Systems and methods for facilitating user thinking about an arbitrary problem with additional search capabilities

• US 7,962,430 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• 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
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; David H
• Application Number:
  US11/980,240
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/46
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models

Abstract

Preferred embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods of facilitating and evaluating user thinking about an arbitrary problem with additional search capabilities. Some different embodiments of the invention utilize archetypes based on exemplary problem solving to facilitate the development of user models, determine search arguments and search results, and others.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate, based on an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary problem solving or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising at least one problem or at least one conclusion, or both, and at least one specification of knowledge;

instructions to determine at least one related search argument, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, or a combination thereof;

instructions to display, instructions to store or instructions to output at least one of at least a subset of the user specification, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or a search argument, or combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising monitoring of the specification of at least one user model or specification, user interactions, search arguments, suggested inquiry areas, suggested inquiry constructs, or constructed inquiry constructs or any combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to evaluate the specification of at least one user model or specification, user interactions, search arguments, suggested inquiry areas, suggested inquiry constructs, or constructed inquiry constructs or any combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to cause at least one set of search results.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent or both.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising the utilization of at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

8. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system executable on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

facilitating, based on an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary problem solving or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising at least one problem or at least one conclusion or both, and at least one specification of knowledge;

determining at least one related search argument, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or a combination thereof;

displaying, storing or outputting, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of the user specification, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or search argument, or a combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising activities comprising monitoring of the specification of at least one user model or specification, user interactions, suggested inquiry areas, suggested inquiry constructs, constructed inquiry constructs or search arguments, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising activities comprising evaluating the specification of at least one user model or specification, user interactions, search arguments, suggested inquiry areas, suggested inquiry constructs, or constructed inquiry constructs or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising activities comprising causing at least one set of search results.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising the utilization of a search engine or agent or both.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising the utilization of at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising utilizing a customized archetype, search structure, aggregate search structures, search history, content relationships, other user models, or other available user context, or a combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 8 further comprising determining at least one search structure or aggregate search structure or both.

16. The system of claim 8 further comprising enabling the re-use, editing, sharing, or relating, or a combination thereof, of search arguments, aggregate search arguments, search structures, inquiries, or inquiry constructs or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 8 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 8 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

19. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate, based on an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary user thinking or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising at least one problem or at least one conclusion, or both, and at least one specification of knowledge;

instructions to cause at least one set of related search results.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising the utilization of a search engine or agent or both.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

22. The system of claim 19 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

23. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

facilitating, based on an archetype structure or archetype process or both, at least one user specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising at least one problem or at least one conclusion, or both, and at least one specification of knowledge related to the arbitrary problem;

causing at least one set of related search results.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent or both.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

26. The system of claim 23 further comprising ranking, prioritizing, filtering, or formatting the results, or formatting results with at least one user model or specification, or a combination thereof.

27. The system of claim 23 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

28. The system of claim 23 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

29. A processor implemented system to facilitate exemplary user research and searching for information, said system comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to evaluate at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

instructions to evaluate said at least one user model or specification relative to an archetype process or an archetype structure for exemplary user thinking, or both;

instructions to determine at least one suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or search argument, or combination thereof;

instructions to provide in output, display, storage or a combination thereof, at least a subset of at least one suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, search argument, constructed inquiry construct, user model or specification, or a combination thereof.

30. The system of claim 29 further comprising instructions to cause related results.

31. The system of claim 29 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent, or both.

32. The system of claim 29 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

33. The system of claim 29 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

34. A processor implemented system to facilitate exemplary research and searching for information, said system comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

evaluating at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

evaluating said at least one user model or specification relative to an archetype process or an archetype structure for exemplary user thinking, or both;

determining at least one suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, or search argument, or combination thereof;

providing in output, display, storage, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of at least one suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, search argument, user model or specification, or a combination thereof.

35. The system of claim 34 further comprising activities comprising causing related search results.

36. The system of claim 34 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent, or both.

37. The system of claim 34 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

38. The system of claim 34 further comprising utilizing a customized archetype, search structure, aggregate search structures, search history, content relationships, other user models, other available user context, or a combination thereof.

39. The system of claim 34 further comprising determining at least one search structure or aggregate search structure or both.

40. The system of claim 34 further comprising enabling the re-use, editing, sharing, or relating, or a combination thereof, of search arguments, aggregate search arguments, search structures, inquiries, inquiry constructs or a combination thereof.

