Enhanced user reviews

• US 20080071602A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trevor, Jonathan James, Celemin, Gabriel Alejandro, Ojakaar, Erik, Cruz, Jonathan Cordero, Verhage, Alexander Jan
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

A review writing tool guides a user through the process of writing an enhanced product review. The review writing tool can include a web user interface, which breaks the review writing process down into multiple stages so the review writer can incrementally write the review. In addition, the review writing tool provides prompts, examples, and instructions to guide the review writer through the writing process. The review writing tool also allows a review writer to add a list of related products from a related product database to the review. For example, a review writer may have evaluated a number of products before selecting the product the review writer ended up purchasing. Accordingly, the review writer can add information about those other products to his review. Doing so allows subsequent consumers to browse not only the product a review writer purchased, but also products the review writer recommends.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a product review comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of;

storing item information;

storing information that indicates that a particular product is related to a set of other products;

presenting to a user an input review page associated with the particular product, wherein the input review page presents to the user one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product;

generating a list of related products based on the stored information that indicates that the particular product is related to the set of other products; and

displaying to the user one or more controls that allow the user to specify which of those products in the set of other products were considered by said user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording, through the input review page, which of the products in the set of other products were considered by said user; and

presenting the list of related products so a reader of the product review sees the other products that were considered by said user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product comprises:

a title control for adding a title in the input review page; and

a ratings control for inputting rating information through the input review page for the particular product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product further comprises:

one or more comment controls for adding comments about said particular product through the product review page.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more comment controls include a pros-cons control and a full-review control.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein computing a list of products generated based on the stored information that indicates that the first product is related to a set of other products includes retrieving the set of other products from a product repository.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a list of products includes:

extracting a set of keywords from the user'"'"'s opinion relative to the particular product;

submitting the set of keywords to a product repository; and

generating the list of products based on search results provided by the product repository.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more controls for providing the user with instructions on how to specify the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more controls for providing the user with instructions include one or more controls for displaying motivating information to the user, wherein said motivating information encourages the user to complete the review.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more controls for providing the user with instructions are bubble controls.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying one or more controls for providing the user with instructions includes:

determining which of the one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product is currently selected; and

displaying one or more controls that give specific instructions for the currently selected control.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of other products includes competing products.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of other products includes an accessory to a particular product.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said product comprises at least one of a good, movie, person, song, and school class.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the input review page is a web page.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a list of products other than said product includes retrieving the other products from a product repository.

16. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of;

generating a first page that includes controls for entering a review of a product;

wherein the first page includes one or more controls for specifying an opinion relative to said product;

sending the first page to a user to allow the user to specify an opinion relative to said product;

based on information provided by the user through the first page, storing a review of said product;

generating a list of products other than said product;

generating a second page that includes said list of products;

wherein to second page includes one or more controls for selecting which products in said list were considered by said user;

sending the second page to said user; and

based on information provided by the user through the second page, storing, in association with said review of the product, information that indicates which products in said list were selected by said user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

presenting the related products so a reader of the review of the product sees which products in said list were selected by said user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product comprises:

a title control for adding a title in the input review page; and

a ratings control for inputting rating information through the input review page for the particular product.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more controls for specifying the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said particular product further comprises:

one or more comment controls for adding comments about said particular product through the product review page.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more comment controls include a pros-cons control and a full-review control.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying one or more controls to provide the user with instructions on how to specify the user'"'"'s opinion relative to said product.