System and method for sharing of expert knowledge

• US 6,985,889 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2000
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topiary Communications, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Topiary Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Schramm, Daniel M., Tapio, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US09/678,428
• Time in Patent Office: 1,926 Days
• Field of Search: 706/60
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method of creating electronic files for solving a problem for a learner from the knowledge of an expert comprising the steps of receiving the expert'"'"'s knowledge in an area of expertise, providing a template for the electronic files and generating the electronic files from the expert'"'"'s knowledge and the template.

Claims

1. A method of authoring, generating, and using a compliance application having a plurality of pages viewable with an interface, the compliance application interacting with a user to find a solution to a problem through the user answering a series of questions and/or following a series of steps, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first question, a second question, and a third question from an expert, wherein none of the first, second, and third questions have an answer which is incorrect;

receiving a first potential answer to the first question and a second potential answer to the first question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the first question are correct answers to the first question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create a compliance path;

receiving a first potential answer to the second question and a second potential answer to the second question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the second question are correct answers to the second question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create the compliance path;

receiving a solution to the problem from the expert, the solution being an answer and/or a step for the user to follow for use in the compliance application;

receiving a first Boolean logic rule from the expert, the first Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, and the third question, the first Boolean logic rule being utilized within the compliance application for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

receiving a second Boolean logic rule from the expert, the second Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the second question, and the solution, the second Boolean logic rule being utilized within the compliance application for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

generating the plurality of pages based on the first question, the second question, the third question, the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, the second potential answer to the second question, the first Boolean logic rule, the second Boolean logic rule, and the solution;

transmitting a first page of the plurality of pages to the user, the first page displaying the first question to the user;

receiving a first response from the user, wherein the first response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the first question and the second potential answer to the first question, wherein if the first response is in correct syntax, the first response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the first question will match the first response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

transmitting a second page of the plurality of pages to the user, the second page displaying the second question to the user as a part of the further step within the compliance path;

receiving a second response from the user, wherein the second response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the second question and the second potential answer to the second question, wherein if the second response is in correct syntax, the second response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the second question will match the second response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

executing at least one of the first Boolean logic rule to produce a first rule result which is indicative of the next step in the compliance path, and the second Boolean logic rule to produce a second rule result, which may also be indicative of the next step in the compliance path or may be indicative of the even further step within the compliance path; and

transmitting a third page to the user, the third page displaying the third question to the user if the first rule result is positive as the next step in the compliance path, the second page displaying the further step in the compliance path or the solution to the user if the second rule result is positive.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically publishing the plurality of pages to a server connected to the Internet.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the plurality of pages comprises generating HTML files.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein generating the plurality of pages comprises generating JavaScript.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein generating the plurality of pages comprises generating cascading style sheets.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the plurality of pages comprises using a template.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the template includes source code.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the solution comprises text.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the solution comprises a multimedia asset.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the multimedia asset comprises at least one of a sound multimedia asset, a video multimedia asset, an image multimedia asset, and/or a web page.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the multimedia asset comprises communication with a live person.

12. A computer readable medium storing instructions structured to facilitate authoring, generating, and using a compliance application having a plurality of pages viewable with an interface, the compliance application interacting with a user to find a solution to a problem through the user answering a series of questions and/or following a series of steps, the instructions being structured to cause a computer to:

receive a first question, a second question, and a third question from an expert, wherein none of the first, second, and third questions have an answer which is incorrect;

receive a first potential answer to the first question and a second potential answer to the first question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the first question are correct answers to the first question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create a compliance path;

receive a first potential answer to the second question and a second potential answer to the second question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the second question are correct answers to the second question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create the compliance path;

receive a solution to the problem from the expert, the solution being an answer and/or a step for the user to follow for use in the compliance application;

receive a first Boolean logic rule from the expert, the first Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, and the third question, the first Boolean logic rule being utilized by the compliance system for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

receive a second Boolean logic rule from the expert, the second Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the second question, and the solution, the second Boolean logic rule being utilized within the compliance application for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

generate the plurality of pages based on the first question, the second question, the third question, the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, the second potential answer to the second question, the first Boolean logic rule, the second Boolean logic rule, and the solution;

transmit a first page of the plurality of pages to the user, the first page displaying the first question to the user;

receive a first response from the user, wherein the first response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the first question and the second potential answer to the first question, wherein if the first response is in correct syntax, the first response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the first question will match the first response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

