Apparatus, system and method for use in providing user ratings according to prior transactions

• US 20050261919A1
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Poonen, Zareen, Kundtz, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, systems, architectures, computer readable medium, and processes for use in notifying users of other users'"'"' transaction ratings. Some embodiments provide a method for use in facilitating transactions between users. This method determines that a first user is interested in entering into a transaction with a second user, determines a summary rating of the second user, and notifies the first user of the second user'"'"'s summary rating prior to the first user entering into a transaction with the second user. The method can further determine that the second user'"'"'s summary rating is below a first threshold, generate the notification to the first user to review the second users summary rating, and implement the notification of the first user when the second user'"'"'s summary rating is below the first threshold. In some embodiments, the method notifies the first user by displaying a warning box.

Claims

1. A method for use in generating a user rating notice, comprising:

identifying that a first user is interested in entering into a transaction with a second user;

displaying a second user'"'"'s summary rating to the first user;

determining if the summary rating exceeds a rating threshold; and

displaying a notification to the first user when the second user has a summary rating that is less than the rating threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the notification comprises generating and displaying a warning box notifying the first user to review a transaction history of the second user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displayed warning box comprises providing access to additional information within the warning box.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating the warning box comprises incorporating a link to additional information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating the warning box comprises incorporating recommendations to the second user.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating the warning box comprises incorporating an advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating search results based on search criteria; and

displaying the search results;

wherein the displaying the notification comprises displaying the notification with the displaying of the search results.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a rating for the second user; and

adjusting the second user'"'"'s summary rating according to the received rating.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the first user when the second user'"'"'s summary rating increases above a threshold.

10. A method for use in providing users with information that can be utilized in evaluating transactions, the method comprises:

determining that a first user is interested in entering into a transaction with a second user;

displaying the second user'"'"'s summary rating; and

displaying a notification to the first user recommending the first user review the second user'"'"'s summary rating information prior to the first user entering into a transaction with the second user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the second user'"'"'s summary rating is less than a first threshold;

generating the notification to the first user to review the second user'"'"'s summary rating information when the second user'"'"'s summary rating is less than he first threshold; and

implementing the displaying of the notification to the first user prior to the first user entering into the transaction with the second user when the second user'"'"'s summary rating is less than the first threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying the notification to the first user comprises displaying a warning box notifying the first user to review the second user'"'"'s summary rating.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the warning box further comprises recommended actions relating to the transaction.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the second user'"'"'s summary rating is at least equal to a first threshold; and

preventing the displaying of the notification to the first user to review the second user'"'"'s summary rating information prior to the first user entering into the transaction with the second user when the second user'"'"'s summary rating is at least equal to the first threshold.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a first rating of the second user from the first user;

verifying that a transaction occurred between the first and second users; and

re-determining the summary rating of the second user based at least in part on the first rating.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that the first user has submitted a previous rating of the second user; and

implementing the re-determining the summary rating including re-determining the summary rating without including the previous rating when the first rating and the previous rating are from the first user.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring ratings of a first group of users, where each user of the first group has a summary rating that exceed a first threshold; and

adjusting a value of the first threshold when a second threshold number of users of the first group have their summary ratings drop below the first threshold.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the second user has participated in a threshold number of transactions; and

implementing the displaying of the notification to the first user to review the second user'"'"'s summary rating information prior to the first user entering into the transaction with the second user when the second user has not participated in a number of transactions that exceed the threshold number of transactions.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining when the second user has been performing transactions for less than a second threshold period of time; and

generating the notification when the second user has been performing transactions for less than the second threshold period of time.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining when the second user is a verified user; and

preventing the displaying of the notification when the second user is a verified user.

21. An apparatus for use in facilitating transactions, comprising:

a memory that stores ratings and summary ratings;

a rating calculator coupled with the memory, the rating calculator receives at least a portion of the ratings and calculates the summary ratings;

a ratings evaluator coupled with the memory, the ratings evaluator determines when the summary ratings exceed a first threshold; and

a notification generator coupled with the ratings evaluator, the notification generator generates a notification when a first summary rating does not exceed the first threshold.

22. The server of claim 21, further comprising:

a ratings counter coupled with the memory, the ratings counter counts a number of ratings received for each user;

a counter evaluator coupled with the ratings counter, the ratings evaluator determines when a number of ratings of a first user does not exceed a second threshold; and

wherein the notification generator couples with the counter evaluator, and the notification generator generates the notification when the number of ratings of the first user does not exceed the second threshold.

23. The server of claim 21, further comprising:

a summary ratings evaluator coupled with the ratings evaluator, and the summary ratings evaluator determines whether a third threshold number of a first group of users having summary ratings that exceed the first threshold have their summary ratings be adjusted below the first threshold; and

a threshold generator coupled with the summary ratings evaluator, wherein the threshold generator adjusts the first threshold when the number of the first group of users exceeds the third threshold.