System to provide integrated on-line support

• US 20080005240A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NextPat Limited
• Original Assignee: NextEngine, Inc.
• Inventors: Knighton, Mark S., DeLaurentis, Peter J., Moyer, Todd C., Arney, Shane R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

An on-line support system providing a persistent chat system and a database of knowledge articles organized in a tree-based hierarchy. The on-line support system merges the utility of a communication system with a knowledge navigation system. Knowledge can be accumulated through text, voice and image communications by a user in a common environment, and these communications are preserved and organized for future reference.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a subsystem to communicate over a distributed network, the subsystem to;

organize a chat session in a hierarchy of subject matter wherein a session comprises a sequential series of communications from at least one participant;

automatically receive and display to a participant new communications within the session;

allow a participant to compose a new communication while receiving or viewing other communications; and

at least one database to maintain a persistent record of the sessions and the hierarchical organization; and

a user interface to allow the participant to view the hierarchy and specify a relationship of the session to the hierarchy.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a data structure to maintain a relationship between subject matter articles and chat sessions within the hierarchy.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a monitor module to monitor connected devices and transmit information about the devices for association with the session.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a robot chat participant to engage in a chat sequence with another chat participant.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a notification agent to provide a notification of a session event external to the session.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the system comprises:

a technical support system.

7. A method comprising:

organizing a chat session in a hierarchy of subject matter wherein a session comprises sequential series of communications from at least one participant;

automatically receiving and displaying to a participant new communications within the session.

permitting a participant to compose a new communication while receiving or viewing other communications;

accepting a user input to specify a relationship of the session within the hierarchy; and

maintaining a persistent record of the sessions within the hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

prompting the user to specify the relationship.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein a communication comprises:

at least one of text, voice content or an image.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein organizing comprises:

defining the session as relating to one of a question, a bug, an idea or a meeting.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

exiting the session by all participants;

reentering the session by at least one participant; and

continuing the session.

12. A system comprising:

a subsystem to communicate over a distributed network, the subsystem to;

associate a chat session with a knowledge article in a knowledge repository wherein a session includes a sequential series of communications from at least one participant;

automatically receive and display to a participant new communications within the session;

allow the participant to compose a new communication while receiving or viewing other communications;

at least one database to maintain a persistent record of the sessions and the associations; and

a user interface to allow the participant to view articles and specify an association of the session to a knowledge article.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

an editing tool to permit a user to edit a knowledge article.

14. A method comprising:

associating a chat session with a knowledge article in a knowledge repository wherein a session includes a sequential series of communications from at least one participant;

automatically receiving and displaying to a participant new communication within the session;

permitting the participant to compose a new communication while necessary or viewing other communications in the session;

accepting a user specification of an association between the session and a knowledge article; and

persisting a record of the session and the associations in a database.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

permitting edits to a knowledge article by a first participant.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

displaying an edited version of the knowledge article to the first participant prior to an approval process;

storing the edited version in the database; and

making the edited version available to other participants if approval criteria are satisfied.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

exiting the session by all participants;

reentering the session by at least one participant; and

continuing the session.

18. A method comprising:

providing a user interface to view an article within a compendium of articles from a remote server;

automatically selecting a local image in response to a discrete user input while viewing the article;

uploading the image and automatically linking it to the article.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

allowing a user to specify an image source from a plurality of image sources.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

requiring confirmation prior to uploading the selected local image.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein automatically selecting selects N local images, where N is an integer greater than 1.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein automatically selecting comprises:

selecting a frame from a video source.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprises:

uploading associated local text information.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the article is at least one of a chat session and a knowledge article in a technical support system.