Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY MATCHING BUYERS AND
SELLERS VIA NETWORK AND THE METHOD OF THE SAME
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for automatically
identifying and matching buyers and sellers Via a communication
network, and more specifically, to a system for monitoring a
desired item for a client.
Background of the Invention
Modern network systems must allow computers to
electronically communicate with each other in order to ensure
shared transmission and manipulation of information.
Conventional commerce involves a salesman using a telephone and
a facsimile machine to negotiate a sale with a customer. In this
method, two parties negotiate transaction items such as the
quantity of goods for purchase, specifications of the merchandise,
and payment terms. In addition to spending a significant amount of
time, the conventional method of commerce is slow, time-intensive
and expensive to initiate and maintain.
Rapid development of the Internet has enabled computer
systems to provide an efficient, widely accessible, and secure
mechanism for conducting electronic commerce. By connecting
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most computer systems worldwide, the network allows users to
interact using various services such as electronic mail and the
World Wide Web (WWW). E-mail allows individuals to
communicate with each other by linking a computer system with
the Internet. Designed as an easy visual interface for users, the
WWW allows a server computer, called a web site, to send
graphical web pages of information (web pages) to a client
computer and display the web pages. These Web pages may contain
control regions, such as simulated push buttons, that allow the user
to acquire and display additional related web pages of information
in a hypertext fashion. Each client and server have an Internet
address called a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"). The WWW
uses the HTTP protocol. Currently, a HyperText Markup Language
("HTML") file defines a web page. A browser refers to the
software on a client computer that manages the Internet
connections and interprets as well as executes the commands in
HTML documents. In general, web servers are stateless (without
geographic boundaries) with respect to client transactions.
Some systems have been invented in the past to provide the
function of matching the sellers and the buyers. One of the prior
arts may be seen in the U.S. Patent NO. 6,09$,051 to Lupien, et al.,
filed on October 21, 1997, entitled "Crossing network utilizing
satisfaction density profile". The system matches buy and sell
orders based upon a satisfaction and quantity profile. The crossing
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network includes a number of trader terminals that can be used for
entering order. The orders are entered in the form of a satisfaction
density profile that represents a degree of satisfaction to trade a
particular instrument at various (price, quantity) combinations.
That system allows traders to input as orders a satisfaction density
profile and maximum size limit. The system also includes the
satisfaction density profile that is a two-dimensional grid or
matrix. One dimension is price and the second dimension is size of
transaction. Each element of the satisfaction density profile, called
a satisfaction density value, indicates the trader's degree of
satisfaction to trade that size order at that price.
While interested in merchandise when browsing a retailer's
web site, a user may not necessarily order any items owing to the
price or other issues. Until now, the electrical visual shop does not
automatically inform the user when the user's requirements or
conditions are satisfied. Instead, the user must browse the web site
again to obtain the updated information. Such a means of product
promotion is unresponsive to the consumer demand. On the other
hand, it is inefficient for the user to obtain updated information
from the merchant. Furthermore, while the merchant can only
accumulate client-related information from the electronic shopping
cart, exactly understanding the shopping trends and customer
demands is extremely difficult.
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Base on the previous discussion, the object of the present
invention is to provide a system for matching the seller and the
buyers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for
a client to input one's expected condition for a certain product, the
system will forward to the client when the product meets the
expected condition input by the client.
The automatically matching buyer and seller system
comprises a processing unit to match buyer and sell orders
transmitted via a network. A storage device is coupled to the
processing unit to store a potential client database and item
database, wherein the potential client database includes buyer
satisfaction data provided by a buying party, wherein the item
database includes seller satisfaction including quotation and item
under sold provided by a selling party. A monitor is coupled to the
processing unit and the storage device to monitor the satisfaction
of the selling party and the buying party. A transaction generator
is coupled to the processing unit and the storage device to generate
a transaction if the buyer and seller satisfactions are match. A
forwarding module is responsive to the satisfactions matching to
forward to the buying party.
