Study aid system

• US 20040229194A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: George L. Yang
• Original Assignee: George L. Yang
• Inventors: Yang, George L.
• Application Number:
  US10/437,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20040229194A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/118
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers

Abstract

The study aid system provides various interfaces to help author to describe objects and to help reader to access related information systematically and dynamically. First, the system enables author to produce an overall writing guide, to specify the default aspects of each type of object, and to link different type of object to a different subroutine. Each subroutine provides necessary interfaces for author to supply related information to fill each default aspect of an object methodically. Further, the system lets reader to specify the default aspects of each type of object, to generate a customized study course, to control how information to be accessed, and to explore an object from one aspect by another. Furthermore, the system guides reader to survey a resource to produce an overall reading guide by providing recommendations, questions, and interfaces. Moreover, the system helps reader to understand an object better by describing the object differently and by letting reader search, compare, display related objects from database, and jump from one object to another object. Besides, the system provides interfaces for reader to build a unified knowledge system by inputting objects into database, taking notes, putting tags on related objects, and linking an object to related objects in database. In addition, the system helps reader to solve a problem by capturing reader'"'"'s feedback, raising proper questions at proper time during a problem-solving process, and letting reader to search for related objects from database. Additionally, the system generates blank-filling problems, true-and-false problems, multiple choice problems, partially completed lists, partially completed maps and asks reader to solve problems, complete the partially completed lists, and complete the partially completed maps.

Claims

1. A system for aiding study comprising:

teaching means for helping an author to describe objects from various aspects and for helping a reader to access information about said objects dynamically;

learning means for guiding a reader to survey a resource and to examine objects systematically and for letting said reader input new objects into database, establish links among objects, attach tags, and take notes;

solving problem means for letting a reader search for related objects and display said related objects in various forms and providing said reader advice on solving a problem;

displaying means for displaying objects in various formats by letting a user specify displaying format and by preparing objects in forms selected from the group consisting of window, cloud, table, map, figure, graphic interfaces with hot links, and cascaded multiple windows with each window having a tab and for providing said user various ways to view objects, wherein said various ways include zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down;

searching means for letting a user search for related objects, consisting of searching object by subject, searching object by keyword, and searching object by tag, wherein said searching object by subject is to display all objects under a subject, let said user select an object from said all objects, then display all the sub-objects under said object, and so on, wherein searching object by keyword is to specify keywords, define search rule, and find all the objects connected to said keywords, and wherein searching object by tag is to specify a tag and find all the objects associated with said tag; and

linking means for letting a user building relations among objects by establishing internal connections among objects and for displaying said relations by approaches selected from the group consisting of lines, arrows, boundary shapes, tags, and highlights, wherein each line with different color, pattern, and weight represents a different relation.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

reviewing means for guiding a reader to review objects systematically by generating a review guide, letting said reader modify said review guide, and linking hot objects with corresponding generated subroutines, wherein each generated subroutine consists of a series of preprogrammed actions and guides said reader to review an object from various aspects;

taking test means for testing a reader by generating blank-filling problems, true-and-false problems, and multiple choice problems, wherein each blank-filling problem is obtained by selecting a statement and displaying the statement with a word blanked, wherein each true-and-false problem is created by selecting a statement, replacing a word in the statement by one selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement, wherein each multiple choice problem is produced by selecting a statement, blanking a word in the statement, supplying words selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement;

comparing means for finding relations between two objects by describing objects in set language, detecting if said two objects are identical, if said two objects are equivalent, and if an object is contained in another object, and finding out the relative complement of an object in another object, the union of said two objects, and the intersection of said two objects;

feedback means for modifying help level, changing teaching strategy, and altering problem assignment by capturing reader'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection; and

regulating means for preprocessing input information by methods selected from the group consisting of symbol substitution, separation, completion, combination, recapitulation, and decomposition.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

updating means for adding a new object, modifying an existed object, and marking a plurality of interchangeable objects equivalent;

loading information means for loading, displaying, modifying, and saving a user'"'"'s information;

read training means for tutoring a reader how to read effectively and efficiently by tracking the progress of said reader, shifting focus, and adjusting schedule;

