center stage. The current manner of selling the right to sit in a particular seat for a particular event involves selling tickets to the event. However, the established method of selling tickets to sporting and entertainment events involves pre-setting inflexible prices and then releasing the tickets for sale at a box office or by phone. This method has a number of shortcomings. Typically, each sale involves employees taking time-consuming individual orders and trying to describe the prices and seat locations to customers. Another shortcoming with this method is that it can be highly inconvenient and sometimes impossible for the purchaser to access the sale due to demand. This is especially true for premium or “high demand” events. Moreover, for practical reasons, prices are assigned to tickets in large blocks, while, in reality, purchasers often consider tickets within a block to have a wide ranging continuum of values; and these market values can be very hard to estimate before the tickets are sold. Largely because of these shortcomings, many premium tickets are sold for substantially less than their market value. Generally, these shortcomings exist even with new automated methods involving phone or Internet sales since the number of tickets is limited and the selling system is still fundamentally the same; with “first-come-first-served” orders taken for pre-priced tickets. 
     Another priority right with a relative market value that can be fairly easily determined prior to sale is the right to obtain a product for which the market demand far exceeds the supply. Occasionally, a manufacturer underestimates the demand for its product and thus creates too few units for the product&#39;s initial market release. Examples of this occurrence in the recent past include the Cabbage Patch Kids® doll, the Tickle-Me Elmo™ doll, and the Sony PlayStation 2™ video game system. When such a situation exists, the manufacturer generally maintains a fixed selling price and offers the products on a “first-come-first-served” basis. The manufacturer not only loses revenue from the sales it could have made if it had produced more units, but it also loses revenue by selling the units it did produce at a price below their true market value. This difference between the original sales price and the market value is typically realized by an entity other than the manufacturer, e.g. one who buys the product and then resells it at a higher price. The pertinent characteristic that determines the market value of such highly desired products is the time of availability of the product to the consumer. In other words, a consumer would pay more to have the first product off the assembly line than to have the five-hundredth. Therefore, a system is needed so that when a manufacturer realizes that it has produced too few of a highly desired product, the manufacturer may maximize its revenue on those products by selling them at their true market value. 
     Other priority rights with market values that can be ranked prior to their sale are rights to obtain services wherein the value of those rights are dependent upon the order in which the services are received. For example, many consumers hire companies or individuals to remove snow from their property after an accumulation of snow. However, the value of this service is dependent upon the time at which the service is performed and, therefore, is dependent upon the order in which the properties are serviced. For instance, a consumer would likely be willing to pay more to be the first serviced after the accumulation of snow has stopped than to be the twentieth to receive the same service. Therefore, a system is needed wherein this discrepancy in market value may be realized by the provider of the service. 
     Another example of a service with a market value dependent upon the order of its performance is admittance through a toll booth. Currently, the administrator of a toll booth receives a set price for each vehicle that passes through the toll booth. That price is often dependent upon the type of vehicle, but the price does not reflect the true market value of the right to pass through the booth. The true market value depends upon how quickly the consumer is able to pass through the booth, i.e., the consumer&#39;s order in the line at the toll booth. Therefore, a system is required whereby the price of the right to pass through a toll booth is dependent upon the order in which the consumer is allowed to pass through the toll area. 
     Another right for which the current sales system does not return the true market value of the right is the right to obtain a certain numbered product of a limited edition series of products. For example, a popular artist may sell only 100 prints of one of her paintings. The current established method for such sales is offering all of the prints for sale at a set, inflexible price on a “first-come-first-served” basis. However, this sales approach may not achieve the full market value for all of the prints. Many consumers may be willing to pay more for the first numbered print than for the fiftieth. Therefore, because only one price is set for all of the prints, many of the prints are likely being sold at a price below their true market value. Also, by basing the availability of the prints upon “first-come-first-served,” the additional profit that could be gained by selling a print to one who comes later but is willing to pay more is lost. Because the lower the number on the limited edition item, the higher its value, the relative market values of the rights to obtain items with different numbers can be determined prior to any sales activity. A system is needed whereby the true market value of limited edition items may be realized by the seller of the items. 
     Other markets in which the priority rights that are sold are often purchased for less than their market value are those markets containing products whose true market value depends on the product&#39;s location. For example, the rights to stay in cabins on cruise ships or hotel rooms or bungalows in vacation resorts are often assigned a sales price based on the amenities available in the room. However, among rooms containing the same amenities, the true market value of the right to stay in each room may differ depending upon the distance from the room to some desired location, such as a pool, beach, or lounge. The established method for determining the price of the right to stay in such rooms is to simply set a fixed price and make the rooms available on a “first-come-first-served” basis. A system is needed whereby the market values of these priority rights, which can be ranked according to the distance from some desired attraction or attractions, can be fully realized. 
     Another characteristic which determines the value of some priority rights is the time of entry into some venue. The established methods for selling these priority rights are not capable of garnering the full market value of the rights. For example, theme parks, such as Disneyland® and Busch Gardens®, sell tickets at an inflexable price for a day&#39;s admission to the park. However, the actual time of admission to the park on any particular day is generally determined by how early the patron is willing to arrive at the park to stand in line. An earlier time of admission is desired by many patrons because the most popular attractions at theme parks often fill up quickly and maintain long lines for the entire day. The desirability of early admission is evidenced by the current practice of some theme parks, such as Walt Disney World® in Orlando, Fla., which allow customers who stay at resorts affiliated with the theme park to enter the park earlier than customers who do not. However, this practice consists of allowing all patrons of the affiliated resort to enter the park at a set time, such as one hour prior to the admittance of the general public. This practice does not maximize the profit that may be obtained by the selling of these rights. Some of those customers who stay at the affiliated resorts may be willing to pay more to enter the park before other affiliated resort patrons. Further, this system does not account for the profit that could be gained by allowing members of the general public to purchase the right to enter the park at a time prior to other members of the general public. The relative value of these rights can be easily ranked, with earlier times of admittance having higher market values. 
     Another priority right with a market value dependent upon location, but for which pre-ranking of the relative market values may not gamer the true market value of the rights, is the right to sit at a particular table in a restaurant. A patron is likely to pay more to obtain a table closer to a window, for example, and is likely to pay less for a table close to the kitchen. However, individual patrons may prefer one window view to another or may desire to sit at a table in a corner for more privacy. Therefore, a complete, objective ranking of such rights to sit at a particular table may not be entirely accurate. There is a need for a system which would enable the seller of these rights to obtain their full market value. 
     As discussed above, the right to begin a round of golf at a particular time is a priority right for which the relative market values of related rights are difficult to determine prior to the sale of the rights. The tee time itself is the pertinent characteristic that determines the relative values of the rights to begin rounds of golf throughout a particular day. However, it is unclear prior to the sale of the rights which times are most desired by individuals wishing to play golf that day. The established method for determining tee times at a golf course is to set an inflexible price for playing a certain number of holes and then offering tee times on a “first come first served” basis. At premier golf courses, the system may be slightly different, requiring consumers to stay at a particular resort or be a member of an association in order to purchase a round of golf. However, even within these premier systems, the tee times are generally offered on a “first-come-first-served” basis. These systems fail to garner the most profit for the golf course owners because individuals who attempt to reserve tee times after all the times have been reserved may be willing to pay more than the owner has currently received for a particular time. Also, some individuals may prefer to tee off at certain times of the day and, therefore, would be willing to pay more for the right to tee off at those times. For example, a golfer may wish to be the first person to tee off on a particular day, or a golfer may wish to tee off later in the afternoon to avoid the heat of the day and to view the sunset on the golf course. Therefore, the current system for selling golf tee times is sub-optimal because it does not account for individuals who would pay more to play at a particular time or for individuals who attempt to make reservations after all tee times have been reserved. 
     Another priority right with a relative value dependent upon individual consumer preference and, therefore, difficult to rank prior to a sale is the right to sit in a particular seat to view a movie in a theater. When viewing a movie, many individuals prefer to sit in the exact middle of the theater. However, others, such as those with small children, may wish to sit on an aisle, and others may prefer seats in the back of the theater. Therefore, the market value of the right to sit in a particular seat is not determined by some easy calculation, such as the distance from the center of the screen, but is dependent upon each potential movie-goer&#39;s personal preferences. The current system of selling tickets to the movie and then allowing admission on a “first-come-first-served” basis does not garner the full market value of the right to view the movie in a particular seat. Therefore, a system is needed whereby the full market value of the right to sit in a particular seat to see a particular movie at a particular time can be recognized by the theater owner. 
