Patent ID: 7849133

Claim:
A resource allocation system, comprising: a first network interface; a database storing information regarding a plurality of items, the information for at least a first of the plurality of items including: a date for an event at which the first item may be used; an identifier of a current holder of the first item, an indicator as to whether the first item has been transferred; a load balancer; a web proxy processor configured to selectively block an inbound user browser request or route an inbound user browser request to a destination server; a cache cluster system configured to cache data and states for access by one or more system components; and program code stored in a non-transitory computer readable memory, which, when executed by a computing device, is configured to: store a session identifier on a user terminal associated with a user browser of a first user; process an acquisition request for an item from the user browser while the user browser is accessing a first website; transmit to the user browser an indication that the acquisition request is accepted if the acquisition request meets a predefined criterion; if the acquisition request is accepted, automatically transmit to the browser an offer to transfer the item to another user prior to the user navigating away from the first website; receive the session identifier from the user terminal; use the session identifier for identification; determine if a transfer instruction has been received from the user browser; at least partly in response to the receipt of the transfer instruction, offer the item to at least one other user; and transfer the item to a second user if a first criterion is met, wherein the first user is inhibited from using the item after the item is transferred; wherein the database stores: an identifier associated with the first user in association with the item; an identifier associated with the second user in association with the item, wherein the item is an event ticket, wherein the program code is further configured to: provide the event ticket to the user; inhibit the user's ability to utilize the event ticket by invalidating the event ticket provided to the user; and provide a new event ticket to a second user to whom the event ticket is being transferred to, wherein the new event ticket provides the second user the same rights to attend the event as the event ticket provided to the user prior to invalidation.