Auction device, program and auction method

Abstract

To provide an auction device, a program and an auction method that can prompt a participant to select a pickup scheme of an exhibit subjected to a successful bid by such a participant.SOLUTION: An auction device 1 includes a storage 7c and a control unit 7. When log-in to an auction site from a site owner terminal V and from participant terminals P is permitted from the control unit 7, the control unit 7 distributes, to the participant terminals P, an auction live video and information on an exhibited article both transmitted from the site owner terminal V. A bidding price for the exhibit in the auction is input from the participant terminals P. When the participant terminal P that has permitted the log-in is not logged in for a predetermined period based on a time recorded in the storage 7c, a guidance to select a pickup scheme of the exhibit when the bidding becomes successful in the auction is displayed on the participant terminal P.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an auction device, a program, and an auction method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an auction device that distributes images of an auction venue to a personal computer, a mobile terminal, or the like, allowing a person to participate in the auction in real time and remotely. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7148851 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the auction device of Patent Document 1, when auction participants place a bid on an item put up for auction from a PC or mobile device, the bid price is set to be the current price of the item plus, for example, a preset bid amount. If bidders are allowed to freely set the amount they can add to the current price, when multiple bids are made with a slight time difference, if the bidder who placed the bid first adds an extremely high amount, bidders who placed bids later will end up bidding at an unintended high bid price. Therefore, the amount that can be added when placing a bid is set to prevent bids from being made at a price that the bidders do not intend.

[0005] However, if there is a limit to the amount that can be added to the current price, the bidding price will not suddenly jump up, making it difficult for the winning bid price of the auctioned item to be high, and this may also lead to a decrease in interest among participants.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an auction device, a program, and an auction method that can prompt participants to select a method for collecting items that they have won bids on.

[0007] The auction device of the present invention comprises: a recording unit for recording participant identification information identifying participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information identifying a venue owner who is hosting the auction; a first reception unit that, upon receiving a first login request transmitted from a participant terminal of a participant, checks whether the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information is recorded in the recording unit; a second reception unit that, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checks whether venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the second login from the venue host terminal if it is recorded in the recording unit; an auction acceptance unit that, when the second login is permitted by the second login acceptance unit, accepts listing information regarding items to be auctioned from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is permitted; a bid receiving unit that, when receiving a start request transmitted from a venue owner terminal as a request to start an auction of an item for which the bid receiving unit has received bid information, can receive bids for the item from one or more participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a distribution control unit that controls distribution of bid information regarding the bid accepted by the bid acceptance unit to one or more participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a determination unit that determines a successful bidder for an item based on bids from one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid acceptance department a price receiving unit that receives input of bid prices for items for sale from one or more participant terminals; The recording section is The bid price for the item accepted by the price acceptance unit is recorded in association with the participant terminal that entered the bid price; The confirmation part is a confirmation processing unit that, upon receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, requests a process for confirming a successful bidder, confirms as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording unit; the recording unit records the time when the first login was permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login was permitted by the first reception unit; The auction system is provided with a display unit that displays, on the participant terminal, a guide for selecting a method of picking up an item when the participant terminal is successful in an auction if the participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time has not logged in for a predetermined period of time.

[0008] The auction device of the present invention accepts input of bid prices for an item from one or more participant terminals, records the accepted bid price in association with the participant terminal that entered the bid price, determines the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the recorded bid prices for the item as the successful bidder, and prompts the participant to select a method for collecting the item that they have won.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, The bid acceptance department a first bid receiving unit which is a price receiving unit; a second bid receiving unit for receiving bid requests for an item from one or more participant terminals, the bid price of which is the current price of the item plus a surcharge; Equipped with The confirmation part is a first determination unit that is a determination processing unit; a second confirmation unit that, upon receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, confirms the participant corresponding to the participant terminal that last received a bid request as the successful bidder; It can be equipped with:

[0010] According to this, in addition to the method of accepting bids by the first bid acceptance unit and determining the successful bidder, it is also possible to accept bids whose bid price is the current price plus a surcharge and determine the successful bidder, thereby making it possible to hold an auction in which the successful bidder can be determined using multiple bidding methods.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, a setting receiving unit that receives a setting request transmitted from a venue owner terminal, the setting request being a request for setting a bidding method for an auction having a first bidding method and a second bidding method; Equipped with When the setting reception unit receives a setting request for the first bidding method, the first bid reception unit and the first determination unit determine the successful bidder; When the setting reception unit receives a request to set the second bidding method, the second bid reception unit and the second determination unit can determine the successful bidder.

[0012] This allows the bidding method for an auction to be changed according to the venue owner's selection, making it possible to select the auction method each time based on the intentions of the venue owner and the sellers, thereby expanding the range of auction holding methods.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, When the confirmation processing unit receives the confirmation request, the distribution control unit distributes a display notifying the participant terminal of the closing of the bid, and the confirmation processing unit can confirm the successful bidder after the display notifying the closing is distributed.

[0014] This allows for notification of the closing date for bidding, and also makes it possible to encourage participants who are unsure about their bid or bid price to bid, thereby increasing the successful bid price and preventing participants from losing interest.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the recording unit records the time when the first login was permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login was permitted by the first reception unit; If a participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time does not log in for a specified period of time, the participant terminal can be provided with a display unit that displays instructions for selecting a method for picking up an item when it is won at an auction.

[0016] This allows participants to select how they would like to collect the items they have won.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, a comment receiving unit capable of receiving input of comments regarding the items for sale from one or more participant terminals permitted to perform the first login when the item selling receiving unit receives a start request; a comment distribution control unit that distributes the comments received by the comment receiving unit to be displayed on the venue owner terminal; It can be equipped with:

[0018] This allows the comments to be displayed on the venue owner's terminal, making it possible to prevent the venue owner's terminal from overlooking the comments.

[0019] In addition, in the program of the present invention, Computer a recording unit for recording participant identification information identifying participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information identifying a venue owner who is hosting the auction; a first reception unit that, upon receiving a first login request transmitted from a participant terminal of a participant, checks whether the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information is recorded in the recording unit; a second reception unit that, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checks whether venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the second login from the venue host terminal if it is recorded in the recording unit; an auction acceptance unit that, when the second login is permitted by the second login acceptance unit, accepts listing information regarding items to be auctioned from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is permitted; a bid receiving unit that, when receiving a start request transmitted from a venue owner terminal as a request to start an auction of an item for which the bid receiving unit has received bid information, can receive bids for the item from one or more participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a distribution control unit that controls distribution of bid information regarding the bid accepted by the bid acceptance unit to one or more participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a determination unit that determines a successful bidder for an item based on bids from one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid acceptance department a price receiving unit that receives input of bid prices for items for sale from one or more participant terminals; The recording section is The bid price for the item accepted by the price acceptance unit is recorded in association with the participant terminal that entered the bid price; The confirmation part is a confirmation processing unit that, upon receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, requests a process for confirming a successful bidder, confirms as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording unit; the recording unit records the time when the first login was permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login was permitted by the first reception unit; If a participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time does not log in for a predetermined period, the participant terminal is made to function as a terminal equipped with a display unit that displays a guide for selecting a method of picking up an item when the item is won at an auction.

[0020] In the program of the present invention, like the above-described auction device, it is possible to prompt participants to select a method for picking up the items they have won bids on.

[0021] In the auction method of the present invention, 1. A computer-implemented auction method comprising: a recording step of recording participant identification information that identifies participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information that identifies a venue owner who is hosting the auction; a first reception step of, upon receiving a first login request transmitted from a participant terminal of a participant, checking whether or not the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login has been recorded in the recording step, and permitting the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information has been recorded in the recording step; a second reception step of, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checking whether venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login has been recorded in the recording step, and permitting the second login from the venue host terminal if it has been recorded in the recording step; an item acceptance step that, when the second login is permitted in the second acceptance step, can accept listing information regarding items to be auctioned from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is permitted; a bid acceptance step for accepting bids for the auction item from one or more participant terminals permitted to log in when a start request transmitted from the venue owner terminal is received, the start request being a request for starting an auction for the item whose auction information has been accepted in the auction acceptance step; a distribution control step of controlling distribution of bid information relating to the bid accepted in the bid acceptance step to one or more participant terminals permitted to log in first; a determining step of determining a successful bidder for the item based on bids from one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid acceptance process is as follows: a price receiving step of receiving input of a bid price for an item from one or more participant terminals; The recording process is The bid price for the item accepted in the price acceptance step is recorded in association with the participant terminal that entered the bid price, The confirmation process is a confirmation processing step of, when receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, which is a request for processing to confirm a successful bidder, confirming as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording step; The recording step records the time when the first login is permitted in association with the participant terminal whose first login is permitted in the first reception step; The method includes a display step of displaying on the participant terminal a guide for selecting a method of picking up an item when the item is won at the auction, if the participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time has not logged in for a predetermined period of time.

[0022] In the auction method of the present invention, similar to the above-described auction device, it is possible to prompt participants to select a method for picking up the items for which they have won bids.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, The bid acceptance process is as follows: a first bid acceptance process which is a price acceptance section; a second bid receiving step for receiving, from one or more participant terminals, a bid request for the item for which the bid price is the current price of the item plus a markup; Equipped with The confirmation process is a first confirmation step which is a confirmation processing step; a second confirmation step of, when receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, confirming as a successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal that last received a bid request; It can be equipped with:

[0024] According to this, in addition to the method of accepting bids through the first bid acceptance process and determining the successful bidder, it is also possible to accept bids whose bid price is the current price plus a surcharge and determine the successful bidder, thereby making it possible to hold an auction in which the successful bidder can be determined using multiple bidding methods.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, a setting receiving step of receiving a setting request transmitted from a venue owner terminal, the setting request being a request for setting a bidding method for an auction having a first bidding method and a second bidding method; Equipped with When the setting reception step receives a setting request for the first bidding method, a successful bidder is determined by a first bid reception step and a first determination step; When the setting reception step receives a request to set the second bidding method, a successful bidder can be determined by the second bid reception step and the second determination step.

[0026] This allows the bidding method for an auction to be changed according to the venue owner's selection, making it possible to select an auction method based on the intentions of the venue owner and the sellers of items in the auction, thereby broadening the range of auction holding methods.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present invention, When the confirmation processing step receives the confirmation request, the distribution control step distributes a display notifying the participant terminal of the closing of the bid, and the confirmation processing step can confirm the successful bidder after the display notifying the closing is distributed.

[0028] This allows for notification of the closing date for bidding, and also makes it possible to encourage participants who are unsure about their bid or bid price to bid, thereby increasing the successful bid price and preventing participants from losing interest.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, The recording step records the time when the first login is permitted in association with the participant terminal whose first login is permitted in the first reception step; The system may include a display step that displays on the participant terminal a guide for selecting a method of picking up an item when it is sold at an auction if the participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time has not logged in for a predetermined period of time.

