Patent ID: 8266000

Claim:
A method of hosting a computer-based auction over the internet, comprising: using a computer to produce information representing a webpage indicative of an electronic auction, where said webpage shows bid amounts and accepts bids over the internet; said computer producing second information as part of said information representing a webpage, said second information having a first parameter indicative of an ending time for said electronic auction; said computer also storing a predetermined set time before the ending time; prior to said set time before said ending time, said computer carrying out the auction in a first mode, in which information that represents a webpage with information about the auction is updated only based on a manual request for update received from a client over the internet and is not automatically updated; after said set time before said ending time, said computer changing a mode of carrying out the auction to a second mode, wherein said second mode, said computer automatically updating said information that represents the webpage to have new information and automatically sending said new information over the internet to each of a plurality of clients, in a way that causes said each of said plurality of clients to automatically display said new information without making a request for said new information.