calculation training means for teaching a reader how to do arithmetic operations quickly by tracking the progress of said reader and adapting strategy to said reader; and

memory training means training means for coaching a reader how to remember objects better by tracking the progress of said reader, finding out weak portion, and changing focus.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein teaching means includes:

setting up means for letting an author specify general writing arrangement, for letting a reader specify general reading arrangement, indicate help requirements, and assign a default display format for each type of objects, and for letting a user select default aspects about each type of objects under consideration;

general writing guide means for generating a writing guide by creating a writing template based on author'"'"'s selection through said setting up means, letting said author modify said writing template to produce a modified writing template, and associating hot objects on said modified writing template with generated subroutines;

general reading guide means for generating a reading guide by creating a reading template based on reader'"'"'s selection through said setting up means, letting said reader modify said reading template to produce a modified reading template, and associating hot objects on said modified reading template with generated subroutines; and

subroutine generating means for generating a subroutine to guide said author to describe an object systematically from every aspect selected by said author with said setting up means and for generating a subroutine to guide said reader to examine an object systematically from every aspect selected by said reader with said setting up means.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein learning means includes:

setting up means for letting a reader select default aspects about each type of objects and indicate a help level;

overall guide means for generating a reading guide by asking questions and giving advice to guide said reader to search for related information from a resource and providing interface for reader to write down important objects and link hot objects to generated subroutines; and

subroutine generating means for generating a subroutine to guide said reader to examine an object systematically from each aspect and provide interface for said reader to fill information about said each aspect.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein solving problem means includes:

setting up means for letting a reader specify problem type;

understanding problem means for helping said reader to understand said problem by raising a series of questions and recommendations and providing interface for said reader to describe the problem;

finding connection means for helping said reader to find the connection between the known and the unknown of said problem by raising a series of questions and recommendations and providing interface for said reader to indicate the connection;

carrying out plan means for guiding said reader to actually solve said problem by raising a series of questions; and

looking back means for guiding said reader to explore said problem further by raising a series of questions and recommendations and providing interface for said reader to work on.

7. A method for helping an author to organize and present information and for helping a reader to access and organize information in a study aid system, said study aid system consisting of input devices, output devices, CPU, and databases, said method comprising:

setting up means for letting said author specify general writing arrangement, for letting said reader specify general reading arrangement, indicate help requirements, and assign a default display format for each type of objects, and for letting a user select default aspects about each type of objects;

general writing guide means for generating a writing guide by creating a writing template based on said author'"'"'s selection through said setting up means, letting said author modify said writing template to produce a modified writing template, and associating hot objects on said modified writing template with generated subroutines;

general reading guide means for generating a reading guide by creating a reading template based on said reader'"'"'s selection through said setting up means, letting said reader modify said reading template to produce a modified reading template, and associating hot objects on said modified reading template with generated subroutines;

subroutine generating means for generating a subroutine for helping said author to describe an object systematically from each aspect selected by said author through said setting up means and for generating a subroutine for helping said reader to examine an object systematically from each aspect selected by said reader through said setting up means; and

linking means for letting said user building relations among objects by establishing internal connections among objects and for displaying said relations by approaches selected from the group consisting of lines, arrows, boundary shapes, tags, and highlights, wherein each line with different color, pattern, and weight represents a different relation.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

layering means for guiding said reader to access information by letting said author associate each aspect of an object with a layer number and associate each description of a same aspect with a sub-layer number and by letting said reader examine objects layer by layer, wherein layer number reflects the relative difficulty to understand an aspect and sub-layer number reflects the relative difficulty to understand a description;

converting means for transforming information from one form to a different form by letting said author prepare description in first form, specify which portion of said description will be available to second form and which portion of said description will be available only to said first form, copy related portion of said description from said first form to said second form, and edit the description in said second form;

designing course means for generating a study itinerary for said reader by letting said reader specify at least one of the starting points and at least one of the desired points, finding out the paths from said starting points to said desired points, and letting said reader select one path from said paths and modify the path;