A method for automatically matching buyer and seller
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comprises inputting a buyer satisfaction including an expected
item wish to be purchased, an expected price and quantity by a
buyer, and inputting a seller satisfaction. Next step is to record the
buyer satisfaction by an automatically matching buyer and seller
system when ready for matching, and records the seller
satisfaction when ready for matching. Then, a monitoring step is
performed to monitor the buyer and seller satisfactions,
calculating for each possible buy/sell combination and
determining whether the seller and buyer satisfactions are match
or not.
Next step is to generate a mutual satisfaction when the
seller and buyer satisfactions are match. The buyer is forwarded by
a forwarding system to acknowledge the mutual satisfaction. A
transaction is generated by a transaction generator when the
mutual satisfaction is confirmed by the buyer.
FIGURE 1 is a diagram of the matching system according to
the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a structure of the information bank according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 3 is a flow chart diagram of a method for
forwarding an electronic greeting card according to the present
invention.
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FIGURE 4 is an example of a user interface according to
the present invention.
The present invention discloses a system that automatically
informs the user when a retailer's selling condition matches the
client's expected buying condition, thereby matching the buyer and
the seller (purchaser and the retailer) via a communication
network and matching method based thereon. By serving as a
central control system to send information to client, the system
matches the buying party and the seller party. The present
invention can be implemented using a computer with a display
screen and a positional input device.
With reference to the FIG. l, there is illustrated a block
diagram of the architecture of the matching system 100 according
to the present invention. A processing and management system
(PMS)110 matches buy and sell orders transmitted to the system
from the trader terminals 200 of the buying party. A storage device
such as memory 120 is coupled to the PMS 2. A database 140 is
coupled the PMS 110 via a recording means or module 130, the
database is used for storing buy and sell satisfaction data,
information or requirement. The buy satisfaction data input by the
buying party can be stored in potential client database 140a and
sell satisfaction database 140b including quotation and item under
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sold stored therein. The buyer desiring to transact has to access a
terminal 200 including processing unit 210 such as CPU. The
terminal 200 of the buyer may be a computer, PDA, WAP mobile
phone or the like. The terminal 200 is coupled to the PMS 110 over
the Internet 300 via the communication module 220, 150. Each
buyer terminal includes one or more input/output modules 240,
250 that allow for the entry of satisfaction profiles and the display
of output. As known in the art, the buyer terminal also includes a
storage device such as memory 230 coupled to the processing unit
210.
Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated an example item
stored in the database 140. The interface of the web page is
illustrated in FIGURE 4 as an example, it has to be noted that the
configuration of the interface is used for sample, not for limiting
the present invention. The database 140 includes a potential client
serial number (or the satisfaction serial number) 400, a
communication method 402, it refers to the method to contact to
the buyer. The potential buyer may input the communication
method such as by E-mail or by short message of the mobile phone
in the interface as shown in FIGURE 4. The buyer information also
contains the communication code 404 which may be input via the
interface of the FIGURE 4. The potential client may enter the E-
mail address or the phone number. An expected item serial number
406 is also contained in the buyer satisfaction database.
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Still referring to FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 4, the trader can
enter the satisfaction or desire price to purchase the expected item.
The buyer satisfaction includes the item of the expected price 408
to trade the expected item and the quantity of the item. Number
410 indicates the variation type of the expected price, which
allows the buyer to select the type of the order. For example, one
may pull the pull-down menu of the interface to select the price is
higher than the expected price, lower than the expected price or
the like. A price variation range 412 in the database 140 allows the
buyer to enter the variation range of the price for the expected
item. The value of the expected price 408, price variation range
412 and the variation type 410 indicate the trader's willingness to
trade that order at that price. The buyer satisfaction data includes
the valid date 414 for the expected price to purchase the expected
item. It means that the trader can determines for how long the
order will be valid. Examples of valid setting include a set period
of time.
In the representative embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the
database 140 includes the stock item amount 416 that presents the
amount of available merchandise as provided by a variety of
merchants. The stock variation type 418 means that the seller may
enter the satisfaction for selling the merchandise. For example, the
stock variation type 418 includes the modes for the user to select
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the amount of the stock item that is more or less than the value of
the stock item amount 416. A stock variation range 420 in the
database 140 allows the seller to enter the variation range of the
quantity for the expected item. The sell satisfaction data also
includes the valid date for the stock 422, the seller may also enter
the stock variation range 412 under sold. The interface also
includes and/or 424 decision box. One may select the mode for
receiving the message from the matching system 100 when both the
price and stock amount fulfills the requirement of the user.