[0030] This allows participants to select how they would like to collect the items they have won.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, a comment receiving step capable of receiving input of comments regarding the items for sale from one or more participant terminals permitted to perform the first login when the item for sale receiving step receives a start request; a comment distribution control step of distributing the comments received by the comment receiving step to a venue owner terminal for display; It can be equipped with:

[0032] This allows the comments to be displayed on the venue owner's terminal, making it possible to prevent the venue owner's terminal from overlooking the comments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an auction system using an auction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of registering a person who wishes to participate in an auction as a member. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a portion of an example registration page for a person who wishes to participate in an auction to register as a member. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the process by which an auction participant logs in to an auction site and receives live video of the auction. [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a login page that allows auction participants to log in to an auction site. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a login page that allows a venue owner who is hosting an auction to log in to an auction site. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an auction screen displayed on the display unit of a participant terminal participating in an auction using a bidding system in which participants can submit bids by adding an additional amount to the current price any number of times. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow for registering a venue owner who will hold an auction. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the process by which a venue owner who is hosting an auction logs in to an auction site using a venue owner terminal and distributes live video of the auction to participant terminals. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on the display of a venue owner terminal for holding an auction using a bidding system in which bidders can submit bids by adding an additional amount to the current price any number of times. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on a display of a venue owner terminal for holding an auction using a bidding system in which bids can be submitted only once. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an auction screen displayed on the display unit of a participant terminal participating in an auction using a bidding system in which bids can be submitted only once. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a countdown displayed on the auction screen of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a pop-up for confirming a bid price displayed on the auction screen of FIG. 11. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow for providing a bidding auction service in which an auction device can bid any number of times on the Internet by submitting an additional amount to the current price. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of providing an auction service using a bidding system in which an auction device can submit a bid price only once over the Internet. [Figure 16] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of S71 in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a guide page displayed on the display unit of a participant terminal that has not logged in for a predetermined period of time. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a management screen for editing the guide page of FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a list of information entered on the guide page of FIG. 17. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a successful bidder can upload an invoice for shipping charges for the successful bid item. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows an example of an auction system S that uses an auction device 1 according to the present invention. The auction system S is an auction system for secondhand goods. The auction system S includes a venue owner terminal V located at the venue where the auction is held, participant terminals P held by participants who participate in the auction, and the auction device 1 that functions as a server for conducting auctions over the Internet. For convenience, FIG. 1 shows four venue owner terminals V and four participant terminals P, but the auction system S includes many venue owner terminals V and many participant terminals P.

[0035] The venue owner terminal V is a terminal such as a personal computer, tablet, smartphone, or computer owned by the venue owner of the auction venue (the venue owner who holds the auction). A venue owner terminal V is provided at each of multiple auction venues located in different locations. A participant terminal P is a terminal such as a personal computer, tablet, smartphone, or computer owned by a participant who participates in the auction via the Internet. Participants use the participant terminal P to participate in the auction via the Internet from the auction venue, or from a location remote from the auction venue. The auction apparatus 1 communicates with the venue owner terminal V and the participant terminal P via the Internet, and functions as a computer server that receives live video of the auction held at the auction venue from the venue owner terminal V and distributes it to the participant terminal P. The auction apparatus 1 also functions as a computer server that provides an Internet auction function (Internet auction site) where participants can bid on and win items auctioned at the auction venue from their participant terminal P.

[0036] Next, the venue owner terminal V, the participant terminal P, and the auction device 1 will be described. First, parts common to the venue owner terminal V, the participant terminal P, and the auction device 1 will be described together. The venue owner terminal V, the participant terminal P, and the auction device 1 each include a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit 2 of the venue owner terminal V and the communication unit 4 of the auction device 1 are connected to each other via the Internet so that they can communicate with each other, and the communication unit 2 of the venue owner terminal V and the communication unit 4 of the auction device 1 also communicate with each other. The communication unit 3 of the participant terminal P and the communication unit 4 of the auction device 1 are connected to each other via the Internet so that they can communicate with each other, and the communication unit 3 of the participant terminal P and the communication unit 4 of the auction device 1 also communicate with each other. Each control unit 5 to 7 includes a CPU 5a, 6a, 7a, RAM 5b, 6b, 7b, and storage 5c, 6c, 7c, respectively, which are connected by a bus.

[0037] The CPU 5a is responsible for all information processing such as data communication in the control unit 5, and the RAM 5b is a volatile storage unit that functions as a work area for the CPU 5a. The storage 5c is a storage unit that stores data and software (programs) for performing necessary processing in the control unit 5. The same applies to the CPU 6a, RAM 6b, and storage 6c of the control unit 6, and the CPU 7a, RAM 7b, and storage 7c of the control unit 7. Details of the venue owner terminal V, participant terminal P, and auction device 1 will be described below.

[0038] The venue owner terminal V transmits to the auction device 1, for example, live video of items being auctioned in order at the auction venue. The venue owner terminal V also serves as a terminal for managing the auction by notifying the participant terminals P of the auction participants of the start and end of the auction. As shown in FIG. 1 , the venue owner terminal V includes a communication unit 2, a control unit 5, a camera 8, a microphone 9, and a display 10. The control unit 5 transmits live video of items being auctioned in the auction venue to the auction device 1, manages the auction, and notifies the participant terminals P and other parties about the auction. The camera 8 captures live video of each auction being held in order at the auction venue. The microphone 9 picks up the voices of the auctioneer and the auction venue at each auction. The display 10 displays screens, etc., that are displayed by activating programs stored in the storage 5c, and is operated using a keyboard and mouse (not shown). The display 10 displays, for example, a management screen for managing the auction, etc., that is distributed from the auction device 1 that provides the auction site. The storage 5c of the control unit 5 stores a communication program 5c1, a video program 5c2, etc. The communication program 5c1 is a program used to communicate with the auction device 1, etc. via the Internet, and provide auction services to participant terminals P. The video program 5c2 is a program that transmits live video of an auction held at the auction venue to the auction device 1.

[0039] The participant terminal P is a terminal for participating in an auction held at an auction venue via the Internet. As shown in FIG. 1 , the participant terminal P includes a communication unit 3, a control unit 6, and a display unit 11. The control unit 6 is responsible for displaying on the display unit 11 videos and other content distributed from the auction apparatus 1. The display unit 11 also displays live videos of the auction distributed from the auction apparatus 1, information about items being auctioned, and operation buttons that enable bidding on items being auctioned. The storage 6c of the control unit 6 stores a communication program 6c1, a display program 6c2, an operation program 6c3, and other programs. The communication program 6c1 is a program used to communicate with the auction apparatus 1 and other devices via the Internet. The display program 6c2 is a program that displays videos and other content distributed from the auction apparatus 1. The operation program 6c3 is a program that transmits an operation signal to the auction apparatus 1 when an operation button displayed on the display unit 11 is operated.

[0040] The auction apparatus 1 distributes live video of the auction transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to the participant terminals P, and functions as a server (auction site) through which participants participate in the auction over the Internet using the participant terminal P and through which the venue owner manages the Internet auction he or she hosts using the venue owner terminal V. As shown in FIG. 1 , the auction apparatus 1 includes a communication unit 4 and a control unit 7. The control unit 7 distributes live video of the auction held at the auction venue and provides the venue owner terminal V and the participant terminals P with an auction site that enables the auction over the Internet. The storage 7c of the control unit 7 stores a communication program 7c1, a distribution program 7c2, an auction program 7c3, and the like. The communication program 7c1 is a program used to communicate with the venue owner terminal V and the participant terminal P via the Internet. The distribution program 7c2 is a program that distributes live video of the auction transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to the participant terminal P. The auction program 7c3 is a program that enables participants to participate in the auction over the Internet using the participant terminal P and the venue owner to participate in the auction over the Internet using the venue owner terminal V. Storage 7c also stores data such as participant identification information that identifies participants participating in the auction and venue owner identification information that identifies the venue owner hosting the auction. The participant identification information is recorded in storage 7c for each participant in association with information about the participant, and multiple pieces of participant identification information are stored in storage 7c. The venue owner identification information is also recorded in storage 7c for each venue owner in association with information about the venue owner, and multiple pieces of venue owner identification information are stored in storage 7c.

[0041] Next, the processing performed using the various programs and the like mentioned above will be described.

[0042] The process in FIG. 2 is a process for registering participants who can participate in the auction. A person who wishes to participate in the auction accesses a pre-designated website on the participant terminal P. Then, for example, a web page shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 11 of the participant terminal P. The person who wishes to participate in the auction applies for membership registration to participate in the auction from the displayed web page. For example, the person enters their name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, desired password, email address (not shown), etc. into the input form on the web page, attaches an image of their secondhand goods dealer license, and clicks the send button (not shown) (S1 in FIG. 2). Then, the member registration application information, such as the name of the member registration applicant, is sent to the auction device 1. When the auction device 1 receives the member registration application information, it records the member registration applicant's information, such as their name, representative name, trade name, company name, and telephone number, along with the attached image of the secondhand goods dealer license, in the storage 7c of the auction device 1. Next, the administrator of the auction device 1 checks whether the member registration applicant has a secondhand goods dealer license based on the attached image of the secondhand goods dealer license. If the member registration applicant has a secondhand goods dealer license, the administrator of the auction device 1 registers the member registration applicant as a participant who can participate in the auction. During member registration, a member number and password for logging in to the auction site provided by the auction device 1 are generated, and the generated member number and password are linked to the name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, email address, etc. of the member registration applicant (auction participant) and recorded in the storage 7c (S2 in FIG. 2). Then, the administrator of the auction device 1 sends the member number and password to the registered auction participant (S3 in FIG. 2). For example, the member number and password required to log in to the auction site are sent to the email address of the registered auction participant. Upon receiving the member number and password, the participant can log in to the auction site from the participant terminal P. This series of processes is repeated every time member information registration is sent to the auction device 1 from the web page shown in FIG. 3.

[0043] The process in FIG. 4 is a process in which a participant participating in an auction as a buyer logs in to the auction site using a participant terminal P and receives live video of the auction. The participant accesses the login page of the auction site (FIG. 5A) using the participant terminal P, enters their membership number and password, and clicks a button to log in to the desired auction venue (the "Participate in Area A Auction" button B1 or the "Participate in Area B Auction" button B1). The participant terminal P then transmits the login information, including the membership number and password, to the auction device 1 (S11 in FIG. 4). Upon receiving the login information, the auction device 1, for example, references data recorded in storage 7c based on the received login information to confirm whether the participant is eligible to log in. If the reference results in the participant being recorded in storage 7c as a registered auction participant, the auction device 1 determines that the participant is eligible to log in (S12: Yes in FIG. 4) and allows the participant terminal P to log in (S13 in FIG. 4). If the participant is not eligible to log in (S12: No in FIG. 4), the auction device 1 rejects the login and displays a message on the display 11 of the participant terminal P indicating that the entered membership number or password is incorrect, and returns to the login page in FIG. 5A. 4, when login of the participant terminal P is permitted, an auction page such as that shown in FIG. 6 or 11 is displayed on the display unit 11 of the participant terminal P. When the live video reception button B2 at the top center of the auction page is clicked, a request to receive live video of the auction is sent to the auction device 1. Then, live video of the auction venue, etc., sent from the venue owner terminal V to the auction device 1, is distributed to the participant terminal P.

