Abstract: An automatic system for determining outcomes to an auction process represents the auction by a directed graph and uses a K best solutions algorithm to determine the K best solutions. The system uses a particular graphical representation. Constraints may be included directly into the graph.

Abstract: An automatic system for determining outcomes to an auction process represents the auction by a directed graph and uses a K best solutions algorithm to determine the K best solutions. The system uses a particular graphical representation. Constraints may be included directly into the graph.

Abstract: An automatic system for determining outcomes to an auction process represents the auction by a directed graph and uses a K best solutions algorithm to determine the K best solutions. The system uses a particular graphical representation. Constraints may be included directly into the graph.

Abstract: A standalone memory device is provided that when in a first state allows data to be written to the device from a data source but prevents a normal user from useably accessing that data. When in a second state the device enables the user to useably access data stored in the device. The device is arranged to implement a prohibition or restriction on re-entry to its first state after having left it. In preferred embodiments, the device limits the number of times or the frequency at which, it re-enters its first state, whereby to limit the amount or rate of transfer of data via the memory device from the data source to a data recipient. The device can be used to limit content download from data sources at an exhibition. A system and method using the device are also provided.

Abstract: A method of participating by a purchaser in a plurality of negotiations for purchasable items, where an item may be a good or a service, in order to obtain one of a plurality of alternative collections of complementary purchasable items, comprising maintaining a probabilistic model of said negotiations and making bids or offers to increase the probability of success in negotiations for purchasable items in one of said alternative collections determined from current states of said negotiations and said probabilistic model as providing a largest expectation of value to the purchaser.

Abstract: An automatic system for determining outcomes to an auction process represents the auction by a directed graph and uses a K best solutions algorithm to determine the K best solutions. The system uses a particular graphical representation. Constraints may be included directly into the graph.

Abstract: Automated negotiation with multiple sellers in order to buy a quantity of a good or service, can be achieved by determining two or more alternative options for purchasing the quantity; setting a target price for purchasing the quantity and hence target prices for each negotiation required to complete each alternative option; providing the target price for each negotiation to a party carrying out said negotiation; receiving information on the progress of each negotiation, redetermining the target prices and providing redetermined target prices for at least some of the negotiations to the party carrying out that negotiation; and detecting a completion condition and providing information to the party carrying out any negotiation still in progress for terminating that negotiation.

Abstract: A method, implementable with suitable apparatus, for providing automated assistance for negotiation to acquire a quantity of a good or service from a seller comprises receiving a target price for acquiring the quantity; determining an attitude towards the seller, wherein the attitude represents a likelihood of acquiring the quantity for no more than the target price; and providing the attitude for use in a negotiation process. A method, implementable with suitable apparatus, of automatic negotiation to acquire a quantity of a good or service from a seller, comprises receiving a target price for acquiring the quantity and determining at least one rule for making a further offer to the seller based on the target price and on information received in negotiations with that seller.

Abstract: An automated negotiation system and an automated negotiating method involve a processor adapted to, on identifying a plurality of sellers for a quantity of a good or service, create a plurality of permutations each comprising an ordering of the sellers in the plurality of sellers. For each of the permutations, an allocation of the quantity between the sellers is created wherein as much is allocated to the first seller in the ordering as can be sold by that seller and consequently as much of the remainder is allocated to the second seller in the ordering as can be sold by that seller and so on for each subsequent seller until all the quantity has been allocated, each such allocation creating a bundle for that permutation. Negotiation takes place with at least some of the plurality of sellers in order to buy one of said bundles.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for use in making a purchase decision regarding purchase of a plurality of units of a good or service from a plurality of potential suppliers (14) at one or more purchasing times, the apparatus being arranged to determine, estimate or otherwise obtain one or more outcomes for each purchasing time based on one or more quantities of units (16) of the good or service potentially or actually required to be purchased at the purchasing time and/or predicted fluctuations of price of said good or service during said purchase period and access details (10) of terms under which said good or service may be purchased from each of the potential suppliers (14).

Abstract: Apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a contract repository (200) in which details of each of a plurality of contracts established with a supplier of a good or service is stored. Similarly, each of a plurality of purchase orders (30) submitted by one or more buyers are stored in a purchase order repository 300. A subsystem (1) for linking purchase orders (30) to contracts (20) and for aggregating information is provided.

