SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTI-DOMAIN PROBLEM SOLVING ON THE WEB

• US 20150153824A9
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DeJoto Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: DeJoto Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Hall, Debra J., Lombardo, Anthony G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,588,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method for problem solving in multiple domains on the web is provided. Two facets of preference are applied regardless of domain: first, criteria selected by the user which indicates which elements relate to the user, and second, level of importance to the user. For each decision aid that the user saves to his/her member account, a series of methods applied thereto assist the user in making decisions through intelligent agent expertise, as well as through related eCommerce, social networking, guided content search and delivery of context-rich content. Relevancy of results is also calculated. Depending on characteristics inherent in a particular domain, one of two primary methods is employed. The Multi-Product method uses ontology and a neural network engine to reveal the subset of relevant results based on any combination of user inputs, implicitly and explicitly derived. The Single-Product method maps inputs to results using sub-category analysis of fit and then applies user-centric filters and discounting rules to return meaningful coaching and relevancy of results.

Claims

1. A system for aiding a user in making decisions with respect to products and services listed on the Internet comprising:

a. a remote access device adapted to permit the user to input data and review results;

b. a server in communication with the remote access device and the Internet, said server programmed to;

i) capture user preferences input through the remote access device that relate to the user as evidenced by self selection and stated level of importance to create a decision aid;

ii) summarize the user preferences input such that overall level-of-importance data is displayed for the decision aid through the remote access device;

iii) display intelligent agent observations and coaching specific to the user preferences input and associated relevant output on the remote access device;

iv) capture family and friends social media input from family members and friends designated by the user via the remote access device for the decision aid for which the user has granted review and comment permissions;

v) display the family and friends social media on the remote access device;

vi) collect additional content relevant to the decision aid from the Internet;

vii) display the additional content on the remote access device;

viii) collect data including providers and associated products and/or services based on the decision aid;

ix) process the collected data to determine degrees of relevancy to the user based on the decision aid and create output data;

x) display the output data in degrees of relevancy to the user on the remote access device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server includes a neural network engine and is also programmed to create ontological data based on data of the decision aid and use the ontological data and the neural network engine during steps b.viii) and b.ix).

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the server is programmed to include user-centric filters and discounting rules that are applied in step b.ix).

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is programmed to use sub-category analysis of percentage-based fit in step b.ix).

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the server is programmed to include user-centric filters and discounting rules that are applied in step b.ix).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the decision aid acts as a secondary, separate profiling mechanism for the user, thereby facilitating representation of that user as related to a singular subject matter at a time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the stated level of importance by the user is treated as a directive in step b.ix).

8. The system of claim 1 wherein step b.x) includes initially displaying products and/or services without providers and then displaying providers for products and/or services selected by the user via the remote access device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of decision aids may be created and stored on the server.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is programmed with a similarity matching algorithm that is used to in step b.ix).

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the decision aid may designated on the server as social and thus open to access by other users through the Internet or private and not open to access by other users through the Internet.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is programmed to present a plurality of criteria to the user via the remote access device and wherein the self selection of step b.i) includes the user selecting criteria from the plurality of criteria and wherein the intelligent agent observations considers potentially relevant unselected criteria.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is programmed to present a plurality of criteria to the user via the remote access device and wherein the self selection of step b.i) includes the user selecting criteria from the plurality of criteria and wherein the intelligent agent observations considers presence of contradictory or complementary selected criteria.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of decision aids are stored on the server and the server is programmed to present a plurality of criteria, to the user via the remote access device and wherein the self selection of step b.i) includes the user selecting criteria from the plurality of criteria and wherein the intelligent agent observations considers presence of contradictory or complementary selected criteria across the multiple domain aids.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the server includes an Exception Rule Base that is used in step b.ix).

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is programmed to present a plurality of criteria to the user via the remote access device and wherein the stated level importance of step b.i) includes the user assigning a ranking of “

Not Important”

, “

Less Important”

or “

More Important”

for each criteria selected from the plurality of criteria.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the decision aid creates ontological data for use in step b.viii).

18. A method for aiding a user in making decisions with respect to products and services listed on the Internet comprising:

a. providing a remote access device adapted to permit the user to input data and review results and a server in communication with the remote access device and the Internet;

b. capturing user preferences on the server input through the remote access device that relate to the user as evidenced by self selection and stated level of importance to create a decision aid;

c. summarizing the user preferences input such that overall level-of-importance data is displayed for the decision aid through the remote access device;

d. displaying intelligent agent observations and coaching specific to the user preferences input and associated relevant output on the remote access device;

e. capturing family and friends social media input from family members and friends designated by the user via the remote access device for the decision aid for which the user has granted review and comment permissions;

f. displaying the family and friends social media on the remote access device;

g. collecting additional content relevant to the decision aid from the Internet;

h. displaying the additional content on the remote access device;

i. collecting data including providers and associated products and/or services based on the decision aid;

j. processing the collected data to determine degrees of relevancy to the user based on the decision aid and create output data;

k. displaying the output data in degrees of relevancy to the user on the remote access device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein step j. includes application of user-centric filters and discounting rules.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein step j. includes use of sub-category analysis of percentage-based fit.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein step k includes initially displaying products and/or services without providers and then displaying providers for products and/or services selected by the user via the remote access device.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of creating and storing multiple decision aids on the server.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein step j. uses a similarity matching algorithm.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of presenting a plurality of criteria to the user via the remote access device for use in step b.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein step j includes use of an Exception Rule Base.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of presenting a plurality of criteria to the user via the remote access device and wherein the stated level importance of step b. includes user assigned rankings of “

Not important”

, “

Less Important”

or “

More Important”

for each criteria selected from the plurality of criteria.

27. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of creating ontological data using the decision aid for use in step i.

28. A method for establishing a Persona-type baseline for a user, from which results from an Internet search are further filtered for relevancy, the method consisting of:

a. providing a remote access device adapted to permit the user to input data and review results and a server in communication with the remote access device and the Internet;

b. creating an initial Persona-type baseline on the server using data input by the user on the remote access device;

c. capturing on the server implicit and explicit user actions input via the remote access device;

d. capturing actions and inactions of like-users from the Internet using the server; and

e. adjusting the initial Persona-type baseline to reflect the implicit and explicit user actions and the actions and inactions of like-users captured on the server.

29. A system for aiding a user in making decisions with respect to products and services listed on the Internet comprising:

a. a remote access device adapted to permit the user to input data and review results;

b. a server in communication with the remote access device and the Internet, said server programmed to;

i) present the user with a plurality of domains via the remote access device;

ii) enable the user to select one of the plurality of domains via the remote access device;

iii) present the user with a plurality of categories based on the selected domain;

iv) present the user with a plurality of criteria for each of the plurality of categories;

v) enable the user to rank each of the plurality of criteria; and

vi) process ranks assigned to the plurality of criteria to create ontological data;

vii) use the ontological data to retrieve relevant results from the Internet.

30. A method for aiding a user in making decisions with respect to products and services listed on the Internet comprising:

a. providing a remote access device adapted to permit the user to input data and review results and a server in communication with the remote access device and the Internet;

b, presenting the user with a plurality of domains stored on the server via the remote access device;

c. enabling the user to select one of the plurality of domains via the remote access device;

d. presenting the user with a plurality of categories stored on the server based on the selected domain;

e. presenting the user with a plurality of criteria stored on the server for each of the plurality of categories;

e. enabling the user to rank each of the plurality of criteria on the server via the remote access device; and

f. processing ranks assigned to the plurality of criteria on the server to create ontological data; and

g. using the ontological data to retrieve relevant results from the Internet to the server.