Claims:1. A method for determining an eligibility of a user for receiving a service, the method comprising:
identifying, by a processing circuitry, a category associated with a user based on user information of the user;
selecting, by the processing circuitry, a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters based on the identified category;
retrieving, by the processing circuitry, a plurality of queries from a set of queries stored in a memory, wherein each query of the plurality of queries is associated with at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters;
communicating, by the processing circuitry, the plurality of queries to a user device of the user;
receiving, from the user device, a plurality of responses provided by the user to the plurality of queries;
determining, by the processing circuitry, a score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters based on the plurality of responses and a response time associated with each of the plurality of responses; and
determining, by the processing circuitry, the eligibility of the user for receiving the service based on the score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters, wherein the processing circuitry determines that the user is eligible for receiving the service when the score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters satisfies a threshold criterion associated with the corresponding parameter.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring, by the processing circuitry, the response time associated with each of the plurality of responses when the user is responding to the plurality of queries.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each query in the plurality of queries is a multiple-choice question having a plurality of options, wherein the plurality of options is selectable by the user, and wherein each option of the plurality of options has a weight assigned thereto.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of queries includes at least one query that is repeated such that a first plurality of options associated with a first instance of the at least one repeated query is at least partially different from a second plurality of options associated with a second instance of the at least one repeated query.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising modifying, by the processing circuitry, a weight associated with a response provided by the user for the second instance of the at least one repeated query based on the response time associated with the first instance and the response time associated the second instance, wherein the score for the at least one parameter associated with the at least one repeated query is determined based on the modified weight.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
retrieving, by the processing circuitry, performance information of the user pertaining to the service when the service is availed by the user; and
comparing, by the processing circuitry, the retrieved performance information with baseline performance associated with the service.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating, by the processing circuitry, the threshold criterion associated with each parameter of the plurality of parameters based on the comparison between the retrieved performance information and the baseline performance.
8. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating, by the processing circuitry, the set of queries based on the retrieved performance information.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the processing circuitry, a correlation factor between a set of responses provided by the user to at least one set of paired queries included in the plurality of queries, wherein the plurality of responses includes the set of responses, and wherein the eligibility of the user for receiving the service is further determined based on the correlation factor.
10. A system for determining eligibility of a user for receiving a service, the system comprising:
a memory configured to store a set of queries associated with a set of parameters; and
a processing circuitry coupled to the memory, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
identify a category associated with the user based on user information of the user;
select a plurality of parameters from the set of parameters based on the identified category;
retrieve a plurality of queries from the memory, wherein each query of the plurality of queries is associated with at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters, and wherein the set of queries includes the plurality of queries;
communicate the plurality of queries to a user device of the user;
receive, from the user device, a plurality of responses provided by the user for the plurality of queries;
determine a score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters based on the plurality of responses and a response time associated with each of the plurality of responses; and
determine the eligibility of the user for receiving the service based on the score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters, wherein the processing circuitry determines that the user is eligible for receiving the service when the score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters satisfies a threshold criterion associated with the corresponding parameter.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to monitor the response time associated with each of the plurality of responses when the user is responding to the plurality of queries.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein each query in the plurality of queries is a multiple-choice question having a plurality of options, wherein the plurality of options is selectable by the user, and wherein each option of the plurality of options has a weight assigned thereto.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of queries includes at least one query that is repeated such that a first plurality of options associated with a first instance of the at least one repeated query is at least partially different from a second plurality of options associated with a second instance of the at least one repeated query.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to modify a weight associated with a response provided by the user for the second instance of the at least one repeated query based on the response time associated with the first instance and the response time associated the second instance, and wherein the score for the at least one parameter associated with the at least one repeated query is determined based on the modified weight.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
retrieve performance information of the user pertaining to the service when the service is availed by the user, and
compare the retrieved performance information with baseline performance of the service.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to update the threshold criterion associated with each parameter of the plurality of parameters based on the comparison between the retrieved performance information and the baseline performance.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to update the set of queries based on the retrieved performance information.
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a correlation factor between a set of responses provided by the user to at least one set of paired queries included in the plurality of queries, wherein the plurality of responses includes the set of responses, and wherein the processing circuitry determines the eligibility of the user for receiving the service further based on the correlation factor.
, Description:DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF USERS FOR RECEIVING SERVICES

BACKGROUND

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to managing resources for provisioning services to users. More specifically, various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and a system for determining the eligibility of users for receiving one or more services.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Recent advancements in digital information processing have made a wide range of services available to users at their premises. Examples of such services may include access to digital banking, credit loans, insurance plans, financial aid, rental services, and/or the like. A user may obtain a service, for example, an unsecured loan within minutes by way of a user device, for example, a laptop or a mobile phone. This provides the user with an unprecedented convenience in obtaining any service.
Service providers generally rely on tools such as credit scores (for example, a Credit Information Bureau India Limited score (i.e., CIBIL score) and Fair, Isaac, and Company score (i.e., FICO score)) of the user to determine whether the user is eligible for receiving the offered service. These tools offer insights regarding the eligibility of the user for receiving the services, thereby overcoming the need for the service providers to meet the user in person. However, such tools often fail to provide any insight regarding how well the user will perform after availing the service, for example, whether the user will repay a credit loan in time. Conventional ways for testing the performance of the user pertaining to the service involve interviewing with a trained interviewer who observes the behavior of the user. Generally, interviewing is focussed on personal judgement of an interviewer and may be biased due to different judgment capabilities of different interviewers. Moreover, the interviewing technique is very expensive and may not be feasible for use when a large number of users are involved.
In light of the foregoing, there exists a need for a technical and more reliable solution that solves the above-mentioned problems and efficiently determines whether a user is eligible for receiving a service.
Further areas of applicability of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments is intended for illustration purposes only and is, therefore, not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining an eligibility of a user for receiving a service.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for determining eligibility of a user for receiving a service.

SUMMARY

Determination of eligibility of users for receiving one or more services is provided substantially as shown in, and described in connection with, at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
These and other features and advantages of the invention may be appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the invention, along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a disclosed apparatus for determining the eligibility of a user for receiving a service. Exemplary aspects of the invention provide a method and a system for determining the eligibility of the user for receiving the service. The method includes one or more operations that are executed by processing circuitry of the system for determining the eligibility of the user for receiving the service. The processing circuitry may be configured to identify a category associated with the user based on user information received from a user device of the user. Based on the identified category, the processing circuitry may be configured to select, from a set of parameters, a plurality of parameters that is associated with the identified category. Based on the selected parameters, the processing circuitry may be configured to retrieve a plurality of queries from a set of queries such that each retrieved query is associated with one or more selected parameters. The processing circuitry may be configured to communicate the retrieved queries to the user device and prompt the user to respond to the retrieved queries within a fixed time interval. The retrieved queries may be displayed to the user through an interactive user interface rendered on the user device. The processing circuitry may be further configured to receive a plurality of responses provided by the user to the retrieved queries. The processing circuitry may be further configured to monitor a response time associated with each of the plurality of responses when the user is responding to the plurality of queries. The processing circuitry may be configured to determine a score for each selected parameter based on the received responses and the response time associated with each of the received responses. The processing circuitry may be further configured to determine the eligibility of the user for receiving the service based on the score determined for each parameter. The processing circuitry may determine that the user is eligible for receiving the service when the score for each selected parameter satisfies a threshold criterion associated with the corresponding selected parameter.
