公开(公告)号：US06023685A

公开(公告)日：2000-02-08

申请号：US862547

申请日：1997-05-23

申请人： Kenton F. Brett ,  Ronald W. Brumbarger

发明人： Kenton F. Brett ,  Ronald W. Brumbarger

IPC分类号： G06Q10/00 ,  G06Q10/02 ,  G06Q30/00 ,  G06Q30/08 ,  G06Q40/04 ,  H04L12/18 ,  G06F17/60

CPC分类号： H04L12/1809 ,  G06Q10/02 ,  G06Q30/08 ,  G06Q40/04

摘要： An automated event ticket auctioning system receives and evaluates bid information records received from a plurality of remote terminals. The bid information records correspond to bids for one or more seats within a venue and corresponding to at least one particular event, wherein the venue has a plurality of sections, each section having a plurality of seats. The automated event ticket auctioning system includes a memory storing a plurality of previously accepted bid information records, the previously accepted bid information records each including identification information, section identification, quantity information and bid price information. The system further includes a central controlling computer operably connected to the memory. The central controlling computer is operable to first receive a message including a received bid information record from one of a plurality of remote terminals through a communication system. The received bid information record includes received identification information, received section identification, received quantity information, and received bid price information. The central controlling computer is further operable to determine a lowest minimum acceptable bid value corresponding to the received section information using the previously accepted bid information records stored in the memory, and store the received bid information record if a value represented by the received bid price information exceeds the lowest minimum acceptable bid value. The automated event ticket auctioning system further includes a programmed graphical representation method designed to efficiently convey to auction participants useful standing bid information across the entire event venue, allowing seat bid price locations to be quantified in an effective manner. The system further includes programmed methods for ensuring contiguous grouping of seat location within each multiple ticket bid, and for ensuring that the standing bid information is automatically updated on a real-time basis and presented as such to all auction participants.