Method, apparatus, and program product for processing product evaluations

Abstract

A technique for determining a match between a character string including an evaluation and product information stored in a storage device and including a feature description of a product. The character string includes a name of an evaluation object to be evaluated and an evaluation expression representing the evaluation of the evaluation object. The matching method includes a first determining step of determining from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object or a negative evaluation of the evaluation object; and a second determining step of determining, when the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression is included in a feature description of a product, the product to be a matched product, and if the evaluation expression is not included in a feature description of a product, the product to be a mismatched product.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system configuration according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration of a computer suitable for use in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a category dictionary.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which a matched product is displayed on the basis of evaluation information appearing on a WEB page.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart illustrating processing in the match/mismatch determining section.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the present invention is applied to a portal site.

Claims

1. A method for determining a match between a character string including an evaluation of an evaluation object and product information stored in a storage device, wherein the character string includes a name of the evaluation object and an evaluation expression representing the evaluation of the evaluation object and the storage device includes a feature description of a product, the method comprising: a first determining step of determining from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object or a negative evaluation of the evaluation object; anda second determining step of determining, when the evaluation expression represents the positive evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression is included in the feature description of the product, and if so the product is determined to be a matched product, and if the evaluation expression is not included in the feature description of the product, the product is determined to be a mismatched product.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product information includes categories of products, and the categories are hierarchically arranged and represented by a plurality of nodes, each node being a group to which certain of the products belong, wherein the first determining step when a category of a product is included in a category of the evaluation object, determines from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents the positive evaluation of the evaluation object or the negative evaluation of the evaluation object.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the feature description includes at least one feature name representing a feature of the product and a feature condition corresponding to the feature name.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second determining step further comprises a step of determining, by using an antonym dictionary containing words representing feature conditions that are opposite to those in the product information, when the evaluation expression represents a negative evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression matches a feature condition opposite to that indicated in the feature description of a product, and if so the product is determined to be the matched product, and if the evaluation expression does not match the feature condition opposite to that indicated in the feature description of a product, the product is determined to be the mismatched product.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product information includes a name of a product company providing the product, and wherein the second determining step further comprises steps of: if the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object, determining if a company providing the evaluation object is same as the product company providing the product, and if so the product is determined to be the matched product, and if the company providing the evaluation object is different from the product company providing the product, the product is determined to be the mismatched product; andif the evaluation expression represents a negative evaluation of the evaluation object determining if a company providing the evaluation object is different from the product company providing the product, determines and if so the product is determined to be the matched product, and if the company providing the evaluation object is different from the product company providing the product, the product is determined to be the mismatched product.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of products, and wherein the method further comprises an adding step of adding a first product determined to be the matched product to a matched product list, and adding a second product determined to be the mismatched product to a mismatched product list, for each of the plurality of products.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a sorting step of sorting each of the matched and mismatched product lists by at least one of evaluation object, evaluation expression, feature name, feature condition, and degree of match between the evaluation information and the product information.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the character string is obtained from a WEB page, and the product information includes product images of the products, and wherein the matching method further comprising a displaying step of displaying at least one of (i) product images of products contained on the matched product list and (ii) product images of products contained on the mismatched product list.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the product images are displayed adjacent to the WEB page.

10. An apparatus for determining a match between a character string including an evaluation of an evaluation object and product information stored in a storage device, wherein the character string includes a name of the evaluation object and an evaluation expression representing the evaluation of the evaluation object and the storage device includes a feature description of a product, the apparatus comprising: first determining means for determining from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object or a negative evaluation of the evaluation object; andsecond determining means for determining, when the evaluation expression represents the positive evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression is included in the feature description of the product, and if so the product is determined to be a matched product, and if the evaluation expression is not included in the feature description of the product, the product is determined to be a mismatched product.

11. A program product stored in a storage medium for determining a match between a character string including an evaluation of an evaluation object and product information stored in a storage device, wherein the character string includes a name of the evaluation object and an evaluation expression representing the evaluation of the evaluation object and the storage device includes a feature description of a product, the program product for enabling a computer to perform: a first determining function for determining from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object or a negative evaluation of the evaluation object; anda second determining function for determining, when the evaluation expression represents the positive evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression is included in the feature description of the product, and if so the product is determined to be a matched product, and if the evaluation expression is not included in the feature description of the product, the product is determined to be a mismatched product.

12. A method for displaying an appropriate product advertisement according to a character string including an evaluation of an evaluation object, the method comprising: an extracting step of extracting from a WEB page the character string including a name of the evaluation object and an evaluation expression representing the evaluation of the evaluation object;a determining step of determining from the evaluation object and the evaluation expression whether the evaluation expression represents a positive evaluation of the evaluation object or a negative evaluation of the evaluation object;a matching step of determining a match between the evaluation expression and product information stored in a storage device, the storage device containing product images and feature descriptions of a plurality of products;a determining step of determining, when the evaluation expression represents the positive evaluation of the evaluation object, if the evaluation expression is included in a feature description of a product, and if so the product is determined to be a matched product, and if the evaluation expression is not included in a feature description of a product, the product is determined to be a mismatched product, with respect to each of the plurality of products;an adding step of adding a first product determined to be the matched product to a matched product list, and a second product determined to be the mismatched product to a mismatched product list, with respect to each of the plurality of products; andan embedding step of embedding at least one of (i) a product image of a matched product contained on the matched product list and (ii) a product image of a mismatched product contained on the mismatched product list near the character string appearing on the WEB page, with respect to each of the plurality of products.