Method of constructing and displaying an entity profile constructed utilizing input from entities other than the owner

• US 6,970,879 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2000
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tacit Software, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gilmour, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): DODDS, HAROLD E
• Application Number:
  US09/571,697
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707/9, 707/10, 707100-1041, 707/500, 707/515, 707/530, 706/45, 706/46, 709/200, 709204-207, 709217-219, 709/245, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 715/500, 715/515, 715/530, 406/45, 406/46
• US Class Current: 340/691.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method of constructing a profile comprising terms indicative of a characteristic of an entity commences when first electronic mail address, associated with a first entity, is created within a knowledge management system. The electronic mail address may be created automatically upon submission of an electronic mail document, or may be created manually by a systems administrator. A first electronic document is received via an electronic communications network at the first electronic mail address from a second entity, typically a user of the knowledge management system who is a registered and interactive user. The first electronic document is then parsed to identify profile terms therein. These profile terms are included within a first profile for the first entity. In this way, users of a knowledge management system may construct a profile of an entity (e.g., a customer) that is not a user of or participant within the knowledge management system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first electronic document via an electronic communications network at a first electronic mail address associated with a first entity from a second entity;

parsing the first electronic document to identify a first profile term therein; and

including the first profile term within a profile for the first entity, the profile comprising a plurality of profile terms indicative of a characteristic of the first entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electronic mail address is automatically created by a knowledge management server upon reception of first electronic document at the knowledge management server from the second entity, the second entity specifying an identifier for the first entity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the profile for the first entity is searchable by a third entity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first entity is not registered as an interactive user within a knowledge management system that maintains the profile for the first entity, and wherein the profile for the first entity is not accessible by the first entity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first entity is a customer of, or a supplier to, an organization services by the knowledge management system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein both the first and second entities are each registered as interactive users within a knowledge management system that maintains the first profile for the first entity, and wherein the profile for the first entity is accessible by the first entity.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the profile for the first entity is both accessible and modifiable by the first entity.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electronic document comprises an electronic mail message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electronic document comprises an attachment to an electronic mail message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a confidence level to the first profile term based on a contextual characteristic of the identified profile term within the first electronic document.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the confidence level is assigned to the first profile term based on a part of speech comprising the identified profile term.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the confidence level is assigned to the identified profile term based on the number of occurrences of the first profile term within the first electronic document.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a confidence level to the first profile term based on address information associated with the first electronic document.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second electronic document via the electronic communications network at the first electronic mail address from the first entity, parsing the second electronic document to identify a second profile term therein, including the second profile term within the profile for the first entity, and distinguishing the first profile term from the second profile term within the profile for the first entity to reflect the submission of the first profile term by the second entity and the submission of the second profile term by the first entity.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the profile for the first entity includes profile terms allocated to either a public portion of the profile that has a first level of access or a private portion of the profile that has a second level of access.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising making the profile terms allocated to the public portion of the profile available for public viewing within a knowledge management system in response to a query to the profile.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising allocating a specific profile term to the public portion of the profile upon the submission of the specific profile term to the profile a predetermined minimum number of times.

18. A method comprising:

receiving a first electronic document via an electronic communications network from a first entity;

parsing the first electronic document to identify a first profile term therein; and

including the first profile term within a profile for a second entity, the profile comprising a plurality of profile terms indicative of a characteristic of the second entity.