Patent ID: 6892178
Filing Date: 2005-05-10
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. For a population of entities, a method of determining a personalized ratee reputation of a first entity from the perspective of a second entity associated with the first entity by one or more rating paths, wherein a rating path comprises one or more rating links, each rating link defining a rating of a rated entity provided by a rating entity, wherein each rating path has a length defined as a number of rating links comprised in the path, and each entity comprised on one of the rating paths has a level defined as a number of rating links between the entity and the second entity, the method comprising computer-implemented acts of: (A) performing a breadth-first search beginning at the second entity to determine, from the one or more rating paths, one or more first rating paths that have a first length equal to a shortest length between the first entity and the second entity; (B) for each determined first rating path, identifying a third entity on the first rating path that has a level equal to one less than the first length; (C) for each identified third entity, determining a first rating of the first entity provided by the third entity; (D) combining the first ratings to produce a combined rating; and (E) producing the personalized ratee reputation by weighting the combined rating by an amount according to the first length.