Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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KNOWLEDGE DATABASE SYSTEM AND METHOD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved method and
apparatus for seeking, providing, and compensating
individuals who request expert solutions, and those
individuals who provide it. More particularly, it relates
to a system and to a process in which an individual
seeking a solution to an expert request can gain access
to various levels of information through communication
mediums, including but not limited to digital and analog
networks, in which a knowledge exchange and transfer
occurs.
2. Background of the Invention
The pervasiveness of technology and information has
marginalized seemingly everything except original thought
and human intuition. Scarcity, and, thus, value now
resides in knowledge and expertise that makes information
usable. While the growth of the Internet has drawn users
at an unprecedented pace, the volume of information and
lack of personalized services have made it increasingly
difficult for individuals to find help when they need it,
and for experts to easily and successfully provide the
necessary solutions. People crave quick and easy access
to expert guidance and help when life's situations seem
too complex, things go wrong, and there's nowhere else to
turn.
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So far, individuals seeking expert solutions have been
faced with the difficulty of not knowing how and where to
seek out such expertise. What is needed is an easy way to
receive qualified expert solutions at precisely the
moment assistance is requested. Given the magnitude of
this problem, experts are recognizing the need to provide
a means by which current and potential knowledge seekers
can more easily find immediate and relevant information.
While some forums and means of knowledge transfer exist,
they are very often too difficult to locate, access, and
use. They also provide little, if any, incentives,
monetary or otherwise, for the continual exchange of
knowledge, inquiries, and information.
A prior art solution which attempts to deal with some of
the problems of matching experts and end users, managing
communications between them, and assuring that the
experts are paid for their services is United States
Patent No. 5,862,223 (incorporated herein by reference).
However, other than the hope of obtaining useful answers
to a user's inquiry, there is no separate long term
incentive for a user to use the system. Further, other
than obtaining immediate payment for the work done in
providing an answer or solution to the user's inquiry,
there is no long term incentive for the expert to
participate and give up his or her very valuable time to
provide answers or solutions.
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OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing there is a need for an improved
method and apparatus for seeking, providing, and
compensating those individuals who need expert solutions,
and those individuals who provide such solutions. This
invention relates to such a method and such a system.
An object of this invention is to provide this process
and an apparatus for implementing this process through
various communications mediums, including, but not
limited to digital and analog networks. Furthermore, this
knowledge exchange and transfer may occur via live, real
time, interfaces, as well as delayed and offline delivery
mechanisms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an improved
method of seeking, providing, and compensating those
individuals with expert requests, and those qualified
experts who supply solutions is provided and detailed
below. This process is equally suited to both the expert
and the individual seeking the expertise by providing, in
addition to the knowledge exchange, a pre-set value-based
compensation and ongoing royalty mechanism to all parties
involved.
Users are presented with a secure and easy-to-use
interface to ask questions, directly and indirectly, to
an expert who offers instant, delayed, and personalized
answers and solutions that the user needs to get back
into the action of work, business, recreation, or study.
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Experts are presented with an opportunity to earn
predetermined rates of compensation in exchange for
providing solutions to individuals seeking expertise via
various communication mediums, including, but not limited
to digital and analog networks. The financial rewards
generated by these solutions can continue to accumulate
well after the conclusion of the original expert solution
request. Based on the usefulness of the solution, experts
can submit their solutions to a database and earn
perpetual royalties based upon the number of times each
answer is read, viewed, or accessed from this database
and communicated by or to another user.
This ongoing royalty mechanism is also extended to
individuals who are seeking expert solutions. These users
are rewarded for asking questions and making solution
requests that are added to the database and subsequently
are helpful to others. Therefore, this process creates a
system of incentives for the continual exchange and
transfer of knowledge, inquiries, and information.
