Multi-Criteria Product Sorting via Weighted Evaluation Values
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional e-commerce systems struggle to efficiently sort seasonal products that require multiple criteria such as lower prices and earlier shipment dates, as existing sorting methods focus on a single key attribute.
Innovation Solution
An information providing device and method that calculates evaluation values for each product based on multiple designated sort keys and their weights, allowing for comprehensive sorting of products that satisfy multiple conditions, with weight adjustments based on user history and variability analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If products are sorted based on a single sort key (e.g., lowest price), then the sorting process is simple and fast, but it is extremely difficult to find products that satisfy multiple aspects (e.g., lower price and earlier shipment date) at a relatively high level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sort keys into a unified sorting mechanism. The sorting unit integrates multiple evaluation values (each corresponding to a different sort key such as price, shipment date, reviews) into a single composite evaluation result, enabling comprehensive product ranking that satisfies multiple aspects simultaneously while maintaining operational simplicity
2Measurement precision
If multiple sort keys are used to evaluate products comprehensively, then products satisfying multiple conditions can be found, but the sorting process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sorting process into distinct functional units: an evaluation value calculation unit that computes individual evaluation values for each sort key, and a sorting unit that integrates these values. This segmentation allows complex multi-criteria evaluation to be broken down into manageable steps, reducing system complexity while maintaining comprehensive evaluation accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of evaluation values that mediate between multiple sort keys and the final sorting result. Each sort key generates an evaluation value, and the sorting unit integrates these intermediate values to produce the final ranking, simplifying the complexity of direct multi-key comparison
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of items of data, each having a plurality of items of attribute information, are sorted in order of most comprehensively satisfying conditions relating to the plurality of items of attribute information. An information providing server includes a single sorting unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of items of data having the plurality of items of attribute information and included in a data group, an evaluation value for sorting the data group based on a sort key designated for one of the plurality of items of attribute information. The information providing server includes a multiple sorting unit that sorts the data group based on a plurality of multiple evaluation values that are calculated, for respective items of data included in the data group, based on the evaluation values and the respective weights of the plurality of sort keys, each of the evaluation values being calculated.