     Some priority rights are unique in that it may be relatively easy in one situation to determine the relative market value of related rights prior to their sale while in another situation it is very difficult. One example of such a priority right is the right to view an art exhibit. For highly anticipated art exhibits, many individuals would be willing to pay a premium for the right to be one of the first to view the exhibit. Therefore, the true market value of the right to enter the art exhibit is not being achieved by the current system of either issuing select invitations to a premiere night or simply allowing admission to ticket holders on a “first-come-first-served” basis. In this situation, the priority rights could easily be pre-ranked with the earliest time of admittance being the most valuable. Thus, a system is needed whereby the exhibit organizer may realize the full market value of the right to view such an exhibit. 
     However, on any day after the opening day of an art exhibit, the relative values of different times of admittance may vary more widely due to the schedules of potential viewers. For example, one individual may be willing to view the exhibit late in the afternoon because work precludes any other time of attendance. Therefore, to that individual, the right to view the exhibit in the late afternoon is more valuable than the right to view it in the morning. The current system of selling tickets for an art exhibit does not account for this variance in market value due to individual viewers&#39;preferences. Therefore, there is a need for a system that does yield the full market value of the rights sold. 
     Priority Right Auctioning System Options 
     In selling priority rights where the relative market values of the priority rights can be easily pre-ranked, there also exists a need for a system that can allow the purchaser to override the pre-ranking to denote the purchaser&#39;s own personal preference. For example, although seats in the front row at a concert are widely regarded as the best seats and would be pre-ranked as the seats with the highest relative market value, an individual may wish to sit on the side of the stage to be near a particular member of the performing group. If that individual was willing to pay handsomely for the right to sit in a seat on the side, but not one in front of the stage, then the full market value of the right to sit in a seat on the side of the stage would only be captured by a system which allowed the individual to denote his own ranking of desired seats. Also, a bidder may be willing to pay a premium for the right to sit in the first few rows but not for the right to sit in all the seats in a section specified by the seller of the rights. Therefore, a system is needed whereby a bidder may personally designate one or more priority rights and then offer to pay up to a certain amount for those rights. 
     Additionally, when purchasing priority rights consumers often wish to designate alternative bids. For example, an individual who wished to purchase the right to sit in a seat at an event may only be interested in sitting in the first few rows if it would cost below a particular price. If that person&#39;s bid was unsuccessful for that section of priority rights, however, he may be willing to sit in one of a group of seats in another location for some lesser amount of money. The current method of selling priority rights does not accommodate this desire by the consuming public to designate individually-tailored alternative priority right bids. Therefore, there is a need for a system that satisfies this desire. 
     Shortcomings of Current Auctioning Systems 
     Logistically, auctioning of priority rights has not always been feasible due to the large quantity of unique rights and even larger quantity of buyers wishing to purchase them. A few auction systems have been developed that operate using the Internet as the communications mode. These systems have been used to auction items such as computer equipment, artwork, and special items for charity. However, these systems are not suitable for use in connection with a real-time mass auction of priority rights. With the currently operating systems, generally the items being sold are of a small quantity or individually unique. In most of the currently operating systems, the items for sale are individually listed and individually bid upon using e-mail over a period of days or weeks. While, the currently operating systems are useful for such limited purposes, they have several shortcomings. 
     One such shortcoming arises from the use of e-mail to place bids and to update participants of their bid status. While in theory e-mail is instantaneous, there are occasional routing delays of which the sender is often not immediately aware. In an auction of a slow, deliberate nature such as those presently operating, this is not a great concern. However, in a fast pace auction with numerous participants some bids could be lost as delayed e-mail, unbeknownst to the participant. 
     An additional problem with the e-mail approach is that time may elapse before the bid information is read and applied. Therefore, the participant may not get instantaneous feedback on other bids which may be taking place simultaneously. The participant often must wait for some period of time to learn if the bid is successful. If the participant has a strategy for bidding on a very desirable item, the participant must return to the auction numerous times to follow its progression. 
     Most currently operating systems provide some general bid status data, usually a minimal amount of information such as “current” high bid. This “current” high bid is updated by periodically reviewing the bids received, and entering the highest bid to date. Therefore, these “current” bids are not current up to the second. Moreover, if there are many of a particular item, such as event tickets or golf tee times having a continuum of values, participants need to know considerably more than the high bid information in order to make an informed bidding decision. 
     Currently operating systems do not provide bid status information updates independent of solicitation of the information from participants. Once the Internet auction site is accessed, the information conveyed may become outdated as it is being viewed. Again this would be quite unfavorable for fast-paced auctions. Therefore, even with auction sites which were actually being updated real-time, a participant would need to continually re-access the site in order to keep information truly updated. 
     One Internet auction system, “onsale” at http://www.onsale.com/ attempts to overcome the e-mail auction problems by automatically updating its Internet site. However, like the other Internet auction sites, “onsale” conducts relatively slow, deliberate sales, and still relies on e-mail to transmit some of the bid information. In addition, although the “onsale” auction site is automatically updated, it does not automatically present this information to participants. As explained above, participants need to continually re-access the site in order to keep information truly updated. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,928 details an auction system for used cars that is capable of interactive, essentially real-time auctioning. Instead of being Internet based, this used car auctioning system is constructed with a 4-level hierarchy of computers networked to a plurality of auto dealers terminals. At each level, the bids received by the computer are processed and only select bids are transmitted to the next level. The bids are raised in increments of 3000 yen and the participants may bid via a single signal indicating a “yes” in response to the bid being raised. This system is based on the traditional auction format, and is used to sell one item or lot at a time. When a car has been auctioned, a disc is loaded by each dealer into his terminal which shows the photograph of the next car to be auctioned. Bidding is limited to a predetermined group of auto dealers. Because the structure of this system is hierarchical, i.e. not on the Internet, it is not practical for use in wide-spread auctions available to consumers. Because of the methodical nature of this system, selling a progression of single items with incremented bids, it is geared for low volume sales of items with relatively high values. 
     Recently tickets have been made available for purchase on the Internet, for example at http://www.ticketmaster.com and http://www.tickets.com. However, at these Internet sites, sales are of the traditional pre-set pricing, “first-come-first-served” format. Some Internet sites do offer tickets in an auction format, but only a few tickets to select events sold by individuals who have purchased the tickets and are attempting to resell them. Examples of such sites are http://www.ebay.com, http://auctions.yahoo.com, http://www.allsoldout.com, and http://www.busyrhino.com. 
     Considering the selling of a large number of priority rights, there are unique circumstances which present challenges not manifested in selling other types of rights. Since the values of priority rights vary widely depending upon the difference in a pertinent characteristic, it is not practical to mass the priority rights into simple generic blocks to be auctioned. Nor is it practical to list and auction each priority right individually, since this could present auction participants with a prohibitively large number of individual auctions, and no practical way to obtain contiguous priority rights. In other words, if a bidder wished to purchase the right to sit in four adjacent seats at a show or movie, and the right to sit in each seat was sold in a separate auction, it would be virtually impossible for the bidder to monitor every combination of four adjacent seats and make appropriate bids. Accordingly, there exists a need for a system which can, within a single, clear format, auction a large number of rights with a continuum of values, each at its market price. Furthermore, this system needs to apply logic in sorting bids based not only on price, but on clustering requirements to ensure that within a multiple priority right bid, the priority rights are contiguous. This would require a database configuration unlike that employed by the prior art. 
     Moreover, given the furious pace of sales for many premium priority rights, there exists the unique and as yet, unmet challenge of providing instant, automatic, comprehensive feedback for the status of a relatively complex arrangement of standing bids. Frequently the more popular sporting and entertainment events sell all available tickets in a matter of a few minutes. The number of tickets to these events may reach into the hundreds of thousands. A practicable auction of priority rights for such an event would require a system uniquely designed to process this large volume while presenting an updated, clear and informative view of the proceedings to all participants. It would be logical to presume that efficient conveyance of bid information for a large, complex pattern of bids would require a graphical representation of the bid standings. Although some Internet auctions employ graphical representation of objects for sale, none employ graphical representation of bid status. 
