1. A method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising steps of:
displaying a plurality of visual items as a stack;
receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the stack;
responsive to the first user selection, displaying the plurality of visual items side-by-side;
receiving a second user selection of a second region associated with the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items are displayed side-by-side; and
responsive to the second user selection, again displaying the plurality of visual items as a stack.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second regions are different and each encompasses the plurality of items.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second regions extends for a same length along a first direction for different lengths along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of visual items as a stack includes displaying the stack as a single selectable icon.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an icon representing a file or a folder.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an event notification.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed as a stack, a top one of the visual items is fully displayed and each of a remainder of the plurality of visual items is only partially displayed.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed side-by-side, the top one of the visual items is in a same position as it was when the plurality of visual items were displayed as a stack.
9. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether sufficient room exists for displaying all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items.
10. The method of claim 9, further including, responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, displaying a bottom-most one of the visual items in the stack at a left-most area and at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items.
11. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.
12. A method for presenting visual items on a graphical user interface of a computer, the method comprising steps of:
displaying a plurality of visual items in an overlapping manner;
receiving a first user selection of a first region associated with the plurality of visual items displayed in the overlapping manner;
responsive to the first user selection, displaying the plurality of visual items in a non-overlapping manner;
receiving a second user selection of a second region associated with the plurality of visual items while the plurality of visual items such that the plurality of visual items do not overlap with one another; and
responsive to the second user selection, again displaying the plurality of visual items in an overlapping manner.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second regions are different and each encompasses the plurality of items, and wherein each of the first and second regions extends for a same length along a first direction for different lengths along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of visual items in a non-overlapping manner includes displaying the plurality of visual items so as to be distributed only along the second direction.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an icon representing a file or a folder.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of visual items is an event notification.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein when the plurality of visual items are displayed in an overlapping manner, a top one of the visual items is fully displayed and each of a remainder of the plurality of visual items is only partially displayed.
18. The method of claim 12, further including determining whether sufficient room exists for displaying all of the plurality of visual items side-by-side without moving the top one of the visual items.
19. The method of claim 18, further including, responsive to determining that sufficient room does not exist, displaying a bottom-most one of the visual items at a left-most area and at least some of the remaining ones of the plurality of visual items side-by-side and to the right of the bottom-most one of the visual items.
20. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 12.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-63. Canceled
64. A method of facilitating the selection of a purchased item comprising the steps of:
determining objective information about a user to facilitate the selection of the purchase item from among a plurality of purchase items;
determining a price sensitivity for the purchase item;
if the price sensitivity is over a selected value, selecting the purchase item based solely on the objective information and price of the purchase item; and
if the price sensitivity is below a selected value, determining additional subjective preference information and selecting the purchase item based on the additional subjective preference information, the objective information, and the price of the purchase item.
65. The method according to claim 64 wherein the step of determining the objective information involves using culling questions.
66. A method for facilitating the selection of a purchase item comprising the steps of:
determining information about a plurality of purchase items;
rating each of the purchase items according to a plurality of different rating benchmarks; and
setting values for the purchase items using any of the rating benchmarks.
67. The method according to claim 66 wherein the values are set using a plurality of benchmarks.
68. The method according to claim 67 wherein the plurality of benchmarks are weighted according to selected criteria.
69. A method for facilitating the selection of a purchase item comprising the steps of:
obtaining selected factual information about a user;
obtaining selected subjective information from the user including information about the user’s subjective preferences, wherein obtaining such selective information includes using information about the subjective preferences of individuals similar to the user based upon the factual information obtained about the user; and
selecting a purchase item from a plurality of purchase items based upon at least one of the factual information and the subjective information.
70. The method according to claim 69 wherein using information about individuals similar to the user is provided as at least one of default answers to specific questions and suggested choices of answers.
71. The method according to claim 69 wherein the factual information includes information about at least one of the user’s demographic characteristics and the user’s lifestyle.
72. The method according to claim 71 wherein the demographic characteristic information includes information about at least one of the user’s location, age, and family size and the user’s lifestyle information includes information about the user’s occupation.
73. A method of facilitating the selection of a purchase item comprising the steps of:
selecting a plurality of purchase items to be compared to each other;
determining features of each of the purchase items;
defining standardized indicia representing the features of each of the purchase items;
defining the features of the purchase items associated with the standardized indicia; and
storing the features of the purchase items associated with such standardized indicia in a database.
74. The method according to claim 73 wherein the standard indicia are XML tags.
75. The method according to claim 73 further comprising the step of allowing a user to select at least one purchase item feature based on information stored in the database.
76. The method according to claim 73 wherein the purchase items are insurance policies and the indicia include types of coverage that are allowed by the insurance agencies.
77. The method according to claim 73 wherein the purchase items are automobiles and the indicia include options available on the automobiles.
78. The method according to claim 73 further comprising the steps of:
determining a plurality of ranking rules for ranking the purchase items, wherein each ranking rule uses a different ranking scheme; and
allowing a user to select purchase item features based on information in the database and the ranking rules.
79. The method according to claim 78 further comprising the step of allowing the user to select which ranking rules are used.
80. The method according to claim 79 further comprising the step of allowing the user to determine a relative weighting scheme for the ranking rules.
