Knowledge-based moderator for electronic mail help lists

• US 6,026,396 A
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US09/208,446
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/104, 706/46, 706/11, 395/12, 395/54, 395/63, 395/23, 395/77, 395/75
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of updating a knowledge base containing information about a subject matter, the knowledge base being used to automatically respond to messages containing questions or comments relating to the subject matter, the method includes the steps of logging the message in a log if the knowledge base does not address the message; providing the logged message to a subject matter expert; and permitting the subject matter expert, but not other users of the knowledge base, to update the knowledge base in response to the logged message. The method further includes the steps of sending the logged message to one or more persons on a list of people with knowledge about the subject matter; receiving a message from at least one of the persons and logging the received message in association with the logged message; and the step of providing the logged message further provides the received message to the subject matter expert. The method of the present invention represents and uses stored knowledge to formulate a query for each entry and associate the query with a piece of the stored knowledge so that the piece of stored knowledge is retrieved when a message satisfies the query.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing information about a subject matter, including a knowledge base for automatically responding to a user message, the apparatus comprising:

a logging means for receiving the user message when the knowledge base does not address the user message;

a storage means for storing the logged user message;

an output means for providing the logged user message to a subject matter expert; and

a receiving means for receiving data input, for updating the knowledge base, from the subject matter expert, but not from other users of the system;

said logged means comprises an identifier for the logged user message to associate additional future correspondence with said user related to the logged user message.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said storage means further maintains a list of subject matter experts, said subject matter experts comprising one or more persons with knowledge about a subject matter;

said output means further sends a logged user message to one or more subject matter experts; and

said apparatus further comprising a processor means for receiving a reply from at least one of the subject matter experts and logging the received reply in association with the logged user message in the knowledge base; and

wherein said processor means returns said logged user message and said reply to a user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a broadcast means for providing a simulcast message to one or more subject matter experts.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the knowledge base comprises:

a plurality of query expressions and bodies of information, the bodies being associated with the query expressions; and

a comparator means for applying one of the query expressions to the user message; and

wherein said output means further returns to a user, the body associated with the query expression when the query expression is satisfied by the user message.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the knowledge base further comprises a means for returning more than one body associated with the query expression when a plurality of query expressions are satisfied by the user message.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a terminal means for permitting the subject matter expert to;

a) update the knowledge base by creating a query expression and a body of information,

b) transmit at least one query expression to the knowledge base,

c) associate said query expression with said body of information, and

d) control the manner in which a processor means responds to the user message.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user message is a question.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user message is a comment.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said storage means further stores a list of people with knowledge about the subject matter.

10. A computer-readable medium for providing information about a subject matter, the computer-readable medium comprising:

a logging component for receiving a user message when a knowledge base component does not address the user message;

a first component for providing the logged user message to a subject matter expert; and

a second component whereby input of the subject matter expert, but not of other users of the computer-readable medium, updates the knowledge base component;

said logging component, for receiving the user message, comprises an identifying component for the logged user message for associating additional future correspondence with said user relating to the logged user message.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising:

a third component for sending the logged user message to at least one subject matter expert; and

a fourth component for receiving a reply from at least one of the subject matter experts and logging the received reply in association with the logged user message wherein said fourth component returns a logging component and said reply to a user.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the medium referring to a storage base including a list of subject matter experts, the subject matter experts comprising one or more persons knowledgeable about a subject matter.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising a knowledge base component;

the knowledge base component further comprising;

a plurality of query expression components and body components, the body components being associated with the query expression components; and

an application component for applying one of the query expression components to the user message and for returning the body component associated with the query expression component to the computer-readable medium when the query expression component is satisfied by the user message.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the application component may return more than one body component associated with the query expression component when a plurality of query expression components are satisfied by the user message.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the second component:

a) updates the knowledge base component,

b) transmits at least a query expression component to the knowledge base component,

c) associates the query expression component with a body component, and

d) controls the manner in which the fourth component responds to the user message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising a broadcast component for providing a simulcast message to one or more subject matter experts.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the user message is a question.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the user message is a comment.

19. A method for providing information about a subject matter, including using a knowledge base for automatically responding to a user message, the method comprising the steps of:

logging the user message when the knowledge base does not address the user message;

storing the logged user message;

sending the logged user message to a subject matter expert; and

receiving data input, for updating the knowledge base, from the subject matter expert, but not from other users of the system,

said knowledge base comprising;

a plurality of query expressions and bodies of information, the bodies being associated with the query expressions;

a comparator means for applying one of the query expressions to the user message; and

a plurality of teasers, the teasers being associated with the query expressions and being abstracts of the bodies,

further sending to a user the body associated with the query expression when the query expression is satisfied by the user message.

20. A method for providing information about a subject matter, including using a knowledge base for automatically responding to a user message, the method comprising the steps of:

logging the user message when the knowledge base does not address the user message;

storing the logged user message;

sending the logged user message to a subject matter expert; and

receiving data input, for updating the knowledge base, from the subject matter expert, but not from other users of the system,

said knowledge base comprising;

a plurality of query expressions and bodies of information, the bodies being associated with the query expressions;

a comparator means for applying one of the query expressions to the user message; and

a statistical part for recording the number of times a query expression is satisfied and the number of times the associated body is retrieved,

further sending to a user the body associated with the query expression when the query expression is satisfied by the user message.

21. A method for providing information about a subject matter, including using a knowledge base for automatically responding to a user message, the method comprising the steps of:

logging the user message when the knowledge base does not address the user message;

storing the logged user message;

sending the logged user message to a subject matter expert;

receiving data input, for updating the knowledge base, from the subject matter expert, but not from other users of the system; and

permitting the subject matter expert to;

a) update the knowledge base by creating a query expression and a body of information,

b) transmit at least one query expression to the knowledge base,

c) associate said query expression with said body of information, and

d) control the manner in which a processor means responds to the user message,

said query expression is created by one of adding or removing one of a conjunct or disjunct.