System and methods for facilitating user thinking and learning utilizing enhanced interactive constructs

• US 7,949,617 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zxibix Inc.
• Inventors: Heidenreich, James Ralph, Higgins, Linda Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLMES, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US12/156,698
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11
• US Class Current: 706/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/045 Explanation of inference; Explainable artificial intelligence [XAI]; Interpretable artificial intelligence

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide system and methods for new approaches for facilitating the development of and transferring of user thinking and understanding about an arbitrary problem, in some embodiments through automatically creating new interactive forms of thinking and knowledge constructs as enhanced interactive and/or visually appealing presentational and working forms. Some embodiments involve the development of an interactive construct by one or more users for use by one or more other users (as in educational or professional development situations, for example).

Claims

1. A system for creating at least one enhanced interactive construct output from at least one user developed model about an arbitrary problem or inquiry based project based on approaches used by expert problem solvers, for improved compelling presentation, working or learning, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied on a computer readable media, computer readable device, or memory, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to enable selection of portions of a user model about a problem or inquiry based project, said model based on or developed from an exemplary archetype structure or an exemplary archetype process for user thinking about an arbitrary problem, or both, for inclusion in an enhanced interactive construct;

instructions to create at least one enhanced interactive construct for use by one or more users from the selected portions of the at least one user developed model;

instructions to provide at least one enhanced interactive construct in a stored or output or displayed form, or a combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one playable, video-like, animated or game-like form, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to define triggers or controlling objects or events or controlling mechanisms to control the transition from one interaction state or representation to another interaction state or representation as a part of the at least one enhanced interactive construct.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising that the triggers or controlling objects or events or controlling mechanisms comprise at least one of a time delay, a user action, a user choice, the provisioning of information by the user, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 2 further comprising that the game-like enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a deconstructor format, a partial constructor format, a mix and match format, a predicting format, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising that the interactive construct comprises mechanisms to enable one or more users to edit, change, add to, or annotate at least one interactive construct, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct is provided for multiple user interaction.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct comprises multiple paths of interaction or alternative paths of interaction, or both.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to enable the tracking or evaluation, or both, of user interaction with at least one enhanced interactive construct.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to enable the evaluation of user interaction with at least one enhanced interactive construct relative to an archetype structure, an archetype process for exemplary problem solving, archetype expectations, a target interactive construct, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions for scoring or reward mechanisms with regard to user interaction with the enhanced interactive construct.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions to track or evaluate or both, aggregate user interaction with at least one enhanced interactive construct.

13. A system for creating at least one enhanced interactive construct output from at least one user developed model about an arbitrary problem or inquiry based project based on approaches used by expert problem solvers, for improved compelling presentation, working or learning, comprising:

an interface;

an Interactive Construct Development or similar system module operable to execute on one or more processors to execute activities comprising;

enabling the selection of portions of a user model about a problem or inquiry based project, said model based on or developed from an exemplary archetype structure or an exemplary archetype process for user thinking about an arbitrary problem, or both, for inclusion in an enhanced interactive construct;

creating at least one enhanced interactive construct for use by one or more users from the selected portions of the at least one user developed model;

providing at least one enhanced interactive construct in a stored or output or displayed form, or a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a playable, video-like, animated, or game-like form or a combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising that the game-like enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a deconstructor format, a partial constructor format, a mix and match format, a predicting format, or a combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct is provided for multiple user interaction.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct comprises multiple paths of interaction or alternative paths of interaction, or both.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising instructions to enable the tracking of user interaction, evaluation of user interaction, or feedback to user in their interaction, or a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising instructions for scoring or reward mechanisms, or both with regard to user interaction with the enhanced interactive construct.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising instructions to track or evaluate or both, aggregate user interaction with at least one enhanced interactive construct.

21. The system of claim 13 further comprising that at least a portion of the system is provided as a web service.

22. The system of claim 13 further comprising that at least a portion of the system is provided as a client or server system, or both.

23. The system of claim 13 further comprising that at least one interactive construct is provided as an applet, widget, interactive document, component, or a combination thereof.

24. The system of claim 13 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct or the system to create at least one enhanced interactive construct, or both, is provided for use or access in a web service, a social network, a collaboration environment, a virtual world environment, or a combination thereof.

