Patent ID: 8799106
Filing Date: 2014-08-05
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for assisting online research at a website for products or services, the method being performed by one or more processors that perform steps comprising: determining a rating value for a plurality of available online sources from which products or services can be purchased, the rating value being determined from rating feedback that is accumulated from a rating population of users of individual sources in the plurality of available online sources; receiving, from a user of the website, search criteria that at least partially defines a product or service of interest; determining, from the plurality of available online sources, a plurality of sources that satisfies the search criteria; from the plurality of sources that satisfy the search criteria, determining, using the rating information, a set of one or more sources that have a highest rating value as compared to other sources in the plurality of sources; displaying, to the user, a plurality of links that individually identify a corresponding one of the plurality of sources, so that at least some of the plurality of sources are represented by the plurality of links; wherein displaying the plurality of links includes wherein presenting the select set of one or more links in prominence includes (a) displaying the qualitative graphic that is representative of the highest rating value with or adjacent to only the select set of links, while (b) not displaying the qualitative graphic with links that are not in the select set.