Method and system to provide feedback data within a distributed e-commerce system

Abstract

A system and method to provide feedback data within a distributed feedback system of an e-commerce system. Feedback data describing e-commerce transactions are generated by buyers of goods and services and the corresponding sellers of these goods and services. The feedback data is stored and maintained within a set of feedback servers organized into a peer-to-peer network of distributed devices. The feedback data is organized into groupings of feedback data that are stored onto database storage associated with each of the P2P network nodes. Buyers and sellers may search the feedback data from these distributed data sources to obtain reputation data associated with parties with which they propose to enter into new transactions for goods and services.

1 . A system for providing feedback data to users within an e-commerce system, the system comprising:
 a plurality of user nodes connected to feedback servers, the plurality of user nodes includes a first user node to generate a search query request to add feedback data records to a feedback data database;   a feedback server to receive the search query request, add the feedback data records to the feedback data database, and broadcast the search query request throughout a peer-to-peer network of feedback servers; the feedback servers comprising:   a distributed feedback anti-fraud module to apply an anti-fraud module to determine whether proposed feedback data records may be added to a set of feedback data records; and   a consortium server to maintain the distributed feedback anti-fraud module and maintaining a topography of the peer-to-peer network and a corresponding organization of the set of feedback data records.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a feedback map database to store the topography of the peer-to-peer network and the corresponding organization of the set of feedback data records.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the feedback data records describe a transaction between a buyer and a seller, and wherein each of the feedback data records comprises:
 a buyer ID field to uniquely identifying a buyer of the transaction;   a seller ID field to uniquely identifying the seller of the transaction;   a transaction ID field to uniquely identifying the transaction;   a transaction feedback rating field to prove a rating describing the transaction; and   a comments field to provide additional data describing the transaction.   
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the feedback server further comprise:
 a distributed feedback add feedback module to add feedback data records to the feedback data database; and   a distributed feedback rating retrieval/search module to retrieve feedback data in response to a search query request.   
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the feedback servers are trusted user feedback servers operated by trusted buyers and trusted sellers of the system. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the feedback data records are to provide opinion data for items. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the consortium server is operated by a community of users. 
     
     
         8 . A method for providing feedback data within an e-commerce system, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a first feedback server, a search query request for feedback data from a user;   locating one or more feedback servers to process the request, the locating including the first feedback server broadcasting the search query request throughout a peer-to-peer network of feedback servers;   generating, by a second feedback server, a response to the search query request; and   returning, by the second feedback server to the user, the response to the search query request.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the feedback data includes feedback data records. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the generating a response comprises using a feedback data database for storing a portion of a set of feedback data records. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the feedback servers are trusted user feedback servers operated by trusted buyers and trusted sellers of the system. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the feedback data records are to provide opinion data for items. 
     
     
         13 . A system for providing feedback data within an e-commerce system, the method comprising:
 means for receiving a search query request for feedback data from a user;   means for locating one or more feedback servers to process the request, the locating includes the first feedback server broadcasting the search query request throughout a peer-to-peer network of feedback servers;   means for generating a response to the search query request; and   means for returning a response to the search query request to the user.   
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the locating the feedback data includes locating the one or more feedback records. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the generating a response uses a feedback data database for storing a portion of a set of feedback data records. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the feedback servers comprise:
 a feedback data database for storing a portion of a set of feedback data records;   a feedback map database for storing a topography of the peer-to-peer network and its corresponding organization of the set of feedback data records; and   a distributed feedback anti-fraud module for applying an anti-fraud model to determine whether proposed feedback data records may be added to the set of feedback data records;   a distributed feedback add feedback module for adding feedback data records to the feedback data database; and   a distributed feedback rating retrieval/search module for retrieving feedback data in response to a search query request.   
     
     
         17 . A machine-readable medium including a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause of the machine to perform a method for providing feedback data within an e-commerce system, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a first feedback server, a search query request for feedback data from a user;   locating one or more feedback servers to process the request, the locating includes the first feedback server broadcasting the search query request throughout a peer-to-peer network of feedback servers;   generating, by the second feedback server, a response to the search query request; and   returning, by the second feedback server to the user, a response to the search query request.   
     
     
         18 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the locating of the feedback data includes locating one or more feedback records. 
     
     
         19 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the generating of a response comprises using a feedback data database for storing a portion of a set of feedback data records. 
     
     
         20 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the set of feedback data records describe a transaction between a buyer and a seller, and wherein each of the feedback data records comprises:
 a buyer ID field for uniquely identifying a buyer of the transaction;   a seller ID field for uniquely identifying the seller of the transaction;   a transaction ID field for uniquely identifying the transaction;   a transaction feedback rating field for proving a rating describing the transaction; and   a comments field for providing additional data describing the transaction.   
     
     
         21 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the feedback servers comprises:
 a feedback data database for storing a portion of a set of feedback data records;   a feedback map database for storing a topography of the peer-to-peer network and its corresponding organization of the set of feedback data records; and   a distributed feedback anti-fraud module for applying an anti-fraud model to determine whether proposed feedback data records may be added to the set of feedback data records;   a distributed feedback add feedback module for adding feedback data records to the feedback data database; and   a distributed feedback rating retrieval/search module for retrieving feedback data in response to a search query request.   
     
     
         22 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the feedback servers are trusted user feedback servers operated by trusted buyers and trusted sellers of the system. 
     
     
         23 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the feedback data records provide opinion data for items.