Comparative ranking system
AssigneeCarGurus, Inc.
InventorsOliver I. Chrzan, Stephen H. Chan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combination of match-based and graph-based scoring techniques are used to derive accurate relative rankings for a number of similar vehicles or other items based on user input. The resulting ranking system can advantageously provide meaningful feedback to consumers, even in the presence of large variations in the number and mix of side-by-side comparisons. This scoring engine can be further improved through techniques such as limiting feedback to binary choices in a side-by-side comparison between two specific items, and preconditioning the receipt of user input on a user assertion of first-hand knowledge of the items being compared.
Claims20
A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer executable code embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:
- storing a set of paired rankings including a number of side-by-side scored evaluations of a number of features by users of pairs of vehicles from among vehicles including three or more vehicles of different types within a category of vehicles;
- match scoring the vehicles relative to one another using a first score based on a match-based rating system that incrementally adjusts the first score for a new match based on an opponent rating of the new match and an outcome of the new match to provide a score predictive of an outcome for a match between one vehicle in the category against other vehicles in the category based on a chronological history of match-based competition using the number of side-by-side scored evaluations;
- graph scoring the vehicles relative to one another by arranging the vehicles in a graph and calculating a second score for each vehicle based on wins and losses relative to other ones of the vehicles along a traversal of the graph to any vertices with monotonically increasing or decreasing outcomes, using vertices of the graph that are two degrees of separation or less within the graph;
- calculating a composite score for each of the vehicles from a non-zero weighted combination of the first score and the second score;
- and
- ranking the vehicles relative to one another based on the composite score.
A method comprising:
- storing a set of paired rankings including a number of side-by-side scored evaluations of a number of features by users of pairs of items from among items including three or more different types of items within a category of items;
- match scoring the items relative to one another using a first score based on a match-based rating system that provides a score predictive of an outcome for a match between one item in the category against other items in the category based on a chronological history of match-based competition using the number of side-by-side scored evaluations;
- graph scoring the items relative to one another using a second score based on a graph of the items and the number of side-by-side scored evaluations;
- calculating a composite score for each of the items from a weighted combination of the first score and the second score;
- and
- ranking the items based on the composite score.
A system comprising:
- a server coupled in a communicating relationship with a data network;
- a processor on the server;
- and
- a memory on the server, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform the steps of storing a set of paired rankings including a number of side-by-side scored evaluations of a number of features by users of pairs of vehicles from among vehicles including three or more different types of vehicles within a category of vehicles;
- match scoring the vehicles relative to one another using a first score based on a match-based rating system that provides a score predictive of an outcome for a match between one vehicle in the category against other vehicles in the category based on a chronological history of match-based competition using the number of side-by-side scored evaluations;
- graph scoring the vehicles relative to one another using a second score based on a graph of the vehicles and the number of side-by-side scored evaluations;
- calculating a composite score for each of the vehicles from a weighted combination of the first score and the second score;
- and ranking the vehicles based on the composite score, thereby providing vehicle rankings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.