Management issue recognition and resolution knowledge processor

• US 5,241,621 A
• Filed: 06/26/1991
• Issued: 08/31/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Smart, Ronald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Michael R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Downs, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US07/721,042
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 395/76, 395/12, 395/51, 395/61
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

A knowledge processing system and a method for operating same for interacting with a user of the system. The system includes a user interface for prompting the user to enter information and for receiving entered information from the user. The user interface is coupled during use to a knowledge model processor (10) that includes a Dialogue Control Interpreter (16) that provides structured messages to a user so as to elicit responses from the user concerning Imperatives of the user, Situations of the user, Knowledge known to the user, and Executive Agents known to the user. This information is stored in a User Awarenesses database (18). The Dialogue Control Interpreter operates in accordance with predetermined dialoguing Imperatives (20) to elicit, record, and access user responses in sequences that guide and motivate the user to follow predetermined sequences of thought, based on the recorded User Awarenesses database of Imperatives, Situations, Knowledge, and Executive Agents. The system further includes dialoguing knowledge templates (22) which are designed to enable the user to make an appropriate response to inquiries by the system so as to motivate and guide the user along predetermined sequences of thought.

Claims

1. A method, to be carried out by a computer system, for accomplishing a dialogue with a user of the system, including the steps of:

providing a first message to the user, said first message containing a dialogue query concerning a User Imperative, said first message containing a menu of Dialoguing Imperatives;

receiving a first response from the user, said first response selected by the user from said menu of Dialoguing Imperatives;

selecting a template from Dialoguing Knowledge in consequence to said first response from the user;

retrieving entries from a User Awarenesses database;

prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template and entries from said User Awarenesses database so as to determine component elements of said User Imperative, the component elements of said User Imperative including

(a) a type of triggering State;

(b) a type of Action strategy;

(c) a set of Probable types of consequential results from implementing the type of Action strategy on the type of triggering State; and

(d) a Value of said User Imperative relative to other recorded Imperatives of the user.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the step of recording the component elements of said User Imperative within said database of User Awarenesses.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 and further including a step of ordering said User Imperative and said recorded Imperatives of the user in order of said Value.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the steps of:

providing a second message to the user, said second message containing a dialogue query concerning a User Situation of significance to the user;

receiving the second response from the user; and

prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template and entries from a User Situations area in said User Awarenesses database so as to determine the component elements of the user'"'"'s description of said User Situation, the component elements of said User Situation including

(a) a name for referencing the User Situation;

(b) a locality in space and time where the Object or State giving rise to the User Situation did, does, or will exist;

(c) a Value of the User Situation to the user; and

(d) a Probability estimate of the truth of the existence of an Object or State having the value at the space and time locality.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4 and further including a step of storing the component elements determined from the second response within the database of User Awarenesses.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5 and further comprising the step of ordering the stored records of User Situations by significance to the user.

7. A method as set forth in claim 4 and further including the steps of:

providing a third message to the user, said third message containing a dialogue query concerning User Knowledge;

receiving a third response from the user; and

prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template so as to determine categories of the User Knowledge, the categories of the User Knowledge including

(a) Evaluation Knowledge;

(b) Object Knowledge;

(c) Skills Knowledge; and

(d) Probability Knowledge.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein

Evaluation Knowledge describes Values Hierarchies that prioritize the user'"'"'s Imperatives, and where these prioritizing functions may include numbers, algebraic expressions, algorithms, or references to experts whose opinions are accepted by the user;

Object Knowledge describes how the user recognizes an Object or State by making a set of specified scan and sense actions to obtain a corresponding characteristic set of response messages when an instance of this kind of Object or State exists at the space and time locality where the scanning and sensing is executed;

Skills Knowledge describes the programming of Physical Executive Agents, in terms of an activating Signal, an Activity executed in response to the activating Signal, and a Message that is returned when the Activity is completed; and

Probability Knowledge includes a set of Probability weighted entries of possible outcomes from described Actions that are made as interventions into described initial States, and wherein these Probabilities are described as functions of contingent conditions that pertain in the space and time locality where an interventional Activity is to occur.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein for Skills Knowledge the Activities and the completion Messages are described as Probability weighted tables.

10. A method as set forth in claim 7 and further including the step of recording the User Knowledge within the database of User Awarenesses.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10 and further comprising the steps of accessing the recorded User Knowledge and employing the recorded User Knowledge as content in communications, between different users, or the same user.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 and further including a step of motivating, guiding, informing and educating a user through the communication of recorded User Knowledge that is included within templates containing associated structured messages to a user.

