Ticket auction

Abstract

This computer-based Internet ticket auctioning method preregisters potential bidders and advises them that all bids are conditional offers to purchase tickets, and therefore cannot be lowered or canceled at will. The auction's organizer programs the computer that runs the auction with dates and locations of various events, and with auditoria layout and locations of seats to be auctioned. Each registered customer can view the layout of a particular auditorium and submit a bid for one or more seats. The bidder specifies whether a partially filled order and noncontiguous seat assignments are acceptable. The bidder is also provided with an option to engage a “proxy bid” that will increase the bid amount up to a limit set by the bidder, in order to ensure purchase of tickets. Each customer can also choose to bypass the auction process entirely, by submitting a purchase order at a high, preset price. This preset price is automatically accepted and purchase of tickets is guaranteed. At the conclusion of the auction, the computer runs a seat allocation algorithm that assigns the seats to the bidders so as to maximize the total amount realized from the auction. The seat assignment algorithm is also run periodically during the auction in order to determine which bidders have already being outbid, and to allow them to raise their bids.

1. A method for conducting a remote auction of event tickets from a central computer to a plurality of customers at remote locations, each said customer connected to the central computer by a telecommunications apparatus for receiving and transmitting information, the method comprising the steps of :
 programming the central computer with a template of an auditorium where the  an event is scheduled to take place;  
 programming the central computer with available seat data, the available seat data identifying seats intended for sale during the remote auction, each of the seats intended for sale corresponding to a ticket;  
 programming the computer with a minimum ticket price below which no ticket may be sold during the remote auction;  
 transmitting from the central computer to the customers, before the individual  customers registers  and before said customers makes any bids, a first message to notify the customers that bids submitted by the customers during the remote auction are non-revocable;  
 further transmitting from the central computer to the customers a message that customers can individually specify that partial orders and scattered seats are acceptable;  
 requesting registration information from at least a first customer of the plurality of customers, the registration information, including the first customer's name,  a name of the first customer, a password, and payment information, for registering the first customer for the auction;  
 receiving bids from at least two of the plurality of customers, each of the bids including a seat quantity indicating a number of seats bid for, an amount bid, means indicating  an indication of whether the customer who submitted said each bid is willing to accept noncontiguous seats, and an indication of whether the consumer  customer who submitted said each bid is willing to accept fewer seats than indicated by said each bid's seat quantity, and  number of seats bid for; and  
 performing in a computer a seat assignment algorithm for allocating the seats intended for sale during the remote auction among the received bids and incorporating at least one of the  a customer's indication of  willingness to accept noncontiguous seats and the customer's willingness to accept a partial orders  in a way that maximizes a total amount receivable from the plurality of customers for the seats intended for sale during the remote auction.  
 
     
     
       2. A  The method according to  claim 1 , further including the step of  comprising notifying each customer who submitted at least one bid of a status of the submitted bid's status  at least one bid, said status including a notification of a first number of seats allocated to the submitted  at least one bid, a first amount equal to the  a cost of the  seats allocated to the submitted  at least one bid, and a unique identifier of the submitted  at least one bid. 
     
     
       3. A  The method according to  claim 1 , further including the step of  comprising informing each customer of a current minimum bid amount that the customer must bid to qualify for seat allocation. 
     
     
       4. A  The method according to  claim 1 , further including the steps of:  comprising: 
 setting a guaranteed purchase amount for the tickets  seats intended for sale during the remote auction, and enabling the first customer to purchase one or more tickets,  seats, without participating in the remote auction, at the guaranteed purchase amount.  
 
     
     
       5. A  The method according to  claim 1 , further including the step of  comprising enabling a first  customer who submitted a first bid to engage a proxy bid means for automatically increasing the first bid by a predetermined increment up to a first limit. 
     
     
       6. A  The method according to  claim 1 , further including the step of  comprising sending from the central computer to the telecommunications apparatus, a graphical representation of the template and the available seat date  data. 
     
     
       7. A  The method according to any one of  claims   1 - 6  , wherein the central computer and the telecommunications apparatus are connected via the Internet, wherein said steps of  transmitting of the first message, registering,  said transmitting of the second message, said requesting registration information, and said receiving bids, notifying, and informing  are performed through the Internet, and the step of registering the customers includes the step of receiving a second customer's name, password and payment authorization . 
     