     Another need for on-line auction systems is a method of convincing bidders to place their bids early instead of waiting to bid at the last minute before the auction closes. As mentioned previously, on-line auctions are typically conducted over a set period of time. With these systems, bidders often wait until the last possible second before auction closing to place their bids in an attempt to block subsequent bidders from making higher bids. Such actions by bidders not only keeps the price of the auctioned item undesirably low, but sometimes results in a large quantity of bids just before auction closing which the on-line system is not capable of handling. Thus, it would be advantageous for an on-line auction system that provides incentives for bidders to place their bids early in the auction rather than waiting until the last minute. 
     Another shortcoming of currently established methods for selling priority rights is their inability to reap for the priority right seller the dramatic increases in market value of priority rights immediately prior to their usage. For example, in the days immediately preceding a popular concert or movie premiere, the market value of tickets to those events typically increase dramatically as publicity increases and the public focuses on the event. However, because a large percentage of the public must plan their schedules far in advance, it is not feasible to only sell tickets to these events in the few days before the event occurs. Therefore, tickets are sold months in advance and popular events sell out before the true market value of the rights to attend the event can be determined. A system is needed that permits individuals to reserve priority rights a sufficient amount of time in advance but that also garners for the priority right seller the full market value of those rights. 
     A potential negative effect of a system that places primary emphasis upon the maximum amount of money an individual is willing to pay for a particular right is that less affluent members of the consuming public will be unable to procure desired priority rights. Under current established methods for selling priority rights which offer rights on a “first-come-first-served” basis, individuals of limited means may still purchase rights if they are willing to stand in line for an extended period of time. Also, a system that only seeks the highest profit margin in priority rights sales would not permit special treatment of certain bidders, such as alumni group members, company employees, or frequent purchasers. Such special treatment may be important to the public image of a priority right seller, and, thus, its long-term economic success. Therefore, there is a need for a priority right sales system that may be modified to favor members of a selected group, such as those of limited means or company employees. 
     Additionally, to achieve the full market value of a group of priority rights, the administrator of a priority right sales system must be equipped with certain statistical information regarding the progress of the sale. Therefore, a system for selling priority rights should be capable of real-time statistical analysis to aid the system administrator in regulating the system to achieve optimal results. 
     In spite of their shortcomings, the above mentioned prior art systems are useful for their respective intended purposes. However, given their limitations, and the above noted unique circumstances for mass priority right sales, it is simply not practical or feasible to apply any of the prior art to the particular task of auctioning a large volume of priority rights. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a computer controlled auctioning system, in which an large number of participants may have simultaneous access to bid on to the desired priority rights. The above stated needs as well as others are fulfilled by the present invention through a system constructed to sell a large number of priority rights in a very short time, each said priority right being sold for a value set by existing market forces. The system provides participants with simple, yet informative graphical standing bid information on the entire stock of priority rights available, and allows them real-time bidding interaction. This system can achieve such sales even for priority rights garnering extremely high public interest, without excluding any potential purchasers. 
     The present invention achieves said objectives by employing a computer controlled priority right auctioning system which receives and evaluates bid information records received from a plurality of remote terminals, said bid information records corresponding to bids for one or more priority rights. 
     The automated priority right auctioning system is comprised of a memory storing a plurality of previously accepted bid information records, said records each including identification information, section information, quantity information, and bid price information. The automated priority right auctioning system is further comprised of a central controlling computer operably connected to the memory and operable to receive a message including a received bid information record from one of a plurality of remote terminals through a communication system, determine a lowest minimum acceptable bid value corresponding to the received section information using the previously accepted bid information records stored in the memory, and store the received bid information record if a value represented by the received bid price information exceeds the lowest minimum acceptable bid value. 
     The central controlling computer is further operable to, in a like manner, receive, evaluate and store, if acceptable, subsequent bids received and to stop receiving subsequent messages after a predetermined time period. 
     Within the automated priority right auctioning system, each previously accepted bid information record includes rank information based on the section information and the bid price information, and the central controlling computer is further operable to assign a rank to each received bid information record based on its section information, its bid price information, and the previously accepted bid information records. 
     After stopping receiving subsequent messages, the central controlling computer is further operable to associate one or more particular priority rights with a previously accepted bid information record based on the rank information and the section information of each of a plurality of previously accepted bid information records. 
     The automated priority right auctioning system further includes a programmed graphical representation method designed to efficiently convey to auction participants useful standing bid information across a spectrum of priority rights to be auctioned, allowing current priority right bid prices to be quantified in an effective manner. 
     The system further includes programmed methods for ensuring contiguous grouping of priority rights within each multiple priority right bid, and for ensuring that the standing bid information is automatically updated on a real-time basis and presented as such to all auction participants; said programmed method employing HTML programming features such as the recently available META refresh (a client pull type browser directive) or the multipart/mixed MIME format (a server push type browser directive). 
     Participants may access this system from remote sites using terminals, such as personal computers, via telephone lines or other means of communication. The status of bids and their corresponding priority rights are conveyed on graphic displays which are updated on a real-time basis for all participants to view. Participants may place bids of any amount, subject to predetermined limits, and cancel, raise, or lower bids at will. In addition, participants may view their personal bid standings and the updated overall bid standings without having to continually re-access the auction site. Through the participants&#39; remote terminals, the personal bid requests are sent to the host computer which immediately processes, and sorts the bids according to section and price. The central computer immediately updates and displays the new bid standing order. When the auction is closed, the bids become fixed and the physical transaction can occur. 
     The system further includes the ability for participants to limit their bids to particular types of priority rights. Additionally, the system will allow participants to lock-in their priority rights before auction closing upon the payment of a premium. Also, the system provides for proxy bidding which allows participants to automatically increase bid amounts to match subsequent higher bids. The system further includes the ability for participants to define their own personal bidding sections and to make alternative bids. Also, the system provides incentives for compelling bidders to place bids well in advance of auction closing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary participant registration procedure used in a system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary auction procedure used in a system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an exemplary representation of the main auction database storing the order of bids received. 
         FIG. 6  is an exemplary representation of a referring database which stores the available priority rights for sale. 
         FIG. 7  is an exemplary representation of a referring database which stores the participants identity and personal and payment information. 
         FIG. 8  is an example of the statistical record of all bid events received, for use in marketing studies and customer service. 
         FIG. 9  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen, as it might appear before the beginning of an auction. The terminal displays a graphical representation of a venue of seats, the rights to which are to be auctioned, and the preset minimum bid price of those rights. 
         FIG. 10  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen, as it might appear during an auction. The terminal displays a graphical representation of the rights to be auctioned, the present bid price of those rights, and the personal bid standing for this particular participant. 
         FIG. 11  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen when the desired section is chosen for bidding. The bid form is included on this screen. 
         FIG. 12  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary algorithm used to ensure contiguous priority rights within each bid in a system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary algorithm used to match the number of available priority rights with the number of seats requested by winning bidders in a system built in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen requesting further information from the participant about participant preferences. 
         FIG. 15  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen showing a bidding activity meter during open bidding. 
         FIG. 16  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen showing the bidding activity meter of  FIG. 15  after bidding is closed. 
         FIG. 17  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen, as it might appear during an auction. The terminal displays a graphical representation of the rights to be auctioned and the present bid price of those rights. 
         FIG. 18  is an example of the participant&#39;s terminal screen, as it might appear during an auction; the terminal displays a graphical representation of the rights to be auctioned and the present bid price of those rights. 
         FIG. 19  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary algorithm within step  50  of  FIG. 4  for processing alternative priority right bids. 
         FIG. 20  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary algorithm for sorting unranked priority rights. 
         FIG. 21  is an illustration of an auction for the right to begin a round of golf at a particular time conducted using the automated priority right auctioning system of the current invention and the algorithm of FIG.  20 . 
         FIG. 22  is a graph of the gross revenue of an automated priority right auction versus the time over which the auction took place. 
         FIG. 23  is a graph of the gross revenue of an automated priority right auction versus the time over which the auction took place denoting the duration and effect of various events on the gross revenue. 
         FIG. 24  is the graph of  FIG. 22 and a  graph displaying the change in the rate of growth of the gross revenue of an automated priority right auction per minute of the auction. 
         FIG. 25  is the graph of  FIG. 22 and a  graph of the number of priority right lock-ins ordered and the amount of the priority right lock-in premium versus the time over which the auction took place. 
         FIG. 26  is a graph of the average price per priority right in an automated priority right auction versus the time over which the auction took place. 
