Patent ID: 6871190

Claim:
An interactive computer system for conducting auctions over an open communications network comprising: (a) a number of remote seller sites; and (b) a number of remote bidder sites interconnected with the number of remote seller sites; (c) one of the remote bidder sites comprising: (i) data input means for entering input data relating to desired merchandise that a bidder desires to acquire at an auction; (ii) bidding strategy generation means for automatically generating a bidding strategy on the basis of the input data relating to the desired merchandise; and (iii) mobile bidder agent means adapted to: (1) locate one or more remote seller sites on the network; (2) move away from the remote bidder site and execute at one or more located remote seller sites to determine if merchandise details of merchandise for auction at each of the one or more located remote seller sites match criteria from the input data for the desired merchandise that the bidder desires to acquire; (3) retrieve auction details regarding details of an auction far the merchandise from the one or more located remote seller sites if the criteria matches the merchandise details; and (4) implement the generated bidding strategy during the auction at one or more of the located remote seller sites where the criteria matches the merchandise details; and (d) one of the remote seller sites comprising: (i) data input means for entering data relating to merchandise to be auctioned; (ii) selling strategy generation means for generating a selling strategy on the basis on the input data relating to the merchandise to be auctioned; (iii) seller agent means adapted to implement the generated selling strategy by interaction with one or more bidder agents at the remote seller site; and (iv) auction management means for controlling and synchronizing he bidder and seller agent means during an auction at the remote seller site.