[0044] The process in Figure 7 is a process for registering a venue owner who will hold an auction at an auction venue. For example, a venue owner who wishes to hold an auction at a venue owned by the owner sends venue owner registration application information to the administrator of the auction device 1, including the owner's name, representative name, trade name / company name, telephone number, desired password, venue name, email address, commission (hereinafter referred to as "selling commission") that determines the commission amount to be paid by the seller when an auctioned item is sold (the amount obtained by multiplying the winning bid price by the commission paid by the seller), and a copy of the secondhand goods market owner license (S21 in Figure 7). Upon receiving the venue owner registration application information, the administrator of the auction device 1 records the venue owner registration applicant's information, such as the owner's name, representative name, trade name / company name, telephone number, and selling commission, as well as an image of the attached secondhand goods market owner license, in storage 7c. Next, the administrator checks whether the venue owner registration applicant has a secondhand goods market owner license based on the copy of the secondhand goods market owner license. If the venue owner registration applicant has a secondhand goods market owner license, the applicant is registered as a venue owner who can hold auctions. During registration, a membership number and password are generated for logging in as the venue owner to the auction site provided by the auction device 1, and the generated membership number and password are linked to the name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, venue name, email address, selling commission, etc. of the venue owner registration applicant (auction venue owner) and recorded in the storage 7c (S22). Then, the administrator of the auction device 1 sends the membership number and password to the venue owner of the registered auction (S23). For example, the membership number and password required to log in to the auction site are sent to the email address of the venue owner of the registered auction. By receiving the membership number and password, the venue owner can log in to the auction site from the venue owner terminal V. This series of processes is repeated every time venue owner registration application information is sent to the administrator of the auction device 1.

[0045] The process in FIG. 8 involves a venue owner who hosts an auction logging in to the auction site using the venue owner terminal V and distributing live video of the auction held at the auction venue to participant terminals P. The venue owner who hosts the auction accesses the login page of the auction site (FIG. 5B) using the venue owner terminal V and enters his / her membership number and password to log in to the auction site. The venue owner terminal V then transmits the login information, including the membership number and password, to the auction device 1 (S31 in FIG. 8). Upon receiving the login information, the auction device 1, for example, references data recorded in storage 7c based on the received login information to confirm whether the venue owner is eligible to log in. If the reference results in the venue owner being recorded in storage 7c as the venue owner of the registered auction, the venue owner is deemed eligible to log in (S32: Yes in FIG. 8) and the venue owner terminal V is permitted to log in (S33 in FIG. 8). If the venue owner is not eligible to log in (S32: No in FIG. 8), the venue owner rejects the login and displays a message on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V indicating that the entered membership number or password is incorrect, returning the user to the login page (S34 in FIG. 8). When login is permitted in S33 of FIG. 8, a management screen page (see FIGS. 9 and 10) for managing the auction is displayed on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V. The displayed management screen page varies depending on the bidding method of the auction. The management screen is operated using the mouse, keyboard, etc. of the venue owner terminal V, and the venue owner who manages the auction manages the auction by operating the management screen in accordance with the progress of the auction at the auction venue. For example, FIG. 9 shows a management screen for an auction using a bidding method in which participants can submit bids by adding an amount to the current price any number of times (hereinafter referred to as the "add-on bidding method"). FIG. 10 shows a management screen for an auction using a bidding method in which participants can submit a bid price only once (the bid amount cannot be added after submitting a bid) (hereinafter referred to as the "one-shot bidding method").

[0046] Here, the management screen page of Figure 9 will be described in detail. The management screen of Figure 9 is a management screen for conducting an auction using the add-on bidding method. The display 10 of the venue owner terminal V displays an operation display unit OC for controlling the distribution of the auction, etc., multiple input forms related to the items to be auctioned, etc., and operation buttons for controlling the start of the auction, etc. The operation display unit OC includes an auction distribution display unit OC1, a distribution start button OC2, a bid change button CH, and a logout button OC3. The auction distribution display unit OC1 displays the words "Auction Distribution" to indicate that the screen of Figure 9 is a screen for distributing the auction. The input forms displayed, from top to bottom, are a date form F1 for entering the date of the auction and a venue name form F2 for entering the name of the venue where the auction will be held. Below that are displayed an auction number form F3 for entering the auction number, a seller number form F4 for entering the seller number of the item to be auctioned, an item name form F5 for entering the name of the item to be auctioned, a quantity form F6 for entering the quantity of the item to be auctioned, a starting price form F7 for entering the starting bid price for the item to be auctioned, and a buyer number form F8 for entering the name of the successful bidder in the auction. Operation buttons include, from top to bottom, a start button OP1, a sell out light button OP2, a tentative confirmation button OP3, a closed / confirmed button OP4, a resume button OP5, and a flow OP6.

[0047] The start button OP1 is a button for starting the auction. When the start button OP1 is clicked on the venue owner terminal V, a start signal is sent from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1, and a start signal is sent from the auction apparatus 1 to each participant terminal P. Then, each participant terminal P becomes able to place bids on the item being auctioned. The sold-out light button OP2 is a button for notifying participants that the item being auctioned will be sold out in the ongoing auction. When the bid price for the item being auctioned exceeds the minimum selling price (for example, a price preset by the seller of the item being auctioned), the sold-out light button OP2 is clicked on the venue owner terminal V. Then, a sold-out signal is sent from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1, and a sold-out signal is sent from the auction apparatus 1 to each participant terminal P. Then, each participant terminal P is notified that the item being auctioned will be sold out in the ongoing auction. The provisional confirmation button OP3 is a button for provisionally confirming the successful bidder for the item being auctioned. When the provisional confirmation button OP3 is clicked, a provisional confirmation signal requesting provisional confirmation is sent to the auction apparatus 1. Then, the provisional confirmation signal is sent from the auction apparatus 1 to each participant terminal P, and bidding is prohibited from each participant terminal P. The concluded / confirmed button OP4 is a button for confirming the successful bidder of the item being auctioned. When the concluded / confirmed button OP4 is clicked, a concluded / confirmed signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1, and the concluded / confirmed signal is sent from the auction apparatus 1 to each participant terminal P. Then, each participant terminal P is notified that the successful bidder has been confirmed. The resume button OP5 is a button for returning the state in which the successful bidder has been provisionally confirmed and bidding from each participant terminal P is prohibited to a state in which bidding can be resumed. When the resume button OP5 is clicked, a resume signal requesting restart is sent to the auction apparatus 1. Then, the auction apparatus 1 sends a resume signal to each participant terminal P, and bidding operations from each participant terminal P are permitted again. The flow button OP6 is a button for confirming the flow of bidding of the item being auctioned. When the cancel button OP6 is clicked, a cancel signal is transmitted to the auction apparatus 1. Then, the auction apparatus 1 transmits a cancel signal to each participant terminal P, notifying each participant terminal P of the canceled bid.

[0048] When the distribution start button OC2 on the management screen page in FIG. 9 is clicked, a distribution request signal is transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to the auction device 1, and a setting screen (not shown) for the camera 8 and microphone 9 of the venue owner terminal V opens, allowing the user to select the camera 8 and microphone 9 for distributing live video of the auction venue. When the camera 8 and microphone 9 are selected on the setting screen (not shown), the video and audio of the auction venue input from the camera 8 and microphone 9 of the venue owner terminal V are transmitted to the auction device 1 via the venue owner terminal V. When the auction device 1 receives the video and audio transmitted from the venue owner terminal V, it distributes the video and audio of the auction venue to each participant terminal P that is logged in and has requested to receive the live video. In addition to the video of the auction venue, the auction device 1 distributes a display screen having an operation unit including operation buttons for bidding from the participant terminal P and a display unit showing the current prices of the items being auctioned, etc. In FIG. 6, the video unit 11a of the participant terminal P displays the video of the auction venue (not shown in FIG. 6) as well as operation buttons for bidding and the current prices of the items being auctioned.

[0049] Returning to the management screen of FIG. 9 , when the change bid button CH located at the top is clicked, a bidding method setting request signal (change request signal) is transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1. When the auction apparatus 1 receives the setting request signal transmitted from the venue owner terminal V, it transmits the management screen shown in FIG. 10 to the venue owner terminal V and updates the management screen of FIG. 9 to the management screen of FIG. 10. The management screen of FIG. 10 is a management screen for conducting a one-shot bid auction. The management screen of FIG. 10 will be described below, but the same components as those in the management screen of FIG. 9 are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The display 10 of the venue owner terminal V displays an operation display unit OC, multiple input forms related to the items to be auctioned, and operation buttons for operating the start of the auction, etc. The operation display unit OC includes an auction distribution display unit OC1, a distribution start button OC2, a bid change button CH, and a logout button OC3. As input forms, from the top, a date form F1 and a venue name form F2 are displayed. Below that are displayed: a bid number form F3, a seller number form F4, an item name form F5, a quantity form F6, a checkbox CB1 to be checked if the item is subject to the reduced tax rate (checking this checkbox generates a report reflecting the reduced tax rate), a clearance price form F9 to enter the minimum selling price of the item being auctioned (for example, a price preset by the seller of the item being auctioned), a successful bidder display form F11 to display the successful bidder in the most recent auction, and a comment display form CB2 to display comments entered from the participant terminal P for a fixed period of time (for example, 10 seconds). Operation buttons include, from left to right, a start button OP1, a bid closure button OP7, and a cancel button OP8. The bid closure button OP7 notifies participants of the bid closure and ends the auction for the item being auctioned. Clicking the bid closure button OP7 transmits a confirmation request signal to the auction device 1, which requests the process of confirming the successful bidder, and a bid closure signal is transmitted from the auction device 1 to each participant terminal P.Then, as shown in FIG. 12, a countdown CD (e.g., a five-second countdown display) notifying the closing of bidding is displayed on each participant terminal P. When the countdown ends, a notification is sent, depending on the bidding situation, such as confirmation of the successful bidder, confirmation of the bid being canceled (if the bid price is lower than the reserve price), or confirmation of a re-auction (if the highest bid price is equal to or higher than the reserve price and there are multiple bids at the highest bid price). Returning to FIG. 10, the cancel button OP8 on the management screen is a button for canceling the auction started with the start button OP1. For example, this button is operated when the auction needs to be restarted for some reason. When the cancel button OP8 is clicked, a cancel signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1. The auction apparatus 1 then sends the cancel signal to each participant terminal P. Then, for example, a message is displayed on each participant terminal P indicating that the ongoing auction has been canceled, and bidding from each participant terminal P is prohibited. Furthermore, when the auction apparatus 1 receives a cancellation signal from the venue owner terminal V, it updates the management screen shown in Fig. 10 displayed on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V, and may, for example, clear the contents of each input form or return it to the state it was in immediately before the start button OP1 was clicked. This allows the venue owner terminal V to restart the auction.