13. A method as set forth in claim 7, and further including the steps of:

providing a fourth message to the user, said fourth message containing a dialogue query concerning Executive Agents that the user believes are available to the user;

receiving said fourth response from the user; and

prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template and entries from an Executive Agents area in said User Awarenesses database so as to determine a description of the capabilities of the Executive Agent, including

(a) a reference name for the Executive Agent;

(b) a Signal that initiates the Activity of the Executive Agent;

(c) an Activity performed by the Executive Agent; and

(d) a Message that the Executive Agent returns when the Activity is accomplished.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 and further including the step of recording the determined description of the Executive Agent within the database of User Awarenesses.

15. A method as set forth in claim 13 and further including the steps of eliciting, recording and accessing user responses in sequences following predetermined sequences of thought, based on recorded database information of User Imperatives, User Situations, User Knowledge, and Executive Agents.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 and further including an initial step of structuring the predetermined sequences of thought based on said recorded database information having the components of User Imperatives, User Knowledge, User Situations and Executive Agents and Action strategies, said Action strategies having implementation plans employing Agents to execute segments of Activity, said Action strategies including a messaging Action that signal Agents when, where, and how to execute planned Action strategies.

17. A knowledge processing system comprising:

Dialogue Control means for providing a first message to a user, that first message containing a dialogue query concerning a User Imperative, the Dialogue control means receiving a first response from the user;

the Dialogue control means including means for prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to the first response so as to determine component elements of a User Imperative, the component elements of the User Imperative including

(a) a triggering State component;

(b) an Action strategy component;

(c) a set of Probable types of consequential results from the implementation the Action strategy component on the triggering State component; and

(d) a Value of the User Imperative relative to other Imperatives of the User.

18. A system as set forth in claim 17 and further comprising first memory means coupled to the Dialogue Control means for recording User Awarenesses, and wherein the component elements of the User Imperative are stored within the first memory means.

19. A system as set forth in claim 18 wherein the first memory means also stored information elicited from the user recording one or more User Situations, User Knowledge, and Executive Agents known to the user.

20. A system as set forth in claim 19 wherein the User Knowledge is stored as Evaluation Knowledge, Object Knowledge, Skills Knowledge, and Probability Knowledge.

21. A system as set forth in claim 17 and further comprising second memory means coupled to the Dialogue Control means for recording a plurality of Dialoguing Imperatives, including preprogrammed Dialoguing Imperatives and a user-selected Dialoguing Imperative.

22. A system as set forth in claim 21 and further comprising third memory means coupled to the Dialogue Control means for recording Dialoguing Knowledge templates, the third memory means being responsive to the user-selected Dialoguing Imperative for presenting templates to the user through the Dialogue Control means in a sequence that is specified by the user-selected Dialoguing Imperative.

23. A system as set forth in claim 19 wherein the one or more User Situations are each stored within component elements including:

a description employed by the user for referencing a particular User Situation, a description of a space-time locality of the situational Sate, a level of significance of the User Situation, and Probability of the existence of the User Situation.

24. A system as set forth in claim 19 further comprising:

Executive Agents known to the user are each stored with component elements including;

a reference to or name of the Executive Agent, a description of a triggering Signal that invokes the Executive Agent'"'"'s activity, a description of an Activity that is produced by the Executive Agent when invoked, and a description of a Message produced by the Executive Agent when the Activity is completed.

25. A system as set forth in claim 19 wherein the Dialogue Control means operates in accordance with the user-selected Dialoguing Imperative to elicit, record and access user responses following predetermined sequences of thought, based on the recorded User Awarenesses database of User Imperatives, User Situations, User Knowledge, and Executive Agents.

26. Apparatus for carrying out a dialogue with a user of a computer system comprising:

means for providing a first message to the user, said first message containing a menu of Dialoguing Imperatives;

means for receiving a first response from the user, said first response selected by the user from said menu of Dialoguing Imperatives;

means for selecting a template from a Dialoguing Knowledge area of a User Awarenesses database, said template selected according to said first response from the user, said template describing a User Imperative, a User Situation, User Knowledge, and an Executive Agent;

means for retrieving entries from said User Awarenesses database;

means for prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template and entries from said User Awarenesses database so as to determine component elements of said User Imperative;

means for providing a second message to the user, said second message containing a dialogue query concerning a User Situation;

means for receiving a second response from the user, said second response prompted by the dialogue query concerning said User Situation;

means for prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template and entries from a User Situations area in said User Awarenesses database so as to determine the component elements of said User Situation;

means for providing a third message to the user, said third message containing a dialogue query containing User Knowledge;

means for receiving a third response from the user, said third response prompted by the dialogue query concerning said User Knowledge;

means for prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template so as to determine categories of the User Knowledge;

means for providing a fourth message to the user, said fourth message containing a dialogue query concerning Executive Agents;

means for prompting the user and receiving responses from the user according to said template so as to determine a description of the capabilities of said Executive Agent.