Delegated authority evaluation system

• US 7,844,610 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hillis, W. Daniel, Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): Timblin; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reyes; Mariela D
• Application Number:
  US10/854,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 707/740, 707/748
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

The invention provides an evaluation system for reliably evaluating large amounts of content. The evaluation system is managed by a primary authority that designates one or more contributing authorities by delegating to each a specific quantity of authority. Each contributing authority may in turn designate and delegate authority to one or more additional contributing authorities, subject to the restriction that the total quantity of authority delegated does not exceed the quantity of authority the contributing authority was itself delegated. Each contributing authority, and optionally the primary authority itself, may evaluate one or more portions of content by associating a rating with each evaluated portion of content. A composite rating for a particular portion of content may then be determined based upon the ratings associated with the portion of content. Preferably, the ratings are combined in a manner that affords a higher priority to the ratings provided by contributing authorities to which a greater quantity of authority was delegated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for designating at least one authority to rate content, comprising:

at least one server in a distributed network that receives a rating of content or a designation of content rating authority from a primary authority, said primary authority designating at least a portion of said content rating authority to a first level of a plurality of contributing authorities, said portion individually designated for each contributing authority;

said at least one server in said distributed network that receives a rating of content or a designation of content rating authority from said first level of said plurality of contributing authorities, said first level of said plurality of contributing authorities receiving said portion of content rating authority from said primary authority and being capable of designating at least a portion of content rating authority to a second level of at least one contributing authority;

said at least one server in said distributed network that receives a rating from said second level of at least one contributing authority, said second level of at least one contributing authority receiving said portion of content rating authority from said first level of contributing authority;

said at least one server in said distributed network that prevents a contributing authority in said second level from designating content rating authority to a contributing authority in said first level to avoid creating a loop of designated authorities;

a plurality of ratings, each rating associated with said content by any of;

said primary authority,

said first level of plurality of contributing authorities; and

said second level of at least one contributing authority;

a computer that computes a composite rating for said content as a function of said plurality of ratings and said content rating authority of each provider of said ratings, wherein said composite rating is determined by combining said ratings, wherein a level of influence is conferred upon each of said contributing authorities in accord with each of said contributing authorities'"'"' respective delegated quantity of authority, wherein said composite rating, R, is calculated according to;

R=(1/w)Σ

₁^N(w_ir_i)

wherein W_i is authority delegated to authority of i, wherein r_i is rating i of N ratings, and wherein W is the sum of the N weights; and

said at least one server in said distributed network comprising a database for storing said content in association with said plurality of ratings and said composite rating.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said composite rating comprises a count of said ratings.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said portion of said content rating is specified numerically.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a distance, wherein said distance measures the number of delegations connecting said primary authority to a final contributing authority, wherein said composite rating incorporates an attenuation factor associated with said distance of a rating of said final contributing authority.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said ratings is specified numerically.

6. The evaluation system of claim 5, wherein at least one of said ratings comprises a negative number indicating distrust of said at least one of said ratings.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of said ratings is a number between 0 and 1, inclusively.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein determining said composite rating comprises an additive combination of said ratings.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein determining said composite rating comprises a computation of any of:

a mean;

a mode; and

a median of said ratings.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said composite rating comprises a weighted average of said ratings, wherein each of said ratings is weighted in proportion to a respective delegated portion of authority held by said contributing authority.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said ratings indicates any of:

reliability;

trustworthiness;

accuracy;

impartiality; and

quality.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, said primary authority further comprising:

means for limiting evaluation of said content to content of a particular form.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, said primary authority further comprising:

means for limiting evaluation of said content to content comprising a scientific article.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for said primary authority to add a new first level contributing authority by delegating authority to said new first level contributing authority.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, said further comprising:

means for said primary authority to remove a first level contributing authority by withdrawing authority previously delegated to said first level contributing authority.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for said primary authority to adjust relative authority of any of said first level contributing authorities by any of;

delegating additional authority to at least one of said first level contributing authorities; and

withdrawing authority from at least one of said first level contributing authorities.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for any of said first level contributing authorities to add a new second level contributing authority by delegating authority to said new second level contributing authority.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for any of said first level contributing authorities to remove a second level contributing authority by withdrawing authority previously delegated to said second level contributing authority.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for any of said first level contributing authorities to adjust relative authority of said second level contributing authorities by any of;

delegating additional authority to at least one of said second level contributing authorities; and

withdrawing authority from at least one of said second level contributing authorities.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sum of authority delegated by a first level contributing authority can not exceed a respective quantity of authority delegated to said second level contributing authority.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sum of authority delegated by a first level contributing authority cannot exceed a respective quantity of authority delegated to said second level contributing authority, reduced by an attenuation factor.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for referencing said composite rating by a personalized evaluation profile to provide a user an indication of value of said content to the user, wherein said composite rating reflects evaluations systems selected by the user in said personalized evaluation profile of the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said apparatus comprises an evaluation system, further comprising:

means for combining said composite rating with at least one other composite rating from at least one other evaluation system according to said personalized evaluation profile.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein each of said ratings indicates any of:

reliability;

trustworthiness;

accuracy;

impartiality; and

quality.

24. A computer implemented method for evaluating content, comprising the steps of:

receiving, with at least one server in a distributed network, a rating of content or a designation of content rating authority from a primary authority;

delegating, with said at least one server, at least a portion of said content rating authority to a first level of a plurality of contributing authorities from said primary authority, said portion individually designated for each contributing authority;

designating, with at least one of said first level of plurality of contributing authorities, at least a portion of said content rating authority to a second level of at least one contributing authority;

preventing, with said at least one server, a contributing authority in said second level from designating content rating authority to a contributing authority in said first level to avoid creating a loop of designated authorities;

associating, with said at least one server, a plurality of ratings with said content, each rating associated by any of;

said first primary authority,

said first level of contributing authorities;

said second level of at least one contributing authority; and

computing, with a computer, a composite rating for said content as a function of said plurality of ratings and said portion of content rating authority for each provider of said ratings, wherein said composite rating is determined by combining said ratings, wherein a level of influence is conferred upon each of said contributing authorities in accord with each of said contributing authorities'"'"' respective delegated quantity of authority, wherein said composite rating, R, is calculated according to;

R=(1/w)Σ

₁^N(w_ir_i)

wherein W_i is authority delegated to authority of i, wherein r_i is rating i of N ratings, and wherein W is the sum of the N weights; and

storing, on said at least one server in said distributed network comprising a database, said content in association with said plurality of ratings and said composite rating.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said computing step comprises combining said ratings, wherein a level of influence is conferred upon each of said contributing authorities in accordance with each of said contributing authorities'"'"' respective portion of content rating authority.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein each of said one or more portion of content rating authority is specified numerically.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein each of said ratings is specified numerically.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said computing step comprises a computation of any of:

a mean;

a mode; and

a median of said ratings.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said computing step comprises a calculation of a weighted average of said ratings, wherein each of said ratings is weighted in proportion to a portion of content rating authority held by said contributing authority.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein a sum of authority delegated by at least one of said first level of said plurality of contributing authorities cannot exceed a portion of content rating authority delegated to said second level of at least one contributing authority.

32. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

preventing each of said first level of plurality of contributing authorities from designating content rating authority to another of said first level of contributing authorities to thereby avoid creating a loop of designated authorities.