         FIG. 27  is a computer display of two graphs and two frames displaying statistics pertaining to an automated priority right auction of the rights to sit in a particular seat at an event. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     A computer controlled priority right auctioning system is now described with reference to  FIGS. 1-27 . Although many of the Figures anticipate that the priority rights being auctioned are in the form of tickets to a venue, as described herein the priority right auctioning system may be used to auction any of a number of different types of priority rights, examples of which are provided above in the Background. Therefore, references in the Description to certain pieces of auction information, such as “groups” and “subgroups” or “sections” and “subsections”, may not apply to all priority right auctions. In addition, the term “priority rights” is used throughout the Description to represent all such priority rights which may be auctioned using the system. 
     FIG.  1 . shows the computer controlled priority right auctioning system  10  which is built according to the present invention. As, shown, the computer controlled auctioning system  10  is comprised of a central computer  12  such as an Internet server which sends and receives information through a communication system  13  such as the public telephone system, television cable system, or satellite communications system to remote terminals  14   1 ,  14   2 ,  14   3  . . .  14   n , such as personal computers or other network accessing devices. In this embodiment, Internet sites are constructed consisting of web pages of graphics and text stored as html files, which present the necessary information pertaining to upcoming events and ticket sales. These sites are stored in the memory of the central computer  12 . The construction and initiation of these sites is shown as step  22  and step  23  in  FIG. 2 , which is a flowchart illustrating the general operation of this exemplary system. 
     Accordingly, consumers wishing to become participants (also referred to herein as “bidders”) in an upcoming auction may access the central computer  12  of FIG.  1  through any remote terminal  14   1 ,  14   2 ,  14   3  . . .  14   n  to receive a wide variety of information about the auctions, the related events, venues, performers or teams, schedules, and merchandise; and to pre-register for the auction and payment. The registration process is represented as step  24  in FIG.  2 . Next, as  FIG. 2  illustrates, the auction operation  25  is executed; the transactions  26  take place, and the system is ended  27 . These steps are described in more detail below. 
     Registration Procedure of Auctioning System 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , registration and bid information originating in the remote terminals  14   1 ,  14   2 ,  14   3  . . .  14   n , is transferred via the communication system  13  and received by the central computer  12 . The central computer  12  processes said information and stores it in databases: specifically, the participant database  15  for registrations and the main auction database  16  for bids. The word database, as used herein, and in the appended claims is intended to refer to a collection of information organized in such a way that the central computer can quickly select and store desired pieces of data within the database. The information in the database may be stored in any of several ways, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical storage, or any other form of storage known in the art. The central computer  12  also performs sorting and indexing operations, described below, necessary to keep the information in the databases current and correctly ordered. The central computer  12  processes and controls the information flowing between the Internet sites and the databases with programming written in the C++ programming language or any of the other computer programming languages known by one skilled in the art. Registration information may be received and stored before and during operation of the auction. The participant database, represented by  FIG. 7  contains the name, address, and payment information for all participants, and is used as a referring database to the main auction database, represented by  FIG. 5 , during the open auction and for billing purposes when the auction is concluded. FIG.  5  and  FIG. 7  are detailed below. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , a master computer  11  is connected to the central computer  12  for purposes of setting up, initiating, monitoring and dismantling the auction, and its related sites or pages. For example, in preparation for an auction, numerous details specific to that auction, such as minimum initial bids, event and sponsor names, dates and times, and arrangements are generated using the master computer  11  and then transferred by disk or modem or other means to the central computer  12  when needed. The central computer  12  stores these parameters for later application to the auction process. In particular, the central computer  12  stores in the priority right database  17  a unique record for each priority right available. The auction is then conducted by the central computer  12 , as described below. During the auction, the master computer  11  can be used to monitor the auction progress, make any necessary spontaneous changes to existing parameters, and to generally ensure that the auction is conducted with a minimum of problems. In practice, it may be possible to combine the functions of the central computer  12  and the master computer  11 . 
     Step  24  in  FIG. 2  is illustrated in detail by  FIG. 3 , an exemplary participant registration flowchart. The potential registrant begins in step  28  by interfacing with one of the terminals, for example, terminal  14   1 , of FIG.  1 . When the rules and registration Internet site is accessed at step  29  of  FIG. 3 , the registrant is encouraged to read the auction rules thoroughly, and agree to their terms. This site includes a registration form which will contain that registrant&#39;s personal information including records for the fields illustrated in the participant database of  FIG. 7 , as well as a checkbox for agreement to the terms of the auction rules, and a password, if desired, to protect access. The password may be chosen for use when accessing the auction, in lieu of re-entering the credit card number. This allows the participant to have an agent place bids, without disclosing the credit card number. 
     The central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  performs all remaining steps in this registration process depicted in FIG.  3 . In step  30 , of  FIG. 3 , the registration information is received and in step  31 , a determination is made as to whether the information is satisfactorily complete. If not, a message to that effect is sent in step  32  back to the registrant, and the registration process is ended at step  39 . If the registration information is satisfactorily complete, then in step  33 , the credit information is obtained through existing credit card systems for comparison to the information given by the registrant. In step  34 , said comparison is performed and if the credit information does not match or the limit is exceeded, a message to that effect is sent in step  35  back to the registrant, and the registration process is ended at step  39 . If in step  34  the card is determined to be valid and the limit not to be exceeded, then in step  36 , an ‘authorization only’ hold is placed on the registrant&#39;s credit card, for an amount specified by the participant. This limit, also stored in the participant database of  FIG. 7 , will be that registrant/participant&#39;s maximum allowable bid during the upcoming open auction. The authorization hold verifies and reserves the payment means for the seller, while limiting unauthorized bids made by agents of the registrant/participant. Referring again to  FIG. 3 , in step  37 , the registrant is notified that the registration was accepted and then in step  38 , the records are sent to the participant database before the registration is ended in step  39 . 
     At step  22  of  FIG. 2  before the auction is opened, an Internet site is constructed and initiated to provide viewing of graphical displays of the priority right and sale information to the participants.  FIG. 9  represents one such view, with initial minimum bids displayed in each section of a venue for an auction of rights to sit in particular seats at an event. All potential participants may access and view this site before the auction is opened. When the auction is opened, the central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  activates the site to become interactive, so participants can use it to place bids on priority rights. The site activation is represented as step  40  in  FIG. 4  which is discussed below. When a participant places a bid, the information is received and then processed by the central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  according to the flowchart outlined in FIG.  4 . 
     Auction Procedure of Auctioning System 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary auction procedure which is step  25  in FIG.  2 . The central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  performs all steps in this auction process depicted in FIG.  4 . In addition, all bid information received by participants&#39; remote terminals is generated by the central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  as web-pages constructed of html programming code. The auction procedure illustrated by the flowchart in  FIG. 4  is useful in auctioning all priority rights with relative market values that can be easily ranked prior to the start of the auction. This auction procedure is also capable of auctioning the rights to sit in particular seats in a movie theater if each right is sold as the right to enter the theater at a certain time and freely select from all available seats. Larger bids permit their bidders to enter the theater at earlier times to select seats. Therefore, the entrance times into the theater are easily ranked, with earlier times more valuable than later times. Other priority rights that may be auctioned using this procedure include the right to be in a particular location, e.g., a seat, during a concert, a theatrical event, a sporting event, or any other live entertainment event. The auction procedure of  FIG. 4  is also, with slight modification, capable of auctioning rights with relative market values that are largely dependent upon individual consumer preference and, therefore, cannot be easily ranked prior to the sale of the rights. These modifications are described in more detail below. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , in step  41  a bid information record (bid) is received as a response to a web-page form: an html programming tool commonly used to submit information from a personal computer to a server. A bid information record includes received identification information, received section information, received quantity information, and received bid price information. When a bid is received, as in step  41 , then in step  42  a check is made to ensure participant&#39;s registration is on record. This is accomplished by conducting a query on the participant database  15  of  FIG. 1 , detailed in  FIG. 7 , using the received bid identification information as the query criterion. If the query finds the participant is not registered, a message to that effect is sent in step  43  back to the participant, and the bid is not recorded. 
