Method and apparatus for using search agents to search plurality of markets ...

1. A method of searching a plurality of electronic markets to locate an item, the method comprising:

receiving a search request for an item from an internet participant at a first computer;

formatting said search request at said first computer into a predetermined format;

transmitting said search request, using a software search agent, from said first computer to a plurality of other computers in said predetermined format, at least one of the plurality of other computers performing a search for the item in response to receiving said search request; and

receiving at the first computer search results from at least one of the plurality of other computers in response to the transmitted search request.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuously executing a computer program at one or more of the other computers to receive the formatted search request from said first computer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said continuously executing program comprises a Unix daemon.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said first computer comprises a computerized market for goods; and

at least one of the plurality of other computers comprises a second computerized market for goods.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said first computer executes a program that generates a plurality of search requests in response to a user request to search a plurality of computers connected to the internet.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said first computer executes a program that generates a search request in response to a user request to search a plurality of electronic markets for goods wherein at least one electronic market is a dominant electronic market for a predetermined category of goods.

7. A method for searching a plurality of electronic markets for an item, the method comprising:

receiving an inquiry at a first electronic market;

instructing a software search agent at the first electronic market to generate a search request in response to the received inquiry;

transmitting said search request from said first electronic market to a plurality of other electronic markets; and

receiving from one or more of the other electronic markets a search result in response to the transmitted search request.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

formatting said search request at said first electronic market into a predetermined search format.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said software search agent executes separately from said first electronic market.

10. A method for searching a plurality of electronic markets, the method comprising:

transmitting a search request from a first electronic market to a second electronic market, said second electronic market responding with a list of addresses to other electronic markets, said second electronic market adding said first electronic market to said second electronic market's list of electronic markets if said first electronic market is not in the list of electronic markets at said second electronic market; and

receiving said list of electronic markets at said first electronic market, said first electronic market adding to a list of electronic markets at said first electronic market with information from said list of electronic markets received from said second electronic market.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting a search request from said first electronic market to another electronic market in response to receiving said list of electronic markets from said second electronic market.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving search results at said first market from said second electronic market.

13. An apparatus for searching a plurality of electronic markets, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface;

a storage device; and

a computer operationally connected to said network interface and said storage device, said network interface connecting said computer to a communication network, said storage device including a list of addresses for at least one electronic market, said computer transmitting a search request to the at least one electronic market, said computer receiving a list of electronic markets from the at least one electronic market, said computer updating the list of addresses for electronic markets in response to the list of electronic markets received from said at least one electronic market.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

said computer transmitting a search request to another electronic market identified in the list of electronic markets received from said at least one electronic market.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

said computer storing the list of electronic market addresses on said storage device; the list of electronic market addresses in said storage device providing, at least in part, a list of electronic markets to search in a subsequent search request initiated at said computer.

16. A computer-implemented method of searching for an item in a plurality of independently operated electronic auctions interconnected by a computer network, each electronic auction having an associated data repository, the method comprising:

receiving input identifying an item; and

instructing a software search agent to search for the item on the computer network in the respective data repositories of one or more of the electronic auctions.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the software search agent comprises a continuously executing program capable of issuing search requests to search the respective data repositories of the plurality of electronic auctions on the computer network.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the software search agent searches for the item by formatting a search request into a predetermined format and issuing the formatted search request to one or more of the electronic auctions on the computer network.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the software search agent issues a plurality of search requests, one each to a plurality of electronic auctions.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising, at one or more of the electronic auctions on the computer network, continuously executing a receiving daemon to receive search requests issued by the software search agent.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein each electronic auction and its associated data repository are implemented on a separate node in the computer network.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein receiving input identifying an item comprises receiving from a human user input that is descriptive of an item that is desired by the human user.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the human user's input is collected in the first instance at a first computer that is remote from, and in communication with, another computer on which the software search agent is executing.

25. The method of claim 24 comprising transmitting the collected human user's input from the first computer to the other computer on which the software search agent is executing.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

receiving search results from one or more electronic auctions that was searched by the software search agent; and

displaying the search results to the human user on the first computer.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein a computer on which the software search agent is executing is independent from the electronic auctions on the computer network.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the item being searched for comprises goods, services, collectables, or a combination thereof.

29. A computer-implemented method of searching for an item in a plurality of electronic markets interconnected by a computer network, each electronic market having an associated data repository, the method comprising:

receiving input identifying an item; and

instructing a software search agent to search for the item on the computer network in the respective data repositories of one or more of the electronic markets.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the software search agent comprises a continuously executing program capable of issuing search requests to search the respective data repositories of the plurality of electronic markets on the computer network.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the software search agent searches for the item by formatting a search request into a predetermined format and issuing the formatted search request to one or more of the electronic markets on the computer network.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the software search agent issues a plurality of search requests, one each to a plurality of electronic markets.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising, at one or more of the electronic markets on the computer network, continuously executing a receiving daemon to receive search requests issued by the software search agent.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein each electronic market and its associated data repository are implemented on a separate node in the computer network.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.

36. The method of claim 29 wherein receiving input identifying an item comprises receiving from a human user input that is descriptive of an item that is desired by the human user.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the human user's input is collected in the first instance at a first computer that is remote from, and in communication with, another computer on which the software search agent is executing.

38. The method of claim 37 comprising transmitting the collected human user's input from the first computer to the other computer on which the software search agent is executing.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

receiving search results from one or more electronic markets that was searched by the software search agent; and

displaying the search results to the human user on the first computer.

40. The method of claim 29 wherein a computer on which the software search agent is executing is independent of the electronic markets on the computer network.

41. The method of claim 29 wherein the item being searched for comprises goods, services, collectables, or a combination thereof.

42. A computer-implemented method of searching a plurality of electronic markets interconnected by a computer network, each electronic market having an associated data repository, the method at a first electronic market comprising:

issuing to a second electronic market a request to search the second electronic market's data repository;

receiving from the second electronic market a list of electronic markets on the computer network known to the second electronic market; and

updating a list maintained by the first electronic market of known electronic markets based on the list received from the second electronic market.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising:

receiving from the second electronic market search results in response to the search request issued by the first electronic market.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the second electronic market's list of electronic markets known to the second electronic market includes a third electronic market previously unknown to the first electronic market, and wherein the method at the first electronic market further comprises issuing a search request to the third electronic market.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the method at the first electronic market further comprises issuing a search request to each of a plurality of other previously unknown electronic markets identified in the list of electronic markets received from the second electronic market.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the issuing, receiving and updating are performed a plurality of times relative to a plurality of other electronic markets on the computer network.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the first electronic market communicates with each of the plurality of other electronic markets serially.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein the first electronic market communicates with at least two other electronic markets substantially in parallel.

49. The method of claim 46 wherein the first electronic market communicates with each of the plurality of other electronic markets serially.

50. The method of claim 46 wherein the first electronic market communicates with at least two other electronic markets substantially in parallel.

51. A computer-implemented method of searching a plurality of electronic markets interconnected by a computer network, each electronic market having an associated data repository, the method at a first electronic market comprising:

receiving from a second electronic market a request to search the first electronic market's data repository;

determining whether the second electronic market is known to the first electronic market; and

if the second electronic market is unknown to the first electronic market, updating a list of known electric markets maintained by the first electronic market to include the second electronic market.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

transmitting from the first electronic market to the second electronic market a list of other electronic markets known the first electronic market.

53. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

transmitting from the first electronic market to the second electronic market search results responsive to the search request received from the second electronic market.

54. The method of claim 51 wherein the receiving, determining and updating are performed a plurality of times relative to a plurality of other electronic markets on the computer network.