METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM USEFUL IN MANAGING A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM FOR SERVICING USER INITIATED TASKS

• US 20080021755A1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Cooper, Thomas E., Jones, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function

Abstract

A method for determining whether secondary activities (activities that can be executed during system “down time”) should be executed at a time, and executing at least one of the secondary activities according to a priority or interrupt scheme. The invention monitors a threshold, which can be based on several factors, to determine when system conditions are such that secondary activities should be conducted. When system conditions are such that secondary activities should occur, the invention conducts secondary activities according to an interrupt scheme.

Claims

1. A method for managing an information search system, comprising:

monitoring primary activity levels of human searchers; and

determining whether any secondary activities should be executed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining is executed according to a priority scheme.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary activities include at least one of interactive query search training, video training, podcast training, polling, software testing, and other system related tasks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes identifying at least one of the human searchers to participate in the secondary activities based on said monitoring.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said identifying selects the at least one human searcher having a performance ranking below or above a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the secondary activities is assigned a priority level.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the priority level is chosen by a guide.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least two of the secondary activities are assigned priority levels equal to one another.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said executing includes executing a first of said two or more activities a specified percentage of time allotted for the priority levels and executing a second of said two or more activities for a remainder percentage of the time.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the priority level assigned to at least one secondary activity is adjusted to achieve a target level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said secondary activities include competitive service challenges in which at least two guides engage in competition involving serving information seekers on a keyword to determine which guide provides a first accepted query response.

12. A method for managing secondary activities in an information search system utilizing human information searchers, comprising:

presenting at least one secondary activity to at least one human searcher, the at least one secondary activity including at least one of master-to-apprentice training, master-to-pro training, interactive query search training, video training, podcasting training, polling, software testing, and other system related tasks, the at least one secondary activity selected according to priority levels assigned to each of the secondary activities.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the master-to-pro training and the video training both have a first priority level.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the master-to-apprentice training has a second interrupt priority level higher than the first interrupt priority level and polling has a third interrupt priority level lower than the first priority level.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring primary activity of the human searchers; and

identifying at least one of the human searchers to participate in the at least one secondary activity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said identifying selects the at least one human searcher having a performance ranking below or above a threshold.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one secondary activity includes at least two secondary activities assigned priority levels equal to one another.

18. A method for determining presentation of secondary activities to guides, comprising:

analyzing status of a guide according to a sequentially evaluated set of conditions; and

presenting a secondary activity to the guide based on said sequentially evaluated set of conditions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said sequentially evaluated set of conditions pertains to guide ranking and/or a number of query responses provided.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said status includes apprentice, pro, and master.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said sequentially evaluated set of conditions have a value of true or false.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said secondary activity is assigned to the guide according to a first condition that evaluates to a value of true.

23. A method for determining presentation of secondary activities to guides, comprising:

evaluating a first condition represented as a guide achieving three consecutive ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to a status of dormant when the first condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a second condition represented as a guide having handled more than ten queries and having a rating less than or equal to two when said first condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training when the second condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a third condition represented as the guide having handled more than ten queries and having at least one rating greater than three with an average rating less than four when said second condition evaluates to false;

assigning the guide a status of apprentice and reevaluating the first condition when said third condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a fourth condition represented as the guide having responded to at least ten queries and having an average rating of at least four when the third condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training and promoting the guide to a pro status when the fourth condition evaluates to true;

reevaluating the first condition when the fourth condition evaluates to false;

when the guide is considered to have pro status;

evaluating a fifth condition represented as the guide having achieved three consecutives ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to a dormant status when the fifth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a six condition represented as the guide having an average rating of less than three when the fifth condition evaluates to false;

demoting the guide to apprentice status and reevaluating the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition when the six condition is true;

evaluating a seventh condition represented as the guide having a single rating less than or equal to three when the six condition is false;

presenting video training to the guide when the seventh condition evaluates to true;

evaluating an eighth condition represented as the guide having responded to at least ten queries and having an average rating of at least four when the seventh condition evaluates to false;

presenting video training to the guide and promoting the guide to a master status when the eighth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a ninth condition represented a the guide having handled more than ten queries or the guide having an average rating less than four and a modulo of number of queries to which the guide has responded is zero when the eighth condition evaluates to false; and

presenting video training to the guide when the ninth condition evaluates to true; and

when the guide is considered to have master status;

evaluating a tenth condition where the guide achieves three consecutive ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to dormant status when the tenth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating an eleventh condition represented as the guide having an average rating less then three when the tenth condition evaluates to false;

presenting video training to the guide and demoting the guide to a pro status when the eleventh condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a twelfth condition represented as the guide not being involved in a training session and no other guides being registered with lower ratings then the guide having a master status when the eleventh condition evaluates to false;

directing the guide to issue a training query when the twelfth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a thirteenth condition represented as a modulo of a number of queries to which the guide has responded is zero when the twelfth condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training when the thirteenth condition evaluates to true; and

reevaluating the tenth condition when the thirteenth condition evaluates to false.