Alternatively, the buyer may expect to be forwarded when one of
the prices and stock quantities satisfies the requirement. Date 426
indicates that the date of the system 100 receives the request from
the buyer. The database 140 also includes the remark grid 428.
According to FIG. 4, the interface has several buttons to control
the cursor. For example, a set price button 408 is used to set the
expected price, and a variation type button 412 is used to set the
mode that allows the user to define the satisfaction level. A
boundary button 412 allows the user to define the price range.
The trader can set the range and scale of each parameter.
Satisfaction characterizes the trader's range of interest during the
transaction at each price, quantity or a combination of both. For
example, the trader may be willing to buy1,000 items at a price
lower than $66.50, but under no circumstances is willing to buy the
same quantity at $67 or any quantity at $60. The interface window
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as shown in FIGURE 4 is displayed on an Output device 250.
A monitor 160 is coupled to the PMS 110 and the database
140 to monitor the satisfaction of the seller and the buyer. If the
seller and the buyer are match, the monitor forwards the PMS 110.
The PMS 110 is responsive to the message to active a forward
system 170 to forward the user. A transaction generator 180 is
coupled to the PMS 110 and the database 140. The transaction
generator 180 allows the trader to set the type of transaction.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart in accordance with the present
invention. The buyer may enter satisfaction data including the item
wish to be purchased the expected price and quantity at steps 310.
It will be appreciated that any buyer can enter one or more
satisfaction information. The system 100 will records the
information send from the potential client and stores the buyer
satisfaction into the potential client database 140a, step 320. The
satisfaction data is transmitted to the PMS 110 and stored in the
potential client database 140a, when ready for matching. The
product or item satisfaction, when ready for matching, is
transmitted to the PMS 110 and stored in the item database 140b.
The satisfaction is entered at each trader terminal, which is
electronically transmitted to the system 100 and stored as files in
the database 140 of the system 100. In the representative
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embodiment, the potential client database 140a stores files of buy
satisfaction of the buyer, and the item database 140b stores files of
sell satisfaction of the seller. After the information of the buyer or
seller is input to the system, the PMS 110 actives the monitor 160
to search the matching satisfaction in the database 140 in step 330.
The monitor monitors and calculates for each possible buy/sell
combination stored in the potential client database 140a and the
item database 140b. In the step 340, the monitor 160 determiners
whether the updating information is match or not. A mutual
satisfaction represents the potential for that buy/sell pair mutually
to satisfy each other at each price and quantify. By way of example,
if there are four buy satisfaction files (B 1, B2, B3, B4) and two
sell satisfaction files (S1, S2), the monitor 160 has to calculate
eight mutual satisfaction files. The mutual satisfaction files may
also be stored in the database 140 in the form of files.
At step 3 50, the forwarding system 170 will forward to the
buyer 200 via common network to acknowledge the mutual
satisfaction information. If the buyer confirms the transaction and
then forwards to the system 100, the PMS 110 will active the
transaction generator 180 to process the transaction in step 360. In
a preferred embodiment, the transaction generator 180 may
schedule the shipping method, shipping date and bill to the buyer.
Thus, the present invention includes a storage medium for
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automatically matching buyer and seller comprises: means for
recording a buyer satisfaction and a seller satisfaction when ready
for matching. Means for setting price allows to set an expected
price and means for setting a variation type to set a mode, which
allows a user to define a satisfaction level. It also includes means
for setting boundary allows the user to define a price range. Means
for monitoring monitors the seller and buyer satisfactions. Means
for generating transaction generates a transaction if the buyer and
seller satisfactions are match, and means for forwarding to the
buyer is responsive to the monitoring means to forward to the
buyer.
As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the
foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are
illustrated of the present invention rather than limiting of the
present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications
and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of
the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications
and similar structure. Thus, while the preferred embodiment of the
invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated
that various changes can be made therein without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention.