[0050] Next, we will explain in detail the web page displayed on the participant terminal P that is receiving live video of the auction venue. Fig. 6 shows the web page that is displayed on the participant terminal P when an auction using the add-on bidding method is held. The participant terminal P displays a video section 11a that displays live video of the auction, a first display section 11b that displays the status of the auction, such as the current price promotion of the items being auctioned, and also displays buttons for performing operations related to the auction, and a second display section 11c that displays buttons for performing operations such as receiving the live video of the auction.

[0051] The video section 11a displays live video of the auction being held at the auction venue (displayed if a live video distribution request has been made), and the bottom of the video section 11a is provided with a comment input field C1 and a post button C2. When a participant enters text in the comment input field C1 from a participant terminal P and clicks the post button C2, a comment signal is transmitted to the auction apparatus 1. Upon receiving the comment signal, the auction apparatus 1 distributes to each participant terminal P a video in which comments C3 flowing from right to left are superimposed on the live video of the auction so that the comments entered in the comment input field C1 can be seen. Participants can check the comments C3 entered by themselves and other participants in the comment input field C1 through the video section 11a of each participant terminal P.

[0052] The first display section 11b is equipped with, from the top, a participant ID display section D1, a comment ON button B3, a comment OFF button B4, a bid button B5, a watch button B6, an auction number display section D2, an item name display section D3, a current price PR display section D4, a sold-out display section D5, a rights display section D6, and a bid button B7.

[0053] The ID display section D1 displays identification information for identifying participants participating in the auction from the participant terminal P. The Comment ON button B3 and the Comment OFF button B4 are buttons that open and close the comment input field C1 and control the display or non-display of the comment C3 displayed in the video section 11a. When the Comment ON button B3 is clicked, the Comment ON button B3 lights up, and the comment input field C1 and the Post button C2 in the video section 11a are displayed on the screen of the video section 11a, and comments C3 entered from the participant's own or other participant terminals P are displayed on the screen of the video section 11a. On the other hand, when the Comment OFF button B4 is clicked, the Comment ON button B3 is turned off and the Comment OFF button B4 lights up, and the comment input field C1 and the Post button C2 in the video section 11a are closed and no longer displayed in the video section 11a, and comments entered from other participant terminals P are no longer displayed in the video section 11a.

[0054] The bid button B5 and the watch button B6 are buttons that allow or prohibit bidding operations in the auction. The bid button B5 is a button that allows the bid button B7 to be clicked. When the bid button B5 is clicked, the bid button B5 lights up and the bid button B7 can be clicked. The watch button B6 is a button that prohibits the bid button B7 from being clicked. When the watch button B6 is clicked, the watch button B6 lights up, the bid button B7 goes out, and the bid button B7 cannot be clicked.

[0055] Display unit D2 displays the number (bid number) of the auction being live streamed. Display unit D3 displays the name of the item being auctioned. Display unit D4 displays the current price PR of the item being auctioned. Sold-out display unit D5 is a display that notifies that the item being auctioned will be sold out in the ongoing auction. When the current price PR on display unit D4 becomes equal to or exceeds the minimum selling price (for example, a price preset by the seller of the item being auctioned), the sold-out display unit D5 lights up, notifying that the item being auctioned will be sold out in the ongoing auction. Rights display unit D6 is a display that notifies whether you have the right to win the item being auctioned. Bid button B7 is a button for placing a bid on the item being auctioned.

[0056] The second display unit 11c is equipped with, from left to right, an ID display unit D7, a live video reception button B2, an automatic login cancel button B8, and a logout button B9. The ID display unit D7 displays identification information for identifying participants participating in the auction from participant terminals P. The live video reception button B2 is a button for receiving live video and the like distributed from the auction venue where the auction is being live-streamed. Clicking the live video reception button B2 causes live video and the like to be distributed from the venue owner terminal V, which is live-streaming the auction venue, to the video section 11a of the first display unit 11b. The automatic login cancel button B8 is a button for canceling the automatic login setting when logging in to the auction site.

[0057] Next, the buttons and displays shown in Fig. 6 will be specifically described in relation to the process by which a participant who has accessed the web page in Fig. 6 participates in the live-streamed auction and wins a bid on an auction item. When a live video of the auction is streamed from the auction device 1 to the participant terminal P, the participant participates in the auction while viewing the items displayed on the video section 11a. When the watch button B6 is lit on the participant terminal P, the bid button B7 cannot be clicked. Therefore, to place a bid, the participant clicks the bid button B5, and then clicks the bid button B7 on the participant terminal P while the bid button B5 is lit.

[0058] When the bid button B7 is clicked, a bid signal is transmitted from the participant terminal P to the auction apparatus 1. Upon receiving the bid signal, the auction apparatus 1 updates the current price PR of the item being auctioned and distributes the updated current price PR to each participant terminal P. For example, if the current price PR at the time the bid signal is received is less than 5,000 yen, the updated current price PR is the current price PR plus 500 yen. If the current price PR is 5,000 yen or more, the updated current price PR is the current price PR plus 1,000 yen. The updated current price PR is then displayed on the display unit D4 of the first display unit 11b of each participant terminal P in response to the bid from each participant terminal P. If the updated current price PR is equal to or greater than the minimum selling price of the item being auctioned, the sold-out display unit D5 lights up, indicating that the item being auctioned will be sold out in the ongoing auction. Furthermore, the right display unit D6 lights up on the participant terminal P that transmitted the bid button B7, indicating that the participant currently has the right to make a successful bid. When the bid button B7 is clicked on another participant terminal P and a bid signal is transmitted to the auction apparatus 1, the auction apparatus 1 transmits a signal to the participant terminal P that transmitted the previous bid signal to turn off the rights display unit D6, and the rights display unit D6 turns off. The rights display unit D6 also lights up on the first display unit 11b of the participant terminal P that made the most recent bid. Bids are made from each participant terminal P in this manner, and when a successful bidder is finally determined, a confirmation signal is transmitted to the participant terminal P via the auction apparatus 1, and the successful bidder's identification number, "Bid No. XX Successful," is displayed overlaid on the live video on the video unit 11a, informing the participant that the successful bidder has been determined. On the other hand, if the current price PR does not reach the available sale price and the bid is cancelled, the word "Successful" is displayed overlaid on the live video, informing the participant that the bid is cancelled.

[0059] The above describes the web page (FIG. 6) displayed on the participant terminal P when an auction using the added-bid method is conducted. Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the web page displayed on the participant terminal P when an auction using the single-bid method is conducted will be described. In the web page of FIG. 11, the same components as those in the web page of FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The participant terminal P displays a video section 11a, a first display section 11b' that displays information about the item being auctioned and also displays buttons for performing operations related to the auction, and a second display section 11c. From the top, the first display section 11b' is equipped with a signal display section SG that flashes when the auction starts to notify the start of the auction, a comment ON button B3, a comment OFF button B4, a bid number display section D2 (to the right of display section D2, "Taxable business operator" is displayed if the seller of the bid number is a taxable business operator, and "Exempt business operator" is displayed if the seller is an exempt business operator), a display section D3 for the item name, a bid price form F10 in which the bid price can be entered, and a bid button B7'. The bid price form F10 is an input form for bidding on an item put up for auction. Participants operate their participant terminals P to freely input their desired bid price into the bid price form F10 (in FIG. 11 and other figures, the last two digits are preset to 00 and cannot be changed, but the last two digits may also be changeable). Upper and lower limits may be set for the bid price that can be entered. The bid button B7' is a button for bidding on the item being auctioned at the bid price entered in the bid price form F10. When the bid button B7' is clicked, a first bid signal is sent to the auction device 1, and a pop-up is displayed, as shown in FIG. 13, for final confirmation of whether or not to place a bid at the bid price entered in the bid price form F10. This pop-up display has buttons for confirming the bid and canceling the bid. When the confirm button is clicked, a second bid signal is sent to the auction device 1 to place a bid at the bid price entered in the bid price form F10. The auction apparatus 1 performs a bidding process, which will be described later, in response to the transmitted first and second bidding signals.If the cancel button is clicked on the pop-up in FIG. 13, the screen returns to the screen in FIG. 11 where the bid price form F10 was entered, and the bid price entered in the bid price form F10 can be corrected.

[0060] Next, each button shown in FIG. 11 will be specifically described in relation to the flow of a participant who accesses the webpage in FIG. 11 participating in a live-streamed auction and bidding on an auction item. When a live video of the auction is streamed from the auction device 1 to the participant terminal P, the participant participates in the auction while viewing the items displayed on the video section 11a. Similar to FIG. 6, FIG. 11 also includes a comment input field C1. However, upon receiving a comment signal from the participant terminal P, the auction device 1 transmits the comment entered from the participant terminal P to the venue owner terminal V so that the comment will be displayed in the comment input form CB2 on the management screen of the venue owner terminal V shown in FIG. 10 for a certain period of time (e.g., 10 seconds). This allows the venue owner to check the comments displayed on the venue owner terminal V for a certain period of time, thereby preventing the venue owner from missing any comments. Furthermore, for example, if multiple comments are sent within a few seconds, the comment input form CB2 may be configured to display a certain number of comments (e.g., three comments) so that multiple comments can be checked simultaneously.

[0061] When bidding in the auction becomes possible, the participant terminal P inputs the desired bid price in the bid price form F10 of FIG. 11 and clicks the bid button B7'. When the bid button B7' is clicked, a first bid signal is transmitted from the participant terminal P to the auction device 1. When the auction device 1 receives the first bid signal, it distributes a pop-up display shown in FIG. 13 to the participant terminal P (the participant terminal P that transmitted the first bid signal) to confirm whether it is OK to confirm the bid at the price input in the bid price form F10. When the confirm button in the pop-up display is clicked in the participant terminal P, a second bid signal is transmitted from the participant terminal P to the auction device 1. When the auction device 1 receives the second bid signal, it records the bid price input by the participant terminal P in storage 7c in association with the participant terminal P that transmitted the second bid signal or the participant identification information corresponding to the participant terminal P. For example, if the bid price entered in the bid price form F10 as shown in FIG. 13 is 3,000 yen, the bid price of 3,000 yen is recorded in storage 7c in association with the participant terminal P that sent that bid price and the participant identification information of the participant terminal P. The auction apparatus 1 also transmits a bid confirmation signal to the participant terminal P that sent the second bid signal, prohibiting further bidding from the participant terminal P that sent the second bid signal. Bids are placed from each participant terminal P in this manner. When bidding is closed, the auction apparatus 1 executes a process to confirm the successful bidder. If the successful bidder can be confirmed, the auction apparatus 1 transmits a confirmation signal for the successful bidder to the participant terminal P, and the identification number of the successful bidder, for example, "Bid No. XX won," is displayed over the live video on the video unit 11a, notifying the participant that the successful bidder has been confirmed. On the other hand, if the highest bid price does not reach the available sale price (the price entered in the sell-by price form F9 in Figure 10) and the bid is confirmed as unsuccessful, the word "Unsuccessful" will be displayed over the live video to notify the bid has been confirmed. Also, even if the highest bid price is equal to or exceeds the available sale price, if there are multiple bids at the same highest price, a re-auction will be confirmed and the word "Re-auction" will be displayed over the live video to notify the bid has been confirmed.

