Patent ID: 7096196

Claim:
A method for conducting an electronic negotiation of a commercial transaction wherein said electronic negotiation is guaranteed to terminate, comprising: a step of advertising a product with an advertisement, wherein said product that is to be negotiated is listed by a first negotiating party, the advertisement comprising a set of attribute-value pairs, each attribute-value pair including an attribute and a range of values for the attribute, for the product listed in the advertisement; a step of looking up, wherein the product listed in the advertisement is located for a second negotiating party, wherein at least one of a first set of attribute-value pairs is displayed to the second negotiating party; a step of offering, wherein the second negotiating party offers to negotiate one or more attributes for the product listed in the advertisement; a step of counter-offering, wherein the first negotiating party responds to the offer with a first counter-offer; and a step of displaying at least one of a second set of attribute-value pairs to the second negotiating party it each attribute is not agreed to or a failed negotiation is not declared, wherein the second negotiating party and the first negotiating party continue to exchange counter-offers until each attribute is agreed to or the failed negotiation is declared, wherein one or more attributes from the set of attribute-value pairs are introduced with a corresponding range of values and each counter-offer reduces the range of values for at least one attribute that was previously introduced, by narrowing a gap between values for a previously introduced attribute or by introducing a new attribute from the set of attribute-value pairs.