Abstract: A machine implemented method for transforming bidding with rebates and discounts in an online auction is described herein. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first bid from a first bidder and a second bid from a second bidder over a network, where at least one of a rebate and discount is offered with at least one of the first and second bids and the first and second bidders are seller bidders. In response, the method assigns a first value and a first unit of measurement for the first bid and a second value and second unit of measurement for the second bid using in part the at least one of a rebate and discount offered with at least one of the first and second bids, and transforms the first and second values to third and fourth values, respectively, having a standard unit of measurement, where the third and fourth values represent the first and second bids of the first and second bidders in view of the standard unit of measurement.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting electronic auctions is described. A dynamic lot closing extension feature avoids collisions in closing times of multiple lots by dynamically extending the closing time of a subsequent lot if a preceding lot's closing time is extended to be too close to the subsequent lot's then-currently scheduled closing time. Scheduled closing times can be extended with a flexible overtime feature, in which the properties of the event triggering the extension and the duration of the overtime period(s) can be tailored to a particular auction, particular lots of products within an auction, and to the particular time within an auction process. The bidding status of a lot can be set to a “pending” status after the nominal closing time for submission of bids to allow bidders to alert the auction coordinator of technical problems in submission of bids. This allows the possibility for a lot to be return to open status for further bidding by all bidders.

Abstract: A method and system for creating an electronic file to be used in an online auction are described herein. In one embodiment, an exemplary process includes creating a header portion and a data portion of a computer file, where the header portion provides meta-data about data stored in the data portion. The header portion includes multiple header fields. For each header field, a data tag is stored in the header field and the data tag indicates a header field type associated with the respective header field. For each header field, a meta-data item is stored and defined by the data tag, where the meta-data item references to content associated with the meta-data item and stored in the data portion of the computer file.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting electronic online auctions using multi-parameter price equalization bidding is disclosed. Bids defined in a context of a bidder are transformed into a comparative bid parameter that enables a common basis of comparison for the submitted bids. A transformed bid of a first bidder can also be detransformed into a context of a second bidder, thereby enabling each individual bidder to view a comparison of submitted bids in their own context.

Abstract: A method of allocating an award in an auction wherein an award for a given auction round is allocated amongst a plurality of highest ranked bidders including at least a first ranked bidder and a second ranked bidder is disclosed. The method provides an incentive to the first ranked bidder and the second ranked bidder to each improve their respective bids during the conducting of the auction. The method includes adopting a formula for allocating the award amongst at least the first ranked bidder and the second ranked bidder, conducting the electronic auction, and allocating the award between at least the first and second ranked bidders in accordance with the formula and the bids of the first and second ranked bidders. A factor of the formula is an actual bid differential between a bid of the first ranked bidder and a bid of the second ranked bidder.

Abstract: A method and system for providing multi-organization resource management. According to one embodiment of the invention, data is imported from a set of one or more external applications, a purchase requisition is generated from resource data from the set of one or more external applications. Then, after the purchase requisition is approved and validated the purchase requisition is converted to a purchase order and exported to one or more external applications.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting electronic auctions is described. A dynamic lot closing extension feature avoids collisions in closing times of multiple lots by dynamically extending the closing time of a subsequent lot if a preceding lot's closing time is extended to be too close to the subsequent lot's then-currently scheduled closing time. In one embodiment, scheduled closing times can be extended with a flexible overtime feature, in which the properties of the event triggering the extension and the duration of the overtime period(s) can be tailored to a particular auction, particular lots of products within an auction, and to the particular time within an auction process.

Abstract: A method and system for selecting potential bidders or suppliers for a current electronic auction by using quantitative models to create a prioritized list of potential suppliers. A prioritization software analyzes a supplier's bidding participation history and bidding competitiveness history from the bidding data collected for all prior auctions in which the supplier participated or was requested by the auction coordinator to participate. Using the prior bid data, the software generates a participation score and a competitiveness score for the supplier. The participation and competitiveness scores may be combined to generate a combined score. All potential suppliers may be prioritized based on any of these scores individually or a combination of two or more of these scores.