     If the query finds the participant is registered, then in step  44  of  FIG. 4 , a check is made to ensure the participant&#39;s bid exceeds the standing minimum bid for the particular section requested. This is accomplished by conducting a query on the main auction database  16  of  FIG. 1 , detailed in  FIG. 5 , using the received section information and bid price information as the query criteria. If the query finds the bid price too low, a message to that effect is sent in step  45  back to the participant, and the bid is not recorded. If the query finds the bid price is not too low, then in step  46 , a check is made to ensure the participant&#39;s bid is less than the established maximum; specifically, the amount of the ‘authorization only’ hold established in the participant registration and stored, for example, under the field name “SLIMIT” in the participant database of FIG.  7 . Again, this is accomplished by conducting a query on the participant database using the received bid price information as the query criterion. If this maximum is exceeded, a message to that effect is sent in step  47  of  FIG. 4  back to the participant, and the bid is not recorded. Upon receipt of such a message, the participant may choose to re-register in order to raise the set maximum. However, an agent of the participant would be unable to do so without the credit card information. Thus, protection is afforded by use of the password established in the participant registration and stored, for example under the field name “SETPASS” shown in the participant database of FIG.  7 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , if the comparison in step  46  is positive, then the bid is accepted and displayed as in step  48 . In step  49 , the bid information record is recorded to the main auction database of FIG.  5  and indexed to the corresponding participant in the participant database of FIG.  7 . In step  50  of  FIG. 4 , again using the received bid price information as the query criterion, the bid is then inserted at the appropriate rank in the priority right database of  FIG. 6 , described below, and indexed to the corresponding bid record in the main auction database of  FIG. 5 , with lower standing bids being reordered to reflect the new standings. At this step, the lowest bid(s) are removed from the order, (bumped), unless additional priority rights are still available. Bumped bids are stored in a market research database, represented in  FIG. 8 , the format of which is similar to that of the main auction database. An added function of this database is to ensure that an accurate record of each bid event can be identified for customer service purposes. Next, participants whose bids become too low are notified. 
     As shown in step  51  and step  52 , if the standing bid price of a pre-selected key priority right in the graphical representation has changed as a result of the latest bid, this change is reflected immediately by automatically updating the display of the current bid standings. These prices are displayed within the graphical view of the priority right and sale information, just as the initial minimum bids were displayed in  FIG. 9. A  representation of this real-time bid status view is shown in FIG.  10 . This interactive view gives participants clear, useful information sufficient to make bid decisions, regardless of the number of priority rights for sale or what priority right is desired. More precise information is readily obtainable by simply clicking the mouse on the desired section of priority rights. This action summons the bid form along with a more precise bid status graphic such as shown in FIG.  11 . The standing prices represented on these interactive sites are obtained by the central computer  12  of  FIG. 1  from records stored in the priority right database  17  and inserted into the html file for display to participants. This task is step  52  of FIG.  4  and is repeated each time a change has occurred in the standing bid price of one of these key priority rights. This determination is represented as step  51  of FIG.  4 . These changes are automatically presented to the participants by means of META refresh, a client pull type html programming feature which directs the browser to automatically refresh the information every x seconds, where x is a variable programmed into the html file code. If no key priority right prices have changed, no further action is taken until the next bid is received or the auction is ended. 
     FIG.  17  and  FIG. 18  illustrate two alternative methods for displaying the current bid values for the available priority rights in an auction for the right to sit in a particular seat at an event. Referring to  FIG. 17 , the auction participant may scroll through a list  350  of available priority rights and their current standing bid values. As the participant highlights a particular priority right, a red star  352  appears on the graphical representation of all available priority rights  354  to display the highlighted priority right&#39;s location. In  FIG. 18 , the auction participant may also scroll through a list  400  of available priority rights and their current standing bid values. In the graphical representation of all available priority rights  402  in  FIG. 18 , though, all the available priority rights are visible at all times. As the auction participant highlights a particular priority right in the list  400 , the same priority right is highlighted in the graphical representation  402 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , in step  53  the auction may be ended in response to a signal which may be sent from the master computer  11  of  FIG. 1  or from an internal timer or some other predetermined means. In step  54 , of  FIG. 4 , finalizing the priority right assignments involves application of an algorithm designed to ensure that priority rights within a bid are contiguous. Prior to the start of the auction, the priority rights may be organized into specific sections and subsections, or groups and subgroups, of rights. For example, if the rights to be sold are the rights to sit in particular seats at an event, those rights may be grouped by section number and then divided into subsections by row number. Alternatively, during the pendency of the auction, each bidder may define priority right sections or subsections.  FIG. 12  is an example of an algorithm that ensures contiguous priority rights within a bid. For each section, or group, of priority rights in the auction this algorithm is executed, starting with the highest bid, obtained in step  121 , and working back. If the bid presently under evaluation is the last in its section, then a different algorithm is used. This determination and action is step  122  and step  123 . If the bid presently under evaluation is not the last in its section, then in step  124 , it is determined if the number of priority rights required by the bid is more than the number existing in its subsection, or subgroup. If so, it is impossible for all the priority rights to be contiguous, and the process begins for the next bid, in step  128 . If not, in step  125  the next decision is to see if there are any breaks in the priority rights grouping. If not, the process begins again for the next bid, in step  128 . If so, the group of priority rights is moved to the next subsection back, step  126 , and the resulting priority right vacancies are filled by moving the next lower bid(s) forward, step  127 . In unusual circumstances, this could result in the moved group spanning two subsections again. In this exemplary algorithm, the group will not be moved again, it will remain split. When the last active bid is processed, the last-priority-right algorithm shown in  FIG. 13  is applied. If the number of priority rights in the bid is greater than the number of priority rights remaining in the section, step  131 , then in step  132  the bidder is notified of the cut-off and asked it the reduced number of priority rights will suffice. In step  133  and step  134  if the reply is negative or if there is no reply within 2 minutes, the bid is removed. If there is a positive reply, the number of priority rights is reduced to the available amount, and the algorithm is ended. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , step  26 , upon auction closing, successful bidders are immediately notified at their terminals and payment is confirmed. The credit cards are debited for the appropriate amounts, and the excess amount from the ‘authorization only’ hold is released. Proof of the bidder&#39;s ownership of the priority right is then delivered by any of a number of conventional means. 
       FIG. 5   a  and  FIG. 5   b  represent the main auction database which stores and ranks all active bid records and pairs the associated participants and priority rights accordingly, by referencing the two referring databases.  FIG. 5   a  is the design view of this database, defining the fields and their parameters, while  FIG. 5   b  is the table view showing sample bid records for the first bids in a hypothetical auction.  FIG. 6  depicts the priority right database, which is the other referring database. In auctions for easily ranked priority rights, the priority right database of  FIG. 6  contains a record of each priority right in the auction arranged in order of preference as predetermined by the promoter or priority right seller. In auctions for priority rights with relative market values that are not easy to rank, the priority right database of  FIG. 6  contains a record of each priority in the auction arranged in an order enabling efficient indexing of the priority right records to the bid records in the main auction database. 
     The databases shown in  FIG. 5 , FIG.  6  and  FIG. 7  contain records for a hypothetical auction that is greatly simplified for illustration purposes. This hypothetical event venue contains only 12 available priority rights, each defined by a record in the priority right database ( FIG. 6   b ). As shown, minimum bids had been pre-set at $15 and the highest bid received was bid #b  1  l of $30, with a quantity of 2 priority rights. The first field in the priority right database, “RIGHTID” contains the unique priority right identification number which is indexed to the main auction database ( FIG. 5   b ) by the fields “FRIGHTID” (first priority right identification number) and “LRIGHTID” (last priority right identification number). The last field is “BIDDERID”, in which are stored indices referencing records in the participant database. As shown in  FIG. 5   b , the lowest bid was #b  3 l , requesting 2 priority rights at $15. However, only one priority right was reserved, since only one was available at that bid level. As detailed in  FIG. 13  above, when the auction is ended, if one priority right is not satisfactory, this participant will be given the opportunity to cancel the bid. 
       FIG. 10  is a sample participant interface to the auction system during the open auction, represented here as a web page with graphical links to forms for placing bids on priority rights to sit in particular seats for an event. As exemplified here, the participant wishing to bid, simply uses a mouse to click on the desired priority right section, calling up a bid form and a more precise view of standing bids to use as a guideline.  FIG. 11  shows this more precise view for a participant who clicked on section C. The form on the right confirms this selection and prompts the participant for the specific bid information; while the diagram on the left shows that if, for instance, the bid placed is $73, then the priority rights will be in the middle of section C, unless future (higher) bids push it back. Likewise, in practice it is possible, albeit tedious, to display bid prices in every subsection or even for every priority right. 
     Accordingly, a priority right seller could promote numerous priority right sales simultaneously at one network site, with the added step for the registrant/participant of choosing the desired sale from those presented. 