[0062] Next, we will explain the flow of managing an auction using the venue owner terminal V that broadcasts the auction live, and the buttons on the management screens shown in Figures 9 and 10 that are displayed on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V. First, we will explain the management screen shown in Figure 9. The management screen shown in Figure 9 is used to conduct an auction using the top-up bidding method. To start this auction at the auction venue, select the date from the pull-down menu in the Date form F1 shown in Figure 9, select the venue name from the pull-down menu in the Venue Name form F2, and select the seller from the pull-down menu in the Seller Number form F4. Sellers can be selected from those who have been registered as participants in Figure 2. Then, enter the name of the item to be auctioned in the Item Name form F5, the quantity of the item to be auctioned in the Quantity form F6, and the starting price of the item to be auctioned in the Starting Price form F7, and click the Start button OP1. Then, the information entered in each form (item information) is sent to the auction apparatus 1 along with a start signal (auction start request), and information such as the current price PR is displayed on each participant terminal P that has requested delivery from the auction apparatus 1 (see FIG. 6). For example, when the auction apparatus 1 receives the auction number and item name sent from the venue owner terminal V, the auction apparatus 1 displays the auction number and item name sent from the venue owner terminal V in the auction number display section D2 and item name display section D3 (see FIG. 6) of each participant terminal P that has logged in and requested to receive live video. Then, bidding becomes possible from each participant terminal P. When the venue owner confirms that the current price PR of the item being auctioned has reached the minimum selling price through the bids from the participant terminals P, the venue owner clicks the sold out light button OP2. Then, a sold out light signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1, and the sold out display section D5 (FIG. 6) lights up on each participant terminal P. Furthermore, when the current price PR of the item being auctioned stops rising, the venue owner clicks the provisional confirmation button OP3 (see FIG. 9). Then, a provisional confirmation signal is transmitted to the auction apparatus 1, and bidding operations are prohibited from each participant terminal P. If the current price PR rises immediately before clicking the provisional confirmation button OP3, the venue owner clicks the resume button OP5.Then, a resume signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1, bidding becomes possible from each participant terminal P, and bidding resumes from each participant terminal P. Finally, the venue owner clicks the Establish / Confirm button OP4 or the Cancel button OP6, and a confirmation signal (end request) is sent from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1, and the end of the auction (confirmation of the successful bidder or confirmation of the cancelled bid) is notified to each participant terminal P, and the auction ends.

[0063] The process in FIG. 14 is a process in which the auction device 1 provides an auction service using an add-on bidding method over the Internet. When the auction device 1 receives a request signal for distribution of live video of the auction venue from a venue owner terminal V logged in to the auction site (S41: Yes), in S42 it transmits the live video transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to a participant terminal P (a participant terminal P that has logged in to the auction site and made a distribution request). Next, when the auction device 1 receives an auction start signal (a request to start the auction) transmitted from the venue owner terminal V (S43: Yes), the auction device 1 transmits auction information (information entered in the bid number form F3, item name form F5, and starting price form F7 in FIG. 9) to the participant terminal P and permits bids from each participant terminal P participating in the auction (S44). Note that if the auction start signal (a request to start the auction) is not received in S43 (S43: No), the process returns to S43. After permitting bids from each participant terminal P in S44, it checks in S45 whether a bid signal requesting a bid has been transmitted from the participant terminal P. When the auction apparatus 1 receives a bid signal (S45: Yes), it updates the current price PR by adding a certain amount to the current price PR of the item being auctioned (S46). Then, it notifies the participant terminals P participating in the auction of the updated current price PR (updating the current price PR displayed on each participant terminal P). If a bid signal is not transmitted from the participant terminal P in S45, the process proceeds to S48. In S48, it checks whether a provisional confirmation signal (a signal notifying that the successful bidder has been provisionally confirmed) has been received from the venue owner terminal V. If the provisional confirmation signal has not been received (S48: No), the process returns to S45. If the provisional confirmation signal has been received, the process proceeds to S49. In S49, the auction apparatus 1 prohibits bidding from each participant terminal P participating in the auction, and proceeds to S50. In S50, it checks whether a resume signal (a signal to resume prohibited bidding) has been received from the venue owner terminal V. If a resume signal has been received (S50: Yes), the process returns to S45.If a resume signal has not been received (S50: No), the process proceeds to S51, where it is confirmed whether a confirmation signal (a signal confirming the successful bidder or the bid has been canceled) has been received from the venue owner terminal V. If a confirmation signal has not been received (S51: No), the process returns to S50, and if a confirmation signal has been received (S51: Yes), the process proceeds to S52. In S52, the auction apparatus 1 notifies each participant terminal P participating in the auction that the auction has been confirmed (displays a message on each participant terminal P notifying each participant terminal P that the successful bidder or the bid has been canceled). Then, in S53, report data is created that the successful bidder and seller can view, print, download, etc. from the auction site, and the process ends.

[0064] Next, the management screen shown in FIG. 10 will be explained. FIG. 10 shows the management screen for conducting a single-bid auction. To start this auction at the auction venue, the user selects the date from the pull-down menu in the Date Form F1 in FIG. 10, selects the venue name from the pull-down menu in the Venue Name Form F2, and selects the seller who will be conducting the auction from the pull-down menu in the Seller Number Form F4. The seller can be selected from those who have been pre-registered as participants in FIG. 2. The user then enters the name of the item to be auctioned in the Item Name Form F5 (and checks the checkbox CB1 if the item to be auctioned is subject to the reduced tax rate), the quantity of the item to be auctioned in the Quantity Form F6, and the minimum selling price for the item to be auctioned (for example, a price previously set by the seller of the item) in the Clearance Price Form F9, and clicks the Start button OP1. This sends a start signal (a request to start the auction) and the information entered in each form (listing information) to the auction device 1, and information such as the bid number and item name is displayed on each participant terminal P that has requested distribution from the auction device 1 (see FIG. 11). Then, bidding becomes possible from each participant terminal P. When a comment is input from the participant terminal P, the comment input from the participant terminal P is displayed for a certain period of time in the comment input form CB2 in FIG. 10, and the venue owner proceeds with the auction while checking the comment. For example, after reserving time for bidding from each participant terminal P, the venue owner notifies each participant terminal P that the bidding deadline is approaching via audio broadcast live from the auction venue, and clicks the bid close button OP7 in FIG. 10. This causes a confirmation request signal to be sent to the auction apparatus 1, and the auction apparatus 1 executes a bid close process. First, a countdown CD notifying the bidding deadline is displayed on the video unit 11a of each participant terminal P, for example, as shown in FIG. 12. When the countdown CD ends, bidding operations from each participant terminal P are prohibited. After prohibiting bidding operations from each participant terminal P, the auction apparatus 1 executes a process to end the auction, notifies each participant terminal P of the end of the auction (determination of a successful bidder, determination of a canceled bid, or determination of a re-bidding), and the auction ends.For example, when determining the successful bidder, the auction apparatus 1 determines as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal P (or participant identification information) associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item being auctioned that are recorded in the storage 7c. Information on the determined successful bidder is then distributed to each participant terminal P, and also to the venue owner terminal V, and the successful bidder is displayed in the previous successful bidder form F11 in Fig. 10. The previous successful bidder form F11 remains displayed until the next auction ends, making it easy to manage the information on the successful bidder.

[0065] The process in FIG. 15 is a process in which the auction device 1 provides a one-shot bidding auction service over the Internet. When the auction device 1 receives a request signal for distribution of live video of the auction venue from a venue owner terminal V logged in to the auction site (S61: Yes), in S62 the auction device 1 transmits the live video transmitted from the venue owner terminal V to a participant terminal P (a participant terminal P that has logged in to the auction site and made a distribution request). Next, when the auction device 1 receives an auction start signal (a request to start the auction) transmitted from the venue owner terminal V (S63: Yes), the auction device 1 transmits auction information (information entered in the bid number form F3 and item name form F5 in FIG. 10) to the participant terminal P and allows bids from each participant terminal P participating in the auction (S64). The auction device 1 also records the sell-out price entered in the sell-out price form F9 in FIG. 10 in the storage 7c. Note that if the auction start signal (a request to start the auction) is not received in S63 (S63: No), the auction device 1 returns to S63. When bidding from each participant terminal P is permitted in S64, in S65, it is checked whether a cancellation signal to cancel the started auction has been sent from the venue main terminal V. If a cancellation signal has been received (S65: Yes), the process returns to S62; if a cancellation signal has not been received, the process proceeds to S66. In S66, it is checked whether a bid signal including bidding information such as the bid price and the participant terminal P (or participant identification information linked to the participant terminal P) that sent the bid price has been sent from the participant terminal P. When the auction device 1 receives a bid signal (S66: Yes), it processes the bid depending on whether the received bid signal is a first bid signal or a second bid signal. When the auction device 1 receives the first bid signal, it distributes a pop-up display to the participant terminal P (the participant terminal P that sent the first bid signal) asking whether it is OK to confirm the bid at the input bid price. When the auction device 1 receives the second bid signal, it records the bid price of the item being auctioned in storage 7c in association with the participant terminal P (or participant identification information linked to the participant terminal P) that sent the bid price.The recorded bid price is then prohibited from being distributed to any participant terminal P other than the participant terminal P that transmitted that bid price. A bid confirmation signal is transmitted from the auction apparatus 1 to the participant terminal P that transmitted the second bid signal, prohibiting further bidding from that participant terminal P (S67), and the process proceeds to S68. The auction apparatus 1 prohibits the distribution of information related to the bid price transmitted by the participant terminal P to other participant terminals P, but may distribute or prohibit the distribution of information other than the bid price (e.g., information such as the number of bids and the names of bidders). In S68, the auction apparatus 1 checks whether a confirmation request signal (a signal transmitted when the bid close button OP7 in FIG. 10 is clicked) has been received from the venue owner terminal V, requesting processing to confirm the successful bidder. If the confirmation request signal has not been received (S68: No), the process returns to S65. If the confirmation request signal has been received, the process proceeds to S69. In S69, the auction apparatus 1 notifies each participant terminal P participating in the auction that the bidding is closed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, a countdown CD is displayed for several seconds on each participant terminal P. When the countdown CD display ends, the auction apparatus 1 prohibits bidding from each participant terminal (S70) and proceeds to the auction termination process of S71. In S71, as shown in FIG. 16, the auction apparatus 1 determines whether the highest bid price is equal to or greater than the clearance price (the price entered in the clearance price form F9 of FIG. 10) of the item being auctioned, based on the highest bid price and the clearance price recorded in storage 7c. If the highest bid price is less than the clearance price (S81: No), the process proceeds to S82, where a notification that the bid has been cancelled is displayed to each participant terminal P. If the highest bid price is equal to or greater than the clearance price (S81: Yes), the process proceeds to S83. In S83, the auction apparatus 1 determines whether there are multiple bids with the highest bid price recorded in storage 7c. If multiple participant terminals P have submitted bids with the same highest bid price (S83: Yes), the process proceeds to S84, where the auction is restarted (S84). Specifically, the auction device 1 displays to each participant terminal P participating in the auction that the highest bid prices have become the same (that there were multiple highest bid prices) and that a re-auction will be held (that the auction will be held again), and then returns to S63 in Figure 14.This allows all participants to re-auction the item being auctioned. Returning to S83 in FIG. 16, if there is only one bid at the highest bid price (S83: No), the process proceeds to S85. In S85, the participant corresponding to the participant terminal P (or participant identification information) linked to the highest bid price recorded in the storage 7c of the auction device 1 is confirmed as the successful bidder, and a message is displayed on each participant terminal P participating in the auction notifying them of the confirmation of the successful bidder. After completing the process in S85, the process proceeds to S72 in FIG. 14, where report data is created that the successful bidder and seller can view, print, download, etc. from the auction site, and the process ends.

