Vehicular data exchange system and method therefor

Abstract

A vehicular data exchange system including a plurality of computer terminals and a processor. Each computer terminal includes an input device for inputting vehicular data and a display device for visually displaying inputted vehicular data, which includes vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units. The processor controls vehicular data whereby vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units inputted are transferred therebetween. A method of implementing the present invention is also described.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of exchanging vehicular data of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
 selecting any one of at least three computer terminals operative to transmit to each other and receive from one another the vehicular data for display on respective display devices associated with said terminals as a data inquiring computer terminal;   deeming the remaining ones of the at least three computer terminals as data responsive computer terminals;   receiving, from a seller, vehicular characteristics data units of the vehicle that have been input at any time into the data inquiring computer terminal for display on its display device;   processing the vehicular characteristics data units immediately after inputting the vehicular characteristics data units by transmitting the vehicular characteristics data units to the data responsive computer terminals for display thereon;   receiving, from a potential buyer, vehicular financial data units for display on its display device, where the vehicular financial data units have been input into at least one of the data responsive computer terminals with a manual input device, where the vehicular financial data units are input with the manual input device in response to receipt of the vehicular characteristics data received by the data responsive computer terminals; and   transmitting the vehicular financial data units immediately after inputting the vehicular financial data units to said inquiring computer terminal for display on the display device of said inquiring computer terminal.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of processing the vehicular characteristics data units includes selecting select ones of said plurality of said data responsive computer terminals to which the vehicular characteristics data units are transmitted. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a make, a model and a year of the vehicle. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a description of the vehicle. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include at least one of a bid price amount, an assessment price amount, a wholesale price amount, and a retail price amount. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to claim  5 , wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include identifying information identifying a source of each data responsive computer terminal transmitting the vehicular financial data units. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a subset of the data responsive computer terminals for receiving the vehicular characteristics data units. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the manual input device is a keyboard. 
     
     
         9 . A method of exchanging vehicular data of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
 processing vehicular characteristics data units of the vehicle that have been input into a data inquiring computer terminal by a seller, by selecting select ones of a plurality of data responsive computer terminals to which the vehicular characteristics data units are to be transmitted,   transmitting the vehicular characteristics data units to the selected responsive computer terminals for display thereon;   receiving, from a potential buyer, vehicular financial data units for display on its display device, where the vehicular financial data units have been input into at least one of the plurality of data responsive computer terminals with a manual input device, where the vehicular financial data units are input with the manual input device in response to the vehicular characteristics data received by the responsive computer terminals;   transmitting the vehicular financial data units to said inquiring computer terminal for display on said inquiring computer terminal; and   repeating transmission of said vehicular characteristics data units to said select ones of said plurality of responding computer terminals until said select ones of the data responding computer terminals receive the vehicular characteristics data units.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a make, a model and a year of the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a description of the vehicle. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include at least one of a bid price amount, an assessment price amount, a wholesale price amount, and a retail price amount. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include identifying information identifying a source of each responsive computer terminal transmitting the vehicular financial data units. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the manual input device is a keyboard. 
     
     
         15 . A method for exchanging vehicular data of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
 processing vehicular characteristics data units of the vehicle that have been input into a data inquiring computer terminal by a seller, by transmitting the vehicular characteristics data units to a plurality of data responsive computer terminals for display thereon;   triggering an alarm on at least one of the plurality of data responsive computer terminals that vehicular characteristics data are available for display;   receiving, from a potential buyer, vehicular financial data units for display on its display device, where the vehicular financial data units have been input into at least one of the plurality of data responsive computer terminals with a manual input device, where the vehicular financial data units are input with the manual input device in response to the vehicular characteristics data received by the responsive computer terminals;   transmitting the vehicular financial data units to said inquiring computer terminal for display on said inquiring computer terminal; and   repeating transmission of said vehicular characteristics data units to said select ones of said plurality of responding computer terminals until expiration of a first predetermined period of time occurs.   
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 15 , further comprising the step of stopping the repeating step upon expiration of a second predetermined period of time which is longer than the first predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 15 , further comprising selecting a subset of the data responsive computer terminals for receiving the vehicular characteristics data units. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 15 , wherein the manual input device is a keyboard.