Service Matching System Using Segmented Provider Ranking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing service consumer/provider matching systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently matching service consumers with providers due to the wide variety of factors involved, such as business size, location, and industry, exacerbated by the increasing amount of data and the need to process large numbers of consumers and providers, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that derives criteria from consumer data to rank service providers based on their fit, using a combination of criteria matching, geographical distance, and customer ratings, and facilitates communication between selected providers and consumers, thereby improving the speed, accuracy, and usability of matches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional matching systems process all available consumer and provider data, then matching accuracy improves, but processing time and computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the provider pool into two distinct groups: those meeting consumer criteria and those not meeting criteria. This segmentation allows the system to process and rank providers more efficiently by applying different evaluation methods to each segment, reducing overall processing time while maintaining matching accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the evaluation parameters based on the provider segment. For providers meeting criteria, the system evaluates based on criterion satisfaction. For providers not meeting criteria, the system switches to evaluating based on geographical distance and customer ratings. This parameter change optimizes processing efficiency for each segment.
2Reliability
If the system considers multiple criteria for matching, then matching quality improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies system complexity by segmenting providers into two groups based on criterion satisfaction. This segmentation allows the system to apply different, simpler evaluation rules to each segment rather than attempting to evaluate all providers against all criteria simultaneously, thereby maintaining matching quality while reducing computational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary classification step that determines whether providers meet consumer criteria before applying detailed evaluation. This intermediary step acts as a mediator that simplifies the overall matching process by filtering providers into distinct evaluation categories, reducing system complexity while preserving matching quality.
3Measurement precision
If the system ranks all providers comprehensively, then matching accuracy improves, but memory and communication bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments providers into two groups to reduce the quantity of data that needs to be processed and transmitted. By separating providers into those meeting criteria and those not meeting criteria, the system can transmit and process smaller, more targeted datasets, reducing memory and communication bandwidth requirements while maintaining comprehensive ranking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes evaluation parameters based on provider segment, using criterion satisfaction for one group and geographical/rating-based evaluation for another. This parameter change allows the system to reduce data transmission and processing requirements by applying simpler evaluation metrics to appropriate segments while maintaining overall matching accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for matching a consumer of a service with a provider of the service includes a service consumer program host computer communicatively coupled to a consumer/provider matching computer through a first network. The system also includes a service provider host computer communicatively coupled to the consumer/provider matching computer through a second network. The system further includes a consumer computer communicatively coupled to the consumer/provider matching computer through a third network. Moreover, the system includes a provider computer communicatively coupled to the consumer/provider matching computer through a fourth network. The consumer/provider matching computer generates a ranked list of providers by analyzing consumer data.