System and method to facilitate user thinking about an arbitrary problem with output and interface to external components and resources

• US 7,260,561 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Inventors: Heidenreich, James R., Higgins, Linda S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight; Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes; Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US11/148,129
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 706 45- 47
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

Systems and methods to facilitate user thinking about an arbitrary problem. The systems and methods include an output and interface to external components and resources. A system for facilitating construction of a model representing user understanding about an arbitrary problem is provided. The model has a combination of thinking components and knowledge components. The system includes first logic to facilitate user specification of at least one thinking structure, and second logic to facilitate user specification of at least one knowledge structure. Third logic facilitates linkages among thinking and knowledge structures, and model logic tracks user interaction with the first through third logic to construct a user model structure of user development and population of the user model structure, the thinking structures and the knowledge structures. Interface logic provides content to or from the user model structure or the archetype model structure. The interface logic may work with external components or resources.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem with interfacing with at least one of an external resource, computer system or device, comprising:

One or more processors;

at least one of a memory or computer readable medium, or both, having computer readable instructions, comprising;

First logic to facilitate user specification of the problem to populate a problem statement structure;

Second logic to facilitate user specification of a conclusion, related to the problem specification, to populate a conclusion statement structure;

Third logic to facilitate user specification of knowledge, related to at least one of the problem specification and the conclusion specification, to populate a knowledge structure;

Control logic to persuade user interaction with the first, second and third logic to a sequence of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define an archetype process for user thinking about the problem;

At least one of logic to display, logic to store and logic to output at least a subset of the resulting user structure, or any combination thereof; and

Interface logic to accomplish a transmittal to or receive and process a transmittal from at least one of an external resource, computer system or device, or any combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising control logic to persuade user interaction additionally with the interface logic.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to evaluate or validate the source of the transmittal being communicated to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to evaluate the content of the transmittal being communicated to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the logic to evaluate includes parsing of the transmittal content.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the evaluation includes parsing according to predefined parameters.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes file input/output (I/O) logic to communicate at least a subset of the user structure or information from the archetype process to at least one of an external resource, computer system or device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes file input/output (I/O) logic to import content from at least one of an external resource, computer system or device to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the content is imported to the user structure.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the content is imported to at least one of the interactions of the archetype process.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to manage an external source of information for the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the logic to manage an external source of information includes logic to transmit a request for information to an external source of information.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the system includes logic to evaluate at least one of the user model structure and the archetype process, and includes logic to generate an information request related thereto.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the logic to manage an external source of information includes logic to receive and process information from an external source of information.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the external source of information includes at least one search engine.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the external source of information includes at least one third party agent.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the external source of information includes at least one external data base.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to process a request for information from an external source related to at least one of the user model structure and the archetype process.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to receive and process a transmittal from an external source and transmit said input to at least one interaction within the set of interaction sequences of the archetype process.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to activate or otherwise request an action or response from an external resource, computer system or device.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to receive and process results of an action or response by an external resource, computer system or device.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the external resource is a web service.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the request is accomplished through the use of a SOAP protocol.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the request for an action or response is generated from at least one interaction of the set of interaction sequences of the archetype process.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface logic includes logic to transmit output to at least one of an external resource, computer system or device, from at least one interaction of the set of interaction sequences of the archetype process.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the output is information related to at least one of the user model structure or the archetype process.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the archetype process is a dynamic process that changes in response to the user structure.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein the archetype process includes multiple or alternative starting points.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the archetype process includes multiple or alternative paths of interactions.

30. A system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem with interfacing with at least one of an external resource, computer system or device, comprising:

One or more processors;

at least one of a memory or computer readable medium, or both, having computer readable instructions, comprising;

First logic to facilitate user specification of the problem to populate a problem statement structure;

Second logic to facilitate user specification of a conclusion statement, related to the problem statement, to populate a conclusion statement structure;

Third logic to facilitate user specification of knowledge, related to at least one of the problem statement and the conclusion statement, to populate a knowledge structure;

Model logic to construct a resulting user model structure;

Structure analysis logic to analyze the user model structure relative to an archetype model structure;

At least one of logic to display, logic to store and logic to output at least a subset of the resulting user structure, or any combination thereof; and

Interface logic to accomplish a transmittal to or receive and process a transmittal from at least one of an external resource, computer system or device, or any combination thereof.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising model logic to track user interaction additionally with the interface logic.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to evaluate or validate the source of the transmittal being communicated to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to evaluate the content of the transmittal being communicated to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the logic to evaluate includes parsing of the transmittal content.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the evaluation includes parsing according to predefined parameters.

36. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes file input/output (I/O) logic to communicate at least a subset of the user model structure or the archetype model structure to at least one of an external resource, computer system or device.

37. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes file input/output (I/O) logic to import content from at least one of an external resource, computer system or device to the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the content is imported to at least one of the user structure or the archetype model structure.

39. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to manage an external source of information for the system for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the logic to manage an external source of information includes logic to transmit a request for information to an external source of information.

41. The system of claim 30 wherein the system includes logic to evaluate at least one of the user model structure and the archetype model structure and includes logic to generate an information request related thereto.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein the logic to manage an external source of information includes logic to receive and process information from an external source of information.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein the external source of information includes at least one search engine.

44. The system of claim 39 wherein the external source of information includes at least one third party agent.

45. The system of claim 39 wherein the external source of information includes at least one external data base.

46. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to process a request for information from an external source related to at least one of the user model structure and the archetype structure.

47. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to receive and process a transmittal from an external source and transmit said input to the corresponding logic portion of the system.

48. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to activate or otherwise request an action or response from an external resource, computer system or device.

49. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to receive and process results of an action or response by an external resource, computer system or device.

50. The system of claim 48 wherein the external resource is a web service.

51. The system of claim 48 wherein the request is accomplished through the use of the SOAP protocol.

52. The system of claim 48 wherein the request for an action or response is generated from at least one interaction within the system.

53. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface logic includes logic to transmit output to at least one of an external resource, computer system or device.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the output is information related to at least one of the user model structure or the archetype model structure.

55. The system of claim 30 further comprising at least one computer readable medium in addition to the one or more processors.

56. The system of claim 32 wherein the archetype model structure is a dynamic structure that changes in response to the user structure.

57. The system of claim 32 wherein the archetype model structure is specified in a set of rules specifying relationships among at least a subset of the problem structure, conclusion structure, and knowledge structure.