81. The method according to claim 73 further comprising the steps of:
defining the features of additional purchase items using the standardized indicia; and
storing such features in the database.
82. A method of facilitating the selection of a purchase item comprising the steps of:
obtaining objective information about a user who is comparing a plurality of purchase items by adaptively determining an order of asking questions; and
obtaining preference information about the user by adaptively determining an order of asking questions.
83. The method according to claim 82 further comprising the step of using at least one of the objective information and the preference information to evaluate the plurality of purchase items and create evaluation data.
84. The method according to claim 83 further comprising the step of obtaining price sensitivity values for each of the purchase items.
85. The method according to claim 84 further comprising the step of nonlinearly weighting price sensitivity values for each of the purchase items.
86. The method according to claim 85 wherein if price sensitivity value for a purchase item is above a specified value, then the price sensitivity value is the only factor used in the selection of the purchase item, and if the price sensitivity value for a purchase item is below such specified value, then the price sensitivity value is one factor used in the selection of the purchase item.
87. The method according to claim 82 wherein the preference information is obtained by having the user answer the questions according to a numerical scale.
88. The method according to claim 83 further comprising the step of creating a ranked list of the evaluation data.
89 The method according to claim 82 further comprising the steps of:
obtaining selected information about individuals similar to the user based on the objective information obtained about the user; and
selectively rating such information about individuals’ similar to the user.
90. The method according to claim 89 wherein the rating information about individuals similar to the user comprises using at least one of statistical data related to choices made by individuals similar to the user or providing suggestions based on choices made by individuals similar to the user.
91. The method according to claim 91 wherein the suggestions are provided when the user makes a selection that is determined to be improper.
92. The method according to claim 82 further comprising the steps of:
obtaining information about lifestyle of the user by adaptively determining an order of asking questions;
creating a lifestyle category based on such information; and
selectively rating the lifestyle category.
93. The method according to claim 92 wherein the lifestyle category includes a package of specified options for the purchase item.
94. The method according to claim 82 wherein adaptively determining the order of questions to be asked comprises monitoring an order of answering the questions and providing the questions in the order determined by the monitoring.
95. The method according to claim 82 wherein adaptively determining the order of questions to be asked comprises determining a time to answer the questions and using the time to answer to select the order of the questions.
96. The method according to claim 95 wherein questions which have a longer time to answer are placed later in the order of questions.
97. The method according to claim 82 wherein adaptively determining the order of questions to be asked comprises analyzing the behavior of a user answering the questions.
98. The method according to claim 97 wherein analyzing the behavior comprises determining if the user requests more information about the questions and providing more information in response to such request.
99. The method according to claim 82 further comprising the step of maintaining response to questions asked and providing explanations for such responses.
100. A method of selecting a purchase item from among a plurality of purchase items comprising the steps of:
obtaining selected information about the plurality of purchase items;
obtaining selected information about the user who will be selecting the purchase item;
prompting the user to answer questions to facilitate the user in the selection of the purchase item; and
assisting the user in answering the questions based on the selected information obtained about the user.
101. The method according to claim 100 wherein assisting the user to answer the questions comprises providing default answers to the questions wherein such default answers are based upon the selected information obtained about the user.
102. The method according to claim 100 wherein assisting the user to answer the questions comprises providing suggestions to the user for answering the questions wherein such suggestions are based upon the selected information obtained about the user.
103. The method according to claim 100 further comprising the steps of:
determining whether an answer is incorrect based on the information obtained; and
notifying the user that the answer is incorrect.
104. The method according to claim 100 further comprising the step of comparing the selected information obtained about the user with information about individuals similar to the user.
105. The method according to claim 100 wherein the selected information obtained about the user includes information about the lifestyle of the user.
106. The method according to claim 100 wherein the step of obtaining selected information about the purchase items comprises modeling the purchase items according to selected characteristics about the purchase items.
107. The method according to claim 106 wherein the selected characteristics are modeled according to standardized items.
108. The method according to claim 107 wherein the standardized items are XML data tags.
109. A customer decision support system for facilitating the selection of a purchase item comprising:
means adapted to obtain selected information about a plurality of purchase items from at least one vendor;
first server means adapted to store the selected information about the purchase items;
a customer interface adapted to receive information from the customer; and
customer decision support means adapted to facilitate a customer in the selection based on the information received from the customer and the selected information about the purchase items, wherein the server means is accessible by at least one customer via a communications network.
110. The system according to claim 109 further comprising:
at least one additional server means to store the selected information about the purchase items; and
means adapted to exchange the selected information about the purchase items between the first server means and the at least one additional server means.
111. The system according to claim 110 further comprising:
at least one vendor support means adapted to store selected information obtained from at least one vendor about the purchase item; and
means adapted to exchange the selected information about the purchase items between the at least one vendor support means and at least one of the first server means and the at least one additional server means.
112. The system according to claim 111 further comprising:
means adapted to evaluate the selected information about the purchase items and create evaluation data;
evaluation storage means for storing the evaluation data; and
means adapted to exchange information between the evaluation storage means and at least one of the first server means, the at least one additional server means, and the at least one vendor support means.
113. The system according to claim 112 further comprising:
customer private information storage means adapted to store selected user subjective information; and
means adapted to exchange information between the customer private information storage means and at least one of the first server means, the at least one additional server means, the at least one vendor support means, and at least one customer.