In one embodiment, each retrieved query is a multiple-choice question having a plurality of options. The plurality of options is selectable by the user, and each option has a corresponding weight assigned thereto. The retrieved queries that are communicated to the user device may include one or more queries that are repeated, such that a first set of options associated with a first instance of a repeated query is at least partially different from a second set of options associated with a second instance of the repeated query. The processing circuitry may be further configured to modify the weight associated with a response provided by the user for the second instance of the repeated query based on the response time associated with the first instance and the response time associated the second instance of the repeated query. The scores for one or more selected parameters that are associated with the repeated queries may be determined further based on the modified weight of the corresponding responses.
In one embodiment, the processing circuitry may be configured to retrieve performance information of the user pertaining to the service when the service has been availed by the user. The processing circuitry may be further configured to compare the retrieved performance information with baseline performance associated with the service. Based on the comparison, the processing circuitry may be configured to update the threshold criterion associated with each parameter. In one embodiment, the processing circuitry may be further configured to update the set of queries based on the comparison.
In one embodiment, the retrieved queries may include one or more sets of paired queries. The processing circuitry may be configured to determine a correlation factor based on the responses provided by the user to the one or more sets of paired queries. The eligibility of the user for receiving the service is further determined based on the correlation factor.
Thus, the method and system of the invention result in determining the eligibility of the user for receiving the service without the requirement of any credit score, for example, a Credit Information Bureau India Limited (CIBIL) score and a Fair, Isaac, and Company (FICO) score. The method does not require any human interaction, for example, an interview or a call, for determining the eligibility of the user who has applied for the service. This makes the method of the present invention objective, and thus, all users who apply for the service are given the same opportunities to respond to the queries. The method is automated and thus, saves time required for the determination of the eligibility of the user. The system of the present invention makes service eligibility determination very convenient for the user, as the user is only required to respond to an online questionnaire that is specifically designed by the system for the user based on the user information. The system of the present invention makes sure that the online questionnaire is different for different users, thus, ensuring that the users are not able game the online questionnaire. The method uses performance information of various users pertaining to the service availed by the users as feedback for updating the threshold criterion associated with each of the parameters. Updating the threshold criterion increases system accuracy for determining the eligibility of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Embodiments of the present invention will herein after be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claims, wherein like designations denote like elements, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an environment for determining the eligibility of a user for receiving a service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates the application server of the environment of FIG. 1, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively represent a process flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary scenario for determining the eligibility of the user for receiving the service in the environment of FIG. 1, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a user interface rendered on a user device of FIG. 1 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 5A and 5B, collectively represent a flow chart that illustrates a method for determining the eligibility of a user for receiving a service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a method for updating a threshold criterion associated with a parameter, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “an article” may include a plurality of articles unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of the present invention.
There may be additional components described in the foregoing application that are not depicted on one of the described drawings. In the event such a component is described, but not depicted in a drawing, the absence of such a drawing should not be considered as an omission of such design from the specification.
Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention constitutes a filter element. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary environment 100 for determining the eligibility of a user for receiving a service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The environment 100 includes first and second user devices 102a and 102b of first and second users 104a and 104b, respectively, an application server 106, and a communication network 108. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b, and the application server 106 may communicate with each other by way of the communication network 108.
The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or interfaces that may be configured to perform one or more operations, such as rendering an interactive user interface (UI) under the control of the application server 106. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may serve as communication devices of the first and second users 104a and 104b, respectively. Examples of the first and second user devices 102a and 102b may include, but are not limited to, personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, or other devices capable of communicating via the communication network 108.
The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may be used by the first and second users 104a and 104b, respectively, to communicate with the application server 106 over the communication network 108. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may include various components, such as a display, an audio output device, an imaging device, processors, and/or touchscreen module, for allowing the first and second users 104a and 104b to interact with the first and second user devices 102a and 102b, respectively. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may be utilized by the first and second users 104a and 104b, respectively, for applying to a service offered by a service provider. Examples of the service may include, but are not limited to, a credit loan service, financial aid, an insurance service, a rental service, a matrimonial compatibility check service, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the first and second user devices 102a and 102b may store user information of the first and second users 104a and 104b, respectively. The user information of a user may include, but not limited to, a name, an age, a gender, a location, an occupation, a designation, an annual income, a registered contact number, and/or an e-mail id of the user. In another embodiment, the first and second users 104a and 104b may provide the corresponding user information to the respective first and second user devices 102a and 102b.
The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may be further utilized by the respective first and second users 104a and 104b for providing responses to multiple queries presented on the UIs rendered by the first and second user devices 102a and 102b. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may be configured to communicate the responses provided by the respective first and second users 104a and 104b to the application server 106. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may be configured to capture one or more images of the respective first and second users 104a and 104b at random by way of the respective imaging devices, while the first and second users 104a and 104b are providing responses to the presented queries. The first and second user devices 102a and 102b may communicate the captured one or more images to the application server 106. Various modes of inputs used by the first and second users 104a and 104b to input the user information and the responses may include, but are not limited to, touch-based inputs, text-based inputs, gesture-based inputs, audio-based inputs, and/or a combination thereof.
The application server 106 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or interfaces that may be configured to perform one or more operations for determining the eligibility of a user (for example, the first or second user 104a or 104b) for receiving the service offered by the service provider. In one embodiment, the application server 106 may be configured to host a service application (for example, a mobile application or a web application) that may run on user devices, for example, the first or second user devices 102a or 102b. The application server 106 may host the service application to determine whether the user (e.g., the first or second user 104a or 104b) is eligible for receiving the service for which the user has applied. The application server 106 may be realized through various web-based technologies, such as, but not limited to, a Java web-framework, a .NET framework, a PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) framework, or any other web-application framework. Examples of the application server 106 may include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, a laptop, a cloud-based server, for example, amazon web services (AWS), or a distributed network of computer systems.
The communication network 108 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or interfaces that may be configured to transmit messages and requests between various entities, such as the first and second user devices 102a and 102b, and the application server 106. Examples of the communication network 108 may include, but are not limited to, a Wi-Fi network, a light fidelity (Li-Fi) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite network, the Internet, a fiber optic network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a radio frequency (RF) network, and combinations thereof. Various entities in the environment 100 may connect to the communication network 108 in accordance with various wired and wireless communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.11, 802.11p, 802.15, 802.16, Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), cellular communication protocols, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication protocols, or any combination thereof.
In operation, for determining the eligibility of the first user 104a for the service, the application server 106 may be configured to receive the user information of the first user 104a from the first user device 102a. Based on the received user information, the application server 106 may be configured to determine a category of the first user 104a from a set of categories. The set of categories may include a business owner category, a salaried person category, a self-employed category, and/or the like. Each category in the set of categories may be associated with a plurality of parameters included in a set of parameters. Examples of parameters included in the set of parameters may include, but are not limited to, honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, business acumen, financial acumen, opportunistic, family bonding, or the like. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the above-mentioned parameters are mere examples and the set of parameters may include different or additional parameters without deviating from the scope of the invention. The application server 106 may be further configured to select, from the set of parameters, the plurality of parameters that is associated with the identified category of the first user 104a. Hereinafter, the plurality of parameters selected by the application server 106 is referred to as “the selected parameters”.
