WO2001033447A1

WO2001033447A1 - Auction fee processing method using computer network system

Info

Publication number: WO2001033447A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/001219
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoo-Chan Lee; Jun-Hee Lee
Original assignee: Internet Auction Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 1999-10-30
Filing date: 2000-10-27
Publication date: 2001-05-10
Also published as: AU1060801A; MY138973A; KR100334255B1; KR20010039417A; TW509857B

Abstract

An auction fee processing method using a computer network, in which fees required for an auction procedure is automatically processed, is provided. The auction fee processing method includes the steps of sellers registering sales information including the specification of a product to be provided for an auction and an auction method; providing the registered sales information to bidders; bidders making bids for wanted products in the corresponding auction method, after checking the provided sales information; and a server operator determining a first auction fee corresponding to the auction method corresponding to the product when a bid for the product is awarded. According to the method, a server, sellers, and bidders bidirectionally communicate with each other through a communication network, and fees for product registration, fees for additional services, and fees for an awarded bid are automatically processed so that a server operator can stably conduct an auction in relation to charging and receiving fees.

Description

AUCTION FEE PROCESSING METHOD USING COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEM

Technical Field The present invention relates to a method for conducting an auction online using a computer network system, and more particularly, to an auction fee processing method using a computer network system in which fees required for an auction procedure are automatically processed Background Art In an auction, a seller provides a product for an auction, bidders make bids for the product, and then a person who proposed the highest bid is awarded the purchase of the product In line with the development of communications networks such as the Internet, transactions in cyber space are increasingly occurring Even though a person who operates an area in the cyber space profits through advertisements placed in his area of cyber space, a method in which a user, who receives the services of operators, is charged fees is required

Disclosure of the Invention To solve the above problems, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an auction fee processing method using a computer network such as the Internet, by which an auction procedure is conducted online among computers connected via the computer network, and server operators can effectively receive fees incurred during the auction procedure

To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided an auction fee processing method using a communication network including the steps of sellers registering sales information including the specification of a product to be provided for an auction and an auction method a server operator providing the registered sales information to bidders, bidders making bids for a product in the corresponding auction method based on the provided sales information, and a server operator determining a first auction fee corresponding to the auction method and the price at which a product is sold, when the sale of the product is awarded It is preferable that the method further includes the step of when the sale of the product is awarded, the server operator receiving an appropriate amount of money from the winning bidder, and sending the received amount of money minus a predetermined amount of money including a first auction fee for the sale, which is determined corresponding to the auction method, to the seller who provides the product for the auction

It is preferable that the method further includes the steps of determining a rate for calculating a fee applied to each of a predetermined number of price zones corresponding to the accepted bid, and determining a second auction fee applied to the accepted bid, according to the fee rates

It is preferable that after the step of sellers registering sales information, the method further includes the steps of the server operator determining the auction start price of a product, and the server operator receiving a product registration fee corresponding to the auction start price of the product, from the seller

It is preferable that the method further includes the step of determining a third auction fee obtained by subtracting the product registration fee from the first auction fee

It is preferable that the sales information includes additional services which are wanted by the seller in relation with the auction, and the method further includes, after the step of sellers registering sales information, the step of the server operator receiving a service fee, which is determined according to the kinds of the additional services, from the seller

It is preferable that a fourth auction fee is determined by subtracting the received service fee from the first auction fee

To accomplish another object of the present invention, there is provided an auction conducting method on a communication network using an auction server, the method including the steps of sellers registering sales information including the specification of a product to be provided for an auction and an auction method, a server operator receiving a predetermined amount of money including a method fee determined based on the auction method, the server operator providing the registered sales information to bidders, bidders making bids on a product in the corresponding auction method based on the provided sales information, and the server operator receiving money from a winning bidder and sending money to the seller who provided the product for the auction, when the sale of the product is awarded

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG 1 illustrates an example of the structure of a computer network system for executing the present invention,

FIG 2 is a flowchart of an example of a procedure for performing an auction fee processing method according to the present invention, and

FIG 3A is a table listing fees charged for registration of a product according to an auction start price, FIG 3B is a table listing fees charged for services according to the methods of an auction or the kinds of additional services, and FIG 3C is a table listing fees for an awarded sale according to the total accepted bid

Best mode for carrying out the Invention Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings The present invention is not restricted to the following embodiments, and many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention The embodiments of the present invention are provided in order to more completely explain the present invention to anyone skilled in the art

FIG 1 illustrates an example of the entire structure of a computer network system for executing the present invention A server computer 11 belongs to a company which conducts an online auction Sellers' computers 12 belong to companies or individuals who provide products to be auctioned Bidders' computers 14 belong to those who want to buy products in the auction conducted by the server computer 11 Financial institutions 15 are connected to a communication network 13 so that transactions among the server computer 11 , sellers' computers 12 and bidders' computers 14 can be performed online