     In one embodiment, a template may be loaded into participants&#39;terminals prior to their accessing the auction site, said template providing text or graphic information that does not change during an auction or between auctions, such as background art, forms or instructions. Said template may be downloaded from the Internet, or installed from a disc or by some other means. Use of a template allows the bid status updates to be made with transmission of only the numerical data, which in combination with the template, presents the comprehensive auction status update to participants. In another embodiment, the bid status changes are automatically presented to the participants by means of the multipart/mixed MIME format, a recently available server-push type programming feature which takes advantage of a connection that is held open over multiple responses, allowing the server to send more data at will. This method can be more efficient, since new HTTP connections do not have to be reopened. 
     Participant Preference Options of Auctioning System 
     Various other alternative embodiments of the invention are also possible. For example, as shown in  FIG. 14 , after a participant places a bid, he or she is presented with participant preference options on a participant preference screen  200 , which is a terminal screen that asks the participant a number of questions concerning the participant&#39;s bid. Under a priority right options block  202  on the participant preference screen  200 , the participant is given the participant preference option of canceling the bid or moving back to another section if the participant is unable to secure a bid in the desired section. The system will generally default for the participant to be moved back a section unless the participant changes this option to cancel the bid in the event of a bump. Thus, if a participant has bid on priority rights in Section B, but that bid is bumped, the participant will automatically be moved back to Section C upon being bumped from Section B, unless the participant instructs the system to completely cancel the bid in the event the bid is bumped. 
     Another participant preference option presented to the bidder under the priority right options block  202  is the option for a premium subsection priority right, such as the right to sit in a front row seat at an event. Certain bidders may be exclusively interested in a premium subsection priority right. Under this option, the participant may instruct the system to cancel the bid if the bid is bumped from the premium subsection. Thus, if a participant makes a bid and specifies that he must be in the premium subsection, the system will cancel the bid if the bid is bumped from the premium subsection. Alternatively, the participant may state that he simply prefers the premium subsection, but will take other priority rights. Thus, under this option, the system will leave the participant with a premium subsection priority right so long as his bid is consistent with the other premium subsection bids. If the participant is bumped from the premium subsection, the participant&#39;s bid will not be canceled, but he will simply be moved back. This will generally be the system default. Finally, the participant may state that he absolutely does not want a premium subsection priority right, and he should be moved back if his bid lands him in the premium subsection. Thus, under this option, the system will place the participant in another subsection even if his bid qualifies him for the premium subsection. 
     Another example of a premium subsection priority right is the right to sit in an aisle seat at an event. The priority right options block  202  would allow the participant to specify aisle seat preference as a participant preference option. The system may present the participant with a number of choices concerning the aisle, including the following options: (i) must have an aisle seat and will move back to get on the aisle, (ii) will not accept an aisle seat, (iii) prefer the aisle, but will accept other seats, (iv) do not prefer the aisle, and (v) don&#39;t care. The “don&#39;t care” option is generally the system default. Based upon the participant&#39;s input, the system will attempt to place the participant in the desired location either on an aisle or away from an aisle. 
     A number of other participant preference options other than those described above may also be specified in the priority right options block  202 . For example, if the priority right is the right to sit in a particular seat at an event, the system may give participants options for being placed near concession stands, restrooms, exits, or the rear of a section. Other preference options are also possible and may be easily incorporated by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The participant&#39;s preference screen  200  also includes an option  204  that allows the system to receive lock-in priority right information. This option  204  allows the participant to secure a priority right, upon payment of a premium, regardless of any subsequent bids for the priority right during the auction. This premium may be expressed in any number of ways such as a flat dollar amount (e.g., $25) or a percent of the bid value (e.g., 50%). The premium is expressed on the preferences screen  200  by lock-in premium line  208 . Thus, if the participant makes a bid of $80 per priority right for five seats, and this bid currently places the bidder in a particular subsection of priority rights, the participant may lock-in these five priority rights upon payment of the premium. If the premium is 50% of the bid value, the participant would be required to pay $120 per priority right, or $600 total dollars to secure these five priority rights until the close of the auction. If the participant does choose to lock-in his bid by paying the premium, the participant will retain all five priority rights throughout the auction even if a subsequent bidder offers $120 or more for the same priority rights. 
     The participant&#39;s preference screen  200  may also include an option that allows the system to receive proxy bid information. The proxy bid options are shown under proxy block  206 . According to the proxy bid options, the participant may enter a maximum proxy bid amount in addition to the current bid amount. The maximum proxy bid amount is the amount that the bidder authorizes the system to bid in his absence in order to keep the bidder in the preferred seat or location. Under this block  206 , the bidder has the following three options: (i) keep the bidder in the bidding for the same priority rights for up to the maximum bid amount, (ii) keep the bidder in the same section of priority rights for up to the maximum bid amount, and (iii) keep the bidder in the bidding for any priority right in the auction for up to the maximum bid amount. Thus, if the participant bids $80 for a priority right in a certain section, but authorizes proxy bidding up to $130, the participant may leave the auction, knowing that proxy bids will be made for him up to $130 should a subsequent bid exceed his bid. If the participant chooses the option to stay in the bidding for the same priority right for up to the maximum bid, the system will keep the participant in the bidding for that priority right until subsequent bids for that priority right are received exceeding $130. At that time, the participant&#39;s bid will be bumped. If the participant chooses the option to stay in bidding for the same section of priority rights for up to the maximum bid, the participant will be bumped to the rear of the section as subsequent bids are received for greater than $80. Once bids for the rear of the section reach $80, the participant&#39;s bid will automatically increase to keep him in the section up to a value of $130. Once all bids in the section exceed $130, the participant&#39;s bid will be bumped. Finally, if the bidder chooses to simply stay in the overall bidding for up to $130, the participant&#39;s $80 bid will be continually bumped to less preferential priority rights, as bid values exceed $80. Once the least preferential priority right reaches $80, the participant&#39;s bid will automatically increase to keep him in the bidding for up to a bid of $130. If bids for the least preferential priority right exceed $120, the participant will be completely removed from the bidding. 
     The participant&#39;s preference screen  200  may also include an option that allows the auction participant to individually designate those priority rights upon which the participant wishes to bid. Instead of selecting to bid within the sections or subsections defined by the auction organizer, each participant may define his own personal bidding section. One embodiment of this invention is to allow the auction participant to define the bounds of his personal bidding section by using a mouse to “click and drag” a cursor over a portion of the graphical representation of the available priority rights. Another embodiment involves permitting the auction participant to define his personal bidding section by entering the first and last priority right identification numbers in the desired personal bidding section. 
     The participant&#39;s preference screen  200  may also include an option that allows the auction participant to place alternative bids. For example, in an auction for the right to sit in a particular seat at an event, an auction participant could designate that she wished to stay in the bidding for the right to sit in a seat in Section A for up to $50, but if that bid was bumped then she wished to stay in the bidding for the right to sit in a seat in Section D for up to $25. 
     This option to place alternative bids may be used with the priority right sections designated by the auction organizer, as in the previous example, or with the participant&#39;s personal bidding sections. Therefore, the auction participant could designate that she wished to stay in the bidding for a right in her first personal bidding section for up to $45, and if that bid was bumped then she wished to stay in the bidding for a right within her second personal bidding section for up to $25. Additionally, more than two alternative bids may be placed. 
       FIG. 19  is a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm that permits the priority rights auction system to properly process alternative bids. This algorithm is step  50  of FIG.  4 . In processing this algorithm, the automated priority right auction system processes each alternative bid as a separate bid. For example, if an individual designated a bid of $50 for rights within a first section, a first alternative bid of $30 for rights within a second section, and a second alternative bid of $20 within a third section, the system would record all three bids. However, the system would only activate the $30 bid after the $50 bid was bumped and would then activate the $20 bid only after the $30 bid was bumped. 
     Referring to  FIG. 19 , in step  400 , all priority rights bids are sorted. As a result of this process, some bids may be bumped. In step  402 , the central computer  12  determines whether any bids have been bumped. If no bumped bids exist, the control is passed, in step  404 , to step  51  of FIG.  4 . If a bid has been bumped, in step  406  the central computer  12  determines whether the bumped bid is part of a series of alternative bids. If not, in step  408  it is determined whether any other bids were bumped by the sorting undertaken in step  400 . If other bids were bumped, control is passed back to step  406 . If no additional bids were bumped, the central computer  12  proceeds to step  404 . Referring again to step  406 , if the bumped bid is part of a series of alternative bids, the central computer  12  then determines, in step  410 , whether the bumped bid was the last alternative bid in the series. If the bumped bid was the last alternative bid in the series, the central computer  12  proceeds to step  408 . If not, the central computer  12  activates, in step  412 , the next alternative bid in the bumped bid&#39;s series. 