The application server 106 may be further configured to retrieve a plurality of queries from a set of queries maintained at the application server 106 based on the selected parameters, such that each retrieved query is associated with one or more selected parameters. In one embodiment, the set of queries maintained at the application server 106 may be segregated based on different service providers, types of services offered by the different service providers, and a customer-base of the different service providers. Hereinafter, the plurality of queries retrieved by the application server 106 is referred to as “the retrieved queries”. The application server 106 may be further configured to communicate the retrieved queries to the first user device 102a and prompt the first user 104a to respond to the retrieved queries. The application server 106 may be further configured to monitor the time taken (i.e., a response time) by the first user 104a to respond to each query. Responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries may indicate an inclination of the first user 104a towards each selected parameter.
The application server 106 may be configured to receive the responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries from the first user device 102a. Based on the received responses and the response time associated with each response, the application server 106 may determine a score associated with each selected parameter. The application server 106 may be configured to determine whether the first user 104a is eligible to receive the service (for example, a credit loan service, from a service provider, for example, a bank) based on the determined scores of the selected parameters. The application server 106 may determine that the first user 104a is eligible to receive the service when the determined score of each selected parameter satisfies a threshold criterion associated with the corresponding selected parameter. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the application server 106 may determine the eligibility of other users, such as the second user 104b, for same or different services in a similar manner as described above for the first user 104a.
In one embodiment, the application server 106 may be further configured to retrieve performance information of the first user 104a pertaining to the service when the service is availed by the first user 104a. For example, when the service is a credit loan service, the performance information may include, but not limited to, time taken by the first user 104a to repay a credit loan taken by the first user 104a or credit loan installments. The application server 106 may be configured to compare the retrieved performance information with baseline performance associated with the availed service. For example, when the service is the credit loan service, the baseline performance may include time allocated to repay the credit loan or the credit loan installments. The application server 106 may be configured to update the threshold criteria associated with the selected parameters based on the comparison between the retrieved performance information and the baseline performance. In one embodiment, the application server 106 may further update the set of queries maintained at the application server 106.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates the application server 106, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The application server 106 may include a memory 202, a processing circuitry 204, and a transceiver 206. The memory 202, the processing circuitry 204, and the transceiver 206 may be communicatively coupled to each other by way of a first communication bus 208.
The memory 202 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that is configured to store one or more instructions executable by the processing circuitry 204 and the transceiver 206. The memory 202 may be configured to store and manage the information pertaining to the set of categories and the set of parameters. For example, the memory 202 may be configured to store a tabular database that includes the list of all categories and one or more features that are indicative of each category. The memory 202 may be further configured to store another tabular database that is indicative of associations between the set of categories and the set of parameters. In one exemplary scenario, one or more parameters of the set of parameters may be uniquely associated with each category of the set of categories and one or more other parameters, for example, (three parameters) of the set of parameters may be common to all the categories included in the set of categories.
The memory 202 may be configured to store and manage data received from the first and second user devices 102a and 102b and a third-party device (as shown in FIG. 3B). The memory 202 may be further configured to store the set of queries that may be utilized by the application server 106 for determining whether a user (e.g., the first or second user 104a or 104b) is eligible for receiving the service requested by the user. In one embodiment, the set of queries may be available in a plurality of languages. In one embodiment, the set of queries may be available in different formats, for example, pictorial format, textual format, and audio format. In one embodiment, the set of queries stored in the memory 202 may be segregated based on different service providers, types of services offered by the different service provider, and a customer-base of the different service providers.
Each query stored in the memory 202 may be a multiple-choice question (MCQ) that has a plurality of selectable options. Each option of a query is associated with at least one parameter included in the set of parameters and has a weight assigned thereto. A query may be associated with those parameters that are associated with the options of that query. The weight assigned to an option may indicate a measure of the correlation between the option and the associated parameter. For example, first and second options of a query that are associated with the business acumen parameter may have weights “0.5” and “1”, respectively. Since the weight of the second option is greater than the weight of the first option, the second option may have a higher correlation with the business acumen parameter as compared to the first option. In one example, all the options of a query may have the same weights and may be associated with different parameters. In another example, all the options of a query may have different weights and may be associated with the same parameter. In another example, an option may be associated with multiple parameters such that the option has different weights for the associated parameters. For example, a first option of a query may be associated with business acumen and honesty parameters and may have weights “0.25” and “0.75” for the business acumen and honesty parameters, respectively.
Further, each query stored in the memory 202 may be one of a forced response query or a non-forced response query. The forced response query is a type of query for which all the options of the query have the same weights and are associated with different parameters. Further, each forced response query is repeated multiple times in the set of queries such that the options of the different instances of the forced response query are at least partially different. Examples of first, second, and third instances of a first forced response query are shown below:
a. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I have the money to buy it without a loan.
ii. Yes, I would repay the loan anyway.
b. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I have the money to buy it without a loan.
ii. Yes, I would take the loan to improve my credit score.
c. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I don’t have the money to repay the loan.
ii. Yes, I would take the loan to improve my credit score.
As shown above, the first instance (a) of the first forced response query has two options that have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and risk-taking ability parameters, respectively. The second instance (b) of the first forced response query has two options that have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and financial acumen parameters, respectively. The third instance (c) of the first forced response query has two options that have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and financial acumen parameters, respectively. As shown above, the first and second instances of the first forced response query have same first option, however, the second options for the first and second instances of the first forced response query are different. Likewise, the options of the third instance of the first forced response query are partially different from the options of the first and second instances. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the above-mentioned examples are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.
The non-forced response query is a type of query for which all the options of the query have different weights and are associated with same parameter/s. In one embodiment, each option of a non-forced response query may be associated with more than parameter and may have different weights for each associated parameter. The non-forced response queries are not repeated. An example of a first non-forced response query is shown below:
d. Are you aware of financial planning?
i. I have a keen interest in financial planning.
ii. I sometimes read about it in the newspapers.
iii. I don’t think financial planning is very important.
iv. Not a clue.
The first non-forced response query, as shown above, has four options that have weights as “1”, “0.75”, “0.5”, and “0.25” and are associated with the financial acumen parameter. Another example of a non-forced response query includes a ranking based query. A ranking based query may have multiple options that are required to be arranged in a sequence. Each possible sequence of the options is associated with a parameter/s of the set of parameters and has a weight/s assigned thereto. The options may be arranged in any sequence by dragging and dropping the options or any other arrangement method known to those of skilled in the art. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the abovementioned examples are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.
The set of queries stored in the memory 202 may further include one or more sets of paired queries. The sets of paired queries may enable the application server 106 to determine whether a user is consistent in selecting options inclined towards a particular parameter, and whether the user is gaming the test. An example of two queries that are paired (i.e. a first set of paired queries) is shown below:
e. Would you buy a bike for USD 750?
i. Yes.
ii. No.
f. Would you buy a first bike that costs USD 1,000 is available on sale for USD 750 or a second bike that costs USD 750 and is available on sale for USD 600?
i. I would buy the second bike as the maintenance cost, and insurance may add up to increase the cost of the bike.
ii. I would buy the first bike as it is safer to drive a high-end bike.
Examples of the memory 202 may include a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a removable storage drive, a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, a solid-state memory, and the like. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to realizing the memory 202 in the application server 106, as described herein. In another embodiment, the memory 202 may be realized in the form of a database server or a cloud storage working in conjunction with the application server 106, without departing from the scope of the invention.
