Online Dynamic Evaluation and Search for Products and Services

• US 20080235148A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jiezhou Liu
• Original Assignee: Jiezhou Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Jiezhou
• Application Number:
  US12/052,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235148A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

In one aspect, computer implemented dynamic evaluation is based on feature tags. As will be described in more detail below, a buyer may be interested in certain features of a product (e.g., color, material, design, lining, warranty, delivery terms, etc.) and the different features are described using feature tags. For custom products, the buyer'"'"'s specification may be described at least in part by feature tags. Each feature tag may include one or more standardized keywords. The computer-based system can use the feature tag representation of a buyer'"'"'s order to both search for appropriate products (i.e., appropriate sellers of the product requested by the buyer), and then subsequently to allow the seller to review the performance of the selected buyer. Over time, each seller will receive different reviews from different buyers. These reviews can be stored and the data used to better predict which sellers will be appropriate for a future buyer request. Buyers can also be evaluated and reviewed to allow similar screening by the sellers. The use of standardized keywords establishes a common vocabulary and rating system among the community of buyers and sellers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically evaluating and searching for products and suppliers, the method comprises:

receiving from a first buyer an order evaluation about a first product of a supplier, the order evaluation including ratings of manufacturing features characterizing qualities of the supplier;

storing the order evaluation in a data storage element;

receiving from a second buyer a search query for suppliers of a second product, the search query including requirements of manufacturing features;

searching order evaluations in the data storage element for suppliers of the second product satisfying the requirements in the search query; and

responsive to the first product being similar to the second product and the ratings in the order evaluation satisfying the requirements in the search query, returning to the second buyer the supplier in a search result of the search query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the order evaluation with manufacturing feature tags, each manufacturing feature tag including a standardized keyword describing a manufacturing feature characterizing a quality of the supplier; and

formatting the requirements in the search query with corresponding manufacturing feature tags, wherein the searching comprises searching for order evaluations with ratings satisfying the requirements in the search query and associated with matching manufacturing feature tags.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein fulfilling an order for the first product or the second product requires the supplier to conduct a plurality of manufacturing processes, and wherein each manufacturing feature tag corresponds with one of the plurality of manufacturing processes of the first product and the second product and is associated with a rating.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product is manufactured according to a specification provided by the first buyer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the second buyer an order for the second product, the order specifying requirements of the second product.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

formatting the order to include a set of manufacturing feature tags following by corresponding requirements and optionally comments.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating an order negotiation between the second buyer and the supplier of the second product; and

generating an order for the second product based on finalized order information of the order negotiation.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating order evaluation for the second buyer based on requirements in the order.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the facilitating comprises enabling the second buyer and the supplier to edit, sign, or encrypt order information to generate the finalized order information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating an overall rating of the order, an overall rating of the seller, and an overall rating of the second buyer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the overall rating of the order is calculated by calculating the total number of ratings of all of the features or feature tag of the order, calculating the total ratings of all of the features or feature tag of the order, and calculating the percentage and/or average of ratings of all of the features or feature tag in the order.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

consolidating the order evaluation with other order evaluations of the first product or the supplier to generate a review summary, wherein the searching comprises searching review summaries for suppliers satisfying the requirements in the search query.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a review of the first buyer from the supplier, the review including ratings of features characterizing qualities of the first buyer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

enabling suppliers to search reviews for qualities of a specific buyer or buyers of a specific quality.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is in the format of feature tags followed by their requested quality rating or range of ratings, and wherein the search result is formatted at least in part as feature tags following by ratings and optional comments.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the order evaluation includes comments.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product includes a service and the supplier includes a service provider.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is for a Business-to-Business computer system targeting suppliers and buyers from multiple countries.

19. A computer program product dynamically evaluating and searching for products and suppliers, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code for performing a method comprising:

receiving from a first buyer an order evaluation about a first product of a supplier, the order evaluation including ratings of manufacturing features characterizing qualities of the supplier;

storing the order evaluation in a data storage element;

receiving from a second buyer a search query for suppliers of a second product, the search query including requirements of manufacturing features;

searching order evaluations in the data storage element for suppliers of the second product satisfying the requirements in the search query; and

responsive to the first product being similar to the second product and the ratings in the order evaluation satisfying the requirements in the search query, returning to the second buyer the supplier in a search result of the search query.

20. A computer system for dynamically evaluating and searching for products and suppliers, the computer system comprises:

an evaluation server and client systems connected to one another via a computer based distributed network, the evaluation server comprising the following;

a means for receiving from a first buyer an order evaluation about a first product of a supplier, the order evaluation including ratings of manufacturing features characterizing qualities of the supplier;

a means for storing the order evaluation in a data storage element;

a means for receiving from a second buyer a search query for suppliers of a second product, the search query including requirements of manufacturing features;

a means for searching order evaluations in the data storage element for suppliers of the second product satisfying the requirements in the search query; and

a means for responsive to the first product being similar to the second product and the ratings in the order evaluation satisfying the requirements in the search query, returning to the second buyer the supplier in a search result of the search query.