Comparator

• US 9,411,848 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZEF Solutions Oy
• Original Assignee: ZEF Solutions Oy
• Inventors: Alasaarela, Jaakko, Koskela, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jonathan S
• Application Number:
  US13/689,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A method, a data network arrangement and a computer program product, by means of which a comparator can be implemented in a data network, in which comparator a possibility of online chat can also be utilized. The comparator user stores his evaluation of the properties included in the targets being evaluated in a database in the server in the data network by using a graphic one- or two-dimensional evaluation frame. In the comparator the comparator user'"'"'s evaluations are compared to property values set for each target being evaluated. During the comparison the comparator analyses the data entered into the comparator by the comparator user against predetermined online chat threshold values. If even one online chat threshold value is exceeded, it is in the comparator according to the invention possible to offer the comparator user an online chat with the service provider'"'"'s customer servant in order to support the decision-making.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a property comparison with a comparator, the comparator comprising functions that are provided with a computer program executed in a server, and in which a graphic evaluation frame is used for giving and displaying evaluations, wherein the comparison method comprises:

opening the comparator in the server by a command sent by a comparator user'"'"'s data processing device;

selecting at least one comparison target from a plurality of comparison targets of the comparator, wherein the comparison targets comprise at least one evaluation property, by a command given by the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device;

the comparator user giving an evaluation regarding at least one property of the comparison target being evaluated with the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device by using the graphic evaluation frame;

determining in the comparator an accuracy percentage illustrating the congruency between the evaluation given by the comparator user and one property of the selected comparison target;

saving the determined accuracy percentage in the comparator;

indicating in the comparator that at least one online chat threshold value set for a property of the comparison target has been exceeded;

indicating on a data processing device of a customer servant of a service provider a need of an online chat; and

after the online chat;

displaying on the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device a total accuracy percentage obtainable from the comparator of all properties of at least one comparison target.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined combination of background data given by the comparator user produces an indication that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an evaluation given by the comparator user regarding one property being evaluated produces an indication that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a combination of evaluations given by the comparator user regarding at least two properties being evaluated produces an indication that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein evaluation actions of the comparator user in connection with giving at least one evaluation produces an indication that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein products or services on a comparator user'"'"'s target list produce an indication that an online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a geographical location of the comparator user, which has been discovered either from the comparator user'"'"'s Internet Protocol (IP) address or from the comparator user'"'"'s background information, produces an indication that an online chat threshold value has been exceeded.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an accuracy percentage of an evaluation given by the comparator user in the graphic evaluation frame regarding one property is calculated with the equation

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the total accuracy percentage of all the properties of one comparison target being evaluated for the comparator user is calculated with the equation

10. Data network devices arranged for implementing a property comparator, wherein the data network devices include:

at least one comparator user'"'"'s data processing device for the comparator user to give an evaluation of at least one property of a comparison target being compared with a graphic evaluation frame;

a data transfer network;

a server, which includes the comparator comprising;

means for providing the graphic evaluation frame of the comparator as a World Wide Web (www)-page on comparator users'"'"' data processing device;

a database for saving evaluations of the comparison target given with the users'"'"' data processing device using the graphic evaluation frame;

means for calculating both a property-specific accuracy percentage and a total accuracy percentage of the comparison target;

means for indicating that at least one online chat threshold value set for a property of the comparison target has been exceeded in the comparator;

means for engaging in online chat in the comparator, if the comparator has indicated that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded;

means for, after engaging in the online chat, displaying the comparison result of the comparator graphically on the screen of the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device in an order determined by the total accuracy percentage.

11. The data network devices according to claim 10, wherein an exceeding of the threshold value has been configured to be indicated in the comparator with at least one of the following threshold values:

a predetermined combination of background data given by the comparator user;

an evaluation given by the comparator user regarding one property being evaluated;

a combination of evaluations given by the comparator user regarding at least two properties being evaluated;

evaluation actions of the comparator user in connection with giving at least one evaluation;

products or services on the comparator user'"'"'s target list;

or a geographical location of the comparator user, which has been discovered either from the comparator user'"'"'s IP address or from the comparator user'"'"'s background information.

12. The data network devices according to claim 10, wherein the accuracy percentage A of the evaluations given by the comparator user in the graphic evaluation frame regarding one property is configured to be calculated with theequation A=[1−

XK−

XEN]*100, ##EQU00005## in which A is a congruency of the comparator user'"'"'s evaluation point and an evaluation point given to a property of the comparison target expressed as an accuracy percentage for one axis of the evaluation frame;

X.sub.K is a value between 0 and N of the comparator user'"'"'s evaluation point on one axis of the graphic evaluation frame;

X.sub.E is a value between 0 and N determined for the property of the comparison target being evaluated on one axis of the graphic evaluation frame;

N is an integer number, with which the axes of the graphic evaluation frame are divided into equally large parts.

13. The data network devices according to claim 12, wherein the total accuracy percentage of all the properties of one comparison target being evaluated for the comparator user is configured to be calculated with the equation S =j=1n A j n, ##EQU00006## in which S is a total accuracy percentage of all the properties of one comparison target A.sub.j is an accuracy percentage of axis j of the graphic evaluation frame;

and n is a total number of evaluation axes included in all the used graphic evaluation frames.

14. The data network devices according to claim 10, wherein the comparator is configured to be implemented as cloud computing in a data network.

15. A computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium comprising a computer program for a property comparator, the computer program including:

computer readable code for opening the comparator in a server by a command sent by a comparator user'"'"'s data processing device;

computer readable code for selecting at least one comparison target from a plurality of comparison targets of the comparator, wherein the comparison targets comprise at least one evaluation property, by a command given by the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device;

computer readable code for giving an evaluation regarding at least one property of the comparison target being evaluated with the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device by using the graphic evaluation frame;

computer readable code for determining in the comparator an accuracy percentage illustrating the congruency between the evaluation given by the comparator user and one property of the selected comparison target;

computer readable code for saving the determined accuracy percentage in the comparator;

computer readable code for indicating in the comparator that at least one an online chat threshold value set for a property of the comparison target has been exceeded;

computer readable code for indicating on a data processing device of a customer servant of a service provider a need of an online chat; and

after the online chat;

computer readable code for displaying on the comparator user'"'"'s data processing device a total accuracy percentage obtainable from the comparator of all properties of at least one comparison target.

16. The computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium according to claim 15, which further comprises computer readable code for calculating the accuracy percentage of the evaluation given by the comparator user in the graphic evaluation frame regarding one property with the equation

17. The computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium according to claim 15, which further comprises computer readable code for calculating the total accuracy percentage of all the properties of one comparison target being evaluated for the comparator user with the equation

18. The computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium according to claim 15, which further comprises computer readable code for indicating that the online chat threshold value has been exceeded because of:

a predetermined combination of background data given by the comparator user;

an evaluation given by the comparator user regarding one property being evaluated;

a combination of evaluations given by the comparator user regarding at least two properties being evaluated;

evaluation actions of the comparator user in connection with giving at least one evaluation;

products or services on the comparator user'"'"'s target list;

or a geographical location of the comparator user, which has been discovered either from the comparator user'"'"'s Internet Protocol (IP) address or from the comparator user'"'"'s background information.