The processing circuitry 204 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or interfaces that may be configured to perform one or more operations for determining the eligibility of various users (e.g., the first and second users 104a and 104b) for receiving the service. For determining the eligibility of the first user 104a for receiving the service, the processing circuitry 204 may be configured to acquire and process the user information of the first user 104a. The processing circuitry 204 may be further configured to identify a category of the first user 104a based on the processed user information of the first user 104a, select parameters based on the identified category, and retrieve queries based on the selected parameters. The retrieved queries may include multiple forced response queries, multiple non-forced response queries, and multiple sets of paired queries. For example, the retrieved queries may include six forced response queries that are repeated four times with partially different options, ten non-forced response queries, and five sets of paired queries. Examples of the processing circuitry 204 may include X86-based processor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a microcontroller, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a state machine, and/or other processors or circuits. The processing circuitry 204 may include a timer 210, a score generator 212, a comparator 214, a threshold generator 216, and an eligibility detector 218 for performing the one or more operations for determining the eligibility of various users of receiving the service. The timer 210, the score generator 212, the comparator 214, the threshold generator 216, and the eligibility detector 218 may communicate with each other by way of a second communication bus 220.
The timer 210 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that may be configured to monitor the response times associated with the responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries. The timer 210 may be initially set to a default value “00:00” (i.e., minutes: seconds format). The timer 210 may be triggered when the first query is presented to the first user 104a for responding. The timer 210 is stopped when an option of the first query is selected as a response by the first user 104a. The value of the timer 210 when the option is selected by the first user 104a corresponds to the response time for the first query. The value of the timer 210 is then stored in the memory 202 against the first query, and the timer 210 is reset to the default value. The timer 210 is again triggered when a second query is presented to the first user 104a for responding. Likewise, the time taken (i.e., the response time) by the first user 104a to respond to each retrieved query is stored in the memory 202.
The score generator 212 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that may be configured to determine the scores for the selected parameters based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries. The score generator 212 may determine the scores for the selected parameters based on a weight assigned to the options selected by the first user 104a as responses to the retrieved queries. The score generator 212 may further determine the scores of the selected parameters based on the response time associated with the responses. The score generator 212 may determine the score for a selected parameter based on a cumulative sum of the weights of responses that are associated with the selected parameter. In one embodiment, the score generator 212 may further modify the weights associated with responses to the forced response queries based on the response time associated with responses, and utilize the modified weights for determining the scores for the selected parameters. The score generator 212 may further determine a correlation factor based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the paired queries that are included in the retrieved queries. A value of the correlation factor may lie between ‘-1’ and ‘1’. The value of the correlation factor is higher when the two responses provided by the first user 104a for two paired queries are associated with the same selected parameter as compared to when the two responses provided by the first user 104a for the two paired queries are associated with different selected parameters.
The comparator 214 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that may be configured to compare the response times associated with the responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries. The comparator 214 may be further configured to compare the determined score of each selected parameter with a first threshold value associated with the corresponding selected parameter to determine whether the threshold criterion associated with the corresponding selected parameter is satisfied or not. In one embodiment, the threshold criterion associated with a first selected parameter may be satisfied when the determined score of the first selected parameter is greater than or equal to the first threshold value associated with the first selected parameter. In another embodiment, the threshold criterion associated with the first selected parameter may be satisfied when the determined score of the first selected parameter is less than or equal to the first threshold value associated with the first selected parameter. The comparator 214 may be further configured to compare the correlation factor determined for the first user 104a with a correlation threshold value for determining the eligibility of the first user 104a for receiving the service. The comparator 214 may be further configured to compare the retrieved performance information of various users who were determined to be eligible for the service with the baseline performance of the service, and provide a comparison result to the threshold generator 216. The comparator 214 may be further configured to determine a count of eligible users who did not perform well with regards to the availed service based on the comparison between the retrieved performance information of the users with the baseline performance. The comparator 214 may be further configured to flag those users who did not perform well as defaulters.
The threshold generator 216 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that may be configured to generate the first threshold value for each parameter in the set of parameters. The threshold generator 216 may be configured to generate the first threshold value based on historical data of various test users who have availed the service in the past. For example, the first threshold value for each parameter may be determined based on an average of scores exhibited by the test users for each parameter in the set of parameters. Based on the comparison result received from the comparator 214, the threshold generator 216 may be configured to update the threshold criterion of each parameter in the set of parameters by modifying the first threshold values for the set of parameters. For example, the threshold generator 216 may update the threshold criterion of each parameter in the set of parameters when a percentage of the defaulters is greater than five percent of the users who were determined to be eligible for the service. In another example, if there are zero defaulters, the threshold generator 216 may determine that the first threshold values of the set of parameters are very high and, thus, the threshold generator 216 may reduce the first threshold value of each parameter in the set of parameters.
The eligibility detector 218 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code, executable by the circuitry, that may be configured to determine the eligibility of a user based on the comparison performed by the comparator 214. The eligibility detector 218 may determine that a user, (for example, the first user 104a) is eligible to receive a service (for example, the credit loan service) when the comparator 214 determines that the determined score of each selected parameter satisfies the threshold criterion associated with the corresponding selected parameter. For example, the eligibility detector 218 determines that the first user 104a is eligible to receive the credit loan service when the threshold criterion for each selected parameter is satisfied and the determined correlation factor is greater than or equal to the correlation threshold value.
The transceiver 206 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/ or interfaces that may be configured to transmit (or receive) data to (or from) various servers or devices in the environment 100 (such as the first and second user devices 102a and 102b) by way of the communication network 108. The application server 106 may be configured to communicate with the first and second user devices 102a and 102b or the third-party device by way of the transceiver 206. Examples of the transceiver 206 may include, but are not limited to, an antenna, a radio frequency transceiver, a wireless transceiver, and a Bluetooth transceiver. The transceiver 206 may be configured to communicate with the first and second user devices 102a and 102b using various wired and wireless communication protocols, such as TCP/IP, UDP, or any combination thereof.
FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively represent a process flow diagram 300 that illustrates an exemplary scenario for determining the eligibility of the first user 104a for receiving a service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The first user device 102a and the application server 106 may communicate with each other by way of the communication network 108.
The application server 106 may request the first user 104a to provide the user information of the first user 104a (as shown by arrow 302). The user information of the first user 104a may include, but is not limited to, a name, an age, a gender, an occupation, a designation, an annual income, proficiency in languages, a registered contact number, a location, a designation, and/or an e-mail id of the first user 104a. The first user device 102a may receive the request from the application server 106. Based on the received request, the first user 104a may provide the user information to the first user device 102a (as shown by arrow 304). In one exemplary scenario, the first user device 102a may already have the user information of the first user 104a stored thereon. In such a scenario, the first user device 102a may communicate the user information to the application server 106 based on a consent provided by the first user 104a (as shown by arrow 306). The application server 106 may receive the user information from the first user device 102a.
