Integrated auction for remote online bidders and live participants at an auctionsite

摘要

A method and apparatus are provided for conducting an integrated auction that incorporates various features of traditional and online auctions. According to one aspect of the present invention, the integrated auction includes a live, in-person auction component (620) and an online bidding environment component. Bidding information associated with an item in the online bidding environment is updated to reflect a current bid associated with the item in the live, in-person auction. During the live, in-person auction, a bid may be accepted from an online bidder in the online environment that reflects a maximum price the online bidder is willing to pay for the item. Subsequently, the system bids on behalf of the online bidder against one or more live bidders that are participating in the live, in-person auction based upon the maximum price (640).