evaluating progress means for estimating how well said reader understand a particular topic by capturing reader'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

searching means for letting said user search for related objects, consisting of searching object by subject, searching object by keyword, and searching object by tag, wherein said searching object by subject is to display all objects under a subject, let said user select an object from said all objects, then display all the sub-objects under said object, and so on, wherein searching object by keyword is to specify keywords, define search rule, and find all the objects connected to said keywords by rule, and wherein searching object by tag is to specify a tag and find all the objects associated with said tag;

taking note means for letting said reader locate related objects from notes quickly and find related notes from objects quickly by providing interface for said reader to write down notes and to draw figures and by linking said notes and said figures to related objects, wherein said notes consist of comments, questions, conjectures, and reminder; and

tagging means for finding objects with a particular property quickly by letting said reader put a tag on objects with said property, wherein said tag is a label selected from the group consisting of bookmarks, keywords, property identifiers, methodology indicators, and aspect markers.

10. A method for helping a reader to study a resource comprising:

setting up means for letting said reader select default aspects about each type of objects and help options;

overall guide means for generating a reading guide by asking questions and giving recommendations to guide said reader to search for related information from said resource and providing interface for said reader to write down important objects and link hot objects to generated subroutines;

subroutine generating means for generating a subroutine to guide said reader to examine an object systematically from each aspect selected by said reader through said setting up means and to provide interface for said reader to fill information about said object from each aspect;

searching means for letting said reader search for related objects, consisting of searching object by subject, searching object by keyword, and searching object by tag, wherein said searching object by subject is to display all objects under a subject, let said reader select an object from said all objects, then display all the sub-objects under said object, and so on, wherein searching object by keyword is to specify keywords, define search rule, and find all the objects connected to said keywords by rule, and wherein searching object by tag is to specify a tag and find all the objects associated with said tag;

displaying means for displaying objects in various formats by letting said reader specify displaying format and preparing objects in forms selected from the group consisting of window, cloud, table, map, figure, graph with hot link, and cascaded multiple windows with each window having a tab and for providing said reader various ways to view objects, wherein said various ways include zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down; and

linking means for letting said reader building relations among objects by establishing internal connections among objects and for displaying said relations by approaches selected from the group consisting of lines, arrows, boundary shapes, tags, and highlights, wherein each line with different color, pattern, and weight represents a different relation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

exploring means for letting said reader examine an object from various point of views by displaying interfaces with each interface linked to a corresponding aspect of said object;

comparing means for finding relations between two objects by describing objects in set language, detecting if said two objects are identical, if said two objects are equivalent, and if an object is contained in another object, and finding out the relative complement of an object in another object, the union of said two objects, and the intersection of said two objects;

taking note means for letting said reader locate related objects from notes quickly and find related notes from objects quickly by providing interface for said reader to write down notes and to draw figures and by linking said notes and said figures to related objects, wherein said notes consist of comments, questions, conjectures, and reminder; and

tagging means for finding objects with a particular property quickly by letting said reader put a tag on objects with said property, wherein said tag is a label selected from the group consisting of bookmarks, keywords, property identifiers, methodology indicators, an aspect markers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein exploring means is arranged to provide the following services:

displaying related sub-objects in form of map;

displaying related sub-objects in form of table;

displaying related sub-objects in form of boundary shape;

providing graphic interfaces with each interface linked to display a corresponding a sub-object;

displaying said object by figure; and

displaying related sub-objects by cascaded multi-windows with tabs.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

subroutine executing means for displaying and managing all the generated subroutines;

evaluating progress means for estimating how well said reader understand a particular topic by capturing reader'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection;

reviewing means for guiding said reader to review objects systematically by generating a review guide, letting said reader modify said review guide, and linking hot objects with corresponding generated subroutines, wherein each generated subroutine consists of a series of preprogrammed actions and guides said reader to review an object from various aspects;

taking test means for test said reader by generating blank-filling problems, true-and-false problems, and multiple choice problems, wherein each blank-filling problem is obtained by selecting a statement and displaying the statement with a word blanked, wherein each true-and-false problem is created by selecting a statement, replacing a word in the statement by one selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement, wherein each multiple choice problem is produced by selecting a statement, blanking a word in the statement, supplying words selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement; and

updating means for adding a new object, modifying an existed object, and marking a plurality of interchangeable objects equivalent.

