System and method for facilitating collaboration and related multiple user thinking and cooperation regarding an arbitrary problem

• US 7,756,806 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Inventors: Heidenreich, James Ralph, Higgins, Linda Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLMES, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US11/985,225
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 706/46
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

Systems and methods to facilitate the thinking and problem solving abilities of groups and multiple individuals working collaboratively or collectively in arbitrary problems and inquiry based projects, in both formal and informal settings and situations.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

one or more computer readable media, memory, or computer readable devices, or a combination thereof, having processor executable instructions, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate user specification of at least one of a at least one problem and a at least one conclusion, or both;

instructions to facilitate at least one of user specification or derivation, or both, of knowledge, related to at least one of the at least one problem specification and the at least one conclusion specification, or both, to populate a knowledge structure;

instructions to persuade multiple user interaction to sequence series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for multiple users thinking about the at least one problem;

instructions to subdivide or partition, or both, at least one of the problem specification, knowledge specification and conclusion specification, or a combination thereof, into more than one subset;

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

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one processor.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to composite at least a subset of specifications into at least one combined or group or multi-user or unified or super specification or model.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to compare specifications.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to provide at least one of individual or subteam workspaces and group or joint or multi-user or collaborative workspaces, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to evaluate at least a subset of specifications, models, or user interactions, or a combination thereof, relative to an archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to provide suggestions.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one web service.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to identify potentially related models, specifications, or users, or a combination thereof.

10. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

an interface;

a multi-user process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors, to execute activities comprising;

facilitating user specification of at least one of a at least one problem and a at least one conclusion, or both;

facilitating at least one of user specification or derivation, or both, of knowledge, related to at least one of the at least one problem specification and the at least one conclusion specification, or both;

persuade multiple user interaction to a series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for multiple users thinking about the at least one problem;

subdivide or partition, or both, at least one of the problem specification, knowledge specification and conclusion specification, or a combination thereof, into more than one subset;

At least one of display, storage and output at least a subset of the resulting user structure, or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising activities comprising compositing at least a subset of specifications into at least one combined or group or multi-user or unified or super user model or specification.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising activities comprising comparing specifications.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising activities comprising evaluating at least a subset of specifications, models, or user interactions, or a combination thereof, relative to an archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising activities comprising providing suggestions.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising activities comprising identifying potentially related models, specifications, or users, or a combination thereof.

16. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

one or more computer readable media, memory, or computer readable devices, or a combination thereof, having processor executable instructions, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate user specification of at least one of a at least one problem and a at least one conclusion, or both;

instructions to facilitate at least one of user specification or derivation, or both, of knowledge, related to at least one of the at least one problem specification and the at least one conclusion specification, or both;

instructions to persuade multiple user interaction to a series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for user thinking about the at least one problem;

instructions to subdivide or partition, or both, user interactions through providing at least one of a collaborative or group or multi-user or joint workspace, and an individual or subteam workspace, or both;

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

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising instructions to composite at least a subset of specifications into at least one combined or group or multi-user or unified or super model or specification.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising instructions to compare specifications.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising instructions to evaluate at least a subset of specifications, models, or user interactions, or a combination thereof, relative to an archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising instructions to provide suggestions.

21. The system of claim 16 further comprising instructions to identify potentially related models, specifications, or users, or a combination thereof.

22. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

an interface;

a multi-user process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors, to execute activities comprising;

facilitating user specification of at least one of a at least one problem and a at least one conclusion, or both;

facilitating at least one of user specification or derivation, or both, of knowledge, related to at least one of the at least one problem specification and the at least one conclusion specification, or both;

persuading multiple user interaction to a series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for user thinking about the at least one problem;

subdividing or partitioning, or both, user interactions through providing at least one of a collaborative or group or multi-user or joint workspace, and an individual or subteam workspace, or both;

At least one of displaying, storing and outputting at least a subset of a resulting user structure, or any combination thereof.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising activities comprising compositing at least a subset of specifications into at least one combined or group or multi-user or unified or super model or specification.

24. The system of claim 22 further comprising activities comprising comparing specifications.

25. The system of claim 22 further comprising activities comprising evaluating at least a subset of specifications, models, or user interactions, or a combination thereof, relative to an archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about an arbitrary problem.

26. The system of claim 22 further comprising activities comprising providing suggestions.

27. The system of claim 22 further comprising activities comprising identifying potentially related models, specifications, or users, or a combination thereof.

28. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

one or more computer readable media, memory, or computer readable devices, or a combination thereof, having processor executable instructions, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate user specification of at least one user model regarding an arbitrary problem;

instructions to persuade multiple user interaction to a series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for users thinking about at least one problem;

instructions to evaluate at least a subset of the specifications, models, or user interaction, or a combination thereof, relative to an exemplary archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about a problem;

instructions to display or output, or both, at least one subset of a resulting user structure, or a result of said evaluation, or both.

29. A system for facilitating collaborative or cooperative user thinking about an arbitrary problem for groups or multiple users, comprising:

an interface;

a multi-user process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors, to provide activities comprising;

facilitating user specification of at least one user model regarding an arbitrary problem;

persuading multiple user interaction to a series of interactions within a predefined set of interaction sequences, wherein the predefined set of interactions define a collaborative archetype process for users thinking about at least one problem;

evaluating at least a subset of the specifications, models, or user interaction, or a combination thereof, relative to an exemplary archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for user thinking about a problem;

displaying or outputting, or both, at least one subset of a resulting user structure, or a result of said evaluation, or both.