Abstract: A system of performing reserve price reverse auctions is disclosed. In one embodiment, the reverse auction immediately ends if an offer below the reserve price is received. In another embodiment, the reverse auction continues until the buyer accepts an offer such that transaction with the accepted offer is consummated or a time period expires. If the time period expires and no offer is below the reserve price, then the user select from the received offers. If there is at least one offer below the reserve price and at least one other offer, then the system presents the user with the received offers and gives the user a time period to select one. If the user selects an offer, a transaction with the select offer is consummated. If no offer is selected, then a transaction with the lowest received offer is consummated.

Abstract: A software system efficiently procures operating resources within an enterprise. A requisition record generating module generates a requisition record for a requisition. The requisition record indicates at least an operating resource that a requestor desires to purchase. The requisition record generating module generates the requisition record responsive to a combination of input by a requestor and operating resource information in an operating resource information database. An approval path determining module. responsive to the requisition record and to approval rules in an approval rules database, determines an approval path for the requisition record, among various ones of a plurality of possible approvers, required to approve the requisition record. An approval path handling module guides the requisition record along the determined approval path, and the approval path handling module generates a global approval indication in response to the requisition record successfully traversing the approval path.

Abstract: The method and system of the present invention provides a single interface to process and upload files to a document management system on a remote computer system. The method includes initiating a print driver, accessing the remote server, acquiring metadata, queuing the files with a spooler for processing and transmitting processed files and the metadata to the document management system on the remote computer system.

Abstract: The method and system of the present invention provides for converting all RFQ documents to a common compressed format. The method includes receiving an electronic file for use in an RFQ; extracting link information from the file and storing the extracted link information in an output file, if the file is a text-based file; extracting ISO symbol information from the file and storing the extracted symbol information in an output file, if the file is a CAD file; converting the file to a raster image; compressing the raster image into an RFQ format file, whereby, if an output file was created, the output file is used to generate a separate display layer that will display extracted information, and whereby the separate display later is inserted into the electronic RFQ format file.

Abstract: A system and a method for matching multi-attribute auction bids are disclosed. A set of multi-attribute bids or bid values are collected from one or more buyers and one or more sellers. The set of bid values may include variances from nominal bid values. Buyer and seller bids are generated from the set of buyer and seller multi-attribute bid values after predetermined attribute values, if any, are added. A pair of bids between each buyer and each seller having a highest surplus is selected. The method generates a weighted bipartite graph having buyer nodes and seller nodes and an edge between each buyer node and each seller node, each edge having the highest surplus of the pair of bids between the buyer and seller as a weight. The maximal weighted matching bids from the highest surplus pairs of bids are determined using the weighted bipartite graph.

Abstract: A system for electronically ordering items having at least one supplier computer system for storing at least one catalog containing the items offered by a supplier and a customer computer system with the improvement of a public computer system comprising an index to the items in the catalogs on the at least one supplier computer system, means for querying the index on the public computer system for a desired item in response to a request for the desired item from the customer computer system and means for generating a pointer for the customer computer system to catalog information about the desired item in the catalog on the at least one supplier system which has been identified by the query of the index.

Abstract: The Online Buyers Club System (OBCS) is a mechanism for the online purchasing of goods and services. The mechanism is targeted at user communities consisting of a large number of small-volume buyers (the “Buyers Club”). The primary function of the mechanism is to automatically aggregate the buying power of these buyers. The present invention provides a mechanism to promote competition among vendors as well as a mechanism to incent buyers to make a purchase.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for a universal auction specification system is disclosed. The universal auction specification system comprises a network accessible set of trading primitives. A script generator is used for combining the set of trading primitives into a temporal protocol script representing a particular auction specification.