Patent ID: 6847938

Claim:
A method for coordinating an exchange of items between individuals over a communications network, said method comprising: providing, maintaining, and updating a preexisting list of like items being offered for exchange, wherein the steps of providing, maintaining, and updating are performed by a third party; receiving a first data entry identifying a first offered item being offered for exchange by a first user, wherein the first data entry comprises the first user's selection of the first offered item from the preexisting list of like items being offered for exchange; receiving first search criteria identifying a first desired item to be received in exchange for the first item by the first user, wherein the first search criteria is generated by the first user's selection of the first desired item from the preexisting list of like items being offered for exchange; storing the first data entry and the first search criteria in a database component of a central computer system; receiving a second data entry identifying a second offered item being offered for exchange by a second user, wherein the second data entry comprises the second user's selection of a second offered item from the preexisting list of like items being offered for exchange; receiving second search criteria identifying a second desired item to be received in exchange for the second item by the second user, wherein the second search criteria comprises the second user's selection of the second desired item from the preexisting list of like items being offered for exchange; searching the database in accordance with the second search criteria and the second data entry; generating a match if the first data entry satisfies the second search criteria and if the second data entry satisfies the first search criteria; informing the second user whether a match has been generated; and storing the second data entry and the second search criteria in the database if no match has been generated.