     Then, in step  414  the central computer  12  determines whether the activated bid exceeds the standing minimum acceptable bid for the priority rights identified in the activated bid. This is accomplished by conducting a query on the main auction database  16  of  FIG. 1 , detailed in  FIG. 5 , using the received section information and bid price information as the query criteria. If the query finds the bid price too low, a message to that effect is sent in step  416  back to the participant, and the bid is not recorded. If the query finds the bid price is not too low, then in step  418 , a check is made to ensure the participant&#39;s bid is less than the established maximum; specifically, the amount of the ‘authorization only’ hold established in the participant registration and stored, for example, under the field name “SLIMIT” in the participant database of FIG.  7 . Again, this is accomplished by conducting a query on the participant database using the received bid price information as the query criterion. If this maximum is exceeded, a message to that effect is sent in step  420  of  FIG. 19  back to the participant, and the bid is not recorded. Upon receipt of such a message, the participant may choose to re-register in order to raise the set maximum. However, an agent of the participant would be unable to do so without the credit card information. Thus, protection is afforded by use of the password established in the participant registration and stored, for example under the field name “SETPASS” shown in the participant database of FIG.  7 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 19 , if the comparison in step  418  is positive, then the bid is accepted and displayed as in step  422 . In step  424 , the bid information record is recorded to the main auction database of FIG.  5  and indexed to the corresponding participant in the participant database of FIG.  7 . In step  426 , the central computer  12  determines whether any additional bids were bumped by the sorting of step  420 . If so, the central computer  12  returns to step  406  so that all bids bumped by the sorting of step  420  can be examined for related alternative bids before all of the bids are re-sorted. If the comparison in step  426  is negative, the central computer  12  returns to step  420  to re-sort all of the priority right bids with the inclusion of the newly accepted bid. This algorithm is only one of various available means to enable the proper processing of alternative bids by the priority right auctioning system of this invention. 
     Alternative Embodiments of Auctioning System 
     In another alternative embodiment of the invention, a bidding activity meter  302  is used as shown in FIG.  15 . The bidding activity meter shows a graphical representation of the rate of bidding on priority rights (e.g., bids per hour or total bid revenue increase per minute). The meter shows a number of different bidding rates from left to right across the meter. A bar extends from the left side of the meter toward the right side of the meter to represent the current bidding rate. In this manner the participant can see the current rate of bids placed for priority rights. The bidding activity meter allows the system to have an adjustable bidding window based upon bidding activity. The adjustable bidding window may be defined as an adjustable period of time that may be immediately terminated upon the bidding rate reaching a predefined low threshold. For example, the system may set up an auction for priority rights starting at 10 a.m. on a particular day. The auction may be set up to accept bids for at least five hours, until 3 p.m., but for no more than fourteen hours, until 12 p.m. Bidding will remain open after 3 p.m., so long as the bidding continues above the predetermined threshold (e.g., 1000 bids per hour). However, if the bidding drops below that threshold, the auction will be closed immediately. Thus, the auction will definitely accept bids from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. If the total bidding from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. exceeds the threshold rate, the bidding will remain open. However, if at any time before 12 p.m., the bidding rate drops below the threshold, the bidding will immediately cease. Thus, if the threshold is 1000 bids per hour and the total bidding during the hours of 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. drops to 900 bids, the auction will close, and no further bids will be taken. 
     Because the auction may be conducted over an adjustable time period using the bidding activity meter, the bidding activity meter encourages bidders to place their bids early and not wait until the very last minute before auction closing to place their bids. When a large number of bidders wait to bid at the very last minute before auction closing, the system may be unable to handle the large number of bids and all bidders may not be allowed to place their bids. If all bids are not placed, the market price per priority right is not realized. However, the bidding activity meter prevents this problem by encouraging bidders to place their bids early. With the bidding activity meter  302 , bidders will monitor the bidding activity meter and place their bids immediately when they realize that bidding is reaching the low threshold level. Because bidders will likely have a continuum of different interpretations as to when the bidding activity meter is reaching the low threshold level, bids will be more evenly distributed over time and the intensity of the final bidding will be decreased. 
     In a further embodiment of the invention, bidding may be split into a first session and a second session. In this first session, bids are taken to determine which bidders will receive the priority rights. In this session, a market price is determined for the least preferential priority right in the auction. Alternatively, bidders may bid on the least preferential priority right in each section. Bidders making bids in excess of the market price are guaranteed a priority right and allowed to bid in the second session. In the second session of bidding, bidders place bids on particular priority rights in the auction. The most preferential priority rights in the auction are awarded to the highest bidders, consistent with the method of conducting an auction described herein. The bid activity meter  302  may be used in both the first and second session of bidding to define the time limits that bidders have to place bids during the first or second sessions. 
     As mentioned above, the auction procedure illustrated by the flowchart in  FIG. 4  may be modified to permit auctioning of priority rights with relative market values that are difficult to rank prior to their sale. In the auction of a group of such priority rights, two consecutive priority rights may have widely different market values due to individual consumer preference. For example, the value of the right to begin a round of golf at 9:00 a.m. may be significantly greater than the value of the right to begin a round of golf at 9:15 a.m. if an individual consumer&#39;s schedule dictates that he must begin at 9:00 a.m. Therefore, instead of classifying such priority rights into sections and subsections and determining the amount of an acceptable minimum bid by viewing the lowest bid in a particular section, the minimum acceptable bid for each priority right must be evaluated individually as a bid is placed upon the priority right. The auction procedure illustrated by the flowchart in  FIG. 4  will satisfy this requirement if each priority right is treated as its own section in the bidding process and some modification is made to the central computer&#39;s sorting algorithm. 
     In an auction for priority rights that are not easily pre-ranked, the sorting algorithm of step  50  in FIG.  4  and step  400  of  FIG. 19  is slightly modified. One exemplary algorithm that illustrates this modification is shown in FIG.  20 . In step  428 , the central computer  12  performs a search over the entire spectrum of received priority right bids to determine the highest bid among all the priority right sections. This search may be performed expeditiously if in step  49  of  FIG. 4  the bid rank of each received bid is determined relative to all other bids received in the auction. Therefore, in the main auction database of  FIG. 5 , the “RANK” field of the highest overall bid received in the auction would contain a “1”, the “RANK” field of the second highest overall bid received in the auction would contain a “2”, and so on. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 20 , in step  428 , after the central computer  12  has determined which bid is the highest, the priority right designated in that bid&#39;s bid information record is assigned to that bid. This process is completed by indexing the corresponding bid record in the main auction database of  FIG. 5  to the corresponding priority right record in the priority right database of FIG.  6 . In step  430 , the central computer  12  determines whether any priority rights are still available for auction. If the answer is negative, the central computer  12  determines if any bids have been bumped, step  432 , and then exits the sorting algorithm, step  434 . If any priority rights are still available for auction, the central computer  12  determines whether any bids have yet to be processed in step  436 . If not, the algorithm proceeds to step  432 . If there are remaining bids to be processed, the central computer  12  conducts another query to determine which bid is the next highest overall bid, step  438 . The central computer  12  then assigns to that bid the priority right designated in that bid&#39;s bid information record. If the priority right designated in that bid information record has already been assigned to a higher bid, then the available priority right that is the closest to the designated priority right is assigned. After assigning a priority right to the bid, the algorithm returns to step  430 . The process is continued until all available priority rights have been assigned or until all bids have been processed, whichever occurs first. The algorithm illustrated in  FIG. 20  is simply one of various algorithms that permit the priority right auctioning system of the present invention to sort unranked priority rights so as to obtain for those rights their true market value. 
       FIG. 21  illustrates an auction for the right to begin a round of golf at a particular time that is conducted using the automated priority right auctioning system of the current invention with the sorting algorithm of FIG.  20 . Frame  440  in  FIG. 21  contains the bids received during the auction. In this auction, participants were permitted to designate one of four golf tee times: 8:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 9:30 a.m. The central computer  12  then utilized the sorting algorithm in  FIG. 20  to assign twenty-seven available tee times to the highest of these bids. 
