Patents by Inventor Michael P. Wellman

Michael P. Wellman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080147534
    Abstract: A system and method for managing multilateral negotiations are disclosed. The method generally includes sending a negotiation initiating offer object to a first negotiating party for specifying rules of the negotiation and for forming a negotiation initiating offer including specification of at least one attribute. The method also includes receiving the negotiation initiating offer from the first negotiating party, sending a counter offer object to a second negotiating party for forming a counter offer to the first negotiating party, receiving the counter offer from the second negotiating party, validating the counter offer if the counter offer complies with the rules of the negotiation, and sending the validated counter offer to the first negotiation party to engage the negotiation parties in an active negotiation. The counter offer object is adapted for specification of at least one additional attribute.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventors: Eithan Y. Ephrati, Yoav Shoham, Michael P. Wellman
  • Patent number: 7296001
    Abstract: A system and method for managing multilateral negotiations are disclosed. The method generally includes sending a negotiation initiating offer object to a first negotiating party for specifying rules of the negotiation and for forming a negotiation initiating offer including specification of at least one attribute. The method also includes receiving the negotiation initiating offer from the first negotiating party, sending a counter offer object to a second negotiating party for forming a counter offer to the first negotiating party, receiving the counter offer from the second negotiating party, validating the counter offer if the counter offer complies with the rules of the negotiation, and sending the validated counter offer to the first negotiation party to engage the negotiation parties in an active negotiation. The counter offer object is adapted for specification of at least one additional attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Ariba, Inc.
    Inventors: Eithan Y. Ephrati, Yoav Shoham, Michael P. Wellman
  • Patent number: 7133841
    Abstract: A method and computer system for conducting a progressive, price-driven combinatorial auction wherein equilibrium prices supporting optimal allocation are provided. The auction mechanism allows bids on bundles and uses an innovative price setting mechanism that ensures that the bundle prices reported by the auction have the property that each participant's or bidder's tentative allocation maximizes the value reported in the participant's bid. The auction is progressive, and requires that a participant's new bid improves his previous bid in a precisely defined manner. The auction terminates when no participant submits a new bid, or according to some other specified criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Peter R. Wurman, Michael P. Wellman
  • Patent number: 6952682
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Ariba, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael P. Wellman