Invalidity dossier
US 5845265
Consignment nodes
Current assignee: eBay Inc
Added 9/23/2026, 4:45:29 PM
Active provider: DeepSeek · deepseek-flash
Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
US 5,845,265 — "Consignment Nodes"
Bibliographic facts (from supplied source):
- Patent number: US 5,845,265 A; application US 08/554,704.
- Inventor: Thomas G. Woolston. Original assignee: MercExchange LLC. Current assignee(s) listed: eBay Inc; MercExchange Va LLC.
- Priority date: 1995-04-26. Filing date: 1995-11-07. Publication/grant: 1998-12-01.
- Status listed: Expired – Lifetime (anticipated expiration 2015-04-26).
- Classifications: G06Q 30/06; G06Q 20/08; G06Q 20/12; G06Q 40/04.
Purpose and plain-language scope: The invention relates to used and collectible goods offered for sale over an electronic network of consignment stores. Described components include: a consignment node — a computer database of used goods, preferably operated by a collectibles shopkeeper or bailee; a low-cost posting terminal for small store owners to present goods to a computerized market, track sales, and control posted inventory; and a network connecting "trusted" licensee or franchisee nodes. The network lets shopkeepers establish electronic markets and auctions, search each other's shops for hard-to-find items, and electronically present goods to market. A stated aim is a two-tiered market: a retail price tier and a wholesale/dealer-to-dealer tier, with pre-approved authorized-dealer access. A node may become a "dominant market maker" for a class of goods, with a central market maker computer virtually divided into different markets; participants can reach distant nodes through their local node. The excerpt also frames the invention as an electronic "market maker," electronic "presentment" of goods, and an electronic agent to search the network.
What the excerpt does not establish: It is expressly an excerpt; the full specification, all claims, and the drawings are not included here, so the enforceable claim scope cannot be determined from this text. The source states legal status, assignee lists, and priority dates are assumptions, not legal conclusions, and it disclaims performing a legal analysis. No findings are offered here on validity, infringement, prior art, or ownership.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:44:14 PM
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Litigation summary
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.
Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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