Abstract: A method of determining a bidding strategy for the simultaneous purchase of at least one individual service component (34) from one or more forward auctions (22a,22b), and the provision of a composite service (36) requested by a reverse auction (20), is described. The method comprises: identifying forward auctions (22a,22b) selling the at least one individual service component (34); identifying a reverse auction (20) requesting a composite service (36) comprising the at least one service component (34); determining a plurality of possible combinations of the identified forward (22a,22b) and reverse auctions (20); estimating the expected benefit of bidding in each of the plurality of possible combination of auctions (20,22a,22b) by use of likelihood models (44), wherein each likelihood model (44) establishes the likelihood of a particular bid succeeding in a given auction; and selecting the combination of auctions to increase the expected benefit for use as the bidding strategy.

Abstract: A computerised method for measuring compatibility among negotiation proposals of participants which communicate using an electronic communications network comprises the steps of: submitting proposals to a centralised negotiation processor from the participants; returning information on compatible or near-compatible proposals to each participant from a centralised negotiation processor; locally measuring compatibility of the returned proposals based on the participant's preferences over the parameters being negotiated using a local compatibility measurer; and ranking the returned proposals based on the local measurements of compatibility of the proposals.

Abstract: When determining the utility score of a contract under negotiation for an automated negotiating engine, it is useful to have a “fuzzy” region of uncertainty of utility score. This provides flexibility in the negotiating rounds. By supplying a confidence level and optionally supplying information about the proposer (for example whether the proposer is friendly or not) it is possible to trim the “fuzzy” range of utility score to provide less flexibility and a more certain outcome.

Abstract: A computerised method for improving security in multi-party multivariate negotiation between negotiating participants which communicate using an electronic communications network comprises the steps of: submitting proposals from the participants to the centralised negotiation processor via the electronic communications network; returning compatible proposals to each participant from the centralised negotiation processor; locally assigning a utility score to each compatible proposal based on the participant's preferences over the parameters being negotiated; and submitting the assigned utility scores for the compatible proposals to the centralised negotiation processor from each participant.

Abstract: Preference maps may be used in automated negotiating systems. The creation of a preference map is an onerous duty in cases where many parameters are to be negotiated. By automating the creation of user questions and iteratively producing further questions based on a partially created preference map, the burden of generating the preference map may be reduced. This allows more complex negotiations over greater numbers of parameters to be carried out using automatic agents.

Abstract: A multi-parameter proposal is accepted by a proposal assessor which passes the initial proposal to a preference mapper which acts to reduce the number of parameters in the initial proposal. The negotiation is then carried out using a strategy designed to operate on the lower number of parameters. Counter proposals are expanded using the preference mapper so that counter proposals are expressed in substantially the same form as the incoming proposals.

Abstract: In many electronic auctions, the auction house will usually set a fixed time for the auction to end and the highest bidder at the termination of the auction is declared the winner. Various bidding strategies are employed by human traders to try to secure goods at artificially low prices, one such strategy being to delay bidding until very close to the deadline for the close of bidding. An automated bidding agent 1 and method of operating the bidding agent 1 are disclosed which have the capacity to evaluate the appropriate last minute bid to place to maximise the chances of securing the goods bid for. The bidding agent 1 comprises a bid model that processes auction data from the e-auction 5 of interest and user preferences input by the user to evaluate the optimal last minute bid to place.

Abstract: A method of determining a bidding strategy for purchasing a plurality of goods from a plurality of different types of on-line auctions is described. The method comprises: accessing probabilistic belief models for each of the plurality of different types of auctions; considering combinations of bids in each specific auction type for the plurality of different types of auctions; removing each possible bid of the combination of bids which fails to meet a predefined constraint of that type of auction for the plurality of different types of auctions, by use of the probabilistic belief models; estimating the expected benefit of each possible combination of bids across different types of auctions by use of the probabilistic belief models; and selecting the combination of bids across different types of auction which provides the highest expected benefit, for use as the bidding strategy.

Abstract: There is provided an automated negotiation agent 1 and method of evaluating risk and trust from different contractual viewpoints during electronic negotiation of contracts, preferably e-contracts, in a business to business environment. The negotiation agent 1 on receiving a contract proposal from another agent 15, analyses the contract proposal from different viewpoints to determine measures of the risk and trust involved. A response 20 is formulated from the measures of risk and trust, and is returned to the other agent 15. The negotiation agent 1 has an evaluation engine 9 which evaluates the risk and viewpoints for the contract proposal by accessing a risk and trust functions and viewpoints database 4, a contract template database 2, a contract context database 13 and contract history repository 10. The negotiation agent also has a negotiation engine 8 that evaluates the effect of the contract proposal from different levels using the risk and trust viewpoints received from the evaluation engine 9.