Product Specific Character String Extraction for E-Commerce Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

In electronic commerce platforms, it is challenging to uniquely identify products due to inconsistent entry of product information across different sections, making it difficult to specify a character string that uniquely identifies a product.

Innovation Solution

An information processing device extracts pattern matching character strings from product information, determines the string with the smallest number of associated products in a store or store group, and uses this string as a product specific identifier, which can also be combined with other strings to improve specificity and handle variations or typos.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If each store enters product information freely without standardized sections, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of product information entryVSAvoidprecision of product identification

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of character string specificity by extracting and evaluating multiple candidate character strings from product information, selecting those with the smallest number of matching products to maximize identification precision while maintaining flexible input

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If standardized product information sections are implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of product identificationVSAvoidcomplexity of information processing system

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically extracting candidate character strings from freely entered product information and determining the most specific identifier without requiring manual standardization or complex configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual standardization processes with automated information processing algorithms that extract and evaluate character strings based on their specificity to identify products

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If character strings with high specificity are selected, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of product specificationVSAvoidloss of product description flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary extraction of multiple candidate character strings from product information before selecting the final identifier, preserving information about alternative identifiers for potential future use

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9978092B2Information processing device, information processing method, program for information processing device, and recording medium

Publication Date: 2018.05.22 RAKUTEN GROUP INC

AI summary

At least one pattern matching character string matching a predetermined pattern is extracted from target product information on a target product in a target store (S11, S12), the number of products in the target store of products hit in a range of product information on products sold in the target store is found, with each pattern matching character string as a search keyword, for each pattern matching character string (S13), and among the one or more pattern matching character strings, a pattern matching character string of which the number of products in the target store is the smallest is determined as a product specific character string for specifying the target product (S15).