Methods and apparatus for web-based research

• US 8,065,265 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coplen, Charles Joseph, Francisco, Anthony Xavier, Wang, Esther Hsiu-Meng
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen; Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, THUY T
• Application Number:
  US11/926,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/705, 707/740, 707/706, 707/608, 707/751, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

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.

Claims

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 in a community of consumers, wherein the method comprises acts of:

(A) accessing a previously populated research template for the at least one item, wherein the research template is a data structure configured to store data related to a plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, wherein the research template is accessible to and modifiable by users in the community of consumers to facilitate a collaborative researching experience for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to the plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, the plurality of attributes having been specified by at least one other user in the community of consumers, 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 in the community of consumers, the results comprising the data collected from at least one website;

(B) modifying the research template by modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes;

(C) populating, using at least one processor, the modified template with data collected from a plurality of websites;

(D) associating with at least some of the plurality of attributes priority information indicating a relative importance among the at least some of the plurality of attributes; and

(E) organizing the populated modified template based on the priority information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

saving the populated modified template to a repository that is available to the community of consumers comprising the first user and the at least one other user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes comprises adding a new attribute to the template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes comprises deleting an attribute from the template.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

storing information identifying each of a plurality of websites from which data is collected.

6. 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:

(A) providing a first user in a community of consumers for the at least one item access to a previously populated research template for the at least one item, wherein the research template is a data structure configured to store data related to a plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, wherein the research template is accessible to and modifiable by users in the community of consumers to facilitate a collaborative researching experience for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to the plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, at least one of the plurality of attributes having been specified by at least one other user in the community of consumers, 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 in the community of consumers, the results comprising the 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 at least one of the plurality of attributes;

(C) in response to at least one action by the first user, populating, using at least one processor, the modified template with data collected from a plurality of websites;

(D) in response to at least one instruction from the user, associating with at least some of the plurality of attributes priority information indicating a relative importance among the at least some of the plurality of attributes; and

(E) organizing the populated modified template based on the priority information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising an act of:

in response to at least one instruction from the first user, saving the populated modified template to a repository that is available to the community of consumers comprising the first user and the at least one other user.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes comprises adding a new attribute to the template.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes comprises deleting an attribute from the template.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising an act of:

storing information identifying each of a plurality of websites from which data is collected.

11. A computer readable storage 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:

(A) providing a first user in a community of consumers for the at least one item access to a previously populated research template for the at least one item, wherein the research template is a data structure configured to store data related to a plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, wherein the research template is accessible to and modifiable by users in the community of consumers to facilitate a collaborative researching experience for the at least one item, the template comprising at least one field relating to the plurality of attributes for evaluating the at least one item, at least one of the plurality of attributes having been specified by at least one other user in the community of consumers, 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 in the community of consumers, 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 at least one of the plurality of attributes;

(C) in response to at least one action by the first user, populating the modified template with data collected from a plurality of websites;

(D) in response to at least one instruction from the first user, associating with at least some of the plurality of attributes priority information indicating a relative importance among the at least some of the plurality of attributes; and

(E) organizing the populated modified template based on the priority information.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises an act of:

in response to at least one instruction from the first user, saving the populated template to a repository that is available to the community of consumers comprising the first user and the at least one other user.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the act of modifying at least one of the plurality of attributes comprises adding a new attribute to the template and/or deleting an attribute from the template.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises an act of:

storing information identifying each of a plurality of websites from which data is collected.