Web-based competitions using dynamic preference ballots

• US 8,812,514 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beatty, John, Belleville, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED HAROON
• Application Number:
  US11/862,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/723, 707/748, 707/999.01, 707/999.02, 707/999.03, 707/999.04, 707/999.05, 707/999.06, 707/999.07, 707/999.08, 707/999.09, 707/999.1
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In one example, a method for ranking items such as contest entries is provided. An exemplary method includes displaying sequential subsets of entries from a plurality of entries for a first user to vote on, e.g., making a selection of their preference of one over the other. The method further includes generating a first preference ballot of displayed entries based on selections by the first user, and ranking the plurality of entries based upon the first preference ballot and at least a second preference ballot received from another user. The ranking may be determined based on the first and second preference ballot by a Condorcet algorithm. Additionally, display of the entries may be determined based on previous selections associated with the contest entries, e.g., based on the state of the contest and/or the history of particular contest entries.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

scheduling, by a computing device, one or more display times of entries of a plurality of web-based contest entries, the scheduling comprising calculating a score for every entry in the entries to determine a frequency of display for the every entry, the score based on past user selections of one or more entries in the plurality of web-based contest entries;

causing, by the computing device, display of a first subset of entries in the entries based on the calculated score for each of the first subset of entries;

receiving, by the computing device from a first user, a first selection identifying a first entry from the first subset of entries;

causing, by the computing device, display of a second subset of entries from the entries, wherein the second subset of entries are selected for display based at least in part on the first selection, at least in part on a previous ranking of one or more of the second subset of entries, and at least in part on a number of votes previously received for each of the second subset of entries;

receiving, by the computing device from the first user, a second selection identifying a second entry from the second subset of entries;

generating, by the computing device, a first preference ballot of displayed entries, the first preference ballot comprising entries from the selections by the first user; and

ranking, by the computing device, at least a portion of the plurality of web-based contest entries based upon the first preference ballot and a second preference ballot associated with a second user different than the first user, the second preference ballot comprising entries from selections by the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking is determined from the first and second preference ballots via a Ranked Pairs vote counting algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking is determined from the first and second preference ballots via a Condorcet algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsets of entries each comprise at least two entries.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsets of entries each comprise at least three entries.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference ballot is generated by a quicksort or binary insertion sort algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference ballot comprises defeat data of the displayed entries.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference ballot comprises a ranked list of the displayed entries.

9. A method comprising:

scheduling, by a computing device, one or more display times of entries of a plurality of web-based contest entries, the scheduling comprising calculating a score for every entry in the entries to determine a frequency of display for the every entry, the score based on past user selections of one or more entries in the plurality of web-based contest entries;

causing, by the computing device, display of a first subset of entries in the entries based on the calculated score for each of the first subset of entries;

receiving, by the computing device from a first user, a first selection identifying a first entry from the first subset of entries;

receiving, by the computing device from the first user, a second selection identifying a second entry from a second subset of entries of the plurality of web-based contest entries, the second subset of entries selected based at least in part on the first selection, at least in part on a previous ranking of one or more of the second subset of entries, and at least in part on a number of votes previously received for each of the second subset of entries;

generating, by the computing device, a first preference ballot of at least two entries of the plurality of web-based contest entries, the first preference ballot comprised of entries from the first selection and the second selection;

generating, by the computing device, a second preference ballot of at least two entries of the plurality of web-based contest entries, the second preference ballot associated with a second user; and

ranking, by the computing device, at least a portion of the plurality of web-based contest entries based on the first and second preference ballots.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein ranking is determined from the first and second preference ballots via a Condorcet algorithm.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first preference ballot comprises defeat data of the at least two plurality of entries.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first preference ballot comprises a ranked list of the at least two plurality of entries.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising logic for;

scheduling one or more display times of entries of a plurality of web-based contest entries, the scheduling comprising calculating a score for every entry in the entries to determine a frequency of display for the every entry, the score based on past user selections of one or more entries in the plurality of web-based contest entries;

causing display of a first subset of entries in the entries based on the calculated score for each of the first subset of entries;

receiving, from a first user, a first selection identifying a first entry from the first subset of entries;

causing display of a second subset of entries from the plurality of web-based contest entries, wherein the second subset of entries are selected for display based at least in part on the first selection, at least in part on a previous ranking of one or more of the second subset of entries, and at least in part on a number of votes previously received for each of the second subset of entries;

receiving, from the first user, a second selection identifying a second entry from the second subset of entries;

generating a preference ballot of entries based on user selections; and

ranking the plurality of web-based contest entries based upon multiple preference ballots.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein ranking is determined via a Condorcet algorithm.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic is further for displaying at least the top ranked entry.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly comprising program code for execution by a processor for ranking items, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

program code for scheduling one or more display times of entries of a plurality of web-based contest entries, the scheduling comprising calculating a score for every entry in the entries to determine a frequency of display for the every entry, the score based on past user selections of one or more entries in the plurality of web-based contest entries;

program code for displaying a first subset of entries in the entries based on the calculated score for each of the first subset of entries;

program code for receiving, from a first user, a first selection identifying a first entry from the first subset of entries;

program code for displaying a second subset of entries from the plurality of web-based contest entries, wherein the second subset of entries are selected for display based at least in part on the first selection, at least in part on a previous ranking of one or more of the second subset of entries, and at least in part on a number of votes previously received for each of the second subset of entries;

program code for receiving, from the first user, a second selection identifying a second entry from the second subset of entries;

program code for generating a first preference ballot of displayed entries, the first preference ballot comprising entries from the selections by the first user; and

program code for ranking at least a portion of the plurality of entries based upon the first preference ballot and a second preference ballot associated with a second user different than the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for ranking comprises program code for executing a Condorcet algorithm.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the subsets of entries each comprise a pair of entries.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising program code for displaying at least the top ranked entry.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first preference ballot comprises defeat data of the displayed entries.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first preference ballot comprises a ranked list of the displayed entries.