Patent ID: 8504418
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: identifying, by one or more computers associated with a question and answer service, a user-selected question from among a searchable database of questions; exposing, by the one or more computers and to a user that selected the question, information about an answer set for the user-selected question, wherein, before payment for the answer set is received from the user, the information about the answer set includes information specifying a number of answers in the answer set, and, for each answer in the answer set, a total monetary amount that other users of the question and answer service have distributed to the answer, and does not include the content of any answer in the answer set, and wherein, after the payment for the answer set is received from the user, the information about the answer set includes the content of one or more answers in the answer set; and in response receiving the payment for the answer set from the user, initiating, by the one or more computers, a timed interval for receiving one or more user inputs that (i) select one or more answers from the answer set, and (ii) specify a distribution of a portion of the payment among the selected answers.