Product review system including reviewer purchase indicator

Abstract

A system for presenting keywords obtained from users in a review process. The keywords are displayed along with a use value that reflects the number of times users have voted or selected the keyword as being relevant or effective in a review of a product. The keywords can be used to assist consumers in deciding whether to purchase a product or a service, in determining a brand's reputation, or for other purposes. Keywords can be ranked according to usage criteria such as the frequency of use of the keyword in reviews, the reputation of a user/reviewer who created or used the keyword, etc. Rankings can be dynamically updated when keyword usage changes. Such as when a keyword declines in popularity, when words change in meaning or become obsolete or irrelevant with respect to their original intent, etc. Keywords can be used as filters for product searches.

1 . A method for presenting keywords used for a review, the method comprising:
 obtaining a plurality of user-created keywords, wherein each user-created keyword is created by a user in a review;   receiving votes to indicate users' ratings of effectiveness of the keywords used in reviews; and   transferring at least a portion of the plurality of user-created keywords for display to a user, wherein a digital processor is used to display keywords on a display screen along with a rating derived from the votes.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the keyword rating information includes frequency of selection of a keyword for use in reviews. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 tracking a rating of a user/reviewer; and   including the rating of the user/reviewer in the keyword rating information.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 automatically updating a ranking of at least a portion of the plurality of user-created keywords.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein automatically updating is in response to an increase in the number of obtained user-created keywords. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 tabulating keywords.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 categorizing keywords.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein categorizing includes categories of one or more of the following: pros, cons, uses, benefits, drawbacks, style, lifestyle, fit, sizing. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a given keyword includes a link to a context of use of the given keyword, the method further comprising:
 receiving a signal from a user input device to select the given keyword; and   displaying at least a portion of the context of use of the given keyword in response to the selection.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a given keyword includes a link to a subset of additional keywords. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 replacing a particular user-created keyword.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein replacing is in response to a change in use of the particular user-created keyword. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the meaning of the particular user-created keyword has changed over time. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the review includes a review of a product. 
   
   
       15 . An apparatus for presenting keywords used for a review, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor;   a machine readable medium including one or more instructions executable by the processor for:   obtaining a plurality of user-created keywords, wherein each user-created keyword is created by a user in a review;   receiving votes to indicate users' ratings of effectiveness of the keywords used in reviews; and   transferring at least a portion of the plurality of user-created keywords for display to a user, wherein a digital processor is used to display keywords on a display screen along with a rating derived from the votes.   
   
   
       16 . A machine-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor for:
 obtaining a plurality of user-created keywords, wherein each user-created keyword is created by a user in a review;   receiving votes to indicate users' ratings of effectiveness of the keywords used in reviews; and   transferring at least a portion of the plurality of user-created keywords for display to a user, wherein a digital processor is used to display keywords on a display screen along with a rating derived from the votes.   
   
   
       17 . A method for displaying a user-created keyword for use in a review of an item, the method comprising:
 displaying the keyword on a display screen; and   displaying an indicator of an amount of use of the keyword.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the action includes:
 using the keyword in a review of the item.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the action includes:
 linking to a web page that includes additional information relating to the keyword.   
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the amount of use includes a number indicating the amount of times that the keyword has been used in an item review. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein two or more user-created keywords are displayed in two or more item reviews at the same time. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the item reviews are displayed adjacently on a display screen. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the item reviews are displayed side-by-side. 
   
   
       24 . A method for presenting a list of items, the method comprising:
 obtaining a plurality of user-created keywords, wherein each user-created keyword is created by a user in a review;   displaying the plurality of user-created keywords by using a digital processor to display keywords on a display screen;   accepting a signal from a user input device to select at least one keyword;   filtering a subset of the items in response to the selected at least one keyword; and   displaying at least a portion of the subset of the items on the display screen.   
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 accepting a signal from a user input device to select a particular keyword; and   displaying items having reviews that do not include the particular keyword.   
   
   
       26 . An apparatus for displaying a user-created keyword for use in a review of an item, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor coupled to a display screen;   a machine-readable storage medium including instructions executable by the processor for:   displaying the keyword on the display screen; and   displaying an indicator of an amount of use of the keyword.   
   
   
       27 . A machine-readable storage medium for displaying a user-created keyword for use in a review of an item, the machine-readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions for performing the following:
 displaying the keyword on a display screen; and   displaying an indicator of an amount of use of the keyword.   
   
   
       28 . A method for presenting a review of an item to a user, the method comprising the following steps performed by a processor coupled to a display screen:
 detecting an indicator that indicates that the item was purchased by the reviewer; and   displaying a symbol on the display screen in association with the review to indicate to the user that the reviewer purchased the item.   
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the symbol is a badge. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the symbol is an icon. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 accepting an email address at a time of accepting a purchase of a particular item from a customer; and   using the email address to obtain a review of the particular item.   
   
   
       32 . An apparatus for presenting a review of an item to a user, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor coupled to a display screen;   a machine readable storage medium including instructions executable by the processor for   detecting an indicator that indicates that the item was purchased by the reviewer; and   displaying a symbol on the display screen in association with the review to indicate to the user that the reviewer also purchased the item.   
   
   
       33 . A machine-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor for presenting a review of an item to a user, the machine-readable storage medium including one or more instructions for:
 detecting an indicator that indicates that the item was purchased by the reviewer; and   displaying a symbol on a display screen in association with the review to indicate to the user that the reviewer also purchased the item.