Knowledge web
First Claim
1. A computer database, comprising:
- a database store for receiving, storing, and allowing access to data concerning a plurality of topics, meta data created at a time of entry of said data, meta data comprising at least one annotation concerning said data, and meta data comprising access statistics concerning said data;
a viewing tool for user access to said data in said database;
an electronic tutor for maintaining a model of a user, and for finding useful data in said database to present to said user;
an authoring tool for adding data into said database; and
a data representation schema for organizing said database into explanations, topics, explanatory paths, and meta data representing information about and relationships between said data in said database;
wherein an explanation comprises a piece of content that is linked with topics;
wherein every explanation has links to at least one topic that it explains;
wherein topics and explanations are linked by said paths;
wherein said meta data comprises at least one annotation to said explanations and topics;
wherein explanations also have links to topics that represent prerequisite data;
wherein a topic comprises a cluster of concepts to be learned together by a user;
wherein at least one topic comprises multiple subtopics;
wherein at least one topic comprises a testable unit of data that contains no subtopics, and that represents a single entity such that a single question determines whether said user is familiar with said testable unit of data;
wherein a path is a way of describing a sequence of explanations and queries, with branch points;
wherein paths encode information about ways to learn a topic;
wherein a path is connected to topics that it explains and topics that it depends on as prerequisites;
wherein a path contains branch points that are based on answers to queries;
wherein a path contains additional information indicating how a sequence is presented;
wherein annotations are associated with at least one of;
explanations, topics, paths, and other annotations; and
wherein annotations do not modify an author'"'"'s content, but add to it.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for organizing knowledge in such a way that humans can find knowledge, learn from it, and add to it as needed is disclosed. The exemplary system has four components: a knowledge base, a learning model and an associated tutor, a set of user tools, and a backend system. The invention also preferably comprises a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow these components to work together, so that other people can create their own versions of each of the components. In the knowledge web a community of people with knowledge to share put knowledge in the database using the user tools. The knowledge may be in the form of documents or other media, or it may be a descriptor of a book or other physical source. Each piece of knowledge is associated with various types of meta-knowledge about what the knowledge is for, what form it is in, and so on. The information in the knowledge base can be created specifically for the knowledge base, but it can also consist of information converted from other sources, such as scientific documents, books, journals, Web pages, film, video, audio files, and course notes. The initial content of the knowledge web comprises existing curriculum materials, books and journals, and those explanatory pages that are already on the World Wide Web. These existing materials already contain most of the information, examples, problems, illustrations, even lesson plans, that the knowledge web needs. The knowledge base thus represents the core content (online documents or references to online or offline documents); the meta-knowledge that was created at the time of entry; and a number of user annotations and document metadata that accumulate over time about the usefulness of the knowledge, additional user opinions, certifications of its veracity and usefulness, commentary, and connections between various units of knowledge.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A computer database, comprising:
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a database store for receiving, storing, and allowing access to data concerning a plurality of topics, meta data created at a time of entry of said data, meta data comprising at least one annotation concerning said data, and meta data comprising access statistics concerning said data; a viewing tool for user access to said data in said database; an electronic tutor for maintaining a model of a user, and for finding useful data in said database to present to said user; an authoring tool for adding data into said database; and a data representation schema for organizing said database into explanations, topics, explanatory paths, and meta data representing information about and relationships between said data in said database; wherein an explanation comprises a piece of content that is linked with topics; wherein every explanation has links to at least one topic that it explains; wherein topics and explanations are linked by said paths; wherein said meta data comprises at least one annotation to said explanations and topics; wherein explanations also have links to topics that represent prerequisite data; wherein a topic comprises a cluster of concepts to be learned together by a user;
wherein at least one topic comprises multiple subtopics;wherein at least one topic comprises a testable unit of data that contains no subtopics, and that represents a single entity such that a single question determines whether said user is familiar with said testable unit of data; wherein a path is a way of describing a sequence of explanations and queries, with branch points; wherein paths encode information about ways to learn a topic; wherein a path is connected to topics that it explains and topics that it depends on as prerequisites; wherein a path contains branch points that are based on answers to queries; wherein a path contains additional information indicating how a sequence is presented; wherein annotations are associated with at least one of;
explanations, topics, paths, and other annotations; andwherein annotations do not modify an author'"'"'s content, but add to it.