Based on the received user information, the processing circuitry 204 may identify a category of the first user 104a from the set of categories stored in the memory 202 (as shown by arrow 308). The processing circuitry 204 may extract various features (for example, occupation, annual income, age, or the like) from the received user information and utilize the tabular database stored in the memory 202 to identify the category of the first user 104a. In one example, the first user 104a may be a small shop owner. In such a scenario, the processing circuitry 204 may identify that the category of the first user 104a is a business owner. In another example, the first user 104a may be an employee who draws a fixed monthly income. In such a scenario, the processing circuitry 204 may identify that the category of the first user 104a is a salaried person. Based on the identified category of the first user 104a, the processing circuitry 204 may select various parameters from the set of parameters that the first user 104a needs to be tested on (as shown by arrow 310). The set of parameters may include honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, business acumen, financial acumen, opportunistic, family bonding, or the like. The processing circuitry 204 may be configured to utilize the tabular database stored in the memory 202 to determine the associations between the set of parameters and the identified category. In one exemplary scenario, the parameters selected by the processing circuitry 204 based on the category (e.g., salaried person category) of the first user 104a may be honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen. For the sake of brevity, it is assumed that the first user 104a belongs to the salaried person category, and the processing circuitry 204 selects the honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters based on the identified category (e.g., a salaried person category).
Based on the selected parameters, the user information, and a type of service requested, the processing circuitry 204 may retrieve the plurality of queries from the set of queries that is stored in the memory 202 (as shown by arrow 312). In one embodiment, the processing circuitry 204 may retrieve the plurality of queries as per the language proficiency of the first user 104a. For example, if the first user 104a is proficient in the English language, the retrieved queries are in the English language. In one embodiment, based on the user information, a specific format of queries may be selected for retrieval. For example, the plurality of queries may be in the pictorial format when the first user 104a is unable to read or write. In another embodiment, multiple formats of queries may be selected for retrieval. For example, the plurality of queries may include one or more queries that are in the pictorial format, one or more queries that are on audio format, and one or more queries that are on textual format. Since the plurality of queries for the first user 104a is retrieved based on the user information of the first user 104a, same queries may not be retrieved for any two users. For example, the plurality of queries retrieved for the first user 104a, who is a senior level employee in an organization, may be different from a plurality of queries that may be retrieved for the second user 104b who is a mid-level employee in the same organization. In one embodiment, if the set of queries does not have queries that are relevant to the user information of the first user 104a, the processing circuitry 204 may be configured to generate new queries that are relevant to the user information in real time. In one embodiment, the processing circuitry 204 may be configured to retrieve a different plurality of queries for the first user 104a when the eligibility of the first user 104a is to be determined for a second time. In other words, the plurality of queries retrieved for a subsequent attempt to determine service eligibility of the first user 104a may not match the plurality of queries retrieved for a previous attempt.
Each retrieved query is associated with one or more selected parameters. Each retrieved query is in MCQ format having multiple weighted options as described in FIG. 2. The retrieved queries include multiple forced response queries, multiple non-forced response queries, and multiple sets of paired queries. Further, each forced response query is repeated multiple time such that each repeated the instances of each forced response query have multiple options that are at least partially different. For example, the processing circuitry 204 may retrieve four instances of six forced response queries, twenty-six non-forced response queries, and ten sets of paired queries, from the memory 202. Examples of four instances of the first forced response query are shown below:
g. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I have the money to buy it without a loan.
ii. Yes, I would repay the loan anyway.
h. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I have the money to buy it without a loan.
ii. Yes, I would take the loan to improve my credit score.
i. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I don’t have the money to repay the loan.
ii. Yes, I would take the loan to improve my credit score.
j. Would you take a loan for a vehicle you need to buy?
i. No, I don’t have the money to repay the loan.
ii. Yes, I would repay the loan anyway.
The two options of the first instance (a) of the first forced response query have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and risk-taking ability parameters, respectively. The two options of the second instance (b) of the first forced response query have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and financial acumen parameters, respectively. The two options of the third instance (c) of the first forced response query have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and financial acumen parameters, respectively. The two options of the fourth instance (d) of the first forced response query have same weight “1” and are associated with honesty and risk-taking ability parameters, respectively. Likewise, the options of the four instances of the remaining forced response queries are weighted and associated with one or more of the selected parameters. An example of a first non-forced response query is shown below:
e. How important is financial planning for you?
i. Very important.
ii. Important.
iii. Somewhat important.
iv. Not a clue.
The four options of the non-forced response query (i.e., e) as shown above have “1”, “0.75”, “0.5”, and “0.25” weights, respectively and are associated with the financial acumen parameter. Likewise, the options of the remaining non-forced response queries are weighted and associated with one or more selected parameters. An example of a first set of paired queries is shown below:
f. Would you buy a bike for USD 750?
i. Yes.
ii. No.
g. Would you buy a first bike that costs USD 1,000 is available on sale for USD 750 or a second bike that costs USD 750 and is available on sale for USD 600?
i. I would buy the second bike as the maintenance cost, and insurance may also add up to increase the cost of the bike.
ii. I would buy the first bike as it is safer to drive a high-end bike.
The two options of the first query (i.e., f) have the same weights ‘1’ and are associated with risk-taking ability and opportunistic parameters, respectively. Likewise, the two options of the other query (i.e., g) have the same weights ‘1’ and are also associated with risk-taking ability and opportunistic parameters. Thus, options of each set of paired queries are associated with same parameters. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art the processing circuitry 204 may retrieve any number of forced response queries, non-forced response queries, and sets of paired queries from the memory 202 without deviating from the scope of the invention.
The transceiver 206 may communicate the retrieved queries as a questionnaire to the first user device 102a (as shown by arrow 314). The first user device 102a may render the interactive UI, under the control of the application server 106, to display the retrieved queries to the first user 104a (as shown by arrow 316). In one embodiment, the retrieved queries may be presented on the interactive UI in a random order. In another embodiment, the forced response queries may be presented before the non-forced response queries. Under the control of the application server 106, the first user device 102a may further prompt the first user 104a to provide responses to the retrieved queries that are displayed through the interactive UI. The first user 104a may provide a response to each retrieved query displayed on the interactive UI by selecting one of the options for each displayed query (as shown by arrow 318). The timer 210 may monitor the response time associated with each response provided by the first user 104a (as shown by arrow 320) and store the response time associated with each response in the memory 202. The monitoring of the response time by the timer 210 has been explained in the foregoing description of FIG. 2.
The first user device 102a may communicate the responses provided by the first user 104a to the application server 106 by way of the communication network 108 (as shown by arrow 322). Based on the received responses to the retrieved queries and the response time associated with the received responses, the score generator 212 may determine a score for each selected parameter (as shown by arrow 324a).
For determining the score for each selected parameter, the score generator 212 may be configured to modify the weights associated with the responses to the forced response queries based on the response times associated with the responses to the forced response queries. In one exemplary scenario, the first user 104a may have selected the first option of the first instance (i.e., a) of the first forced response query and may have taken twenty seconds to provide the response. Further, the first user 104a may have selected the first option of the second instance (i.e., b) of the first forced response query and may have taken twenty-two seconds to provide the response. In such a scenario, when the response time associated with the second instance of the first forced response query is greater than the response time associated with the first instance of the first forced response query, the score generator 212 may be configured to reduce the weight of the response to the second instance (i.e., b) of the first forced response query. For example, the score generator 212 may reduce the weight of the response to the second instance (i.e., b) of the first forced response query from ‘1’ to ‘0.8’. Further, the first user 104a may have selected the second option of the third instance (i.e., c) of the first forced response query and may have taken eighteen seconds to provide the response. In such a scenario, when the response time associated with the third instance of the first forced response query is less than the response times associated with the first and second instances of the first forced response query, the score generator 212 may retain the weight of the response to the third instance (i.e., c) of the first forced response query. However, if the score generator 212 determines that the response time associated with the third instance of the first forced response query is greater than the response times of any of the first and second instances of the first forced response query, the score generator 212 may reduce the weight of the response to the third instance (i.e., c) of the first forced response query. Likewise, the score generator 212 may modify the weights of the other responses to the forced response queries based on the corresponding response times. The score generator 212 may not modify the weights associated with the responses to the non-forced response queries and the sets of paired queries.
The score generator 212 may be further configured to segregate the responses based on an association with the selected parameters. For example, the score generator 212 may determine that from 60 responses provided by the first user 104a to the 60 retrieved queries, 12 responses may be associated with the honesty/integrity parameter, 8 responses may be associated with the consistency parameter, 15 responses may be associated with the risk-taking ability parameter, 13 responses may be associated with the opportunistic parameter, and 12 responses may be associated with the financial acumen parameter. Based on the segregation of the responses, the score generator 212 may be further configured to determine a first cumulative sum based on the weights of the responses associated with each selected parameter. If the weight of a response has been modified by the score generator 212, the modified weight may be utilized for determining the first cumulative sum. The first cumulative sum determined by the score generator 212 for each selected parameter may correspond to the score of the corresponding selected parameter. For example, based on the weights of the 12 responses that are associated with the honesty/integrity parameter, the score generator 212 may determine that the first cumulative sum associated with the honesty/integrity parameter is 9.45. In such a scenario, the score for the honesty/integrity parameter is also 9.45. In one embodiment, for each selected parameter, the score generator 212 may be further configured to determine a second cumulative sum based on the weights of the responses to the forced response queries and a third cumulative sum based on the weights of the responses to non-forced response queries.
The score generator 212 may be further configured to determine the correlation factor based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the sets of paired queries (as shown by arrow 324b). For example, a default value of the correlation factor may be zero indicating no correlation. The score generator 212 may increment the correlation factor by a value of ‘0.20’ when the first user 104a selects the options that are associated with the same parameter, as responses to the first set of paired queries. In other words, the score generator 212 may increment the correlation factor by a value of ‘0.20’ as both the options of the first set of paired queries ‘f’ and ‘g’ selected by the first user 104a are related to risk-taking ability parameter. In another example, the score generator 212 may decrement the correlation factor by a value of ‘0.20’ when the first user 104a selects the options that are associated with different parameters, as responses to the first set of paired queries.
In one embodiment, based on the received responses and the determined scores of the selected parameters, the application server 106 may provide, to the first user 104a, additional queries associated to a particular selected parameter that has the lowest score when compared the scores of the other selected parameters. The application server 106 may provide the additional queries for a better understanding of the inclination of the first user 104a towards the particular selected parameter and an increased accuracy of the determination of the score of the particular selected parameter. In one embodiment, the additional queries may be non-forced response queries.
In one example, the comparator 214 may determine that the consistency parameter has the lowest score when compared to the other selected parameters. In such a scenario, the application server 106 may provide, for example, five additional queries, associated with the consistency parameter, to the first user 104a. Based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the five additional queries, a new score may be determined for that consistency parameter.
In another example, two selected parameters may have the same lowest score. In such a scenario, the processing circuitry 204 may select one of the two parameters for which additional queries are to be provided to the first user 104a. The processing circuitry 204 may select one of the two parameters based on a ranking of importance of the two parameters with regards to the type of service for which the eligibility is to be determined or the service provider offering the service. The parameter that has the higher ranking of importance is selected by the processing circuitry 204 for providing the additional queries to the first user 104a. For example, the honesty/integrity and risk-taking ability parameters may have the same score of ‘11.5’ and the scores for consistency and financial acumen parameters may be ‘15.65’ and ‘14.35’, respectively. The score of the honesty/integrity and risk-taking ability parameters is lower than the scores of consistency and financial acumen parameters. The application server 106 may provide, to the first user 104a, additional queries associated with the honest/integrity parameter when the honesty/integrity parameter is more important to the service provider than the risk-taking ability parameter.
The comparator 214 may be configured to determine whether the determined score for each selected parameter satisfies the threshold criterion of the corresponding selected parameter. In one embodiment, the comparator 214 may be configured to compare the determined score for each selected parameter with the first threshold value associated with the corresponding selected parameter (as shown by arrow 326). The comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for the selected parameter is satisfied when the determined score for the selected parameter is greater than or equal to the first threshold value associated with the selected parameter.
In one exemplary scenario, the first user 104a may belong to the salaried person category. Thus, the selected parameters are honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters. The first threshold value as determined by the threshold generator 216 for each selected parameter may be 6.85. The score generator 212 may determine that the scores for the honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters are 10.76, 7.54, 13.25, 10.30, and 11.85, respectively. In such a scenario, the comparator 214 may determine that the determined score for each selected parameter is greater than the respective first threshold value. Thus, the comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for the selected parameters is satisfied.
In another exemplary scenario, the first threshold value as determined by the threshold generator 216 for each selected parameter may be 6.85 and the score generator 212 may determine that the scores for the honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters are 10.76, 6, 13.25, 10.30, and 11.85, respectively. In such a scenario, the comparator 214 may determine that the determined score for the consistency parameter is less than the respective first threshold value. Thus, the comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for a particular selected parameter is not satisfied.
In another embodiment, the threshold criterion associated with each selected parameter may involve the first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a third threshold value. In such a scenario, the comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for a selected parameter is satisfied when the determined score for the selected parameter is greater than or equal to the corresponding first threshold value, and the second and third cumulative sums associated with the selected parameter are greater than or equal to the second and third threshold values associated with the selected parameter, respectively.
In one exemplary scenario, the first user 104a may belong to the salaried person category. Thus, the selected parameters are honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters. The first, second, and third threshold values as determined by the threshold generator 216 for each selected parameter may be 6.85, 4.45, and 5. The score generator 212 may have determined the scores 10.76, 7.54, 13.25, 10.30, and 11.85 for honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, opportunistic, and financial acumen parameters, respectively. The determined score for the honesty parameter may be a combination of the second and third cumulative sums 4.76 and 6, respectively. The determined score for the consistency parameter may be a combination of the second and third cumulative sums 3.54 and 4, respectively. The determined score for the risk-taking ability parameter may be a combination of the second and third cumulative sums 5 and 8.25, respectively. The determined score for the opportunistic parameter may be a combination of the second and third cumulative sums 5.30 and 5, respectively. The determined score for the financial acumen parameter may be a combination of the second and third cumulative sums 5.85 and 6, respectively. The comparator 214 may compare the first threshold value with the determined score of each selected parameter. The comparator 214 may compare the second and third threshold values with the second and third cumulative sums, respectively, of each selected parameter. In such a scenario, the comparator 214 may determine that the determined score, the second and third cumulative sums for each selected parameter are greater than the first through third threshold values, respectively. Thus, the comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for the selected parameters is satisfied. However, in a scenario where any of the determined score, the second or third cumulative sum for at least one of the selected parameters is less than the first through third threshold values, respectively, the comparator 214 may determine that the threshold criterion for the selected parameters is not satisfied. In one embodiment, the first through third threshold values for each selected parameter may be different. For example, the first through third threshold values for a first selected parameter may be different from the first through third threshold values of a second selected parameter.
The comparator 214 may further compare the determined correlation factor with the correlation threshold value. For example, the correlation threshold value may be ‘8’ and the determined correlation factor may be 8.25. Thus, the comparator 214 may determine that the determined correlation factor is greater than the correlation threshold value.
The eligibility detector 218 may determine whether the first user 104a is eligible for receiving the service based on the comparison performed by the comparator 214 (as shown by arrow 328). The eligibility detector 218 may determine that the first user 104a is eligible for receiving the service when the threshold criterion for each selected parameter is satisfied, and the determined correlation factor is greater than the correlation threshold value. Thus, the first user 104a is eligible to receive the service, for example, a credit loan service, a financial aid, an insurance plan, or the like.
The transceiver 206, under the control of the processing circuitry 204, may then communicate an eligibility notification to the first user device 102a to indicate whether the first user 104a is eligible for receiving the service (as shown by arrow 330). In one embodiment, the transceiver 206, under the control of the processing circuitry 204, may further communicate the eligibility notification to a cloud-based server (not shown) of the service provider. In another embodiment, the eligibility notification may not be communicated to the first user device 102a and may only be communicated to the service provider. When the eligibility detector 218 determines that the threshold criterion for each selected parameter is satisfied and the determined correlation factor is greater than the correlation threshold value, the eligibility notification indicates that the first user 104a is eligible for receiving the service. However, when the eligibility detector 218 determines that the threshold criterion for at least one of the selected parameters is not satisfied or the determined correlation factor is less than the correlation threshold value, the eligibility notification may indicate that the first user 104a is not eligible for receiving the service. The first user device 102a may display the eligibility notification to the first user 104a through the interactive UI.
In one embodiment, the service provider offering the service may utilize the scores of the first user 104a for the selected parameters to set one or more conditions for offering the service. In one example, the service provider may modify an interest rate for a financial service offered to the first user 104a based on the scores of each selected parameter. For example, the service provider may offer high interest rates to the users who are eligible to receive the financial service and have low scores (for example, equal to the first threshold value) for the selected parameters, and low interest rates to the users who are eligible to receive the financial service and have high scores for the selected parameters. In another example, the service provider offering an insurance service may modify a premium amount on the insurance service offered to the first user 104a based on the scores of each selected parameter. The service provider may offer a discount, (e.g., 25% discount) on the premium amount to the users who are eligible to receive the insurance service and have high scores for the selected parameters, and no discount on the premium amount to those users who are eligible to receive the insurance service and have low scores for the selected parameters.
In one embodiment, while the first user 104a is providing responses to the queries displayed on the interactive UI, the first user device 102a may capture one or more images of the first user 104a at random by way of the imaging device (e.g., a camera, a webcam, or the like) included in the first user device 102a. The first user device 102a may be configured to communicate the captured images to the application server 106, in real time or near real time. The application server 106 may be configured to process the received images to determine the mood of the first user 104a while the first user 104a is providing responses to the retrieved queries and ensure that the first user 104a is not using any fraudulent means to provide the responses. In one example, the application server 106 may use one or more Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms (for example, deep learning algorithms, machine learning algorithms, or the like) for processing the received images.
In one embodiment, a group of users may apply for a service. For example, a group of ten users may apply for a credit loan service. In such a scenario, one of the parameters selected by the processing circuitry 204 is a group dynamics parameter. The group dynamics parameter may indicate a level of group influence on the behavior of a user who is a part of the group. The processing circuitry 204 may retrieve the plurality of queries from the memory 202 for determining the eligibility of each user in the group of users, such that the plurality of queries for each user may include one or more queries associated with the group dynamics parameter. The eligibility detector 218 may be configured to determine whether the users belonging to the group are eligible to receive the service based on the scores of each user for the selected parameters and composite scores (for example, average scores of the ten users) of the group for the selected parameters. For example, the eligibility detector 218 may determine that one of the ten users is not eligible for receiving the service, however, the composite scores of the group for the selected parameters satisfy the threshold criteria. In such a scenario, if the score of the ineligible user for the group dynamics parameter indicates that the ineligible user is impacted positively by the group, the eligibility detector 218 may determine that the group of ten users is eligible for receiving the service.
In another embodiment, an organization may apply for a service, for example, a credit loan service. In such a scenario, each co-borrower (for example, trustees, board members, or the like) of the organization may be required to take the test offered by the application server 106 for determining the eligibility for receiving the service. The co-borrowers of the organization may be tested on an additional parameter ‘dominance’ in addition to other selected parameters. The eligibility detector 218 may determine whether the organization is eligible for receiving the service, if scores of a co-borrower, who has scored highest for the dominance parameter, satisfy the threshold criterion for the other selected parameters.
With reference to FIG. 3B, the application server 106 may be configured to receive or retrieve performance information of various users, (e.g., the first and second users 104a and 104b) pertaining to the service availed by the users, from a service provider device 332 based on the consent of the service provider (as shown by arrow 334). The comparator 214 may compare the received performance information with the baseline performance stored in the memory 202 (as shown by arrow 336). Based on a deviation between the received performance information with the baseline performance, the comparator 214 may determine the count of users (i.e., the defaulters) who were determined to be eligible for the service but did not perform well. The threshold generator 216 may be configured to update the threshold criterion associated with each parameter in the set of parameters based on the received count of defaulters (as shown by arrow 338). For example, the threshold generator 216 may update the threshold criterion when the percentage of defaulters is more than a defined percentage (e.g., five percent) of a total count of users who were determined to be eligible for the service or when there are zero defaulters. For updating the threshold criterion, the threshold generator 216 may increase or decrease the first through third threshold values associated with each parameter. The application server 106 may further update the set of queries based on the count of defaulters and the received performance information (as shown by arrow 340). The application server 106 may update the set of queries by adding or removing one or more queries from the set of queries. In one exemplary scenario, the service offered by the service provider may be a credit loan service. In such a scenario, the application server 106 may remove the one or more queries when the one or more queries fail to show discrimination between users predicted to repay the availed credit loan service and defaulters. For example, queries for which the users predicted to repay the availed credit loan service and the defaulters have provided same responses may correspond to those queries that fail to show any discrimination. Such one or more queries are removed from the set of queries and one or more new queries are added to the set of queries to replace the removed queries. In one embodiment, the application server 106 may be configured to update the set of queries at regular time intervals for improving the relevance of the set of queries to the offered services.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 that illustrates a UI 402 rendered on the first user device 102a, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. At a first time-instance T1, the UI 402 may present a first query having two selectable options to the first user 104a. At a second time-instance T2, the first user 104a may select one of the two options as response to the first query. The timer 210 may determine that the time taken by the first user 104a to respond to the first query is a difference between the second time instance T2 and the first time-instance T1. For example, the first query may be displayed on the UI 402 at 10:00:00AM and the first user 104a may respond to the first query by selecting a second option at 10:00:20AM. In such a scenario, the timer 210 may determine that the response time for the first query is twenty seconds.
FIGS. 5A and 5B, collectively represent a flow chart 500 that illustrates a method for determining the eligibility of a user for receiving a service, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. For the sake of brevity, the flow chart 500 has been described with regards to the first user 104a.
With reference to FIG. 5A, at 502, the user information of the first user 104a may be received. The application server 106 may be configured to receive the user information of the first user 104a from the first user device 102a. The user information of the first user 104a may include, but is not limited to, a name, an age, a gender, an occupation, an annual income, a registered contact number, and/or an e-mail id of the first user 104a. At 504, the category of the first user 104a may be identified based on the user information of the first user 104a. The application server 106 may be configured to identify the category of the first user 104a from the set of categories stored in the memory 202 based on the user information of the first user 104a. The set of categories may include business owners, salaried person, self-employed people, or the like. Each category in the set of categories may be associated with various parameters included in the set of parameters stored in the memory 202.
At 506, the plurality of parameters may be selected from the set of parameters based on the identified category of the first user 104a. The application server 106 may be configured to select the plurality of parameters from the set of parameters based on the identified category of the first user 104a. Examples of parameters included in the set of parameters may include, but are not limited to, honesty/integrity, consistency, risk-taking ability, business acumen, financial acumen, opportunistic, family bonding, or the like. At 508, the plurality of queries may be retrieved from the set of queries based on the selected parameters. The application server 106 may be configured to retrieve the plurality of queries from the set of queries maintained at the application server 106 based on the selected parameters. Each retrieved query is associated with one or more selected parameters. Each retrieved query is in MCQ format having multiple weighted options. Each option of a retrieved query is associated with at least one selected parameter and has a weight assigned thereto. The weight assigned to an option may indicate a measure of the correlation between the option and the associated parameter.
At 510, the retrieved queries may be communicated to the first user device 102a of the first user 104a. The application server 106 may be configured to communicate the retrieved queries as a questionnaire to the first user device 102a by way of the communication network 108. At 512, the response time associated with each response provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries is monitored. The application server 106 may be configured to monitor the response time associated with each response provided by the first user 104a and store the response time associated with each response in the memory 202. At 514, the plurality of responses is provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries is received. The application server 106 may be configured to receive, from the first user device 102a, the plurality of responses provided by the first user 104a to the retrieved queries.
With reference to FIG. 5B, at 516, the weights associated with the responses to the forced response queries are modified based on the response times associated with the responses to the forced response queries. The application server 106 may be configured to modify the weights associated with the responses to the forced response queries based on the response times associated with the responses to the forced response queries. At 518, the correlation factor is determined based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the sets of paired queries. The application server 106 may be configured to determine the correlation factor based on the responses provided by the first user 104a to the sets of paired queries. The application server 106 may determine whether the first user 104a is consistent in selecting an option that is inclined to a particular parameter from the selected parameters. At 520, a score is determined for each selected parameter. The application server 106 may be configured to determine the score for each selected parameter based on the weights of the responses associated with each selected parameter.
At 522, the application server 106 may determine whether the score of each selected parameter satisfies the threshold criterion associated with the corresponding selected parameters. If at 522, the application server 106 determines that the score of each selected parameter satisfies the threshold criterion, 524 is performed. If at 522, the application server 106 determines that the score of each selected parameter does not satisfy the threshold criterion, 526 is performed. At 524, the application server 106 communicates to the first user device 102a that the first user 104a is eligible for receiving the service. At 526, the application server 106 communicates to the first user device 102a that the first user 104a is not eligible for receiving the service.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart 600 that illustrates a method for updating the threshold criterion associated with a parameter, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. At 602, performance information of various users pertaining to the service availed by the users may be received. The application server 106 may be configured to receive the performance information of the users (e.g., the first and second users 104a and 104b) pertaining to the service availed by the users from a service provider. The performance information may include information about how the users who have availed the service performed over a period of time. For example, the performance information may indicate whether the users have repaid the availed credit loan or the credit loan installments on time, whether the users repaid the availed credit loan or the credit loan installments in a time period they promised, or the like.
At 604, the received performance information is compared with the baseline performance associated with the availed service. The application server 106 may be configured to compare the received performance information with the baseline performance stored in the memory 202. The baseline performance may indicate how users who have availed the service should ideally perform over a period of time, for example, when the users should have repaid the availed credit loan or the credit loan installments, and in what time period should they have repaid the availed credit loan or the credit loan installments. Based on a deviation between the received performance information and the baseline performance, the comparator 214 may determine the count of users (i.e., the defaulters) who were determined to be eligible for the service but did not perform well. The application server 106 flags the users who performed poorly as defaulters.
At 606, the threshold criterion associated with each parameter in the set of parameters is updated based on the comparison of the received performance information with the baseline performance. The application server 106 may be configured to update the threshold criterion associated with each parameter in the set of parameters based on the comparison of the received performance information with the baseline performance. For example, the application server 106 may increase the threshold criterion when the percentage of defaulters is more than a defined percentage (e.g., five percent) of a total count of users who were determined to be eligible for the service. Further, if there are zero defaulters, the application server 106 may determine that the first threshold value is very high and may reduce the first threshold value. At 608, the set of queries is updated based on the received performance information of the users. The application server 106 may be configured to update the set of queries based on the received performance information of the users. The application server 106 may update the set of queries by adding or removing queries from the set of queries.
A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with various computer system configurations, including multi-core multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, computers linked or clustered with distributed functions, as well as pervasive or miniature computers that may be embedded into virtually any device. Further, the operations may be described as a sequential process, however some of the operations may in fact be performed in parallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and with program code stored locally or remotely for access by single or multiprocessor machines. In addition, in some embodiments, the order of operations may be rearranged without departing from the spirit of the disclosed subject matter.
Various embodiments of the invention provide the application server 106 for determining whether a user is eligible for receiving a service. The application server 106 includes the memory 202, the processing circuitry 204, and the transceiver 206. User information is received by the processing circuitry 204 from a user device of a user. A category of the user is identified the processing circuitry 204 based on the received user information. A plurality of parameters from a set of parameters is selected by the processing circuitry 204 based on the identified category of the user. Further, a plurality of queries from a set of queries stored in the memory 202 is retrieved by the processing circuitry 204. Each query in the plurality of queries is associated with at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters. The plurality of queries is communicated by the processing circuitry 204 to the user device. Further, a plurality of responses provided by the user for the plurality of queries is received by the processing circuitry 204. A score for each parameter of the plurality of parameters is determined by the processing circuitry 204 based on the plurality of responses and a response time associated with each of the plurality of responses. The eligibility of the user for receiving the service is determined by the processing circuitry 204 based on the score for each parameter. The processing circuitry 204 determines that the user is eligible for receiving the service when the score for each parameter satisfies a threshold criterion associated with the corresponding parameters.
Thus, the method and system of the invention helps to determine an eligibility of a user, for example, the first user 104a, for receiving a service. At any given point of time, the application server 106 does not require a credit score, for example, a CIBIL score or a FICO score, to determine the eligibility of the user for receiving the service. Technological improvements in the application server 106 enable the application server 106 to process the one or more images received from the first user device 102a to ensure that no fraudulent means are adopted by the users while providing the responses by processing. Technological improvements in the application server 106 enable the application server 106 to use performance information of various users pertaining to a service availed by the users for updating the threshold criterion associated with each parameter in the set of parameters. Updating the threshold criterion increases the accuracy of the method for determining the eligibility of the user. The application server 106 does not require any additional human interaction, for example, an interview or a call, for determining the eligibility of the user who has applied for the service. The method is automated and thus, saves time taken for the determination of the eligibility of the user for receiving the service. The application server 106 allows the users to take a test for determining their eligibility for receiving the service according to their convenience and objectively determines the eligibility of the user. Since the plurality of queries is different for different user, the application server 106 makes it difficult for the users to cheat while providing the responses.
The present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Although selected embodiments have been illustrated and described in detail, it may be understood that various substitutions and alterations are possible. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings may recognize additional various substitutions and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.