25. A system for creating at least one enhanced interactive construct output from at least one user developed model about an arbitrary problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by expert problem solvers, for improved compelling presentation, working or learning, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied on a computer readable media, computer readable device, or memory, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to enable the selection of portions of a user developed model about a problem or inquiry based project for inclusion in an enhanced interactive construct output with playable characteristics for users, said model comprising at least one problem structure or at least one conclusion structure, or both, and at least one knowledge structure related to the at least one problem or conclusion or both;

instructions to create an enhanced interactive construct for use by one or more users from the selected portions of the user model;

instructions to provide the enhanced interactive construct in a stored or output or displayed form.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising that enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a playable, video-like, animated, or game-like form or a combination thereof.

27. The system of claim 26 further comprising that the game-like enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a deconstructor format, a partial constructor format, a mix and match format, a predicting format, or a combination thereof.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct is provided for multiple user interaction.

29. A system for creating at least one enhanced interactive construct output from at least one user developed model about an arbitrary problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by expert problem solvers, for improved compelling presentation, working or learning, comprising:

an interface;

an Interactive Construct Development or similar system module operable to execute on one or more processors to execute activities comprising;

enabling the selection of portions of a user developed model about a problem or inquiry based project for inclusion in an enhanced interactive construct output with playable characteristics for users, said model comprising at least one problem structure or at least one conclusion structure, or both, and at least one knowledge structure related to the at least one problem or conclusion or both;

creating an enhanced interactive construct for use by one or more users from the selected portions of the user model;

providing the enhanced interactive construct in a stored or output or displayed form.

30. A system for providing and evaluating an enhanced interactive experience for one or more users regarding a model developed about a problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by exemplary problem solvers, for more compelling learning, presentation, or working, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied on a computer readable media, computer readable device, or memory, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to provide at least one enhanced interactive construct in a displayed or output or stored form, said enhanced interactive construct related to or created from a user model about a problem or inquiry based project, based on or developed utilizing an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary user thinking about an arbitrary problem;

instructions to provide interaction mechanisms for user interaction with the at least one enhanced interaction construct;

instructions to track or evaluate user interaction, or both.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising that the enhanced interactive construct comprises at least one of a playable, video-like, animated, or game-like form or a combination thereof.

32. The system of claim 30 further comprising instructions for evaluation relative to an archetype structure or archetype process for exemplary thinking about an arbitrary problem, archetype expectations, a target interactive construct or a combination thereof.

33. The system of claim 30 further comprising instructions to provide feedback to users.

34. The system of claim 30 further comprising instructions to track or evaluate, or both, aggregate use of at least one enhanced interactive construct.

35. The system of claim 30 further comprising instructions to provide feedback in forms comprising at least one of suggestions, hints, additional information, additional representations, scoring, reward mechanisms, or a combination thereof.

36. A system for providing and evaluating an enhanced interactive experience for one or more users regarding a model developed about a problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by exemplary problem solvers, for more compelling learning, presentation, or working, comprising:

an interface;

an Interactive Construct Development or Interaction Management or similar system module operable to execute on one or more processors to execute activities comprising;

providing at least one enhanced interactive construct in a displayed or output or stored form, said enhanced interactive construct related to or created from a user model about a problem or inquiry based project, based on or developed utilizing an archetype structure or archetype process, or both, for exemplary user thinking about an arbitrary problem;

providing interaction mechanisms for user interaction with the at least one enhanced interaction construct;

tracking or evaluating user interaction, or both.

37. A system for providing and evaluating an enhanced interactive experience for one or more users regarding a model developed about a problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by exemplary problem solvers, for more compelling learning, presentation, or working, comprising:

processor executable instructions embodied on a computer readable media, computer readable device, or memory, or a combination thereof, said instructions comprising;

instructions to provide at least one enhanced interactive construct about a problem or inquiry based project, for one or more users in a displayed or output or stored form;

instructions to evaluate or track, or both, at least one user interaction with the enhanced interactive construct relative to an exemplary archetype structure or an exemplary archetype process for user thinking about a problem, or both.

38. The system of claim 37 further comprising instructions to provide feedback to one or more users.

39. A system for providing and evaluating an enhanced interactive experience for one or more users regarding a model developed about a problem or inquiry based project, based on approaches used by exemplary problem solvers, for more compelling learning, presentation, or working, comprising:

an interface;

an Interactive Construct Development or Interaction Management or similar system module operable to execute on one or more processors to execute activities comprising;

providing at least one enhanced interactive construct about a problem or inquiry project for one or more users in a displayed or output or stored form;

evaluating or tracking, or both, at least one user interaction with the enhanced interactive construct relative to an exemplary archetype structure or an exemplary archetype process for user thinking about a problem, or both.