[0066] Next, we will explain how to use the auction site provided by the auction device 1. Auction participants access a pre-designated website page (Figure 3) and register as members. Specifically, they enter their name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, etc. into an input form, attach an image of their secondhand goods dealer license (not shown in Figure 3), and click the send button. This sends the member registration application information, such as the name of the member registration applicant, to the auction device 1. When the auction device 1 receives the member registration application information, it records the member registration applicant's information, such as the name, representative name, trade name, company name, and telephone number, and the attached image of the secondhand goods dealer license in the storage 7c. The administrator of the auction device 1 also receives a notification that the member registration application has been submitted. The administrator checks the information entered in the input form and the secondhand goods dealer license, and confirms whether the member registration applicant has a secondhand goods dealer license. If the member registration applicant has a secondhand goods dealer license, the applicant is registered as a participant who can participate in the auction, and a member number and password for logging in to the auction site are generated. The generated member number and password are linked to the name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, etc. of the member registration applicant (auction participant) and recorded in storage 7c. Login information (member number and password) is then sent to the registered auction participant via email or other means. Participants who receive the login information are able to log in to the auction system. The administrator of the auction device 1 also records information about the venue owner hosting the auction in storage 7c, just like the participants. Specifically, information such as the venue owner's name, representative name, trade name, company name, telephone number, venue name, email address, and sales commission, as well as an image of a copy of the secondhand goods market owner's license, is recorded in storage 7c.

[0067] When the auction date and time arrives, the participant accesses the login page (Fig. 5A) of the auction site on the participant terminal P. Then, the participant enters their membership number and password and clicks the "Participate in the auction" button B1 to log in. If the login is successful, the auction page shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 11 will be displayed on the display unit 11 of the participant terminal P, depending on the bidding method set by the auction venue owner.

[0068] Prior to hosting the auction, the venue owner accesses the login page of the auction site using the venue owner terminal V. Then, they enter their membership number and password to log in. When logging in, they can set (select) the bidding method for the auction, for example, using the bidding method setting buttons B10 and B11, as shown in FIG. 5B. For example, if the venue owner selects the bidding method setting button B10 and successfully logs in, the management screen shown in FIG. 9 appears on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V. Similarly, if the venue owner selects the bidding method setting button B11 and successfully logs in, the management screen shown in FIG. 10 appears on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V. First, we will explain this using the management screen shown in FIG. 9. On the management screen, the venue owner confirms that the market name entered in the venue name form F2 is their own venue, and also confirms that the camera 8 and microphone 9 of the venue owner terminal V can capture video and audio of the auction venue. If there are no problems, they click the distribution start button OC2. This enables live video and audio from the auction venue to be distributed to the participant terminals P. To actually start the auction at the auction venue, the participant enters the date form F1, item name form F5, quantity form F6, starting price form F7, etc. on the management screen page, selects the seller number of the seller of the item to be auctioned from the pull-down menu, and clicks the start button OP1. This causes information such as the item name and auction number to be sent to the participant terminal P. Bidding can then be performed from each participant terminal P participating in the auction. Based on the auctioneer's signal (the signal to start the auction) that is broadcast live, participants can bid on the items being auctioned by clicking the bid button B7 (FIG. 6) displayed on the participant terminal P. When the auction begins, the participant terminal P displays live video of the actual auction taking place at the auction venue on the video section 11a, along with the current price promotion of the items being auctioned. Participants can click the bid button B7 as needed to place bids on the items they want while watching the live video and current price promotion.For example, if the current price is less than 5,000 yen, clicking the bid button B7 causes the current price PR plus 500 yen to be displayed as the new current price PR on the display D4 of each participant terminal P. Also, if the current price is 5,000 yen or more, clicking the bid button B7 causes the current price plus 1,000 yen to become the new current price PR. Bids are placed in this manner, and when the current price PR reaches the available sale amount (a price preset by the seller of the item being auctioned), the sold-out button OP2 is clicked on the management screen page (FIG. 9) of the venue owner terminal V. This causes the sold-out display D5 (FIG. 6) displayed on each participant terminal P to light up, transmitted from the venue owner terminal V via the auction device 1. This allows participants to confirm that the item being auctioned has been sold out in the ongoing auction. 6 is clicked on the participant terminal P, the right display section D6 lights up, providing that the sold-out display section D5 is lit, and the participant is notified that they have the right to bid on the item being auctioned. If another participant terminal P then clicks the bid button B7, the right display section D6 goes out. When the current price PR stops bidding, the venue owner clicks the provisional confirmation button OP3 on the management screen page (FIG. 9) on the venue owner terminal V. Then, via the auction device 1, the venue owner terminal V prohibits bidding from each participant terminal P, and the participant who made the last bid is provisionally confirmed as the successful bidder.

[0069] If the current price PR rises just before clicking the provisional confirmation button OP3, for example, by clicking the resume button OP5 on the venue owner terminal V, bidding operations from each participant terminal P are permitted via the venue owner terminal V and the auction device 1, and the auction is resumed. Then, when the current price PR stops rising, click the provisional confirmation button OP3 again. If the price did not rise just before clicking the provisional confirmation button, click the contract / confirm button OP4. Then, "XXth Bid Successful" is displayed superimposed on the live video displayed on the participant terminal P via the venue owner terminal V and the auction device 1, notifying the participant that the successful bidder has been confirmed, and the current auction ends. Note that, in the auction, if the current price PR does not reach the available sale price when the current price PR stops rising completely, click the flow button OP6 on the management screen page (FIG. 9) of the venue owner terminal V. Then, "Flow" is displayed superimposed on the live video displayed on the video unit 11a of the participant terminal P via the venue owner terminal V and the auction device 1, notifying the participant that the bid has been lost, and the current auction ends. Once one auction is completed, the same procedure is followed for the next auction.

[0070] 9 on the venue owner terminal V, for example, between auctions, the venue owner can change to a single-shot bidding auction, and the management screen is updated from FIG. 9 to FIG. 10. When the bid change button CH is clicked, a bidding method setting request signal (change request signal) is transmitted to the auction apparatus 1. The auction apparatus 1 then updates the screen to be distributed to the participant terminals P, for example, from the top-up bidding method screen shown in FIG. 6 to the single-shot bidding method screen shown in FIG. 11. Note that, as shown in FIG. 5B, if the venue owner selects the bidding method setting button B11 when logging in and the login is successful, the management screen page shown in FIG. 10 is also displayed on the display 10 of the venue owner terminal V.

[0071] On the management screen of Figure 10, the venue owner confirms that the market name entered in the venue name form F2 is their own venue, and if the auction has not yet started, confirms that the venue owner's camera 8 and microphone 9 on their venue owner's terminal V can capture video and audio from the auction venue. If there are no problems, they click the distribution start button OC2. This enables live video and audio from the auction venue to be distributed to the participant terminals P. Note that if the auction has already started and the bidding method is changed using the bid change button CH, their venue name is automatically entered in the venue name form F2, and video and audio from the auction venue continue to be distributed to each participant terminal P without clicking the distribution start button OC2 (the same applies when switching to the management screen of Figure 9 by clicking the bid change button CH on the management screen of Figure 10). Then, to actually start the auction at the auction venue, the owner enters the date form F1, item name form F5, quantity form F6, and sell price form F9 on the management screen of Figure 10, selects the seller number of the item to be auctioned from the pull-down menu, and clicks the start button OP1. As a result, information about the items to be auctioned, such as the item names and bid numbers, is distributed to the participant terminals P. Bidding can then be performed from each participant terminal P participating in the auction. Based on the auctioneer's signal (the signal to start the auction), which is broadcast live, participants can enter their desired bid price in the bid price form F10 shown in FIG. 11, which is displayed on the participant terminal P, and then click the bid button B7' to place a bid on the item being auctioned. When the auction begins, live video footage of the actual auction taking place at the auction venue is displayed on the video section 11a of the participant terminal P, along with the names of the items being auctioned. Based on the live video footage and the auctioneer's announcements, participants can enter their desired bid price in the bid price form F10 as necessary and click the bid button B7'.For example, if the amount entered in the bid price form F10 is 3,000 yen, a pop-up message appears asking whether the bid of 3,000 yen should be confirmed, as shown in FIG. 13. When the Confirm button is clicked, the entered bid price is transmitted to the auction device 1 in association with the participant terminal P (or the participant identification information of the participant terminal P) that transmitted the bid price. Each time a bid price is transmitted from a participant terminal P, the auction device 1 records the transmitted bid price in association with the participant terminal P or the participant identification information of the participant terminal P. The auction device 1 also prohibits the transmission of bid prices transmitted from a participant terminal P to other participant terminals P. However, the participant terminal P may transmit its own bid price to that participant terminal P. Furthermore, a participant terminal P that has already submitted a bid is also prohibited from submitting a second bid (modifying the bid amount). After the participant has ensured that there is sufficient time for the participant to input their bid price on the participant terminal P, the venue owner clicks the bid close button OP7 on the management screen (FIG. 10) of the venue owner terminal V. 12, a countdown CD is displayed from the venue owner terminal V via the auction device 1 to notify the closing of bidding, and when the countdown ends, bidding operations from each participant terminal P are prohibited. Then, in the auction device 1, depending on the bid price transmitted from each participant terminal P recorded in storage 7c, the auction device 1 displays, superimposed on the live video displayed on the participant terminal P, a message confirming the successful bidder, such as "Bid No. XX won," a message indicating that the bid was successful because it did not meet the clearance price, or a message indicating that a re-bidding has been held with the same highest successful bid price, and the current auction ends. When one auction ends, the next auction is repeated using the same procedure.

