Methods and systems for creating a virtual work environment within which to develop ideas and perform intellectual work

• US 7,031,957 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Engage Thoughtware
• Original Assignee: Engage Thoughtware
• Inventors: Harris, Douglas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Baoquoc N.
• Application Number:
  US10/281,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/10, 707/3, 709/206, 709/314
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system for facilitating engagement of one or more subscribers, the system including a subscriber module that is adapted to communicate with a data store by way of a network. The subscriber module is adapted to enable one or more subscribers to link a first document and a second document as the subscribers engages with at least one of the first document and the second document. The engagement of the subscriber is performed with a level of anonymity with respect to another subscriber.

Claims

1. A computer system for facilitating engagement of one or more subscribers, at least one being an author or owner of one or more documents, for the generation and performance tracking of ideas and intellectual work comprising:

a data store adapted to store a first document including first data indicative of a query posed by a subscriber of one or more subscribers and a second document including second data indicative of a response to said query; and

a subscriber module communicating with said data store said subscriber module being adapted to enable (i) linking of said second document to said first document to include the second document in a multi-linear common hierarchical document chain along with the first document, the multi-linier common hierarchical document chain including a plurality of linked documents related to the posed query and (ii) engagement of the subscriber with at least one of said first document and said second document with a user-adjustable level of anonymity selected by the subscriber, the subscriber selectively adjusting, subsequently to selecting an initial level of anonymity, the initially selected level of anonymity corresponding to documents in the multi-linear common hierarchical document chain after documents are linked to the common hierarchical document chain, wherein the initially selected level of anonymity of the one or more documents is adjustable by the author or the owner of the documents.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said user-adjustable level of anonymity is selected from the group consisting of complete anonymity, substantially complete anonymity, selective anonymity, or public.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said engagement of the subscriber comprises performing an action using an engagement tool in association with at least one of said first document and said second document.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said action upon at least one of said first document and said second document comprises an action selected from the group consisting of accessing, modifying, annotating, making a quantitative evaluation, making a qualitative evaluation, assigning document traits, creating another document, linking another document, adding an attachment, forwarding, connecting to another document, deleting, identifying as a favorite, contacting an author of, searching for one or more other subscribers, search for other documents, search said documents, and search document traits.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein performing said action generates one or more merit points.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said one or more merit points can be used to promote engagement between the subscriber and at least one of said first document, said second document, one or more other documents, and another subscriber.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said one or more merit points can be used in association with another action selected from the group consisting of identify a level of importance of the subscriber, said first document, and said second document, allowing said the subscriber to send at least one of said first document and said second document, indicating a quantity and quality of engagement, allowing the subscriber to engage with at least one of said first document, said second document and said one or more other documents, redeeming for physical world benefits, and encouraging engagement.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said subscriber module is further adapted to enable evaluation of at least one of said first document and said second document by the subscriber.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said evaluation further comprising quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating at least one of said first document and said second document.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said evaluation comprises rating at least one of said first document, said second document, and one or more other documents.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data store further comprises a plurality of other documents linked to the common hierarchical document chain.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein said subscriber module is further adapted to enable the subscriber to link at least one of said first document and said second document with at least one of said plurality of other documents such that at least one other document is included along with the first and second documents in the common hierarchical document chain.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to display a visual representation of said first document and a visual representation of one or more links between at least two of said first document, said second document, and said plurality of other documents.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said visual representation displays said one or more links as a concentric view orientated to one or more concentric rings identifying one or more generations of said one or more links.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said visual representation further comprises a visual representation of said query disposed substantially at a center of said visual representation of said one or more concentric rings, and said visual representation displaying substantially all of said first document, said second document, and said plurality of other documents.

16. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said visual representation identifies which of said one or more links have been previously accessed by the subscriber.

17. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first document comprises a first header data and a first body data, said first header data and said first body data having predefined limited sizes to constrain a quantity of data associated with said first document.

18. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of other subscriber modules communicating with said data store.

19. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to facilitate selection by the subscriber of one or more other subscribers to respond to said query.

20. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the subscriber is an author of at least one of said first document, said second document, and one or more other documents, wherein said author is capable of viewing at least one of a rating and a scoring associated with one or more evaluations of said first document, said second document, and said one or more other documents.

21. The systems as recited in claim 19, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to enable said author to view one or more comments associated with said one or more evaluations.

22. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein each of said one or more evaluations comprises at least one of a quantitative scoring and a qualitative comment by the subscriber of at least one of said first document, said second document, and said one or more other documents.

23. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the one or more subscribers is a query manager.

24. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data associated with said first document has a size limitation, wherein said first subscriber compresses said query to said size limitation.

25. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said second document is a second generation document and is located upon a second concentric ring of said one or more concentric rings.

26. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said visual representation identifies which of said one or more links have been previously accessed by a viewing subscriber of said one or more subscribers.

