Patent ID: 8315910

Claim:
A method for automatically facilitating an auction performed via a computer-implemented network wherein a plurality of bidders compete based on a time parameter to acquire a trade proposed by a requester, wherein each of a plurality of bidders is prompted to submit a time-based bid to be compared against a due date and a time slide preference to be most satisfied by a winning bid for the trade, the time slide preference representing a desired time-wise proximity of a trading event selectively preceding, or subsequent to, the due date, the method comprising: in a request servicing procedure, responding, by a server-side system, to an access via a terminal of the requester which displays a request entry screen prompting the requester to enter request information including the due date and the time slide preference, by receiving the request information via the terminal of the requester; in a bid procedure, responding, by the server-side system, to an access via a terminal of each of the plurality of bidders that displays a bid screen on the terminal of each of the plurality of bidders to prompt each bidder to enter bid information including a proposed time, by receiving the bid information via the terminal of each bidder; and in a bid acceptance procedure, executing, by the server-side system, bid processing for determining a winning bid using at least the proposed time offered by each of the bidders in the bid information, and in accordance with the due date and the time slide preference, wherein the winning bid is determined as a bid that meets the due date and most satisfies the time slide preference relative to other bids.