[0072] In the auction using the top-up bidding method shown on the management screen in FIG. 9, when the Success / Confirmation button OP4 is clicked on the venue owner terminal V and the auction device 1 receives a signal that the Success / Confirmation button OP4 has been clicked on the venue owner terminal V, it creates seller and buyer documents for the successful bid item based on the successful bid price (latest current price PR), the buying commission stored in the storage 7c, and the venue owner's selling commission (the selling commission of the venue owner currently conducting the auction). 10, when the bid closure button OP7 is clicked on the venue owner terminal V and the auction apparatus 1 receives a signal that the bid closure button OP7 has been clicked on the venue owner terminal V, if the highest bid price among the bid prices for the auction items recorded in storage 7c is equal to or higher than the price entered in the sell-out price form F9 in FIG. 10 and there is only one highest bid price, the highest bid price is set as the successful bid price, and seller and buyer reports for the successful item are created based on the buying commission stored in storage 7c and the venue owner's selling commission (the selling commission of the venue owner currently conducting the auction). On the other hand, if the auction ends in a failure to bid, buyer and seller reports are not created.

[0073] After the successful bid is confirmed, the buyer transfers the payment amount written on the slip to, for example, the company that manages the auction site, while the company that manages the auction site pays the total amount of the auction (the total of all the winning bids) in one lump sum to the venue owner that held the auction, and the venue owner pays each seller the winning bid price minus the selling commission (the winning bid price multiplied by the selling commission). This completes the auction transaction.

[0074] The auction apparatus 1 accepts input of bid prices from one or more participant terminals P via a bid price form F10 shown in FIG. 11. The auction apparatus 1 records the accepted bid price in storage 7c in association with the participant terminal P that input the bid price and the participant identification information corresponding to the participant terminal P. Then, if the highest bid price among the bid prices for the auction item recorded in storage 7c is equal to or exceeds the clearance price and is a single bid, the auction apparatus 1 confirms the participant corresponding to the participant terminal P associated with the highest bid price as the successful bidder. Furthermore, the auction apparatus 1 prohibits information about the bid price input at the participant terminal P from being distributed to other participant terminals P. Specifically, the auction apparatus 1 prohibits information about the bid price input at the participant terminal P from being distributed to other participant terminals P at least until the auction apparatus 1 receives a confirmation request signal transmitted by clicking the bid close button OP7 on the venue owner terminal V on the management screen in FIG. 10. Therefore, participants in the auction must make bids without knowing the bid prices of others, and there is a possibility that bid prices will rise depending on the participants' willingness to purchase the item, which can increase the successful bid price and prevent participants from losing interest. After the auction device 1 receives the confirmation request signal, the auction device 1 may confirm the successful bidder and distribute, for example, the highest bid price (successful bid amount) to each participant terminal P.

[0075] Furthermore, the auction device 1 accepts a bid request for an item in which the bid price is the current price of the item plus a markup amount by operating the bid button B7 shown in Fig. 6, and can also accept bids using a bidding method in which the bid price can be freely set, as shown in Fig. 11. In the case of the single bidding method, the person who inputs the highest bid price is determined to be the successful bidder, and in the case of the increased bidding method, the participant corresponding to the participant terminal P from which the auction device 1 last accepted a bid request is determined to be the successful bidder. Thus, in addition to the method of auctioning using the single bidding method, a successful bidder can also be determined when auctioning using the increased bidding method, and an auction in which a successful bidder can be determined using multiple bidding methods can be held.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in the management screens of Figures 9 and 10 displayed on the display 10 of the venue owner's terminal V, the venue owner can change from the single bidding method to the additional bidding method, or vice versa, by clicking the bid change button CH according to the venue owner's wishes. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5B, when the venue owner logs in, they can set the bidding method by clicking the bidding method setting buttons B10 and B11, which set the method for holding the auction. Therefore, the bidding method for the auction can be changed according to the venue owner's selection (setting). Therefore, for example, it is possible to select the auction method based on the wishes of the venue owner and the sellers putting up items at the auction, and the bidding method can be selected each time depending on the items being sold.

[0077] Furthermore, when the auction apparatus 1 receives a confirmation request signal from the venue owner terminal V (when the bid close button OP7 is clicked in FIG. 10), it distributes a countdown CD notifying the participant terminals P of the bidding deadline, as shown in FIG. 12. After the distribution, the auction apparatus 1 confirms the successful bidder. This notifies participants of the bidding deadline and encourages participants who are unsure about their bid or bid price to bid again, thereby increasing the successful bid price and preventing participants from losing interest. Note that when confirming the successful bidder after the bidding deadline is notified, if there are multiple bids with the same highest bid price, the auction apparatus 1 displays on each participant terminal P participating in the auction a message indicating that the highest bid prices are now the same (indicating that there were multiple highest bid prices) and that a re-auction (re-auction) will be held. This allows all participants to re-auction the item being auctioned, increasing interest and leading to an increase in the successful bid price.

[0078] In the above description, an example was described in which an auction participant accesses the login page of the auction site using a participant terminal P and logs in, and the auction page shown in FIG. 6 or 11 is displayed on the display unit 11 of the participant terminal P. When an auction participant logs in, the auction apparatus 1 records the time at which the login was permitted in the storage 7c in association with the participant terminal P (or the participant identification information of the participant terminal P) that was permitted to log in. If the participant terminal P that was permitted to log in based on the time recorded in the storage 7c has not logged in for a predetermined period of time, a guide to select a method for picking up an item that has been sold in the auction, as shown in FIG. 17, may be displayed on the participant terminal P. This makes it possible to prompt the participant to select a method for picking up an item that has been sold in the auction. As a predetermined period of time that serves as a basis for displaying the guide, for example, the guide may be displayed when the participant logs in for the first time on the day the auction is held. Note that the content displayed on the screen shown in FIG. 17 may be set, for example, from a management screen such as that shown in FIG. 18. Furthermore, it may be possible to display a list of methods for picking up items won at auction, as shown in Figure 19, and to upload a separate invoice for shipping fees for items won at auction, as shown in Figure 20.

[0079] Here, the correspondence between this embodiment and the wording in the claims will be explained. The auction apparatus 1 of this embodiment corresponds to the "auction apparatus," and the storage 7c corresponds to the "storage unit." The function of the control unit 7 that allows the participant terminal P to log in to the auction site corresponds to the "first reception unit." The function of the control unit 7 that allows the venue owner terminal V to log in to the auction site corresponds to the "second reception unit." In the venue owner terminal V, the listing information about the item entered in the item name form F5, etc., as shown in FIG. 10, is sent, and the function of the control unit 7 that receives (accepts) the information corresponds to the "listing reception unit." In the venue owner terminal V, the start button OP1, as shown in FIG. 10, is clicked, and a start signal (a request to start the auction) is sent from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1, and the function of the control unit 7 that accepts bids (bid signals) from each participant terminal P corresponds to the "bid reception unit." The function of the control unit 7 that controls the distribution of bid information, such as the bid price, included in the bid signal accepted by the control unit 7 to the participant terminals P corresponds to the "distribution control unit." The function of the control unit 7 to determine the successful bidder based on the bid signal corresponds to the "determination unit" or "determination processing unit." At the participant terminal P, the function of the control unit 7 to receive bid information including the bid price entered and transmitted in the bid price form F10 such as that shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the "price receiving unit."

[0080] The function of the control unit 7 to receive a bid signal (bid request) transmitted when the bid button B7 in Fig. 6 is operated on the participant terminal P corresponds to the "second bid receiving unit." The function of the control unit 7 to determine the successful bidder based on the bid signal (bid request) transmitted when the bid button B7 in Fig. 6 is operated corresponds to the "second determination unit."

[0081] On the venue owner terminal V, when the bidding method setting buttons B10 and B11 in FIG. 5B or the bid change button CH in FIG. 9 or 10 is clicked, a bidding method setting request signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1, and the function of the control unit 7 to accept the bidding method setting corresponds to the "setting acceptance unit."

[0082] On the venue owner terminal V, the bid closing button OP7 in FIG. 10 is clicked, a confirmation request signal is sent to the auction apparatus 1, and the control unit 7 displays a countdown CD on the participant terminal P as shown in FIG. 12, which corresponds to the "display notifying the bid closing."

[0083] Regarding claim 1, the function of the control unit 7 to display the guide shown in FIG. 17 to a participant terminal P that has not logged in for a predetermined period of time at the time of login corresponds to the "display unit."

[0084] The function of the control unit 7 to accept comments (comment signals) from each participant terminal P corresponds to the "comment acceptance unit." Also, the function of the control unit 7 to distribute the accepted comments to the venue host terminal V so that they are displayed for a certain period of time corresponds to the "comment distribution control unit."

[0085] Regarding claim 2, the auction device 1 corresponds to a "computer," and the communication program 7c1, distribution program 7c2, auction program 7c3, etc. that cause the auction device 1 to function as a server having an Internet auction function correspond to a "program."

[0086] With respect to claim 3, the auction apparatus 1 corresponds to the "computer." In FIGS. 2 and 7, the process of recording information about participants and the venue owner corresponds to the "recording process." In FIG. 4, the process of permitting login from the participant terminal P corresponds to the "first receiving process." In FIG. 8, the process of permitting login from the venue owner terminal V corresponds to the "second receiving process." In the venue owner terminal V, listing information about the item entered in the item name form F5, etc., as in FIG. 10, is transmitted, and the control unit 7 receives (accepts) it. In the venue owner terminal V, the process of clicking the start button OP1, as in FIG. 10, transmitting a start signal from the venue owner terminal V to the auction apparatus 1, and the control unit 7 accepting bids (bid signals) from each participant terminal P corresponds to the "bid accepting process." In the venue owner terminal V, the process of controlling the distribution of bid information, such as the bid price, included in the bid signal accepted by the control unit 7 to the participant terminal P corresponds to the "distribution control process." In the venue owner terminal V, the process of determining the successful bidder based on the bid signal corresponds to the "determining process." The process in which the control unit 7 receives bid information including the bid price that is input into the bid price form F10 of the participant terminal P and transmitted as shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the "price receiving process."

[0087] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions, and it is possible to implement the present invention by appropriately combining the exemplified configurations, etc. within a range that is not technically inconsistent, and it is also possible to implement the present invention by replacing certain elements and processes with well-known forms.