The server computer 11 has a database storing data for an auction, and a program for executing an auction (not in drawing), and communicates with the sellers' computers 12 and bidders' computers 13 via a communication network

The sellers' computers 12 and bidders' computers 13, both connected to the communication network 13, have Internet browsers (for example, Netscape, or Internet Explorer) which can display the contents of a web page encoded in hyper text markup language (HTML) The web browser makes each computer access and display the content of an online auction HTML templet in the server computer 11 The HTML templet of the server computer 11 has a main web (WWW) page to be displayed for online auction users such as sellers and bidders

FIG 2 is a flowchart of an example of a procedure for performing an auction fee processing method according to the present invention First, online auction users must visit the home page of the server computer 11 and register themselves as users For user registration, a user name (ID) and password (cypher) must be input and, to facilitate payment for a product purchased at an auction, bank account or credit card information can be registered

The sellers can visit the main home page of the server computer 11 through a browser and register a product to be auctioned To register the product to be auctioned, a seller must transmit to the server computer 11 payment for fees for using the services provided by the server in step 21 For payment of fees, a predetermined amount of money can be transferred to the server operator so that whenever fee is charged, the fee can be easily paid The fee can be paid through a bank account opened in a financial institution or online through an Internet bankbook A seller inputs information on an auction method, the kind (category) of a product, product name, product specification, areas where the product can be sold, auction period, the amount of the product available, an auction start price, a reference address, etc , and the server computer 11 stores this information in a database in step 22 The server computer 1 1 charges a predetermined product registration fee based on the auction start price of the product proposed by the seller, in step 23 The product registration fee can be charged when a product is first registered, regardless of whether or not a sale is concluded The server operator receives payment of fees in the form of payment used by the seller and starts the auction

FIG 3A is a table listing fees charged for registration of a product according to an auction start price The higher an auction start price is, the higher the fee is, but when an auction start price is higher than a predetermined amount of money, the fee is fixed A seller can select the method of an auction The server computer

11 provides not only a general auction method but also various other auction method For example, special corners, such as "Today's Special", "Speed auction", or "Special treatment", can be provided, or "New Tag" or "Bold Title" can be used to make product information easily found by bidders' so that the seller's product can appeal to bidders

In "Today's Special", guidance to promote bidders' participation in an auction and detailed information on a product to be auctioned are provided Predetermined cyber money or benefits are given to bidders who competitively participate in the "Today's Special" auction, so that a seller can sell a product more assuredly In this case, the competitively participating bidders can be predetermined people among people who bid high, excluding a person who purchased an item.

An auction closing time guide is generally provided at predetermined intervals. A "Speed auction" is a service for bidders who want to conclude an auction relatively quickly. An auction closing time guide usually s provided for a normal auction is provided more frequently in the "Speed auction" and a guide itself can be provided in the form of an advertisement. In this way, more bidders can participate in an auction and the disadvantage of concluding an auction can be lessened, and an item can be sold at a more reasonable price. o In addition to the above-described methods, "Brand auction" or

"business to business (B2B) auction" are available.

"Brand auction" is an auction for which companies registered as cooperative companies with an auction provide and sell products for the purpose of advertisement and public relations. In a "Brand auction", a s product can be auctioned off at a special price. That is, the products of those companies, which can be guaranteed and credited by an auction site, are provided at lower prices.

"B2B auction" is an auction for companies to participate in, using electronic commerce, and is conducted in an environment, in which all 0 transactions of participating companies, who have done business offline, do all transactions online. Through "B2B auction", each company can dispense with documents, which have been sent and received in offline sales and purchasing, and simplify a transaction process. Information about events occurring in each step of the process can be shared by 5 multiple economic entities and a connection between sellers and buyers becomes appropriately available as well, so that mutual reciprocity between suppliers and buyers can ultimately be maximized.

It is not preferable that the same fees are charged for all the above- described methods. Therefore, auction fees must be calculated o appropriately depending on the methods.

A server operator charges a service fee with a predetermined rate according to the auction method (or the kind of additional services) selected by a seller in step 24. Service fees can be charged regardless of whether or not a sale is concluded. FIG. 3B is a table listing fees charged for services according to the auction method or the kinds of additional services.

