Asynchronous network collaboration method and apparatus

• US 6,304,861 B1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apex Investment Fund V LP (Apex Venture Partners), Star Bay Associates Fund LP (Levensohn Venture Partners LLC), Star Bay Technology Ventures IV LP (Levensohn Venture Partners LLC), Star Gas Partners LP (Levensohn Venture Partners LLC), New Enterprise Associates 12, L.P., Nokia Ventures LP (NV I LLC)
• Original Assignee: Recipio, Inc.
• Inventors: Ferguson, Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/416,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20010042056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 706/10, 706/11, 706/925, 706/15, 706/23, 707/500, 707/530, 707/531, 705/12
• US Class Current: 706/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method implemented on a network of computers for allowing a plurality of users to collaborate in decision making to solve a problem, includes the steps of processing, at a central server, a group of proposals for solving the problem, submitting the group of proposals to the plurality of users at remote clients, and thereafter receiving, at the central server from the plurality of users, selections of proposals from the group of proposals. Determining, at the central server, a narrowed group of proposals in response to the selections of proposals, communicating the narrowed group of proposals to the plurality of users at the remote clients, each proposal in the narrowed group of proposals including sets of statements, and thereafter receiving, at the central server from one of the plurality of users, suggestions for modifying proposals in the narrowed group of proposals, are also included. The method also included determining, at the central server, a modified narrowed group of proposals in response to the suggestions, each proposal in the modified narrowed group of proposals including a modified set of statements, submitting the modified narrowed group of proposals to the plurality of users at remote clients, thereafter receiving, at the central server from the plurality of users, selections of statements from the modified sets of statements of the modified narrowed group of proposals, and consolidating the selection of statements into a proposed solution for the problem.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a computer server to enable collaboration between a plurality of users through a narrowing of statements, comprising the acts of:

storing groups of statements in a memory, each group of statements comprising at least one statement that explains a phenomena;

determining a first subset of groups from the groups of statements;

submitting the first subset of groups to a first user at a computer client;

receiving a first selection of groups from the first subset of groups from the first user;

determining a second subset of groups from the groups of statements;

submitting the second subset of groups to a second user at a computer client;

receiving a second selection of groups from the second subset of groups from the second user;

determining a third subset of groups from the groups of statements in response to the first selection of groups from the first user and the second selection of groups from the second user;

submitting the third subset of groups to a third user at a computer client;

receiving a selection of statements from the third subset of groups from the third user;

determining a proposed group of statements for explaining the phenomena, the proposed group of statements in response to the selection of statements by the third user; and

submitting the final proposed group of statements to a fourth user at a computer client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein groups from the first subset of groups are different from groups from the second subset of groups.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one group of the groups of statements is included both the first subset of groups and the second subset of groups.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each group of statements comprises one statement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first selection of groups is less than all of the first subset of groups, and wherein the second selection of groups is less than all of the second subset of groups.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third set of groups of statements also comprises groups other than groups within the first selection of groups and the second selection of groups.

7. The method of claim 4,

wherein receiving the first selection of groups also comprises receiving rankings of groups within the first selection of groups; and

wherein receiving the second selection of groups also comprises receiving rankings of groups within the second selection of groups.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the third subset of groups comprises selecting a predetermined number of groups from the first selection of groups and the second selection of groups in response to the rankings.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the selection of statements also comprises receiving rankings of the selections of the statements from the third user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the proposed group of statements comprises ordering the selections of the statements according to the rankings from the third user.

11. A computer server, comprising:

a processor; and

a tangible media coupled to the processor, said tangible media having stored therein groups of statements, each group of statements comprising at least one statement that explains a phenomena, said tangible media having further stored therein a computer program for controlling said processor to execute processing comprising the acts of;

determining a first subset of groups from the groups of statements;

transmitting the first subset of groups to a first user at a computer client;

receiving a first selection of groups, the first selection of groups selected from the first subset of groups by the first user;

determining a second subset of groups from the groups of statements;

transmitting the second subset of groups to a second user at a computer client;

receiving a second selection of groups, the second selection of groups selected from the second subset of groups by the second user;

determining a third subset of groups from the groups of statements in response to the first selection of groups and the second selection of groups;

transmitting the third subset of groups to a third user at a computer client;

receiving a selection of statements, the selection of statements selected from statements within the third subset of groups from the third user;

determining a proposed group of statements for explaining the phenomena, the proposed group of statements determined in response to the selection of statements by the third user; and

transmitting the final proposed group of statements to a fourth user.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein each group of statements comprises only one statement that may explain the phenomena.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein groups within the first subset of groups are not within the second subset of groups.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first subset of groups and the second subset of groups have a group in common.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first selection of groups excludes at least one group in the first subset of groups, and wherein the second selection of groups excludes at least one group in the second subset of groups.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein a group within the third set of groups of statements is not within the first selection of groups or the second selection of groups.

17. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the computer program controls the processor to execute processing further comprising:

receiving rankings of groups within the first selection of groups from the first user; and

receiving rankings of groups within the second selection of groups from the second user.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the act of determining the third subset of groups comprises determining the third subset of groups in response to the rankings from the first user and the rankings from the second user.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the act of determining the third subset of groups comprises selecting a pre-determined number of highly ranked groups from the first selection of groups and the second selection of groups in response to the rankings from the first user and the rankings from the second user.

20. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the computer program controls the processor to execute processing further comprising:

receiving a ranking of statements of the selections of statements from the third user.

21. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium including a plurality of statements, each statement explaining a phenomena, the computer program product controlling a computer server to execute processing comprising the acts of:

determining a first subset of statements from the plurality of statements;

transmitting the first subset of statements to a first user at a computer client;

receiving a first selection of statements, the first selection of statements being selected from the first subset of statements by the first user;

determining a second subset of statements from the plurality of statements;

transmitting the second subset of statements to a second user at a computer client;

receiving a second selection of statements, the second selection of statements being selected from the second subset of statements by the second user;

determining a third subset of statements from the plurality of statements in response to the first selection of statements and to the second selection of statements;

transmitting the third subset of statements to a third user at a computer client;

receiving a third selection of statements, the third selection of statements being selected from the third subset of statements by the third user;

determining a proposed list of statements that explain the phenomena, the proposed list of statements being determined in response to the third selection of statements by the third user; and

transmitting the proposed list of statement to a fourth user.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein statements within the first subset of statements are not within the second subset of statements.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the first subset of statements and the second subset of statements have at least one statement in common.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer program product controls the computer server to execute processing further comprising:

receiving a new statement from the first user.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the second subset of statements includes the new statement.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein a statement within the third subset of statements is not within the first selection of statements nor within the second selection of statements.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer program product controls the computer server to execute processing further comprising:

receiving rankings of statements within the first selection of statements from the first user; and

receiving rankings of statements within the second selection of statements from the second user.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the act of determining the third subset of statements comprises determining the third subset of statements in response to the rankings from the first user and the rankings from the second user.