Comparative visual assessment system and method

• US 6,008,817 A
• Filed: 12/31/1997
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comparative Visual Assessments Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Comparative Visual Assessments Incorporated
• Inventors: Gilmore, John T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/001,842
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 345/135, 345/339, 345/326, 345/970, 345/965
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A comparative visual assessment system including an input device, an output device, a computer system, the connected to the input device and the output device, the computer system having a user interface connected to a comparative visual assessment engine, the comparative visual assessment engine including assigning a plurality of weights to a corresponding plurality of components representing a subject, assigning a plurality of scores to the corresponding plurality of components representing the subject, determining a functional score for each of the plurality of components, determining an angle to be used for an output to the output device of a vector for each of the plurality of components, assigning the functional score to a length of the vector for each of the plurality of components, and displaying the vector on the output device.

Claims

1. A comparative visual assessment system comprising:

an input device;

an output device;

a computer system, the computer system connected to the input device and the output device, the computer system having a user interface connected to a comparative visual assessment engine, the comparative visual assessment engine comprising;

means for assigning a plurality of weights to a corresponding plurality of components representing a subject;

means for assigning a plurality of scores to the corresponding plurality of components representing the subject;

means for determining a functional score for each of the plurality of components;

means for determining an angle to be used for an output to the output device of a vector for each of the plurality of components;

means for assigning the functional score to a horizontal length of the vector for each of the plurality of components; and

means for displaying the vector on the output device.

2. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the means for determining a functional score comprises:

means for assigning a value to the component'"'"'s score times its weight divided by its weight.

3. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the means for determining the angle comprises:

means for determining a mathematical tangent of a difference between the component'"'"'s weight and the component'"'"'s a weight of a norm.

4. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises an add-on to an Excel spreadsheet from Microsoft Corporation.

5. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the computer system is executing a Windows 3.1 operating system from Microsoft Corporation.

6. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the computer system is executing a Windows 95 operating system from Microsoft Corporation.

7. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the computer system is executing a Windows NT operating system from Microsoft Corporation.

8. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the input device comprises:

a keyboard; and

a mouse.

9. The comparative visual assessment system according to claim 1 wherein the output device is a printer.

10. A method of displaying a vector representing a subject having a plurality of components comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system having an input device, an output device, a user interface, and a assessment engine;

constructing a hierarchical tree representing each of the plurality of components of the subject;

assigning a functional value to each of the components;

assigning a weight to each of the components;

determining a functional score for each of the components by dividing a product of the component'"'"'s function value and weight by its weight to produce a quotient;

assigning the quotient as a first vector'"'"'s length;

determining the first vector'"'"'s angle by determining a tangent of a difference between its weight and a weight of a reference vector and dividing it by its weight; and

displaying the first vector on the output device.

11. A method of displaying a plurality of vector strings on an output device comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system, the computer system having a user interface for input a plurality of data of a first type, an assessment engine for processing the plurality of data of the first type and for calculating data of a second type;

constructing an outline of a product, the outline subdivided into a hierarchy of nodes and endpoints, each endpoint referring to a node with no corresponding subcomponents;

assigning a plurality of weights of importance to each of the plurality of endpoints and nodes within the hierarchy;

assigning a plurality of a multiple set of functional values to each of the plurality of endpoints throughout the entire hierarchy for each candidate of product;

calculating a plurality of a multiple set of functional values to each of the plurality of nodes throughout the entire hierarchy for each candidate of product, wherein the step of calculating comprises the substeps of;

determining a sum of all multiplication products of each of the nodes subcomponents weight (W) times its corresponding functional value, all divided by the sum of the weights of all the subcomponents in the node whereby every element in all hierarchies have a unique value, assigned and calculated for each candidate;

determining a plurality of vectors for each of the plurality of nodes;

building a first vector string from the plurality of vectors; and

displaying the first vector string on the output device.