24. A system, comprising:

a searcher computer system for responding to search queries transmitted by an information seeker computer system; and

a search system communicatively coupled to said searcher computer system, wherein said search system includes an activity engine for assigning secondary activities to searchers when said searchers are idle.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said activity engine, after a guide completes a task, performs:

prioritizing keyword associations for a guide based upon respective states;

reviewing each keyword association to process state definitions;

when said state condition evaluates to true, transmitting a message to the guide including particulars of a directed task;

when said state condition evaluates to false, continuing processing remaining state conditions; and

when all state conditions have been evaluated and result in false, proceeding to review the next keyword and repeating said reviewing each keyword association to process state definitions.

26. A system, comprising:

a searcher computer system for responding to search queries transmitted by an information seeker computer system; and

a search system communicatively coupled to said searcher computer system, wherein said search system includes an activity engine for assigning secondary activities to searchers when said searchers are idle, said activity engine;

evaluating a first condition represented as a guide achieving three consecutive ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to a status of dormant when the first condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a second condition represented as a guide having handled more than ten queries and having a rating less than or equal to two when said first condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training when the second condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a third condition represented as the guide having handled more than ten queries and having at least one rating greater than three with an average rating less than four when said second condition evaluates to false;

assigning the guide a status of apprentice and reevaluating the first condition when said third condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a fourth condition represented as the guide having responded to at least ten queries and having an average rating of at least four when the third condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training and promoting the guide to a pro status when the fourth condition evaluates to true;

reevaluating the first condition when the fourth condition evaluates to false;

when the guide is considered to have pro status;

evaluating a fifth condition represented as the guide having achieved three consecutives ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to a dormant status when the fifth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a six condition represented as the guide having an average rating of less than three when the fifth condition evaluates to false;

demoting the guide to apprentice status and reevaluating the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition when the six condition is true;

evaluating a seventh condition represented as the guide having a single rating less than or equal to three when the six condition is false;

presenting video training to the guide when the seventh condition evaluates to true;

evaluating an eighth condition represented as the guide having responded to at least ten queries and having an average rating of at least four when the seventh condition evaluates to false;

presenting video training to the guide and promoting the guide to a master status when the eighth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a ninth condition represented a the guide having handled more than ten queries or the guide having an average rating less than four and a modulo of number of queries to which the guide has responded is zero when the eighth condition evaluates to false;

presenting video training to the guide when the ninth condition evaluates to true; and

when the guide is considered to have master status;

evaluating a tenth condition where the guide achieves three consecutive ratings of two or less on a scale of five;

assigning the guide to dormant status when the tenth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating an eleventh condition represented as the guide having an average rating less then three when the tenth condition evaluates to false;

presenting video training to the guide and demoting the guide to a pro status when the eleventh condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a twelfth condition represented as the guide not being involved in a training session and no other guides being registered with lower ratings then the guide having a master status when the eleventh condition evaluates to false;

directing the guide to issue a training query when the twelfth condition evaluates to true;

evaluating a thirteenth condition represented as a modulo of a number of queries to which the guide has responded is zero when the twelfth condition evaluates to false;

presenting the guide with video training when the thirteenth condition evaluates to true; and

reevaluating the tenth condition when the thirteenth condition evaluates to false.

27. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer, comprising:

a database comprising;

a keyword for which a guide is registered;

a current average rating for the guide on the keyword;

a guide state for the keyword;

a number of queries the guide has received for the keyword;

a number of search results the guide has delivered for the keyword; and

most recent ratings for the keyword;

28. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer, comprising:

a state edge table comprising;

identification of an associated state;

test condition to determine whether a state condition is true;

identification of a directed task; and

a resulting state assigned to a qualified keyword for a guide.

29. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer to perform a process comprising:

monitoring primary activity levels of human researchers; and

determining whether any secondary activities should be executed.

30. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer to perform a process comprising:

analyzing status of a guide according to a sequentially evaluated set of conditions; and

considering presenting a secondary activity to the guide based on said sequentially evaluated set of conditions.

31. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer to perform a process comprising:

presenting at least one secondary activity to at least one human searcher, the at least one secondary activity including at least one of master-to-apprentice training, master-to-pro training, video training, podcast training, polling, and software testing, the at least one secondary activity selected according to priority levels assigned to each of the secondary activities.