Method and system for ranking multiple products according to user's preferences

• US 6,236,990 B1
• Filed: 09/26/1997
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Flexera Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Intraware Inc. (Flexera Software LLC)
• Inventors: Geller, Mark S, Rubin, David R
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Application Number:
  US08/938,918
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/7, 705/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system and method assists a user in selecting a product from multiple products, grouped into categories. Information about the product is received and stored. Attributes about the products of each category, and questions related to the attributes are received and stored. Possible responses to the questions and weights associated with each possible response are also received and stored. Evaluation ratings for each of the attributes of each of the products are received and stored. The user selects a category and is provided with questions corresponding to the attributes of the products in the category selected. For each product in the category, a product score is calculated by summing the product of the weights of the responses by the evaluation ratings for that product. The results are displayed, organized into rows and columns in the order of the product scores and weights. The user may change the weights, change categories, or obtain additional information, such as information about each product, attribute or the evaluation ratings, and may place an order for some or all products.

Claims

1. A system for providing information about a plurality of products, each having a plurality of attributes and a product name, the system comprising:

an evaluation storage operatively coupled for receiving at an input, storing and providing at an output, for each of the plurality of products at least one evaluation score for each of the attributes said product;

a preference calculator having a first input operatively coupled for receiving at least one preference for each of the plurality of attributes and a second input coupled to the evaluation storage for receiving the at least one evaluation score for each of the attributes of the plurality of products, the preference calculator for computing and providing at an output at least one product score for each of the plurality of products, the product score responsive to at least one product of at least one of the at least one preference received at the preference calculator first input and at least one of the at least one evaluation score received at the preference calculator second input; and

an administration having a first input operatively coupled for receiving a product name of each of at least one of the plurality of products and a second input coupled to the preference calculator output for receiving the at least one product score, the administration for providing, responsive to the at least one product score, to a user at an output, for each of a plurality of the plurality of products, the product name received at the administration first input.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration provides the product name of each of the plurality of the plurality of products in an order of the product score received.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration additionally comprises a third input operatively coupled for receiving an identifier of a set of at least one of the plurality of products having a name provided at the administration output, the administration additionally for providing at an order output order information for the set of at least one product to cause an order to be placed for the set of at least one product.

4. The system of claim 3, additionally comprising a remote interface having an input coupled to the administration order output for receiving the order information, the remote interface for providing the order information at an output coupled to a remote device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the administration has a preference input operatively coupled for receiving the at least one preference and an attribute information input for receiving information related to a plurality of the plurality of attributes, the administration additionally for providing at the administration output the attribute information received at the attribute information input responsive to the at least one preference received at the preference input.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the administration receives at the preference input a plurality of preferences and provides the attribute information at the administration output responsive to an order of said plurality of preferences.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the administration additionally comprises an additional information input operatively coupled for receiving additional information about how at least one of the at least one evaluation scores was derived, the administration additionally for providing said additional information at the administration output.

8. A method of displaying information about a plurality of products, each of the products having a plurality of attributes and a product name, the method comprising:

receiving an evaluation score for each of the plurality of attributes of each of the plurality of products;

receiving a preference for each of the plurality of the attributes;

for each of the plurality of products, computing a product score responsive to at least one product of the received evaluation score of said product and the received preferences; and

providing the name of each of the plurality of products responsive to the product score computed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing step is responsive to an order of the product score computed.

10. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising placing an order for at least one of the plurality of products having a name provided.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the placing the order step comprises transmitting the order to a remote device.

12. The method of claim 8 additionally comprising providing attribute information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of attributes responsive to the preference for the at least one attribute corresponding to the attribute information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the providing attribute information step is responsive to an order of the preferences.

14. The method of claim 8 additionally comprising displaying additional information about how at least one of the evaluation scores was derived.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for displaying information about a plurality of products, each of the products having a plurality of attributes and a product name, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive an evaluation score for each of the plurality of attributes of each of the plurality of products;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive a preference for each of the plurality of the attributes;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to compute for each of the plurality of products, a product score responsive to at least one product of the received evaluation score of said product and the received preferences; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provide the name of each of the plurality of products responsive to the product score computed.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provide are responsive to an order of the product score computed.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to place an order for at least one of the plurality of products having a name provided.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to place the order comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to transmit the order to a remote device.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provide attribute information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of attributes responsive to the preference for the at least one attribute corresponding to the attribute information.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provide attribute information are responsive to an order of the preferences.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to display additional information about how at least one of the evaluation scores was derived.