System and method for propagating inquiries and answers thereto through on-line human network

• US 9,159,110 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Hyoung, Yong Joon, Choi, Kwang Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAND, DAVOUD AMAN
• Application Number:
  US11/781,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,007 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/207, 709/240
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for sharing reliable information or knowledge with regard to a question using an on-line human network. The on-line human network-based knowledge sharing method is to share knowledge based on an acquaintance information database. The database stores the IDs of a plurality of users, and the correspondence relationships of the user IDs, which represent acquaintanceships between the users on the on-line human network. The method includes allowing a first user to write a question message in a form that can be forwarded through the network, generating a question ID for identifying the question message and storing the generated question ID, causing the ID of the first user to correspond to the question ID, allowing a second user who is acquainted with the first user to receive the message, and causing the ID of the second user to correspond to the question ID.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating propagation of inquiries and answers thereto in connection with a website, which allows users registered with the website to network with each other, wherein each user is allowed to maintain a network list of other users to share information, the network list further including a number that the other users have answered questions or a number that the other users have forwarded questions, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server of the website, an inquiry from a first user with a first command to send the inquiry to at least one user from a first network list of the first user;

sending, by the server, the inquiry to the at least one user from the first network list, wherein the at least one user includes a second user;

receiving, by the server, a second command from the second user to send the inquiry to at least one user from a second network list of the second user;

sending, by the server, the inquiry to the at least one user from the second network list, wherein the at least one user from the second network list includes a third user, and the first user does not have an established acquaintanceship with the third user;

tracking, by the server, the propagation of the inquiry so as to generate tracking information indicating that the inquiry is propagated from the first user to the at least one user from the first network list, that the inquiry is further propagated from the second user to the at least one user from the second network list;

receiving, by a terminal associated with the first user, a first notification when the second user sends, by the server, the inquiry to the third user;

receiving, by the server, an answer to the inquiry from a user accessible to the inquiry;

determining, by the server, that the inquiry originated from the first user using the tracking information; and

notifying the first user that the answer is available;

wherein acquaintanceship between users registered with the website comprises primary acquaintanceship and secondary acquaintanceship, and inquiries are sent only between users having the primary acquaintanceship.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a single computer or a plurality of interconnected computers whether clustered at a single geographical location or scattered at more than one geographical location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking comprises:

after receiving the first command, associating the inquiry with the first user and the at least one user from the first network list;

after receiving the second command, associating the inquiry with the second user and the at least one user from the second network list; and

after receiving the third command, associating the inquiry with the third user and the at least one user from the third network list.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein tracking further comprises processing information relating to association of the inquiry with users so as to generate the tracking information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the inquiry to the at least one user from the first network list comprises sending an email.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the inquiry to the at least one user from the first network list comprises transmitting data to display the inquiry to a terminal associated with the at least one user from the first network list when the at least one user from the first network list logs on the website.

7. A method to facilitate obtaining an answer to an inquiry in connection with a website, which allows users registered with the website to network with each other, wherein each user is allowed to maintain a network list of other users to share information, the network list further including a number that the other users have answered questions or a number that the other users have forwarded questions, the method comprising;

sending, from a terminal associated with a first user, a command to the website to send an inquiry to at least one user from a first network list of the first user;

receiving, by the terminal associated with the first user, a first notification when a second user from the at least one user from the first network list sends the inquiry to at least one user from a second network list of the second user, wherein the at least one user from the second network list comprises includes a third user, and the first user does not have an established acquaintanceship with the third user; and

receiving, by the terminal, an answer to the inquiry from a user to whom the inquiry has been sent;

wherein acquaintanceship between the users registered with the website comprises primary acquaintanceship and secondary acquaintanceship, and inquiries are sent only between users having the primary acquaintanceship.