Various products from a plurality of sellers are registered and information on the products is provided to the bidders' computers 14. The bidders' computers 14 visit an auction market opened in the server computer 11 and make bids for wanted products in step 25. Bidders search product information provided in the server computer, using the browsers of the bidders' computers 14. The bidders select wanted products and input and send information on bids and delivery places/dates, to the server computer 1 1. The server computer 11 stores bid information on each product in a database. When an auction product is sold in an auction in step 26, the winning bidder pays the appropriate amount of money to the server operator in step 27. The appropriate amount of money, for example, can be an amount equivalent to the accepted bid. Payment methods includes an online payment or a giro payment. The server operator receives the money from the winning bidder and calculates a fee for the sale according to the accepted bid in step 28. FIG. 3C is a table listing fees for a sale according to the total accepted bid. The fee for the sale is calculated by determining fee rates for respective ranges of the total accepted bid and applying the fee rates. Referring to the example shown in FIG. 3C, when the total accepted bid is equal to or lower than W50.000, a fee rate of 3.0% of the accepted bid is applied. When the total accepted bid is between W50.001 and 150,000, a fee rate of 3.0% of W50.000 (A) and 2.5% of the amount exceeding W50.000 is applied. When the total accepted bid is between W150,001 and W500, 001 , a similar calculation method is applied. For example, when the total accepted bid is 220.000, the total fee is 50,000 x 3 0% + 100,000 x 2 5% + 70,000 x 2 0% = 5.400

A fee for a sale is calculated by a percentage according to the accepted bid, and the higher the accepted bid is, the lower the percentage applied to the price is made to be Product registration fees and service fees are charged when a product for an auction is registered, regardless of whether or not a successful bid is made, while the fee for a sale is charged to the winning bidder, only when a product provided by a seller is sold Though a sale is concluded, if the product is recalled or the sale is refused, the fee for the sale may not be charged The server operator sends the appropriate amount of money excluding the fee for the sale Meanwhile, fees may not be applied to such things as real estates, stocks, and bonds

The present invention may be embodied in a code, which can be read by a computer, on a computer readable recording medium The computer readable recording medium may be any kind on which computer readable data are stored

The computer readable recording media may be storage media such as magnetic storage media (e g , ROM's, floppy disks, hard disks, etc ), optically readable media (e g , CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc ), or carrier waves (e g , transmissions over the Internet) Also, the computer readable recording media can be scattered on computer systems connected through a network and can store and execute a computer readable code in a distributed mode

Industrial Applicability As described above, according to the auction fee processing method of the present invention, a server, sellers, and bidders communicate with each other through a communication network and fees for product registration, fees for additional services and fees for a sale are automatically processed so that a server operator can stably conduct an auction in relation to charging and receiving fees

Claims

What is claimed is

1 An auction fee processing method using a communication network, comprising the steps of, sellers registering sales information including the specification of a product to be provided for an auction and an auction method, a server operator providing the registered sales information to bidders, bidders making bids for a product in the corresponding auction method based on the provided sales information, and a server operator determining a first auction fee corresponding to the auction method and the price at which a product is sold, when the sale of the product is awarded

2 The auction fee processing method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of when the sale of the product is awarded, the server operator receiving an appropriate amount of money from the winning bidder, and sending the received amount of money minus a predetermined amount of money including a first auction fee for the sale, which is determined corresponding to the auction method, to the seller who provides the product for the auction

3 The auction fee processing method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of determining a rate for calculating a fee applied to each of a predetermined number of price zones corresponding to the accepted bid, and determining a second auction fee applied to the accepted bid according to the fee rates

4 The auction fee processing method of claim 1 , after the step of sellers registering sales information, further comprising the steps of the server operator determining the auction start price of a product, and the server operator receiving a product registration fee corresponding to the auction start price of the product, from the seller

5 The auction fee processing method of claim 4, further comprising the step of determining a third auction fee obtained by subtracting the product registration fee from the first auction fee

6 The auction fee processing method of claim 1 , wherein the sales information includes additional services which are wanted by the seller in relation with the auction, the method further comprising, after the step of sellers registering sales information, the step of the server operator receiving a service fee, which is determined according to the kinds of the additional services, from the seller

7 The auction fee processing method of claim 6, wherein a fourth auction fee is determined by subtracting the received service fee from the first auction fee

8 An auction conducting method on a communication network using an auction server, the method comprising the steps of sellers registering sales information including the specification of a product to be provided for an auction and an auction method, a server operator receiving a predetermined amount of money including a method fee determined based on the auction method, the server operator providing the registered sales information to bidders, bidders making bids on a product in the corresponding auction method based on the provided sales information; and the server operator receiving money from a winning bidder and sending money to the seller who provided the product for the auction, when the sale of the product is awarded.

9. A computer readable recording medium which stores a program for executing the automatic bid processing method of any one of claims 1-8.

10. A computer readable recording medium which stores program instructions for executing the automatic bid processing method of any one of claims 1 -8.