14. A method for helping a reader to review objects systematically comprising:

setting up means for letting said reader specify the review scope and review aspects of each type of objects under consideration;

overall guide means for guiding said reader to review by displaying related objects in a window, letting said reader to modify said window, and linking related objects to corresponding generated subroutines;

subroutine generating means for creating said generated subroutines to guide said reader to review objects systematically from each aspect selected by said reader through said setting up means, wherein each subroutine consists of a series of preprogrammed actions;

searching means for letting said reader search for related objects, consisting of searching object by subject, searching object by keyword, and searching object by tag, wherein said searching object by subject is to display all objects under a subject, let said reader select an object from said all objects, then display all the sub-objects under said object, and so on, wherein searching object by keyword is to specify keywords, define search rule, and find all the objects connected to said keywords by rule, and wherein searching object by tag is to specify a tag and find all the objects associated with said tag;

displaying means for displaying objects in various formats by letting said reader specify displaying format and preparing objects in forms selected from the group consisting of window, cloud, table, map, figure, graph with hot link, and cascaded multiple windows with each window having a tab and for providing said reader various ways to view objects, wherein said various ways include zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down; and

linking means for letting said reader building relations among objects by establishing internal connections among objects and for displaying said relations by approaches selected from the group consisting of lines, arrows, boundary shapes, tags, and highlights, wherein each line with different color, pattern, and weight represents a different relation.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising subroutine executing means for displaying and managing all the generated subroutines;

taking note means for letting said reader locate related objects from notes quickly and find related notes from objects quickly by providing interface for said reader to write down notes and to draw figures and by linking said notes and said figures to related objects, wherein said notes consist of comments, questions, conjectures, and reminder; and

tagging means for finding objects with a particular property quickly by letting said reader put a tag on objects with said property, wherein said tag is a label selected from the group consisting of bookmarks, keywords, property identifiers, methodology indicators, an aspect markers.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising

comparing means for finding relations between two objects by describing objects in set language and then finding if said two objects are identical, if said two objects are equivalent, if an object is contained in another object, the relative complement of an object in another object, the union of said two objects, the intersection of two objects;

reforming means for preprocessing input information by a method selected from the group consisting of symbol substitution, separation, completion, combination, recapitulation, and decomposition;

solving problem means for letting said reader search for and display related objects in various forms and for guiding said reader to solve a problem by asking question and giving advice to help said reader to understand said problem, to find out connection between the known and the unknown, to carry out a plan, and to look back for further exploring said problem;

taking test means for testing said reader by generating blank-filling problems, true-and-false problems, and multiple choice problems, wherein each blank-filling problem is obtained by selecting a statement and displaying the statement with a word blanked, wherein each true-and-false problem is created by selecting a statement, replacing a word in the statement by one selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement, wherein each multiple choice problem is produced by selecting a statement, blanking a word in the statement, supplying words selected from the group consisting of the word, its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, and displaying the modified statement; and

feedback means for modifying help level, changing teaching strategy, and altering problem assignment by capturing said reader'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection.

17. A method for helping a reader to solve a problem comprising:

setting up means for letting said reader specify problem type;

understanding problem means for helping said reader to understand said problem by raising a series of questions and recommendations, providing interface for said reader to describe said problem;

finding connection means for helping said reader to find the connections between the known and the unknown of said problem by raising a series of questions and recommendations and providing interface for said reader to indicate said connections;

carrying out plan means for guiding said reader to actually solve said problem by raising a series of questions;

looking back means for guiding said reader to explore said problem further by raising a series of questions and recommendations;

searching means for letting said reader search for related objects, consisting of searching object by subject, searching object by keyword, and searching object by tag, wherein said searching object by subject is to display all objects under a subject, let said reader select an object from said all objects, then display all the sub-objects under said object, and so on, wherein searching object by keyword is to specify keywords, define search rule, and find all the objects connected to said keywords by rule, and wherein searching object by tag is to specify a tag and find all the objects associated with said tag; and