     First, the central computer  12 , in step  428 , determined that priority right bid  442  for $300 was the highest of all the bids received. Therefore, that bid was assigned the priority right to tee off at 8:00 a.m., and the bid record corresponding to bid  442  in the main auction database of  FIG. 5  was indexed to the priority right record corresponding to the 8:00 a.m. tee-off time in the priority right database of FIG.  6 . The result of this assignment can be seen in frame  444  of FIG.  21 . 
     The central computer  12  then determined that there were more available priority rights, step  430 , and that there remained bids that had not yet been processed, step  436 . Therefore, the central computer  12  queried the main auction database of  FIG. 5  to determine that priority right bid  446  for $260 was the highest unprocessed bid. The central computer  12  thus assigned the priority right to tee off at 8:30 a.m. and indexed the bid record corresponding to bid  446  in the main auction database of  FIG. 5  to the priority right record corresponding to the 8:30 a.m. tee-off time in the priority right database of FIG.  6 . The result of this assignment can be seen in frame  444  of FIG.  21 . 
     Returning to step  430  in  FIG. 20 , the central computer  12  determined that there were more priority rights available and, in step  436 , that more unprocessed bids existed. So, in step  438 , the central computer  12  queried the main auction database of  FIG. 5  to discover that the highest unprocessed bid was bid  448  for $250. However, because bid  448  designated 8:00 a.m. as its desired priority right and bid  442  had already been assigned the 8:00 a.m. priority right, the central computer  12  assigned to bid  448  the available priority right closest to the 8:00 a.m. priority right, the 8:05 a.m. priority right. The central computer  12  then indexed the bid record corresponding to bid  448  in the main auction database of  FIG. 5  to the priority right record corresponding to the 8:05 a.m. tee-off time in the priority right database of FIG.  6 . The result of this assignment can be seen in frame  444  of FIG.  21 . 
     The central computer  12  continued processing this algorithm until all priority rights were assigned to received bids. The final result of all priority right assignments can be seen in frame  444 . During the process of assigning priority rights, if a desired priority right was already assigned the central computer  12  then selected the closest available priority right to the desired priority right. Other embodiments of this invention may vary this selection, opting to only choose priority rights in one direction, e.g. later tee times. Additionally, the priority rights auctioning system could be modified to permit, as discussed above, alternative priority right bids, personal priority right bidding sections, and participant preference options, such as the option to designate which direction the bid is bumped. The priority rights auctioning system of the present invention, utilizing a sorting algorithm such as that illustrated in  FIG. 20 , is thus capable of obtaining the true market value of priority rights that have relative values that are difficult to rank prior to their sale. 
     Statistical Analysis of Auctioning System 
     The automated priority right auctioning system of the present invention may be used in connection with other computer programs to create graphs and tables to enable real-time statistical analysis of the auction. FIG.  22  through  FIG. 27  are examples of such graphs and tables.  FIG. 22  is a graph of the gross revenue of the auction versus the time over which the auction takes place. It displays the dollar amount that the auction organizer must obtain to break even, eleven million dollars in this example, and the time at which the gross revenue reaches that amount  450 . A legend  452  is included in  FIG. 22  which denotes that each of the points on the graph labeled A through H shows the gross revenue at the exact time that a priority right section was filled. The section of the graph labeled II, i.e. between dotted line  454  and dotted line  456 , displays how the rate of increase of the gross revenue decreases as the auction nears its end. 
       FIG. 23  is also a graph of the gross revenue of the auction versus the time over which the auction takes place.  FIG. 23  denotes the duration of multimedia presentations on the Internet website affiliated with the auction and their effect on the gross revenue. Other information may also be placed on the graph. For example, dotted line  500  may denote the time at which priority right lock-ins become available, and dotted line  502  may denote the time at which a promotional commercial airs on a local radio station. 
       FIG. 24  is the graph of  FIG. 22  with an additional graph  550  below it displaying the change in the rate of growth of the gross revenue per minute of the auction. Thus, the auction organizer can assess not only the effect of each promotional activity upon the total gross revenue but also its effect on the rate of growth of the revenue. 
       FIG. 25  is the graph of  FIG. 22  with an additional graph  600  below it of the number of lock-ins ordered and the amount of the lock-in premium versus the time over which the auction takes place. Lines  602  and  604  in  FIG. 25  display the changes in the level of the lock-in premiums over the term of the auction. Prior to the time denoted by dotted line  606  in  FIG. 25 , no lock-in premiums were available. Lines  608  and  610  display the number of lock-ins ordered at different times during the auction.  FIG. 25  is useful to an auction organizer because it enables the organizer to analyze the effect of the timing and magnitude of the changes to the lock-in premium on the number of lock-ins ordered. 
       FIG. 26  is a graph of the average price per priority right versus the time over which the auction takes place. Dotted line  650  denotes the time at which this graph was created, 10:09 a.m., and separates the graph into a part that is based on actual sales and a part that consists of average price forecasts based upon those actual sales. Dotted line  652  marks the end of the auction, and all lines in the graph that intersect with dotted line  652  are projections of the average price of priority rights at the end of the auction. For example, line  654  plots the average price of a seat in Section A in an auction for the right to sit in a seat at an event. As of 10:09 a.m. the average price of a seat in Section A is about $400. A forecasting algorithm has predicted with 95% certainty, based on the rate of growth of the average sale price of a seat in Section A from the start of the auction until 10:09 a.m., that the price of the average seat in Section A at the end of the auction will not be below $650. The algorithm calculates that to obtain this amount for a ticket at 10:09 a.m., the lock-in premium should be set at 40%. Likewise, the forecasting algorithm has predicted with a 50% certainty that the final average price will not be below $1050 and has calculated its related lock-in premium of 125%. The forecasting algorithm has also predicted with a 5% certainty that the final average price will not be below $1850 and has calculated the related lock-in premium of 300%. The auction organizer may use graphs such as FIG.  26  throughout an auction to determine a reasonable lock-in premium amount. 
       FIG. 27  contains two graphs displaying real-time priority right sale stats for an auction of the rights to sit in a particular seat at an event. Graph  700  in  FIG. 27  plots the number of bids received per minute during the time that the auction takes place. In addition, statistics frame  702  contains numerical data useful to the auction organizer, including the total number of bids received, the total number of bumped bids, the average number of seats per bid, and the number of lock-ins ordered. Graph  704  in  FIG. 27  plots the distribution of bids at a certain point of time in the auction. The minimum, maximum, average, and median bid amounts are denoted by label  706 , label  708 , label  710 , and dotted line  712 , respectively. Additionally, graph  704  distinguishes between standing bids and bumped bids by graphing each in a different color. The auction organizer may create multiple versions of graph  704  for various times during the auction, enabling the organizer to view the progression of bids during the auction. Statistics frame  714  contains numerical data such as the number of priority right sections filled, the average standing bid amount, the high bid amount, and the low bid amount. 
     It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments of the invention are merely illustrative. Other implementations may readily be devised by those of ordinary skill in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the exemplary contiguous priority right algorithm of  FIG. 12  may readily be modified to allow repeated movements of a group to ensure contiguous priority rights or to allow block-style groupings, or other variations. Moreover, this ensuring of contiguous priority rights shown at step  54  of  FIG. 4 , could be performed as each bid is placed, rather than only at the close of the auction. Likewise, the last priority right cut-off in step  55  of  FIG. 4  could be executed with each bid made. Additionally, the auction system may readily be modified to sell each section of priority rights in succession or at different Internet locations. Other embodiments may provide additional incentives for bidders to bid early in the auction. For example, if the auction is for the right to sit in a particular seat at an event, those bidding within the first ten minutes from the auction opening may be awarded cash value certificates for redemption at the event for concessions or gift shop items. Larger awards may be granted for earlier bids (e.g., $10 for a bid within the first ten minutes after auction opening) and smaller awards may be granted for later bids (e.g., $2 for a bid within the first hour after auction opening). In other alternative embodiments, certain classes of people may be awarded preferential treatment during bidding. For example, alumni bids may be augmented by a given dollar amount, alumni may given access to a certain portion of the priority rights, or alumni may be allowed to place bids after the auction closes. In any event, although auctions for priority rights such as event tickets and golf tee times have been used in the above description, the invention is not limited to systems auctioning those priority rights, and the system may be designed to auction any number of different types of priority rights.