Patent ID: 7480621

Claim:
An automated commerce management system comprising: a plurality of remotely connected terminals, wherein a first terminal of the plurality of remotely connected terminals is configured to receive an input for a first contingency agreement between a plurality of parties, wherein the first contingency agreement is from a plurality of contingency agreements; a server couplable to the plurality of remotely connected terminals and configured to manage the plurality of contingency agreements, comprising: a receiver configured to receive the input for the first contingency agreement from the first terminal; a module couplable to the receiver and configured to: identify from the input a contingency to be resolved; determine a milestone for when a contingent event of the contingency is to occur; determine an independent source configured to provide information with respect to the occurrence of the contingent event; and identify when the milestone is reached; an automatic data retriever couplable to the module and configured to retrieve information from the independent source when the milestone is reached, wherein the module is further configured to: determine from the retrieved information if the contingent event occurred; determine if the contingency is resolved if determined that the contingent event occurred; determine if the milestone is a deadline for when the contingency is to be resolved if determined that the contingent event did not occur; and identify the contingency agreement as determinate with respect to the contingent event if determined that the contingency is resolved or that the milestone is the deadline; and an automatic mailer couplable to the module and configured to notify the plurality of parties that the contingency agreement is determinate with respect to the contingent event if the module identifies the contingency agreement as determinate with respect to the contingent event.