41. The system of claim 34 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

42. The system of claim 34 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

43. A processor implemented system to facilitate exemplary research and searching for information, said system comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to evaluate at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

instructions to evaluate said at least one user model or specification relative to an archetype process or an archetype structure for exemplary user thinking, or both;

instructions to cause related search results;

instructions to provide in output, display, storage or a combination thereof, at least a subset of the user model or specification or search results, or a combination thereof.

44. The system of claim 43 further comprising instructions to utilize a search engine or agent, or both.

45. The system of claim 43 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

46. The system of claim 43 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

47. The system of claim 43 further comprising instructions for additional suggestions for users.

48. A processor implemented system to facilitate exemplary research and searching for information, said system comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

evaluating at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

evaluating said at least one user model or specification relative to an archetype process or an archetype structure for exemplary user thinking, or both;

causing related search results;

providing in output, display, storage, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of the user model or specification or search results, or a combination thereof.

49. The system of claim 48 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent, or both.

50. The system of claim 48 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

51. The system of claim 48 further comprising ranking, prioritizing, filtering, or formatting results, or formatting results with at least one user model or specification, or a combination thereof.

52. The system of claim 48 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

53. The system of claim 48 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

54. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate, based on an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary problem solving or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

instructions to determine at least one related search argument, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, or a combination thereof;

instructions to display, instructions to store or instructions to output, or a combination thereof, at least one of at least a subset of the user specification, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or a search argument, or a combination thereof.

55. The system of claim 54 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

56. The system of claim 54 further comprising instructions to cause at least one set of search results.

57. The system of claim 54 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent or both.

58. The system of claim 54 further comprising the utilization of at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

59. The system of claim 54 further comprising instructions for additional suggestions for users.

60. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system executable on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

facilitating, based on an archetype process or archetype structure for exemplary problem solving or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

determining at least one related search argument, suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct or a combination thereof;

displaying, storing or outputting, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of the suggested inquiry area, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, search argument, or user specification, or a combination thereof.

61. The system of claim 60 further comprising activities comprising causing at least one set of search results.

62. The system of claim 60 further comprising the utilization of a search engine or agent or both.

63. The system of claim 60 further comprising the utilization of at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

64. The system of claim 60 further comprising utilizing a customized archetype, search structure, aggregate search structures, search history, content relationships, other user models, or other available user context, or a combination thereof.

65. The system of claim 60 further comprising determining at least one search structure or aggregate search structure or both.

66. The system of claim 60 further comprising enabling the re-use, editing, sharing, or relating, or a combination thereof, of search arguments, aggregate search arguments, search structures, inquiries, or inquiry constructs or a combination thereof.

67. The system of claim 60 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

68. The system of claim 60 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

69. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied in at least one computer readable media, memory, or computer readable device, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to facilitate, based on an archetype process or archetype structure for exemplary user thinking or both, at least one specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

instructions to cause at least one set of related search results;

instructions to display, instructions to output or instructions to store, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of user specification or search results, or both.

70. The system of claim 69 further comprising the utilization of a search engine or agent or both.

71. The system of claim 69 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.

72. The system of claim 69 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

73. The system of claim 69 further comprising instructions for additional suggestions for users.

74. A system for facilitating user thinking about and searching for information regarding an arbitrary problem, comprising:

an interface;

a process manager system operable to execute on one or more processors to perform activities comprising;

facilitating, based on an archetype process or archetype structure for exemplary user thinking, or both, at least one user specification of at least one user model or specification regarding an arbitrary problem;

causing at least one set of related search results;

displaying, outputting or storing, or a combination thereof, at least a subset of the user specification or search results or both.

75. The system of claim 74 further comprising utilizing a search engine or agent or both.

76. The system of claim 74 further comprising utilizing at least one web service, additional computer system, electronic resource or other electronic source, or a combination thereof.

77. The system of claim 74 further comprising ranking, prioritizing, filtering, or formatting results, or formatting results with at least one user model or specification, or a combination thereof.

78. The system of claim 74 further comprising utilizing an inquiry, suggested inquiry area, search argument, suggested inquiry construct, constructed inquiry construct, customized archetype, search structure, aggregate search structures, search history, content relationships, other user models, or other available user context, or a combination thereof.

79. The system of claim 74 further comprising searching for potentially related other user models, content, users, or groups, or a combination thereof.

80. The system of claim 74 further comprising additional suggestions for users.

81. The system of claim 74 further comprising at least one processor or web service or both.