In accordance with the invention, a method and system is
provided. The system provides expert solutions to end
users seeking a solution to an end user request. The
system may comprise receiving means for receiving an end
user request generated by an end user, the receiving
means having associated therewith a database for storing
therein information relating to a plurality of experts,
means for searching the database to select at least one
expert and to generate a search result which corresponds
to the end user request; means for transmitting at least
a portion of the end user request to the experts means
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for receiving an expert answer corresponding to the end
user request transmitted; means for transmitting at least
a portion of the expert answer to the end user; means for
storing the request and the solution in the database; and
means for compensating the end user when a subsequent end
user requests and receives the solution. The system may
further comprise means for compensating the expert for
providing the solution.
The system may further comprise means for an expert to
submit a request previously received and a solution
previously provided by said expert (even if not done in
accordance with the invention); and means for entering
the previously received request and the previously
provided solution into the database. The system may
further comprise means for compensating the expert who
submitted the previously received request and the
previously provided solution when a subsequent end user
requests that solution. The expert may be compensated on
a one-time basis, or each time a subsequent user of the
system access the solution.
The system may be implemented on the Internet. Thus,
the database is made available to users by a web server.
It may include means for sending and receiving e-mail,
which can be used to communicate with end users, experts,
or both. The database may be a relational database.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing aspects and other features of the present
invention are explained in the following description,
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps involved
in the method of the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system used to implement
the method of Fig 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a flow diagram illustrating the
method of the invention is shown. Initially, as
represented by step 1, an individual enters the system.
This system can include, but not be limited to, public
networks such as the Internet and other digital and
analog networks. This system can also include, but not be
limited to, private networks, such as internal data,
voice, video, radio, satellite, and cable networks.
As represented by step 2, the user is asked if he wants
to request an expert solution. If the user answers No,
then he may proceed to step 3 and exit the system. If he
answers Yes, then he may proceed to step 4 in order to
find an expert solution.
As represented by step 4, the individual is asked if he
would like to use the query and search mechanisms of the
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system database 30 in order to search for an existing
expert solution. This request is made by the individual
in order to view, read, or otherwise become aware of an
answer and/or expert solution to a question and/or
problem. As an example, a computer user may submit a
question regarding a recurring error code that is
preventing the user from printing a file.
Database 30 may be implemented by any one of a number of
commercially available object oriented relational
databases such as, for example, Oracle 8i.
As represented by step 5, if the user has answered No in
step 4, the user is then asked if he would like to
request a solution from a Live Expert.
As represented by step 6, if the user has answered No in
step 5, the user is then asked if he would like to
request a solution from an Expert who will produce a
solution over a period of time.
As represented by step 7, if the user has answered Yes to
the question stated above in step 4, the user then
submits his request for an expert solution by submitting
a query to database 30.
As represented by step 8, a response from the database 30
to the initial query or expert solution request is
produced and displayed, announced, or otherwise made
known to the individual making the request.
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As represented by step 9, the user is asked if the
database response has resolved the issue that prompted
the user to request an expert solution.
As represented by step 10, if the user has answered "No"
to the question posed in Step 9, the user is asked if he
would like to repeat the process of searching the
database 30 for an expert solution, typically by
modifying the query.
If, as represented by step 11, the user has answered
"Yes" to the question posed in Step 9, the database 30 is
now updated with any additional information that might
have been posed or provided to the user. This information
can include, but is not limited to, comments, ratings,
categorization, and suggestions. The Expert solution as
well as the User's question, are both added to the
database 30.
As represented by step 12, royalties are distributed to
the Expert that provided, created, or authored the
solution that was found in the database 30. The financial
rewards generated by this solution can continue to
accumulate well after the conclusion of the original
expert solution request. Based on the usefulness of the
solution, experts can submit their solutions to a
database and earn royalties based upon the number of
times each answer is read, viewed, or accessed from this
database and communicated by or to another user.
