Appeal No. 2004-1283
Application No. 09/373,141
negotiated discount,” that a buyer commits to spend a certain
amount “and a requested discount field,” that the auction system
analyzes bid data in order to present information to sellers
indicating the aggregate commitment amounts associated “with
different requested discounts,” along with other recitations of
“discount offer field,” “greatest discount,” generation of a
“discount record” and the “discount offered” by the selected
seller.
Clearly, then, as disclosed and claimed, the instant
invention is directed to buying/selling at the best “discount
rate.” Sellers compete for customers’ business by offering
various discount rates for specified categories of items and the
seller offering the best, or greatest, discount rate is
successful in the auction.
While Shkedy certainly deals with electronic commerce
wherein buyers’ purchase requirements are aggregated into a
single collective purchase requirement and sellers are located
willing to bid on the collective purchase requirement, we find no
disclosure in Shkedy which deals with sellers competing by
offering the best “discount rate,” as claimed.
The examiner points to columns 7, 8 and 9 of Shkedy. In
particular, the examiner points to column 7, lines 26-42, wherein
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