[0088] The above describes an example in which, when a participant terminal P submits a bid in a single-bid auction, the bid information of the bid price entered into the bid price form F10 in FIG. 11 and transmitted to the auction apparatus 1 is prohibited from being distributed to other participant terminals P. Instead of prohibiting the distribution of the bid price to other participant terminals P, the distribution of the bid price to other participant terminals P may be restricted. Specifically, when distributing information about the bid price entered at the participant terminal P to other participant terminals P, restrictions may be placed on the information that can be distributed, such as allowing the last three digits of the bid price entered at the participant terminal P to be distributed to other participant terminals P while prohibiting the distribution of the remaining digits to other participant terminals P. Specifically, if a participant terminal P submits a bid of, for example, 55,500 yen, information about the bid price of "500 yen" may be distributed to other participant terminals P. In this way, because part of the information regarding a participant's bid price is distributed to other participants, there is a possibility that the bid price will rise depending on the participant's willingness to purchase the item, which can increase the successful bid price and increase the interest of participants. Note that when there is a limit to the information that can be distributed in this way, for example, the auction device 1 may be configured to allow the input of a bid price to be corrected only once or multiple times (several times), and after a predetermined number of corrections, the auction device 1 may prohibit the input of a bid price.

[0089] In the above, an example has been described in which, when a bid is made at a participant terminal P in a one-shot bidding auction, the bid information of the bid price entered into the bid price form F10 in FIG. 11 and transmitted to the auction device 1 is prohibited or restricted from being distributed to other participant terminals P. The auction device 1 may distribute the bid price and number of bids transmitted to the venue owner terminal V, and display the entered bid price and number of bids on the management screen (FIG. 10) of the venue owner terminal V. By checking the bid price and number of bids displayed on the management screen (FIG. 10), the venue owner and the auctioneer can liven up the auction and ensure the smooth progress of the auction.

[0090] The above-described example has been described in which the auction device 1 can switch between the single-shot bidding method and the additional bidding method. The number of bidding methods that can be switched or changed is not limited to two types, and may be three or more types.

[0091] In the above example, live video of the auction venue input from the camera 8 and microphone 9 of the venue owner terminal V is distributed from the auction apparatus 1 to each participant terminal P, and a display screen displaying the bid button B7, current price PR, etc. is also distributed to each participant terminal P. The display screen displaying the bid button B7, current price PR, etc. may be distributed together with the live video of the auction, or may be distributed to the participant terminal P (participant terminal P logged in to the auction site) before the live video of the auction is distributed. In addition, when the start button OP1 is clicked on the management screen (FIGS. 9 and 10) of the venue owner terminal V, if the auction apparatus 1 receives a start signal transmitted from the venue owner terminal V, the display screen may be distributed to each participant terminal P together with the bid number, item name, etc. transmitted from the venue owner terminal V.

[0092] In the above example, when the bid button B7 in Figure 6 is clicked, the amount added to the current price PR changes depending on the current price PR. The amount added and the threshold for switching the amount added (in the above example, the threshold for switching the amount added is 5,000 yen) can be set uniformly by the administrator of the auction site, or the amount added and the threshold for switching the amount added can be set for each venue owner. Furthermore, the threshold for switching the amount is not limited to one, and two or more values ​​can be set.

[0093] The above describes an example in which the amount to be added to the current price PR is automatically set according to the current price PR when the bid button B7 in Fig. 6 is clicked. When the bid button B7 in Fig. 6 is clicked, a pop-up may be displayed with multiple options for the amount to be added (for example, multiple prices classified into grades such as 3,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 10,000 yen, etc.), allowing the user to select the amount to be added.

[0094] In the above, the auction device 1 has multiple bidding functions for both the single-bid method and the add-on bidding method, but the auction device 1 may be divided into multiple devices, and the auction functions for the single-bid method and the add-on bidding method may be distributed. In this case, for example, the auction site to be logged in for an auction using the single-bid method and the auction site to be logged in for an auction using the add-on bidding method may be separated, and the auction functions may be provided on separate servers.

[0095] In the above, an example was explained in which the comment display form CB2 is provided only on the management screen shown in Fig. 10, but the comment display form CB2 may also be provided on the management screen shown in Fig. 9. Similarly, the check box CB1 and previous successful bidder form F11 in Fig. 10 may also be provided on the management screen shown in Fig. 9.

[0096] In the above, an example has been described in which the bid button B5 and the watch button B6 are provided only on the auction screen shown in FIG. 6, but the bid button B5 and the watch button B6 may also be provided on an auction screen using the single-bid method, such as that shown in FIG. 11.

[0097] 9 and 10, an example has been described in which the venue name is manually entered in the venue name form F2, but the venue name where the auction will be held may be registered as a schedule and automatically entered. Similarly, the auction number form F3 may be automatically incremented, or each form may be automatically filled in according to the progress of the auction, such as automatically filling in the item name form F5, quantity form F6, check box CB1, etc. according to the number in the auction number form F3.

[0098] In the above example, the login screens for the host and the participants are separate, but the login screens for both may be the same. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1 Auction device 4 Communication unit 7 Control section 7c Storage 11 Display section 11a Video section (video screen) 11b 1st display section (display screen) 11c 2nd display section B7 Bid button (operation part) PR current price OP3 Tentative confirmation button OP4 Concluded / confirmed button OP5 Resume button OP6 Flow button OP7 Bid Closing Button CH Bid Change Button S Auction system V Main terminal at venue P Participant terminal B7´ Bid button (operation section)

Claims

1. a recording unit for recording participant identification information identifying participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information identifying a venue owner who holds the auction; a first reception unit that, upon receiving a first login request transmitted from the participant terminal of the participant, checks whether the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information is recorded in the recording unit; a second reception unit that, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checks whether the venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login is recorded in the recording unit, and if it is recorded in the recording unit, allows the second login from the venue host terminal; an auction acceptance unit that, when the second login acceptance unit authorizes the second login, accepts auction information related to an item to be auctioned from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is authorized; a bid acceptance unit that, when receiving a start request transmitted from the venue owner terminal that is a request to start the auction of the item for which the bid acceptance unit has accepted the bid information, is capable of accepting bids for the item from one or more of the participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a distribution control unit that controls distribution of bid information regarding the bid accepted by the bid acceptance unit to the one or more participant terminals for which the first login is permitted; a determination unit that determines a successful bidder for the item based on the bids from the one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid receiving unit a price receiving unit that receives input of a bid price for the item from the one or more participant terminals; The recording unit The bid price for the item accepted by the price accepting unit is recorded in association with the participant terminal that input the bid price; The determination unit a confirmation processing unit that, upon receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, which is a request for processing to confirm the successful bidder, confirms as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording unit; the recording unit records a time when the first login is permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login is permitted by the first accepting unit; The auction device is provided with a display unit that displays, on the participant terminal, instructions for selecting a method for picking up the item when it is sold at the auction, if the participant terminal that has been permitted to log in first based on the time has not logged in for a predetermined period of time.

2. Computer a recording unit for recording participant identification information identifying participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information identifying a venue owner who holds the auction; a first reception unit that, upon receiving a first login request transmitted from the participant terminal of the participant, checks whether the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login is recorded in the recording unit, and permits the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information is recorded in the recording unit; a second reception unit that, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checks whether the venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login is recorded in the recording unit, and if it is recorded in the recording unit, allows the second login from the venue host terminal; an auction acceptance unit that, when the second login acceptance unit authorizes the second login, accepts auction information related to an item to be auctioned from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is authorized; a bid acceptance unit that, when receiving a start request transmitted from the venue owner terminal that is a request to start the auction of the item for which the bid acceptance unit has accepted the bid information, is capable of accepting bids for the item from one or more of the participant terminals that are permitted to log in first; a distribution control unit that controls distribution of bid information regarding the bid accepted by the bid acceptance unit to the one or more participant terminals for which the first login is permitted; a determination unit that determines a successful bidder for the item based on the bids from the one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid receiving unit a price receiving unit that receives input of a bid price for the item from the one or more participant terminals; The recording unit The bid price for the item accepted by the price accepting unit is recorded in association with the participant terminal that input the bid price; The determination unit a confirmation processing unit that, upon receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, which is a request for processing to confirm the successful bidder, confirms as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording unit; the recording unit records a time when the first login is permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login is permitted by the first accepting unit; A program for functioning as a device that includes a display unit that displays instructions on the participant terminal for selecting a method of picking up the item when it is won at the auction if the participant terminal that has been permitted to log in for the first time based on the time has not logged in for a specified period of time.

3. 1. A computer-implemented auction method comprising: a recording step of recording participant identification information identifying participants who can participate in the auction and venue owner identification information identifying a venue owner who holds the auction; a first accepting step of, when receiving a first login request transmitted from the participant terminal of the participant, checking whether the participant identification information of the participant requesting the first login has been recorded in the recording step, and permitting the first login from the participant terminal if the participant identification information has been recorded in the recording step; a second receiving step of, upon receiving a second login request transmitted from the venue host terminal of the venue host, checking whether the venue host identification information of the venue host requesting the second login has been recorded in the recording step, and permitting the second login from the venue host terminal if the venue host identification information has been recorded in the recording step; an Item Acceptance Step for accepting, when the second login is permitted in the second login acceptance step, listing information regarding items to be offered at the auction from the venue owner terminal for which the second login is permitted; a bid acceptance step for accepting bids for the auction item from one or more of the participant terminals permitted to log in when a start request transmitted from the venue owner terminal is received, the start request being a request to start the auction for the item whose auction information has been accepted in the auction acceptance step; a distribution control step of controlling distribution of bid information regarding the bid accepted in the bid acceptance step to the one or more participant terminals for which the first login is permitted; a determining step of determining a successful bidder for the item based on the bids from the one or more participant terminals; Equipped with The bid acceptance step includes: a price receiving step of receiving an input of a bid price for the item from the one or more participant terminals; The recording step includes: The bid price for the item accepted in the price acceptance step is recorded in association with the participant terminal that input the bid price; The determining step includes: a confirmation processing step of, when receiving a confirmation request from the venue owner terminal, which is a request for processing to confirm the successful bidder, confirming as the successful bidder the participant corresponding to the participant terminal associated with the highest bid price among the bid prices of the item recorded in the recording step; the recording step records the time at which the first login is permitted in association with the participant terminal for which the first login is permitted in the first acceptance step; The auction method includes a display step of displaying on the participant terminal, if the participant terminal that has been permitted the first login based on the time has not logged in for a predetermined period of time, a guide for selecting a method for picking up the item in the event of a successful bid in the auction.

4. 2. The auction device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays, on the participant terminal, a guide for selecting a method for picking up the item in the event of a successful bid in the auction, if the login is the first of the day at the participant terminal for which the first login is permitted based on the time.

5. The program described in claim 2, wherein the display unit displays instructions on the participant terminal for selecting a method of picking up the item if it is won in the auction, if this is the first login of the day at the participant terminal for which the first login is permitted based on the time.

6. The auction method according to claim 3, wherein the display step displays, on the participant terminal where the first login is permitted based on the time, a guide for selecting a method for picking up the item in the event of a successful bid in the auction, if this is the first login of the day.

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