Question answering system and storage medium

• US 6,631,377 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kuzumaki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/808,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20010032211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7, 35/9, 600/300, 709/217, 709/218, 707/10, 707/103.R, 707/102, 707/3
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A question answering system includes a storage for storing question information together with first time information, a storage for storing answer information with respect to the question information together with solver information and second time information, and an evaluating part for evaluating a solver indicated by the solver information based on the first and second time information.

Claims

1. A question answering system comprising:

first storing means for storing question information received from a questioner together with first time information indicating a time of receipt of the question information;

second storing means for storing answer information received from a solver with respect to the question information together with solver information and second time information indicating a time of receipt of the answer information; and

evaluating means for evaluating a solver indicated by the solver information based on a lapsed time between the first and second time information.

2. A question answering system comprising:

registering means for registering answers with respect to questions;

evaluating means for evaluating each of solvers who provided the answers based on a pre-determined calculation formula; and

determining means for determining an incentive with respect to each of the solvers depending on evaluation results obtained by said evaluating means,

the predetermined calculation formula being selected from a group consisting of a sum total of EVAL/(ATIME−

OTIME)*K that is calculated for each solver and a sum total of EVAL/(ATIME−

OTIME)*K that is calculated for each solver plus COUNT*L, wherein EVAL denotes an evaluation result that indicates a degree of satisfaction of the questioner with respect to the answer given by the solver, wherein ATIME denotes time and day information at a point in time when the solver registered the answer, wherein OTIME denotes time and day information at a point in time when the question of the questioner was registered, wherein K denotes a parameter that is arbitrarily determined by an operation, wherein COUNT denotes a number of times a reference is made to the solver'"'"'s answer, and wherein L denotes a parameter that is determined by the operation.

3. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to operate as a question answering system, said program comprising:

first storing means for causing the computer to store question information received from a questioner together with first time information indicating a time of receipt of the question information;

second storing means for causing the computer to store answer information received from a solver with respect to the question information together with solver information and second time information indicating a time of receipt of the answer information; and

evaluating means for causing the computer to evaluate a solver indicated by the solver information based on a lapsed time between the first and second time information.

4. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to operate as a question answering system, said program comprising:

registering means for causing the computer to register answers with respect to questions;

evaluating means for causing the computer to evaluate each of solvers who provided the answers based on a pre-determined calculation formula; and

determining means for causing the computer to determine an incentive with respect to each of the solvers depending on, evaluation results obtained by said evaluating means,

the predetermined calculation formula being selected from a group consisting of a sum total of EVAL/(ATIME−

OTIME)*K that is calculated for each solver and a sum total of EVAL/(ATIME−

OTIME)*K that is calculated for each solver plus COUNT*L, wherein EVAL denotes an evaluation result that indicates a degree of satisfaction of the questioner with respect to the answer given by the solver, wherein ATIME denotes time and day information at a point in time when the solver registered the answer, wherein OTIME denotes time and day information at a point in time when the question of the questioner was registered, wherein K denotes a parameter that is arbitrarily determined by an operation, wherein COUNT denotes a number of times a reference is made to the solver'"'"'s answer, and wherein L denotes a parameter that is determined by the operation.