Multi-level mindpool system especially adapted to provide collaborative filter data for a large scale information filtering system

• US 6,029,161 A
• Filed: 11/19/1998
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: I/P Engine, Inc. (XpresSpa Group, Inc. (f/k/a FORM Holdings Corp.))
• Original Assignee: Lycos Incorporated (Brightcom Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lang, Andrew K., Kosak, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/195,709
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A mindpool system develops collaboration informon rating data for use in filtering informons for a current user of a filter system. A plurality of commonly characterized user nodes are arranged in a 3-level heirarchical structure. Users input informon rating data to the bottom nodes. A mindpool manager system routes rating data received for an informon in any one user node to other user nodes in any node level according to selected criteria. This system distributes the rating data to selected users through bottom level nodes for use in filtering operations subsequently performed for the selected users. A common user characteristic applied to user nodes is increasingly generalized with upward node location and is increasingly detailed with downward node location. A mindpool manager operates for each user node to determine routings of the informon rating data to other user nodes. The mindpool system has a plurality of the heirarchical user node structures, with each operated for a specific informon rating purpose, such as quality. The mindpool is embodied in a filter structure having a content-based filter containing content profile data for an individual user and generating informon profile data representing information in a network sourced informon. The filter structure integrates the operation of the mindpool system and the content-based filter by combining the informon profile data, the content profile data, and received collaboration user rating data corresponding to the network informon to determine a value of the network informon to the individual user.

Claims

1. A mindpool system for developing collaboration informon rating data for use in filtering informons for a current user of a filter system in which the mindpool system is operated, the mindpool system comprising:

a plurality of user nodes arranged in a heirarchical structure having at least two node levels;

each user node having assigned thereto system users who have at least one common characteristic;

at least a bottom node level of the heirarchical structure receiving informon rating data from time to time from each of multiple users of the filter system, with the user informon rating data for a first informon being input to user nodes in the bottom node level according to the user node assignments of the users rating the first informon; and

a mindpool manager system for routing rating data received for the first informon in any one user node to other user nodes in any node level according to selected criteria and for distributing the first informon rating data to at least selected ones of users belonging at least to each bottom level node to which the first informon rating data is input or routed for use in informon filtering operations subsequently executed in the filter system for the users selected for distribution of the first informon rating data.

2. The mindpool system of claim 1 wherein:

the heirarchical structure has at least three levels;

all system users are assigned to a system user node in a top one of the three levels; and

the mindpool manager system includes the system user node in its routing management of informon rating data.

3. The mindpool system of claim 1 wherein the commonality of the common user characteristic applied to user nodes is increasingly generalized with upward node location in the heirarchical structure and is increasingly detailed with downward node location in the heirarchical structure.

4. The mindpool system of claim 1 wherein the mindpool manager system includes a mindpool manager operating for each user node to determine up-routings, down-routings, and cross-routings of the first informon rating data to other user nodes.

5. The mindpool system of claim 1 wherein the mindpool manager system operates in the manner defined in routing user rating data for successive informons which are user rated after the user rating of the first informon.

6. The mindpool system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the heirarchical user node structures are provided with each of the heirarchical structures operated for a specific informon rating purpose.

7. The mindpool system of claim 6 wherein the specific informon rating purpose for each heirarchical structure is to rate a selected aspect of document quality.

8. The mindpool system of claim 7 wherein the plurality of heirarchical structures are respectively operated to rate document qualities selected from at least the qualities of interestingness, writing quality, credibility, entertainment value, sexual content, violence content, funniness, valuableness, dramatic appeal, business importance, scientific merit, and artistic quality.

9. An information processing system including the mindpool system of claim 1 and further including:

a filter structure having a content-based filter containing content profile data for an individual user and generating informon profile data representing information in a network sourced informon;

the filter structure integrating the operation of the mindpool system and the content-based filter by combining the informon profile data, the content profile data, and the collaboration user rating data for the network informon from the mindpool system to determine a value of the network informon to the individual user.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the filter structure passes the informon to the individual user, receives input evaluative data for the informon from the individual user for input to the content-based filter to update the content profile data and for input to the mindpool system to update the user rating data for the network informon.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein user rating data is discarded once it is feedback processed to update user collaboration profile data for the informon to which such user rating data relates.

12. The mindpool system of claim 2 wherein the mindpool system is embodied in a computer system having a plurality of microprocessors in each of a plurality of microprocessor levels, and the microprocessors are interconnected to provide facilitated scalability of the heirarchically structured mindpool system to meet increased loading on the mindpool system.

16. The mindpool method of claim 6 wherein the specific informon rating purpose for each heirarchical structure is to rate a selected aspect of document quality.

13. A mindpool method for developing collaboration informon rating data for use in filtering informons for a current user of a filter system in which a mindpool system is operated, the method steps comprising:

operating a plurality of user nodes arranged in a heirarchical mindpool structure having at least two node levels;

assigning to each user node system users who have at least one common characteristic;

receiving in at least a bottom node level of the heirarchical structure informon rating data from time to time from each of multiple users of the filter system;

inputting the user informon rating data for a first informon to user nodes according to the user node assignments of the users rating the first informon; and

routing rating data received for the first informon in any one user node to other user nodes in any node level according to selected criteria; and

distributing the first informon rating data to at least selected ones of users belonging at least to each bottom level node to which the first informon rating data is input or routed for use in informon filtering operations subsequently executed in the filter system for the users selected for distribution of the first informon rating data.

14. The mindpool method of claim 13 wherein the routing step includes managing each user node to determine up-routings, down-routings, and cross-routings of the first informon rating data to other user nodes.

15. The mindpool method of claim 13 wherein the operating step includes operating a plurality of heirarchical user node structures with each of the heirarchical structures operated for a specific informon rating purpose.

17. A mindpool system for developing collaboration informon rating data for use in filtering informons for a current user of a filter system in which the mindpool system is operated, the mindpool system comprising:

means for interrelating a plurality of user nodes arranged in a heirarchical structure having at least two node levels;

each user node having assigned thereto system users who have at least one common characteristic;

means for receiving informon rating data from time to time in each user node in at least a bottom node level of the heirarchical structure from each of multiple users of the filter system, with the user informon rating data for a first informon being input to the receiving means in the user nodes according to the user node assignments of the users rating the first informon; and

means for routing rating data received for the first informon in any one user node to other user nodes in any node level according to selected criteria and for distributing the first informon rating data to at least selected ones of users belonging at least to each bottom level node to which the first informon rating data is input or routed for use in informon filtering operations subsequently executed in the filter system for the users selected for distribution of the first informon rating data.