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2. A computer database, comprising:
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a database store for receiving, storing, and allowing access to data concerning a plurality of topics, meta data created at a time of entry of said data, meta data comprising at least one annotation concerning said data, and meta data comprising access statistics concerning said data; a viewing tool for user access to said data in said database, wherein said viewing tool comprises means for choosing topics that a user wants to learn about, viewing explanations provided to said user as a sequence of presentations, and annotating said data in said database; an electronic tutor for maintaining a user learning model, and for finding useful data in said database to present to said user; an authoring tool for enabling an author to add data into said database; said means for choosing further comprising means for naming a topic via entering a word or phrase into a topic-search engine; wherein said viewing tool then displays a map of an area of a topic space said user selects, showing a current user level and attainable user levels; a topic map in which a space of topics and subtopics is illustrated as an n-dimensional landscape, with landmarks and links showing relationships between topics; wherein a coloring scheme shows said user'"'"'s level and relative importance of said topic; wherein said topic map shows paths that said user has traveled before and paths that others have traveled before; and wherein said viewing tool allows said user to move through topic space by panning, zooming, and leaping from topic to related topic; wherein said viewing tool allows said user to zoom into relevant topics, look at their subtopics and mark things that are of interest, and to mark things that are already known; at least one registry handled by a registration server, wherein a registry comprises one of;
a pen name registry, a content registry and a topic registry;wherein said registration server keeps a registry of all content in said database, including any explanations, queries, paths, and annotations; wherein said registration server keeps track of where information is, said author'"'"'s pen name, and when said information was registered. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer database comprising:
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a database store for receiving, storing, and allowing access to; a distributed registry for keeping track of where and how said data and associated meta data are stored in said database; means for representing data objects in said database as nodes of a labeled graph, and representing said associated meta data by labeled links connecting said nodes; wherein said nodes represent data of different types and in different formats, including text, image, sound, video, and structured data; a metaweb server which has access to a user'"'"'s security profile, and access to said distributed registry; wherein said metaweb server obtains a location of data requested by said user, retrieves said data from data servers which themselves maintain rules regarding access to retrieve and update data from said data servers, and assembles said data into coherent data structures; wherein each object is registered in said registry; wherein said registry keeps track of where data and meta data associated with an object are stored; wherein every data object has a unique index which is used to access the registry; wherein said apparatus retrieves said data object from said index by assembling components of data and meta data from various storage devices across a network; and a viewing tool for accessing said data in said database, wherein said viewing tool comprises means for choosing topics that said user wants to learn about, viewing explanations provided to said user as a sequence of presentations, and accepting annotations from said user; said viewing tool further comprising; a module for allowing said user to navigate through links, see patterns in connections, and reorganize information according to multiple navigational schemes; a module for allowing user to see the detailed local information, and also to see how that information fits into a broader global context; and a topic search engine for selecting at least one topic that a user wants to learn about. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computer implemented data object registry method, comprising the steps of:
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providing a data object registry for registering data objects; providing a database for receiving, storing, and allowing access to data objects concerning a plurality of topics, meta data created at a time of entry of said data, meta data comprising at least one annotation concerning said data, and meta data comprising access statistics concerning said data; providing a viewing tool for allowing user access to data in said database; representing a plurality of registered data objects in said data registry as a hash table entry; wherein each hash table entry identifies a corresponding data object'"'"'s location, representation, and any associated meta data; and wherein each hash table entry comprises an index hash, a cryptographically strong signature for verification and security, a data identifier, and a meta data identifier; and using said viewing tool to access data objects in said database via said data object reentry. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification