Instrument for contemplation

• US 6,830,455 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Think-Lands Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Think-Lands Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yasuo, Harada, Toshimichi, Matsuzaki, Yukio, Minegishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fernstrom, Kurt
• Application Number:
  US09/711,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 434/107, 434/109, 434/219, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/351, 434/352, 434/236
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 3/06 of the multiple-choice answer type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers

Abstract

The tool for contemplation comprises a paper on which a main unit and a sub unit that surrounds the main unit are printed. The main unit includes a subject display cell that displays a subject and a plurality of thought results display cells that display a plurality of thought results found from the subject. Each sub unit includes a new subject display cell that displays each thought result as a new subject, and a plurality of new thought results display cells that surrounds the new subject display cell and that display a plurality of thought results found from the new subject. Thereby, the tool for contemplation enables readily seeing and utilizing a plurality of thought results found from a subject.

Claims

1. An instrument for contemplation comprising:

a first computer terminal comprising memory;

a medium capable of displaying words; and

software executable on the first computer terminal for;

receiving a subject of a meeting;

providing a subject displaying cell on the medium, the subject displaying cell displaying the subject of the meeting;

receiving a plurality of thought results found from the subject by a first participant of the meeting;

storing the plurality of thought results found from the subject by the first participant of the meeting in the memory as first thought results;

retrieving the first thought results from in the memory;

providing a first thought unit on the medium, the first thought unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display the first thought results retrieved from the memory;

receiving a plurality of thought results found from the subject and the first thought results by a second participant of the meeting;

storing the plurality of thought results found from the subject and the first thought results by the second participant of the meeting in the memory as second thought results;

retrieving the second thought results from the memory;

providing a second thought unit on the medium, the second thought unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display the second thought results retrieved from the memory;

allowing a third participant of the meeting to select thought results among the thought results displayed in the first and second thought units;

providing an upper selecting unit on the medium, the upper selecting unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display a predetermined number of thought results selected among the thought results displayed in the first and second thought units by the third participant of the meeting;

allowing a fourth participant of the meeting to select thought results among the thought results displayed in the upper selecting unit;

providing a lower selecting unit on the medium, the lower selecting unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display a predetermined number of thought results selected among the thought results displayed in the upper selecting unit by the fourth participant of the meeting; and

wherein the thought results are selected from the group consisting of solutions to solve the subject, actions to be taken to accomplish the subject and keywords associated to the subject.

2. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, wherein, the number of thought units and the number of selecting units are decided in such a fashion that the number of thought units and the number of selecting units are added to each other to be equivalent to the number of members of the meeting.

3. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, wherein the medium is a display of the first computer terminal.

4. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, wherein two or more thought units are provided on the medium;

and two or more lower selecting units are provided on the medium.

5. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a second computer terminal comprising memory, the second computer terminal connected to the first computer terminal via a network,

wherein at least one of the first participant, the second participant, the third participant, and the fourth participant is using the second computer terminal, and

wherein data received by one of the first computer terminal and the second terminal is forwarded to the other of the first computer terminal and the second computer terminal via the network.

6. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 5, wherein the network is an open-type internet.

7. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 5, wherein the data forwarded via the network is forwarded via email.

8. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, wherein the software executable on the computer terminal allows thought results to be selected by drag &

drop.

9. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 5, wherein the second computer terminal is in a remote location from the first computer terminal.

10. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

a server connected to the first terminal computer and the second terminal computer, wherein the first terminal computer and the second terminal computer store received data on the server and retrieve stored data from the server.

11. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a second computer terminal comprising memory;

a third computer terminal comprising memory; and

a fourth computer terminal comprising memory;

wherein the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal are connected to each other via a network,

wherein each of the first participant, the second participant, the third participant, and the fourth participant are each respectively using the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal, and

wherein data received by one of the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal is forwarded to another of the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal via the network.

12. An instrument for contemplation comprising:

a first computer terminal comprising memory;

a medium capable of displaying words; and

software executable on the first computer terminal for;

receiving a subject of a meeting;

providing a subject displaying cell on the medium, the subject displaying cell displaying the subject of the meeting;

receiving a plurality of thought results found from the subject by a first participant of the meeting;

storing the plurality of thought results found from the subject by the first participant of the meeting in the memory as first thought results;

retrieving the first thought results from in the memory;

providing a first thought unit on the medium, the first thought unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display the first thought results found retrieved from the memory;

receiving a plurality of thought results found from the subject and the first thought results by a second participant of the meeting;

storing the plurality of thought results found from the subject and the first thought results by the second participant of the meeting in the memory as second thought results;

retrieving the second thought results from the memory;

providing a second thought unit that is provided on the medium, the second thought unit including a plurality of thought result displaying cells that display the second thought results retrieved from the memory;

providing a rank sorting unit on the medium, the rank sorting unit displaying the plurality of thought results, and allowing the plurality of thought results to be ranked according to a given criterion and sorted according to the ranks thereof;

providing a ranking unit on the medium, the ranking unit displaying the plurality of thought results displayed on the rank sorting unit, the plurality of thought results being ranked according to the criterion and sorted from the upper to the lower;

providing a contents sorting unit on the medium, the contents sorting unit displaying the plurality of thought results that have been ranked, the plurality of thought results being sorted by contents,

wherein the rank sorting unit includes a plurality of cells that display the plurality of thought results and are given evaluation marks corresponding to the ranks thereof, and

the contents sorting unit includes a totaling cell that displays the plurality of thought results that are given the evaluation marks prepared by the participants in such a fashion that the plurality of thought results are sorted by contents, and that displays the total of the evaluation marks corresponding to a plurality of thought results sorted in a same classification; and

wherein the thought results are selected from the group consisting of solutions to solve the subject, actions to be taken to accomplish the subject and keywords associated to the subject.

13. An instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 12, wherein the medium is a display of the first computer terminal.

14. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

a second computer terminal comprising memory, the second computer terminal connected to the first computer terminal via a network,

wherein at least one of the first participant, the second participant, the third participant, and the fourth participant is using the second computer terminal, and

wherein data received by one of the first computer terminal and the second terminal is forwarded to the other of the first computer terminal and the second computer terminal via the network.

15. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 14, wherein the network is an open-type internet.

16. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 14, wherein the data forwarded via the network is forwarded via email.

17. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 14, wherein the second computer terminal is in a remote location from the first computer terminal.

18. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 14, further comprising:

a server connected to the first terminal computer and the second terminal computer, wherein the first terminal computer and the second terminal computer store received data on the server and retrieve stored data from the server.

19. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 12, wherein the software executable on the computer terminal allows thought results to be selected by drag &

drop.

20. The instrument for contemplation as set forth in claim 14, further comprising:

a second computer terminal comprising memory;

a third computer terminal comprising memory; and

a fourth computer terminal comprising memory;

wherein the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal are connected to each other via a network,

wherein each of the first participant, the second participant, the third participant, and the fourth participant are each respectively using the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal, and

wherein data received by one of the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal is forwarded to another of the first computer terminal, the second computer terminal, the third computer terminal, and the fourth computer terminal via the network.