     
       8. A system for conducting a remote auction of event tickets, the system comprising:
 a central computer, the central computer including:  
 means for communicating with a plurality of customers at remote locations;  
 means for receiving and storing a template of an auditorium where the  an event is scheduled to take place;  
 means for receiving and storing available seat data for the event, the seat data identifying seats intended for sale during the remote auction, each of the seats intended for sale corresponding to a different ticket;  
 means for receiving and storing a minimum ticket price below which no ticket may be sold during the remote auction;  
 means for transmitting from the central computer to the plurality of customers a message that customers can individually specify that partial orders and scattered seats are acceptable;  
 means for requesting registration information from a first customer, the registration information information;  including a name of the first customer's name , a password, and payment information;  
 means for receiving the requested registration information;  
 means for receiving bids, each bid including a seat quantity data item indicating a number of seats bid for, the  a bid amount bid field , means indicating  an indication of whether the  a customer who submitted said each bid is willing to accept noncontiguous seats, and means indicating  an indication of whether the customer who submitted said each bid is willing to accept a partial orders than indicated by said each bid's seat quantity,  which differs from the number of seats bid for; and  
 means for performing a seat assignment algorithm for allocating the seats intended for sale during the remote auction among the received bids, wherein at least one of the  a customer's indication of willingness to accept noncontiguous seats and the customer's indication of willingness to accept partial orders is incorporated such that the  a total amount receivable from the customers  for the seats intended for sale during the remote auction is maximized.  
 
     
     
       9. A method for conducting an auction using a central computer in communication with a plurality of customers through one or more telecommunications apparatuses, the method comprising:
   providing a first message from the central computer to a first customer, wherein the first message indicates that submitted bids are non-revocable, and further wherein the first message is provided to the first customer prior to registration of the first customer and prior to receipt of a bid from the first customer;        receiving registration information from the first customer;        providing a second message from the central computer to the first customer, wherein the second message indicates that the first customer is allowed to specify that a partial order is acceptable and that non-contiguous seats are acceptable;        providing event information to the first customer, wherein the event information corresponds to an event and includes a minimum bid amount;        receiving a first bid from the first customer, wherein the first bid includes a desired number of tickets, a bid amount, an indication of whether partial orders are acceptable, and an indication of whether non-contiguous seats are acceptable; and        implementing, with a central computer, a computerized seat algorithm to determine whether the first bid is accepted, wherein the computerized seat assignment algorithm is configured to maximize a total amount received for ticket sales associated with the event by incorporating at least one of an affirmative indication that partial orders are acceptable or an affirmative indication that non-contiguous seats are acceptable.     
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising providing the first customer with a template of a venue where the event is scheduled to take place. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the event information further comprises available seat data. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the event information further includes a deadline for submitting bids corresponding to the event. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the minimum bid amount is based at least in part on a number of tickets available. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the minimum bid amount is based at least in part on the desired number of tickets. 
     
     
       15. A system for conducting a remote auction of event tickets, the system comprising:
   a central computer including      means for receiving registration information from a first customer;        means for providing from the central computer the first customer with a message indicating that the first customer is allowed to specify that a partial order is acceptable and that non-contiguous seats are acceptable;        means for providing event information to the first customer, wherein the event information corresponds to an event and includes a minimum bid amount for tickets to the event;        means for receiving a plurality of bids on the tickets to the event from a plurality of customers, wherein the plurality of bids includes a first bid from the first customer, wherein the first bid includes a desired number of tickets, a bid amount, an indication that partial orders are acceptable to the first customer, and an indication that non-contiguous seats are acceptable to the first customer; and        means for performing a computerized seat assignment algorithm to allocate the tickets to the plurality of customers such that a total dollar amount received is maximized, wherein the tickets are allocated based on at least one of the indication that partial orders are acceptable to the first customer or the indication that non-contiguous seats are acceptable to the first customer.       
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the central computer further comprises:
   means for receiving a template of a venue where the event is scheduled to take place; and        means for providing the template to the first customer.     
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first bid comprises a proxy bid that specifies a limit, and further wherein the central computer comprises means for automatically increasing the bid amount by a predetermined increment up to the limit. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the bid amount comprises a guaranteed purchase amount such that the first customer is guaranteed the desired number of tickets.