Evaluation apparatus with voting system, evaluation method with voting system, and a computer product

• US 6,739,508 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ushioda, Akira, Okura, Seiji, Tsukamoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimberly D.
• Application Number:
  US09/790,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20020038819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 235/386, 235/381, 235/375, 705/14, 705/10, 705/12
• US Class Current: 235/386
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus

Abstract

A control section is used which executes the following steps. That is, a) making a plurality of voters respectively vote evaluation of voting-object information in accordance with an on-line voting system by using a plurality of clients, each client being set at a voters sides, b) calculating average evaluation in accordance with voting results, c) deciding a voter'"'"'s rank of each of the voters in accordance with a deviation between average evaluation and evaluation by the voter concerned, and d) determining overall evaluation of voting-object information at least in accordance with a result of weighting a voting result correspondingly to the voter'"'"'s rank.

Claims

1. An evaluation apparatus with a voting system, comprising:

a voting unit which makes a plurality of voters respectively vote an evaluation of information to be evaluated in accordance with the voting system, the information to be evaluated comprising at least two or more selections and each voted evaluation comprising a selection of one of the selections;

an average-evaluation calculating unit which calculates an average evaluation comprising an average of the voted evaluations of the information to be evaluated in accordance with voting results obtained by the voting unit;

a voter-rank decision unit which automatically determines voter ranks, the voter ranks comprising a voter rank of each of the voters, by using deviations between the average evaluation of the information to be evaluated as calculated by the average-evaluation calculating unit and each voted evaluation of the information to be evaluated that was voted by the voters being ranked; and

an overall-evaluation determining unit which determines an overall evaluation of the information to be evaluated by weighting the voting results of the voting unit according to the voter ranks calculated by the voter-rank decision unit.

2. The evaluation apparatus with a voting system according to claim 1, wherein said voter-rank decision unit determines the voter ranks so that the voter ranks rise as the deviations decrease and lower as the deviations increase.

3. The evaluation apparatus with a voting system according to claim 1, further comprising a point providing unit which provides an incentive point for each of the voters in accordance with the voter ranks.

4. The evaluation apparatus with a voting system according to claim 1, further comprising a price deciding unit which determines a price of an object relating to the information to be voted in accordance with the overall evaluation.

5. The evaluation apparatus with a voting system according to claim 1 further comprising a disclosure-range control unit which controls disclosure ranges of the overall evaluation and the information to be voted in accordance with the voter ranks.

6. An evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output interface unit which outputs a data to a computer terminal at one of the voters, wherein the computer terminal displays an evaluation-information screen displaying the overall evaluation of the information to be evaluated.

7. An evaluation method with a voting system, comprising:

allowing a plurality of voters respectively to vote an evaluation of information to be evaluated in accordance with the voting system, the information to be evaluated comprising at least two or more selections and each voted evaluation comprising a selection of one of the selections, whereby voting results are generated;

calculating an average evaluation comprising an average of the voted evaluations of the information to be evaluated in accordance with the generated voting results;

automatically determining a voter ranks, the voter ranks comprising a voter rank of each of the voters, by using deviations between the average evaluation of the information to be evaluated and each voted evaluation of the information to be evaluated that was voted by the voters being ranked;

determining an overall evaluation of the information to be evaluated by weighting the generated voting results according to the calculated voter ranks.

8. The evaluation method with a voting system according to claim 7, wherein the voter ranks are determined so that the voter ranks rise as the deviations decrease and lower as the deviations increase.

9. The evaluation method with a voting system according to claim 7, further comprising providing an incentive point for each of the voters in accordance with the voter ranks.

10. The evaluation method with a voting system according to claim 7, further comprising determining a price of an object relating to the information to be voted in accordance with the overall evaluation.

11. An evaluation method according to claim 7, further comprising outputting a data to a computer terminal at one of the voters, wherein the computer terminal displays an evaluation-information screen displaying the overall evaluation of the information to be evaluated.

12. A volatile or non-volatile machine-readable storage storing information to perform the method according to claim 7.

13. A method of ranking a voter, comprising:

receiving votes on a voting-subject information from voters over a data network, the voting-subject information comprising at least two or more selections on the voting-subject and each vote comprising a selection of one of the selections;

automatically calculating an average vote of the voting-subject based on the votes received over the network;

for each of voters that are to be ranked, automatically determining a respective rank based on a statistical deviation of a voter to be ranked with reference to the automatically calculated average vote of the voting-subject information; and

calculating a weighted overall evaluation of the voting-subject information by weighting the voting-subject votes of the respective ranked voters according to their respective determined ranks.

14. A volatile or non-volatile machine-readable storage storing information to perform the method according to claim 13.