As represented by step 13, royalties may be distributed
to the User who first sought this particular Expert
Solution from the Database, and therefore, provided a
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link or match between the question and solution for
future Users to utilize in their search queries. Thus,
Users are rewarded for asking questions that result in
new solution requests and answers to these requests or
solutions being added to the database, which subsequently
become helpful to other Users. Therefore, this process
creates a system of incentives for the continual exchange
and transfer of knowledge, inquiries, and information.
As represented by step 14, if the User has answered "Yes"
to the question of whether or not to seek Live Expert
Help as posed in Step 5, the user's Expert solution
request is submitted to the Live Expert in the form of a
query.
As represented by step 15, the Live Expert has found,
created, or modified a solution as a response to the
User's query. This response can be delivered to the User
using technology that includes, but is not limited to,
real time digital or analog communications interfaces and
devices.
As represented by step 16, the User is asked whether or
not the Live Expert's response has resolved the issue
that prompted the user to request a Live Expert solution.
As represented by step 17, if the user has answered "No"
to the question posed in Step 16, he is asked if he
would like to repeat the process of submitting a query to
a different Live Expert.
As represented by step 18, if the user has chosen to
answer "No" to the question posed above in Step 17, the
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user is entitled to a refund for any charges or fees
incurred for Live Expert's services. However, even if
the user is not satisfied with the answer, database 30
may still be updated, as represented by 11A, to
facilitate tracking of which experts are successful in
providing satisfactory solutions to user inquiries.
As represented by step 19, the user may now exit the
system.
As represented by step 20, if the User has answered "yes"
to the question posed in Step 16, then the Live Expert
has indeed delivered a solution that has resolved the
User's issue, and is rewarded by earning a commission for
rendering such satisfactory services.
As represented by step 11, following Step 20, the
database 30 is now updated with any additional
information that might have been provided to or posed to
the user. This information can include, but is not
limited to, comments, ratings, categorization, and
suggestions. The Expert solution as well as the User's
question, are both added to the database 30.
As represented by step 21, if the user has answered "Yes"
to the question posed in Step 6, he is asked if he would
like to request an Expert Solution via Electronic mail.
As represented by step 22, if the user has answered "No"
to the question posed in Step 21, he is asked whether or
not he would like to request an Expert Solution via
electronic forums that include, but are not limited to,
bulletin boards.
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As represented by step 23, if the user has answered "Yes"
to the question stated above in step 22, the user then
submits his request for an expert solution by submitting
a query to one or more Experts via Electronic mail.
As represented by step 24, the Experts) has found,
created, or modified a solution as a response to the
User's query.
As represented by step 25, the response indicated in Step
24 is updated to a database either through manual or
automatic systems or processes.
As represented by step 26, as a result of Steps 24 and
25, the User is notified using (but not limited to)
electronic mail, instant relay chat, instant messaging,
and analog and/or digital telephony systems, of an Expert
Response and/or solution that has been updated to a
Database and can be viewed, read, or otherwise accessed
by the User.
As represented by step 27, if the user has answered "Yes"
to the question posed in Step 22, the user submits a
query to the Expert.
In the system illustrated in Fig. 2, the User has access
via a public or private network, such as the Internet 50
and a router 52 by using a input terminal which may be a
personal computer 40.
The User's Expert Solution Request is submitted via an
interface, which may be, for example, an entry screen 41,
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which is published or made available via, for example, a
Web Server 42, whereby preliminary information is
directly and/or indirectly inputted from the User
regarding the problem or question that is in need of an
Expert Solution.
A middleware server 43 can further collect, process,
sort, or calculate any or all information that is
submitted by use of entry screen 41.
The data that is output from middleware server 43 can be
input into one of several possible database application
servers 44 in the efforts of assigning, selecting,
flagging, or otherwise locating data, tables, object,
records, or files (45, 46, 47, 48, 49) in database 30
that may match the initial Expert Solution Request
inputted by the User via entry screen 41. The resulting
data output is then returned to the User by the reverse
sequence of use of the elements represented in Fig. 2 and
discussed above.
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