Crowdsourced Profile Association via Weighted Voting

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Solution Overview

Problem

It is challenging to associate a tenancy user identifier with a LinkedIn or other profile-hosting service identifier, as users typically log in with personal identifiers, limiting direct comparison and requiring a crowdsourced approach to share profile information within a closed user group.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method involving a crowdsourcing process where users vote on potential associations between tenancy user identifiers and LinkedIn identifiers, with tiered linkage and weighted voting to determine and record crowdsourced associations, allowing access to profile content without needing the exact LinkedIn identifier.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users log in with personal identifiers, then user authentication is simple, but association with tenancy user identifiers becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser authenticationVSAvoididentifier association

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a crowdsourcing intermediary system that mediates between personal identifiers and tenancy user identifiers. Multiple users vote on potential associations, and the system uses weighted voting thresholds to determine valid linkages, acting as a mediator that transforms the difficult direct association problem into a manageable crowdsourced verification process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where voting results are analyzed and used to refine association determinations. The weighted voting mechanism provides feedback by accumulating votes and comparing against thresholds, allowing the system to iteratively improve association accuracy based on community consensus

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If direct comparison of identifiers is used, then association process is simple, but association accuracy decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassociation processVSAvoidassociation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The crowdsourcing system serves as an intermediary layer between simple identifier comparison and accurate association determination. Instead of directly comparing identifiers, the system introduces multiple voting users who provide indirect verification, with the aggregated voting results serving as a more accurate determination mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of direct identifier comparison with a social verification mechanism. Instead of relying on automated string matching, the system substitutes human judgment through voting, where multiple users collectively determine associations based on contextual knowledge and recognition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If crowdsourcing approach is implemented, then association accuracy improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassociation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the crowdsourcing process into distinct functional modules: vote submission, vote weighting calculation, threshold determination, and association determination. Each module handles a specific aspect of the complexity, making the overall system more manageable and maintainable despite the inherent complexity of crowdsourcing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If multiple voting users are engaged, then association reliability improves, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassociation reliabilityVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the threshold parameter based on the number and quality of votes received. As more votes are accumulated, the threshold for determining an association can be adjusted, allowing the system to balance reliability requirements with time constraints by adapting the decision criteria to the current state of voting

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11003722B2Crowdsourcing content associations in a profile-hosting system

Publication Date: 2021.05.11 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for determining a crowdsourced association between a first user identifier, and a second user identifier for a user of a service accessible over a network. Service data are searched to identify users of the service having a potential association with the first user identifier. Users of the service are invited in turn to select one of the identified users in relation to the first user identifier. A tier of linkage is determined, from at least two defined tiers, between a user making the selection and the selected user. A vote is recorded, of the determined tier, for the selection. A threshold is assigned to votes according to the tier of linkage so that if the votes of at least one of the defined tiers achieves its assigned threshold, it may be determined whether the first user identifier is associated with the respective second user identifier.