Method and system for providing a document service over a computer network using an automated brokered auction

Claim 1

In a system comprising at least one processor, a method comprising the steps of: executing in the system a plurality of processes including a first collection of participant processes, the processes of the first collection being customer processes, each customer process representing a customer, a second collection of participant processes, the processes of the second collection being supplier processes, each supplier process representing a supplier, and a broker process capable of serving as an intermediary among the customer and supplier processes; providing a description of a commercial document service to the broker process; responsively to the description thus provided, conducting an auction for the document service, the auction including the steps of submitting a set of bids for the document service, each bid of the set being submitted from a participant process, receiving the bids of the set in the broker process, determining in the broker process responsively to the received bids whether the bids can be reconciled to establish a price, and if the bids can be reconciled performing the steps of; establishing a price for the document service with the broker process; selecting with the broker process from among the customer processes a first preferred process, the first preferred process representing a preferred customer; selecting with the broker process from among the supplier processes a second preferred process, the second preferred process representing a preferred supplier; proposing with the broker process a commercial transaction wherein the document service is to be provided for the preferred customer by the preferred supplier at the established price.

Claim 3

A system comprising: a collection of computing nodes, each computing node comprising a processor; a network providing interprocess communication for processes executed using computing nodes of the collection; and software, executable using at least one computing node of the collection, to effect a plurality of processes including: a first collection of participant processes, the processes of the first collection being customer processes, each customer process representing a customer, a second collection of participant processes, the processes of the second collection being supplier processes, each supplier process representing a supplier, and a broker process capable of serving as an intermediary among the customer and supplier processes, said broker process capable of: receiving a description of a commercial document; responsively to the description thus provided, conducting an auction for the document service, the auction including the steps of receiving a set of bids for the document service, each bid of the set being submitted from a participant process, determining responsively to the received bids whether the bids can be reconciled to establish a price, and if the bids can be reconciled performing he steps of: establishing a price for the document service with the broker process; selecting with the broker process from among the customer processes a first preferred process, the first preferred process representing a preferred customer; selecting from among the supplier processes a second preferred process, the second preferred process representing a preferred supplier; proposing a commercial transaction wherein the document service is to be provided for the preferred customer by the preferred supplier at their established price.

Claim 4

A system comprising: a collection of computing nodes, each computing node comprising a processor; a network providing interprocess communication for processes executed using computing nodes of the collection; and software, executable using at least one computing node of the collection, to effect a plurality of processes including: a first collection of participant processes, the processes of the first collection being customer processes, each customer process representing a customer, a second collection of participant processes, the processes of the second collection being supplier processes, each supplier process representing a supplier, and a broker process capable of serving as an intermediary among the customer and supplier processes, said broker process capable of: receiving a description of a commercial document; responsively to the description thus provided, conducting an auction for the document service, the auction including the steps of receiving a set of bids for the document service, each bid of the set being submitted from a participant process, determining responsively to the received bids whether the bids can be reconciled to establish a price, and if the bids can be reconciled performing he steps of: establishing a price for the document service with the broker process; selecting with the broker process from among the customer processes a first preferred process, the first preferred process representing a preferred customer; selecting from among the supplier processes a second preferred process, the second preferred process representing a preferred supplier; proposing a commercial transaction wherein the document service is to be provided for the preferred customer by the preferred supplier at their established price.