Reverse Auction Server for Transport Price Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in comparing and obtaining competitive prices for transportation and delivery services in real-time, lacking opportunities to determine good prices or services when needed.
Innovation Solution
A reverse auction server system that receives requests for transportation or delivery, processes geographical location information, and transmits bids from service providers to users' communication devices, allowing users to select the best service based on presented options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users directly contact service providers for transportation or delivery services, then service availability is ensured, but price comparison capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that connects users with multiple service providers. This intermediary receives service requests from users, distributes them to relevant providers, collects bids, and presents comparative information to users. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by enabling price comparison without requiring users to directly contact multiple providers themselves.
2Loss of information
If multiple service providers are contacted simultaneously for bids, then price comparison is enabled, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing connections with multiple service providers and having them ready to respond. When a user request arrives, the system can quickly distribute it to pre-identified providers who are already prepared to bid, reducing the overall response time while still enabling price comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous readiness of service providers to receive and respond to requests. By keeping providers in a state of continuous availability and using automated distribution mechanisms, the system enables simultaneous bid collection without significant time loss, as the bidding process flows continuously without manual intervention delays.
3Productivity
If manual service procurement process is used, then simplicity is maintained, but efficiency and price optimization are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the electronic system automatically receives requests, identifies relevant service providers, distributes requests, collects bids, and presents options to users without manual intervention. This automated self-service process dramatically improves procurement efficiency while the system complexity is managed through standardized automated procedures rather than manual coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computer program product, and apparatus for providing reverse auction services are provided. A reverse auction request for transportation or a reverse auction request for delivery is received from a communications device. Geographical location information of an origination location and a destination location for the reverse auction request for transportation or delivery is received from the communications device. The reverse auction request for transportation or delivery is transmitted. Bids to the reverse auction request for transportation or delivery are received. The bids to the request for transportation or delivery are transmitted to the communications device.