transmit a second page of the plurality of pages to the user, the second page displaying the second question to the user as a part of the further step within the compliance path;

receive a second response from the user, wherein the second response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the second question and the second potential answer to the second question, wherein if the second response is in correct syntax, the second response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the second question will match the second response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

execute at least one of the first Boolean logic rule to produce a first rule result which is indicative of the next step in the compliance path, and the second Boolean logic rule to produce a second rule result, which may also be indicative of the next step in the compliance path or may be indicative of the even further step within the compliance path; and

transmit a third page to the user, the third page displaying the third question to the user if the first rule result is positive as the next step in the compliance path, the second page displaying the further step in the compliance path or the solution to the user if the second rule result is positive.

13. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the computer to automatically publish the plurality of pages to a server connected to the Internet.

14. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the computer to generate the plurality of pages as HTML files.

15. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the computer to include JavaScript in the HTML files.

16. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the computer to generate the plurality of pages with cascading style sheets.

17. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the computer to generate the plurality of pages using a template.

18. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the template includes source code.

19. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the solution comprises text.

20. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the solution comprises a multimedia asset.

21. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the multimedia asset comprises at least one of a sound multimedia asset, a video multimedia asset, an image multimedia asset, and/or a web page.

22. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the multimedia asset comprises communication with a live person.

23. An apparatus structured to facilitate authoring, generating, and using a compliance application having a plurality of pages viewable with an interface, the compliance application interacting with a user to find a solution to a problem through the user answering a series of questions and/or following a series of steps, the apparatus being structured to:

receive a first question, a second question, and a third question from an expert, wherein none of the first, second, and third questions have an answer which is incorrect;

receive a first potential answer to the first question and a second potential answer to the first question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the first question are correct answers to the first question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create a compliance path;

receive a first potential answer to the second question and a second potential answer to the second question from the expert, wherein both the first and second potential answers to the second question are correct answers to the second question, and wherein the first and second answers are utilized in a non-dynamic and pre-populated manner to create the compliance path;

receive a solution to the problem from the expert, the solution being an answer and/or a step for the user to follow for use in the compliance application;

receive a first Boolean logic rule from the expert, the first Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, and the third question, the first Boolean logic rule being utilized by the compliance system for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

receive a second Boolean logic rule from the expert, the second Boolean logic rule associating the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the second question, and the solution, the second Boolean logic rule being utilized within the compliance application for directing the user through the compliance path for complying with the compliance application;

generate the plurality of pages based on the first question, the second question, the third question, the first potential answer to the first question, the second potential answer to the first question, the first potential answer to the second question, the second potential answer to the second question, the first Boolean logic rule, the second Boolean logic rule, and the solution;

transmit a first page of the plurality of pages to the user, the first page displaying the first question to the user;

receive a first response from the user, wherein the first response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the first question and the second potential answer to the first question, wherein if the first response is in correct syntax, the first response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the first question will match the first response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

transmit a second page of the plurality of pages to the user, the second page displaying the second question to the user as a part of the further step within the compliance path;

receive a second response from the user, wherein the second response is indicative of one of the first potential answer to the second question and the second potential answer to the second question, wherein if the second response is in correct syntax, the second response will always be correct, and wherein at least one of the first and second potential answers to the second question will match the second response and lead to a further step within the compliance path or to the solution within the compliance path;

execute at least one of the first Boolean logic rule to produce a first rule result which is indicative of the next step in the compliance path, and the second Boolean logic rule to produce a second rule result, which may also be indicative of the next step in the compliance path or may be indicative of the even further step within the compliance path; and

transmit a third page to the user, the third page displaying the third question to the user if the first rule result is positive as the next step in the compliance path, the second page displaying the further step in the compliance path or the solution to the user if the second rule result is positive.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, further structured to automatically publish the plurality of pages to a server connected to the Internet.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, further structured to generate the plurality of pages as HTML files.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, further structured to include JavaScript in the HTML files.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26, further structured to generate the plurality of pages with cascading style sheets.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, further structured to generate the plurality of pages using a template.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 28, wherein the template includes source code.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the solution comprises text.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the solution comprises a multimedia asset.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the multimedia asset comprises at least one of a sound multimedia asset, a video multimedia asset, an image multimedia asset, and/or a web page.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the multimedia asset comprises communication with a live person.