Trust based architecture for listing service

• US 7,881,969 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weber, Kurt, Wiseman, Garry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNHAM, JASON B
• Application Number:
  US11/301,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A unique system and method that facilitates trust-based interaction within an online social marketplace is provided. The system and method involve allowing users of the marketplace to selectively interact with one another according to a trustworthiness factor. Users can be deemed trustworthy depending on which email groups they belong to with respect to one another. For example, sellers can limit who can view their listings and when based on trust levels associated with their social groups, communities, or networks. Notifications of new or modified listings can also be sent to potentially interested users based on the users'"'"' trust levels. A ratings system can be employed as well to facilitate boosting or diminishing a user'"'"'s or group'"'"'s trust level. The social marketplace can include such activities as a listing service to buy, sell, or give items to others, dating and other personal listings, and job searching.

Claims

1. A trust-based system embodied on one or more computer-readable storage media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon for interacting with a listing service, the trust-based system comprising:

a trust component that determines at least one trust level for a first user of a listing service based on;

at least one association of the first user of the listing service with one or more communities of users, each particular community of users possessing a distinct trust level associated with that particular community, wherein distinct trust levels are determined based on ratings assigned to each user of the listing service based on interactions within the listing service, and

an association of the first user of the listing service with a second user of the listing service;

a matching component that selectively only exposes the first user of the listing service to one or more classified listings of the second user of the listing service responsive to the trust level of the first user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service meeting a threshold level of trust set by the second user of the listing service; and

a rating system that rates the first user of the listing service based at least in part on feedback received from other users of the listing service, wherein at least one trust level of the first user of the listing service is boosted or diminished according to the feedback received from the other users of the listing service, and

wherein the first user of the listing service and a third user of the listing service are associated with one another by virtue of an extended circle, wherein the trust component further determines at least one trust level for the first user of the listing service in association with the third user of the listing service, and wherein the trust level determined for the first user of the listing service in association with the third user of the listing service is lower than the trust level assigned to the first user of the listing service in association with a fourth user of the listing service, the fourth user of the listing service being associated with at least one of the one or more communities of users.

2. The trust-based system of claim 1, further comprising:

a notification component that notifies the first user of the listing service of any new or modified listings of the second user of the listing service based at least in part on the trust level of the first user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service.

3. The trust-based system of claim 2, wherein the notification component sends listing notifications originating from the second user of the listing service to users meeting the threshold level of trust set by the second user of the listing service before sending the listing notifications to users not meeting the threshold level of trust set by the second user of the listing service.

4. The trust-based system of claim 1, further comprising:

a search component that performs a search request for the first user of the listing service and selectively retrieves the one or more listings of the second user of the listing service in response to the search request based at least in part on the trust level of the first user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service.

5. The trust-based system of claim 1, wherein the one or more classified listings of the second user of the listing service comprise content related to at least one of the following:

selling an item, requesting an item or service, announcing an available item or service, personal advertising, and job searching.

6. A trust-based system embodied on one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for interacting with a listing service, the trust-based system comprising:

a user identification component that identifies a user of the listing service and information associated with the user;

a trust analysis component that determines one or more trust levels associated with the user based on;

ranking information associated with the user, and the association of the user with ranking information of one or more communities within the listing service, wherein at least a portion of the information associated with the user is communicated to the trust analysis component from the user identification component;

a trust-based interaction component that determines which classified listings of the listing service the user is privy to according to the one or more trust levels of the user and only allows communication between the user and other users of the listing service responsive to at least one of the one or more trust levels of the user meeting a threshold level of trust provided by the other users of the listing service; and

a rating system that rates the user of the listing service based at least in part on feedback received from other users of the listing service, wherein at least one trust level of the user of the listing service is boosted or diminished according to the feedback received from the other users of the listing service,

wherein the user of the listing service and a second user of the listing service are associated with one another by virtue of an extended circle, wherein the trust component further determines at least one trust level for the user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service, and wherein the trust level determined for the user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service is lower than the trust level assigned to the user of the listing service in association with a third user of the listing service, the third user of the listing service being associated with at least one of the one or more communities of users.

7. The trust-based system of claim 6, further comprising:

an alert component that sends a notification to the user regarding new or modified listings.

8. The trust-based system of claim 7, wherein the notification comprises a message to the user sent via a communication mode that the user shares with at least a portion of the other users to facilitate minimizing an amount of phishing and spam messages the user receives.

9. The trust-based system of claim 8, wherein the communication mode comprises email messaging and instant messaging systems that the user utilizes or shares with at least some of the other users of the listing service.

10. The trust-based system of claim 7, wherein the notification comprises at least one of a message and a link to one or more of the new or modified listings.

11. The trust-based system of claim 7, wherein the notification appears as an icon or symbol near the name of the user to indicate the user has a new or updated listing.

12. A trust-based method that facilitates interacting with a listing service to post or browse listings, the method comprising:

determining, utilizing a first computing process, at least one trust level for a first user of the listing service based on one or more associations of the first user of the listing service with one or more communities of users within the listing service, each particular community of users possessing a distinct trust level associated with that particular community, wherein the first user of the listing service ceases to be associated with a first community of the one or more communities of users when the first user of the listing service fails to meet a threshold trust level associated with the first community;

utilizing a second computing process, selectively only exposing the first user of the listing service to classified listings of members of a second community of the one or more communities of users responsive to the determined at least one trust level of the first user of the listing service meeting a threshold level of trust determined by the second community, wherein the buyer is a member of the second community; and

utilizing a third computing process, rating the first user of the listing service based at least in part on feedback received from other users of the listing service, wherein at least one trust level of the first user of the listing service is boosted or diminished according to the feedback received from the other users of the listing service,

wherein the first user of the listing service and a second user of the listing service are associated with one another by virtue of an extended circle, wherein at least one trust level for the first user of the listing service is determined in association with the second user of the listing service, and wherein the trust level determined for the first user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service is lower than the trust level assigned to the first user of the listing service in association with a third user of the listing service, the third user of the listing service being associated with at least one of the one or more communities of users,

and wherein the first, second and third computing processes are performed by one or more computing devices.

13. The trust-based method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a search request for the first user of the listing service and retrieving one or more of the listings in response to the search request based at least in part on the trust level of the first user of the listing service.

14. The trust-based method of claim 12, further comprising:

notifying the first user of the listing service of any new or modified listings based at least in part on the trust level of the first user of the listing service.

15. The trust-based method of claim 14, wherein notifying the first user of the listing service comprises appending an icon or symbol near a name of a member of the second community that is associated with at least one of the new or modified listings to indicate-the member has a new or updated listing.

16. The trust-based method of claim 14, wherein notifying the first user of the listing service comprises sending the first user of the listing service a message, the message comprising at least a link to the new or modified listings.