27. In a computer system for facilitating engagement of one or more subscribers, at least one being an author or owner of one or more documents for the generation and performance tracking of ideas and intellectual work, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising a subscriber module adapted to communicate with a data store, said subscriber module being adapted to enable (i) linking of a first document and a second document to include the second document in a mufti-linear common hierarchical document chain along with the first document, the mufti-linear common hierarchical document chain including a plurality of linked documents related to a posed query and (ii) engagement of a subscriber with at least one of said first document and said second document, the engagement of said subscriber being performed with a user-adjustable level of anonymity with respect to another subscriber said subscriber selectively adjusting, subsequently to selecting an initial level of anonymity, the initially selected level of anonymity corresponding to documents in the multi-linear document chain the after documents are linked to the multi-linear common hierarchical document chain, wherein the initially selected level of anonymity of the one or more documents is adjustable by the author or the owner of the documents.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said user-adjustable level of anonymity is selected from the group consisting of anonymity, substantial anonymity, selective anonymity, or public.

29. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said engagement of said subscriber comprises performing any action to said at least one of said first document and said second document.

30. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module is further adapted to enable evaluation of at least one of said first document and said second document by at least one of said subscriber and said another subscriber.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said evaluation further comprises quantitatively evaluating and qualitatively evaluating at least one of said first document and said second document.

32. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module further comprises a control module, said control module being adapted to facilitate linking of said second document to said first document.

33. The system as recited in claim 32, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to display a visual representation of said link between said first document and said second document, wherein said visual representation provides visual indications of a generation level of said second document with respect to said first document on a concentric curve view.

34. The system as recited in claim 33, wherein said concentric curve view comprises one or more concentric rings, each ring representing a generation relative to said query.

35. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said first document comprises a first header data having a predefined limited size, wherein said limited size constrains a quantity of data associated with said first document to thereby enable said subscriber to compress a header associated with said query.

36. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said first document comprises a first body data having a predefined limited size, wherein said limited size constrains a quantity of data associated with said first document to thereby enable said subscriber to compress a body associated with said query.

37. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to provide access to at least one of said first document and said second document to at least one other subscriber, wherein said at least one other subscriber, through said subscriber module, is capable of rating at least one of said first document, said second document, and one or more other documents.

38. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein said at least one other subscriber accesses said at least one of said first document and said second document via at least one of another subscriber module.

39. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein each of said subscriber module and said at least one other subscriber module is adapted to facilitate attaching another document to said first document.

40. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein said another document can be at least one of a text document, a graphical document, an audio file, a video file, and a combination thereof.

41. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein each of said subscriber module and said at least one other subscriber module is adapted to enable creation of said another document.

42. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module further comprises an orphanage module, said orphanage module storing one or more orphan documents accessible to one or more another subscribers.

43. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module is adapted to access a personal account of said subscriber, said personal account being accessible only to said subscriber.

44. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said subscriber module further includes a manager module, said manager module being adapted to facilitate activation of one or more services associated with said subscriber module.

45. A computer program product for implementing, in a system including at least one processor and at least one data store configured to store one or more documents and is configured to enable one or more subscribers, at least one being an author or owner of one or more documents, to linking the one or more documents and engage with the one or more documents, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium carrying computer executable instructions for implementing the method, the computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the system to perform—

the following;

a step for displaying a first document to a subscriber of one or more subscribers;

a step for linking at least one another document to said first document to include the at least one other document in a multi-linear common hierarchical document chain along with the first document, the multi-linear common hierarchical document chain including a plurality of linked documents related to the first document; and

a step for facilitating engagement by said subscriber with said first document and said at least one other document with a user-adjustable level of anonymity selected by said subscriber, said subscriber selectively adjusting, subsequently to selecting an initial level of anonymity, the initially selected level of anonymity corresponding to documents in the multi-linear document chain after documents are linked to the multi-linear common hierarchical document chain, wherein the initially selected level of anonymity of the one or more documents is adjustable by the author or the owner of the documents.

46. A computer program product as defined in claim 45, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for displaying a visual representation of said linking of at least one another document to said first document.

47. A computer program product as defined in claim 46, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for displaying at least one generation marker as part of said visual representation.

48. A computer program product as defined in claim 46, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for defining said level of anonymity of said subscriber, said level of anonymity being selected from the group consisting of complete anonymity, substantially complete anonymity, selective anonymity, or public.

49. A computer program product as defined in claim 45, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for facilitating engagement of said subscriber with at least one of said first document and said at least one another document.

50. A computer program product as defined in claim 49, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for tracking actions performed by said subscriber to said first document and said at least one another documents.

51. A computer program product as defined in claim 50, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for generating one or more merit points for said subscriber based upon said actions performed by said subscriber.

52. A computer program product as defined in claim 51, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for tracking a number of said one or more merit points and when said number falls below a threshold value preventing said subscriber from linking said at least one another document to said first document or to other documents of said at least one another document.

53. A computer program product as defined in claim 51, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for indicating said number of said one or more merit points.

54. A computer program product as defined in claim 51, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for evaluating of at least one of said first document and said second document by said subscriber.

55. A computer program product as defined in claim 54, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for quantitatively evaluating and qualitatively evaluating at least one of said first document and said at least one another document.

56. A computer program product as defined in claim 54, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for rating at least one of said first document and said at least one another document.

57. A computer program product as defined in claim 45, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for selecting, by said subscriber, of one or more other subscribers to respond to a query contained in said first document.

58. A computer program product as defined in claim 45, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for displaying at least one of a scoring and one or more comments associated with an evaluation of said first document.

59. A computer program product as defined in claim 45, wherein the computer readable medium further carries computer executable instructions for performing a step for limiting a size of said first document, thereby encouraging said subscriber to compress a query contained in said first document to said size limitation.