Patent ID: 7191143

Claim:
A method for processing preference information, comprising: determining one or more acceptable changes, each acceptable change corresponding to an attribute of a comparison product; determining a utility of a price of the comparison product based on the preference information; determining a utility of one attribute of the comparison product based on the preference information; determining a utility of the one attribute as changed according to one of the one or more acceptable changes based on the preference information; determining a utility of a price of the comparison product as changed according to the one acceptable change based on the preference information; determining a price of the comparison product as changed according to the one acceptable change based on the determined utility of the price of the comparison product as changed according to the one or more acceptable changes; and determining an amount willing to be paid, by subtracting the determined price of the comparison product as changed according to the one acceptable change from the price of the comparison product, by a respondent for one or more of the one or more acceptable changes based on preference information associated with the respondent.