linking means for letting said reader building relations among objects by establishing internal connections among objects and for displaying said relations by approaches selected from the group consisting of lines, arrows, boundary shapes, tags, and highlights, wherein each line with different color, pattern, and weight represents a different relation.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising

feedback means for modifying help level, changing teaching strategy, and altering problem assignment by capturing said reader'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection;

intelligent question generation means for guiding said reader to work on detail by preparing advice and questions for problems in each smaller category, capturing said reader'"'"'s response, classifying said problem into one of smaller categories, and raising corresponding questions and advice;

saving current status means for providing interface to save any component selected from the group consisting of said problem itself, data, unknown, symbol, auxiliary line, auxiliary problem, figure, partial of solution, attempt, and guess; and

recovering status means for retrieve any component saved for said problem.

19. A method for a user to take a self-test and play game comprising

means for generating a blank problem by selecting a statement, displaying said statement with a word blanked, and asking said user to fill blank;

means for generating a true and false problem by selecting a statement, replacing a word in said statement by one selected from the group consisting of its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, and unrelated words, displaying the modified statement, and asking said user to judge if said modified statement is true or false;

means for generating a multiple choice problem by selecting a statement, blanking a word in said statement, supplying words selected from the group consisting of its synonyms, its antonyms, similar words, unrelated words, displaying the modified statement, and asking said user to judge if said modified statement is true or false;

means for listing related objects by listing part of the related objects, specifying requirement, and asking said user to list all other related objects; and

means for drawing a map by presenting a partially completed map, specifying requirement, and asking said user to make said partially completed map completed.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising

means for said user specifying test scope and test type;

means for generating a modifying saved problem by modifying a problem saved in database, displaying the modified problem, and asking said user to solve said modified problem;

means for judging if the answer supplied by said user is correct by describing related objects in set language and then finding if said objects are equivalent;

means for showing score and sending feedback to said user.

21. A method for searching related objects from database comprising:

setting up means for a user specifying search rule and search scope;

displaying means for displaying objects in various formats by letting said user specify displaying format and preparing objects in forms selected from the group consisting of window, cloud, table, map, figure, graphic interfaces with hot links, and cascaded multiple windows with each window having a tab and for providing said user various ways to view objects, wherein said various ways include zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down;

searching object by subject means for displaying all objects under a subject, letting said user select an object from said all objects, then displaying all the sub-objects under said object, and so on;

searching object by keyword means for searching for all the objects associated with a keyword by specifying keywords, defining search rule, and finding all the objects connected to said keywords by rule; and

searching object by tag means for searching for all the objects with a tag by specifying said tag and find out all the objects associated with said tag.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

searching object by being referred means for searching for all objects being referred by an object;

searching object by referring means for searching for all objects referring to an object; and

searching object by sequence means for displaying all the objects according to a particular order.

23. A method for preparing and displaying object in various forms comprising:

building table means for presenting information about an object in form of table by specifying the form of table, specifying tags to be included, and filling the table with information under related tags;

building boundary text means for presenting information about an object in form of boundary text by specifying boundary shape, specifying tags to be included, and filling the boundary with information under related tags;

building map means for presenting the relations among a group of objects in form of map;

displaying means for displaying objects in various formats by letting a user specify displaying format and preparing objects in forms selected from the group consisting of window, cloud, table, map, figure, graph with hot link, and cascaded multiple windows with each window having a tab and for providing said user various ways to view objects, wherein said various ways include zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down; and

viewing control means for viewing objects from various point of aspects by zooming in, zooming out, moving up, moving down, moving left, moving right, moving one level up, and moving one level down.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

creating figure means for creating a figure and associating said figure with a related object;

creating voice means for creating voice file and associating said voice file with a related object; and

generating voice means for constructing pronunciation from a related voice file when an object is displayed.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein building map means comprises:

specifying relation means for letting said user specify relations and their graphic representatives;

building routine relation means for helping said user build a map consisting of routine relations for said group of objects;

