METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR WEB-BASED RESEARCH
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of conducting web-based research on at least one item, the at least one item comprising at least one product and/or at least one service, the method being performed by a first user and comprising acts of:
- (A) accessing a previously populated research template for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to at least one attribute for evaluating the at least one item, the at least one attribute having been specified by at least one other user, the at least one field being populated with results of research conducted on the at least one item by the at least one other user, the results comprising data collected from at least one website;
(B) modifying the research template by modifying the at least one attribute; and
(C) populating the modified template with data collected from at least one website.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for facilitating web-based research among a community of users. Templates created by at least one user within the community may be modified by another user to facilitate further research on a item, such as a product and/or service, associated with the template. The modified template may be populated with data collected from at least one website and organized in such a manner so as to facilitate making a decision about the item.
19 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of conducting web-based research on at least one item, the at least one item comprising at least one product and/or at least one service, the method being performed by a first user and comprising acts of:
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(A) accessing a previously populated research template for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to at least one attribute for evaluating the at least one item, the at least one attribute having been specified by at least one other user, the at least one field being populated with results of research conducted on the at least one item by the at least one other user, the results comprising data collected from at least one website; (B) modifying the research template by modifying the at least one attribute; and (C) populating the modified template with data collected from at least one website. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of facilitating web-based research on at least one item, the at least one item comprising at least one product and/or at least one service, the method comprising acts of:
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(A) providing a first user access to a previously populated research template for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to at least one attribute for evaluating the at least one item, the at least one attribute having been specified by at least one other user, the at least one field being populated with results of research conducted on the at least one item by the at least one other user, the results comprising data collected from at least one website; (B) in response to at least one instruction from the first user, modifying the research template by modifying the at least one attribute; and (C) in response to at least one action by the first user, populating the modified template with data collected from at least one website. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform a method of facilitating web-based research on at least one item, the at least one item comprising at least one product and/or at least one service, the method comprising acts of:
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(A) providing a first user access to a previously populated research template for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to at least one attribute for evaluating the at least one item, the at least one attribute having been specified by at least one other user, the at least one field being populated with results of research conducted on the at least one item by the at least one other user, the results comprising data collected from at least one website; (B) in response to at least one instruction from the first user, modifying the research template by modifying the at least one attribute; and (C) in response to at least one action by the first user, populating the modified template with data collected from at least one website. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification