Abstract: Methods are provided, including a method of associating descriptive content with a set of assets. The method includes determining an asset metadata object, determining descriptive content related to the asset metadata object, and associating the descriptive content with the asset metadata object.

Abstract: A system and method of managing delivery of data files receives a user request for a data file and determines a user profile and permission level based upon the received user request. The system and method establishes a delivery file path for the requested data file based upon the user profile and permission level, prioritizes delivery of the requested file based upon the user profile and permission level, and delivers the requested file using the established file path and the prioritization determination. A requester may upgrade their user profile and permission level to gain performance resources to access requested files, and the system re-prioritizes deliveries based on the new levels. If sufficient resources are not available to service a user request, the request enters a delivery queue based upon the user profile and permission level. When resources are available, the system delivers the requested file.

Abstract: An event management architecture (EMA) for managing gaming events includes a plurality of sub-events associated with a gaming event. Each sub-event has at least one sub-event participant and provides a sub-event score to each sub-event participant according to a set of sub-event rules during a sub-event interval. A scheduling coordinator schedules, for each sub-event, the sub-event interval. A registration coordinator registers, for each sub-event, each participant. A scoring processor records, for each sub-event, the sub-event score for each participant, where the sub-event score is converted into a standard format. Each sub-event may be associated with a generic sub-event container, which takes advantage of the common characteristics or functionality requirements of the sub-events to facilitate the management of the sub-events. The EMA minimizes the need to administer the events individually, and can be scalably used to manage complex arrangements of interdependent sub-events of varying types.

Abstract: A system and method for rating of each of plural products comprising identifying plurality of attributes associated with a category of product, applying a scalar structure for each attribute to provide scalar value of each attribute for each of the plural products, determining an incremental competitive index for each attribute of each product based on the scalar value of each attribute and a number of products having the scalar value, and rating each product based on the determined competitive index.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically generating a self-updating naturally-reading narrative product summary including assertions about a selected product. In one embodiment, the system and method includes evaluating an existing narrative product summary, comparing an existing attribute name, attribute value, attribute unit, and assertion model, respectively, to a current attribute name, attribute value, attribute unit, and assertion model to determine if one of the comparisons shows a change. The system and method further determines a new attribute associated with the selected product, selects an alternative product, retrieves a new assertion model with assertions that describe the selected product and identify an alternative product in a natural manner.

Abstract: A system and method for aggregating and organizing evaluative information for a particular product from at least one information source. An evaluation summary is generated by the system and method which gives users a quick and convenient view of the overall trends among the evaluative information available, including such information users and reviewers have expressed toward the particular product. The generated evaluation summary may include a category summary and a product summary.

Abstract: A system and method for determining quality of written product reviews to distinguish the user reviews for further use or processing. In one embodiment, the opinion analyzer system includes a processor, a parser module, an prose analyzer module, a characteristic features database, and a language value rules database. In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of parsing language of a portion of a user review, extracting characteristic feature from the user review, determining a quality parameter based on the extracted characteristic feature, determining a raw score based on the quality parameter, and determining quality of the user review based on the raw score.

Abstract: An automated and highly scalable system and method optimizes the selection of allied products in association with a main product. Initially, a plurality of allied products is identified. Each allied product is categorized to determine attributes by which the allied products are evaluated. Each allied product is rated to create a ranked list of allied products. Content, such as textual information, corresponding to each of the allied products is automatically generated using assertion models. Highly customized optimization rules are then applied to refine the ranked list and select optimal allied products. In one application, the optimization rules may be based on business requirements and the selected allied products are cross-sold with the main product on an online retail web site.

Abstract: A comprehensive and searchable network of on-line directories of service providers and a method for a user to use this network is disclosed. The network enables a user to obtain or market products and services on the Internet. The system includes the following software architecture and system design components: Network Data Sharing, Geographic Radius Searching, and Partner Web Site Branding.

Abstract: A method of presenting data regarding products. Feature categories are assigned to each product category based on available data. A weighted importance is assigned to each feature category of each product category based on the available data. The items in the product category are ranked according to the weighted importance of the feature categories of each item, and the evaluation metrics of each feature category.

Abstract: A system and method operates on a client device and acquires a suspect list of user products based on information derived from the client device. The system normalizes the list, and the user confirms the accuracy of the product list. The user product list is sent to a server where the user product list is compared to other lists using collaborative filtering techniques. The collaborative filtering techniques determine products of interest for the use and the level of interest of the user. The system computes a similarity measure based upon the number of similar products that match the user's product list and rankings provided by the user and others. Demographic and behavioral data may also be used in performing the comparison and the similarity measure. The system acquires editorial rankings of products from other users and provides a ranked list of recommended products based upon the editorial rankings.

Abstract: The method comprises processing plural product information records from the product information sources into one or more groups based on which product information records are likely to correspond to the same product, correlating a unique product ID corresponding to the product associated with each of said groups to identify the product, comparing each identified product to categories of a taxonomy to determine a category for the identified products in the taxonomy, and determining attributes for each categorized product based on the product information records corresponding to each group, creating product specifications based on the determined attributes and storing the product specification in the corresponding determined categories of the taxonomy.

Abstract: A method of generating directed content is provided. In the method, a set of lists are received. Each list in the set of lists is associated with a respective web service and each list includes searches submitted to the associated web service. The set of lists are distilled into a frequency database. The frequency database stores search frequency information indicating, for respective searches, a frequency with respect to each of one or more of the plurality of web services. A query is obtained, and the query is used to perform a search for matches between the query and a search in the database. Matches having highest associated frequency are selected. Each selected match indicates a respective selected web service of the web services. Directed content is displayed based on one or more of the selected web services.

Abstract: A method executed by a computer under the control of a program includes the step of linking an application program module with a corresponding integrated documentation module. A single window displays an application program module region and an integrated documentation module region in such a manner that the application program module region can be fully viewed. The application program module is compiled without compiling the integrated documentation module. The integrated documentation module region may be turned-off and the application program module region may be re-sized to substantially fill the single window.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically generating a naturally reading narrative product summary including assertions about a selected product. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of determining at least one attribute associated with the selected product, selecting an alternative product, retrieving assertion models to describe the product and to recommend an alternative product in a natural manner, and generating a naturally reading narrative by combining the attribute and the selected alternative product with the retrieved assertion models such that the generated narrative includes a recommendation of the selected alternative product. A system is provided for implementing the described method.

Abstract: An on-line commerce method and apparatus. A user can select products for purchase from plural merchant servers by examining product information stored on a shopping server. The product information related to selected products is verified by accessing a checkout page of each merchant server. The verified information is then presented to the user for confirmation. Upon confirmation, buy procedures are executed on each merchant server to purchase the products using existing account information for the user at each merchant server.

Abstract: A method of aggregating product information from a plurality of sources in a networked computer environment regarding products of a product category including the steps of providing a server interconnected to the network computer environment for providing a crawler to visit the plurality of sources and gathering product phrase information from each of the plurality of sources via the crawler, where the crawler utilizes computational linguistics to gather the product phrase information which includes a phrase and at least one characteristic of the phrase. The characteristic of the phrase may be frequency, location, font size, font style, font case, font effects, font color, collocation and co-occurrence of the phrase.

Abstract: An on-line commerce method and apparatus. A user can select products for purchase from plural merchant servers by examining product information stored on a shopping server. The product information related to selected products is verified by accessing a checkout page of each merchant server. The verified information is then presented to the user for confirmation. Upon confirmation, buy procedures are executed on each merchant server to purchase the products using existing account information for the user at each merchant server.