building area relation means for helping said user build a map consisting of area relations for said group of objects; and

alignment means for helping said user make the same objects on different layout aligned up.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein building routine relation means comprise the following steps:

creating a node on a new layout with each node representing an object in said group of objects;

taking a routine relation;

searching database for a most likely matched map, showing the most likely matched map, and copying related part of said most likely matched map into said new layout;

taking two objects having not been considered for said routine relation and checking if said two objects have said routine relation;

establishing a connection between said two objects if said two objects have said routine relation and connecting said two objects by the corresponding representative of said routine relation;

linking each node to its corresponding object;

associating the corresponding representative of a routine relation to said routine relation; and

attaching specific property between two particular objects to the representative between said two particular objects.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein building area relation means comprise the following steps:

setting a set be empty and creating a new layout;

taking an area relation;

searching database for a most likely matched map, showing the most likely matched map, and putting related objects into said set;

taking an object having not been considered for said area relation and checking if said object has said area relation;

putting said object into said set if said object has said area relation;

drawing a shape for said set and generating nodes inside said shape with each node representing an object contained in said set;

linking each node to its corresponding object; and

associating the corresponding representative of an area relation to said area relation.

28. A method for regulating input object comprising:

symbol substitution means for replacing a symbol by a different symbol;

separation means for splitting an object into several small objects;

completion means for replacing a requirement on an object by a new requirement derived from said requirement and other requirements on said object;

combination means for merging several small objects into a big object;

recapitulating means for making an description of an object more concise by replacing said description in several more basic concepts by a description in a more advanced concept; and

decomposing means for replacing a complex object in the description of an object by the description of said complex object.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

literal regulation means for making the literal description of an object close to standard description;

creating and modifying rule means for a user setting up the rule and changing the rule above acceptable formats;

searching for related example means for said user searching for related examples to serve as models;

tagging means for finding objects with a particular property quickly by letting said user put a tag on objects with said property, wherein said tag is a label selected from the group consisting of bookmarks, keywords, property identifiers, methodology indicators, an aspect markers; and

feedback means for modifying help level, changing teaching strategy, and altering problem assignment by capturing said user'"'"'s response, said response including time escaped, typed text, captured voice, and selection.

30. A method for finding the relations between two objects, wherein each object is described by set language, comprising:

means for finding if two objects are identical;

means for finding if an object is contained in another object;

means for finding the relative complement of an object in another object;

means for finding the union of two objects;

means for finding if two objects are equivalent; and

means for finding the intersection of two objects.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein means for finding if an object is contained in another object comprises the following steps:

specifying two objects;

returning false if the first object is not related to the second object for sure;

returning true if said first object is contained in said second object for sure;

decomposing said second object into a first group of sub-objects and marking each sub-object in said first group of sub-objects;

taking a marked sub-object from said first group of sub-objects and unmarking said sub-object;

returning true if said first object is contained in said sub-object;

decomposing said first object into a second group of sub-objects and marking each sub-object in said second group of sub-objects; and

returning true if every sub-object in the second group of sub-objects is contained in said second object and returning false otherwise.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein means for finding the relative complement of a first object in a second object comprises the following steps:

setting a first set be empty, a second set be empty, and a third set be said second object;

setting the relative complement of said first object in said second object be empty set and returning if said third set is empty;

setting the relative complement of said first object in said second object be empty and returning if said second object is equivalent to said first object for sure;

decomposing said second object one level down into a group of sub-objects and assigning said group of sub-objects as said third set;

taking a sub-object from said third set;

setting said second set be said sub-object and deleting said sub-object from said third set if said sub-object is contained in said first object;

setting said second set be said sub-object if said sub-object is not contained in said first object and said sub-object is a compound object;

appending said sub-object to said first set and deleting said sub-object from said third set if said sub-object is not contained in said first object and said sub-object is not a compound object;

setting the relative complement of said first object in said second object be said third set and returning if said second set empty;

taking each sub-object in said third set, finding the relative complement of said first object in said sub-object, and appending said relative complement of said first object in said sub-object to said first set; and

setting the relative complement of said first object in said second object be said first set and returning.