8. A method of facilitating propagation of a question message among registered users of a website, the method comprising:

providing an acquaintance information database storing identifications (IDs) of a plurality of users registered with the website, wherein each registered user is allowed to maintain an acquaintance list comprising other registered users in the acquaintance information database, the acquaintance list further including a number that the other registered users have answered questions or a number that the other registered users have forwarded questions;

receiving from a first registered user a question message;

assigning a question identification (ID) to the question message;

associating a first user ID of the first registered user with the question ID;

sending, by a request of the first user, the question message to a second registered user selected from the acquaintance list of the first registered user;

associating a second user ID of the second registered user with the question ID so as to generate tracking information indicating that the question message is propagated from the first registered user to the second registered user;

sending, by a request of the second registered user, the question message to a third registered user selected from the acquaintance list of the second registered user, wherein the first user does not have an established acquaintanceship with the third user; and

receiving, by a terminal associated with the first user, a first notification when the question message is sent, by a request of the second registered user, to a third registered user;

wherein acquaintanceship between the users registered with the website comprises primary acquaintanceship and secondary acquaintanceship, and question messages are sent only between users having the primary acquaintanceship.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

associating a third user ID of the third registered user with the question ID, wherein the tracking information further indicates that the question message is further propagated from the second registered user to the third registered user regardless of whether the third registered user answers the question.

10. The method claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from the third registered user, an answer message in reply to the question message;

determining that the question message is originated from the first registered user using the tracking information; and

allowing the first registered user to access the answer message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing the first registered user to access the tracking information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing the first registered user to provide a predetermined incentive to at least one of the registered users, who are on a path to the third registered user who has answered the question message.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating the acquaintance list of the first registered user to include information of the third registered user, who has replied to the question message.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing an executable program, which when executed by a computer performs the steps of:

providing an acquaintance information database storing identifications (IDs) of a plurality of users registered with the website, wherein each registered user is allowed to maintain an acquaintance list comprising other registered users in the acquaintance information database, the acquaintance list further including a number that the other registered users have answered questions or a number that the other registered users have forwarded questions;

receiving from a first registered user a question message;

assigning a question identification (ID) to the question message;

associating a first user ID of the first registered user with the question ID;

sending, by a request of the first user, the question message to a second registered user selected from the acquaintance list of the first registered user;

associating a second user ID of the second registered user with the question ID so as to generate tracking information indicating that the question message is propagated from the first registered user to the second registered user;

sending, by a request of the second registered user, the question message to a third registered user selected from an acquaintance list of the second registered user, wherein the first user does not have an established acquaintanceship with the third user;

associating a third user I D of the third registered user with the question ID, wherein the tracking information further indicates that the question message is further propagated from the second registered user to the third registered user; and

receiving, by a terminal associated with the first registered user, a first notification when the question message is sent, by the request of the second registered user, to the third registered user;

wherein acquaintanceship between the users registered with the website comprises primary acquaintanceship and secondary acquaintanceship, and question messages are sent only between users having the primary acquaintanceship.

15. A method for facilitating propagation of a question message via a website, the method comprising:

providing an acquaintance information database, wherein the acquaintance information database includes IDs of a plurality of users registered with the website, wherein each registered user is allowed to maintain an acquaintance list comprising other registered users in the acquaintance information database, the acquaintance list further including a number that the other registered users have answered questions or a number that the other registered users have forwarded questions;

providing a tracking database for storing information on propagation of question messages;

receiving from a first registered user a question message;

recording, in the tracking database, a first record indicating that the question message is received from the first registered user;

sending, by a request of the first registered user, the question message to a second registered user selected from the acquaintance list of the first registered user to receive the question message;

recording, in the tracking database, a second record indicating that the question message from the first registered user is available to the second registered user;

sending, by a request of the second registered user, the question message to a third registered user selected from the acquaintance list of the second registered user, the first user does not have an established acquaintanceship with the third user;

recording, in the tracking database, a third record indicating that the question message is sent from the second registered user to the third registered user;

recording, in the tracking database, a fourth record indicating that the question message from the second registered user is available to the third registered user;

receiving, by the first registered user, a first notification when the question message is sent, by the request of the second registered user, to the third registered user;

wherein acquaintanceship between users registered with the website comprises primary acquaintanceship and secondary acquaintanceship, and question messages are sent only between users having the primary acquaintanceship.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first record comprises a question message ID and the first registered user ID.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second record comprises a question message ID and a second registered user ID.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, from the third user, an answer message in reply to the question message;

determining that the question message is originated from the first user using tracking information recorded in the tracking database; and

allowing the first user to access the answer message using the tracking information.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising allowing the first registered user to access the tracking information.