WO2002007087A2 - A method and system for sharing knowledge - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for sharing knowledge among a plurality of individuals. A dynamically updated knowledge base that can be accessed over a network is provided. An individual is allowed to encounter a problem the solution of which is not known, to query the knowledge base, so as to determine whether the problem and its solution are found in it. If the solution to the problem is not available in the knowledge base, the individual is allowed to prepare a query including the details of the problem. The query is broadcasted over the network and the experts who 'listen in' the network are allowed to answer the query by filling-in their reply to the query form, and if desired, also by additional person-to-person communication. The answer to the query is conveyed via the network to the individual who queried the system.

Description

A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING KNOWLEDGE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of knowledge bases. More

particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for capturing

and sharing knowledge between the qualified personnel of a company and

users or between users and qualified personnel associated with different

companies.

Background of the Invention

Troubleshooting and problem resolution pose a similar challenge:

compressing large amounts of documentation, experience and information

into an organized, coherent repository of knowledge and expertise. The

same challenge exists in other types,of knowledge-intensive processes, such

as design, advice, consulting, guidance, and decision-making. In the

following, the term 'problem resolution¹ is mean to include all such

processes.

In troubleshooting and problem resolution, if expertise is not shared, the

same problem that an expert solves immediately might ultimately have to

be solved by a less-experienced person, after much wasted effort, time and

resources. Since experts are difficult to find, the goal has always been to let the

expert's capabilities be shared by the less experienced engineers through

methods such as formal and on-the-job training, mentor sponsorships, etc.,

and involving the expert in the production of the troubleshooting manuals.

All of these methods place a demand on the . expert's time. Furthermore,

not always the most outstanding engineer is also the best instructor of new

service persons or any other qualified personnel.

A more direct approach involves equipping each qualified engineer with

"packaged knowledge" in the form of problem resolution software. By

replicating the knowledge, it is possible to supply each engineer with the

organization's combined troubleshooting expertise.

With this approach, the question becomes how to find the knowledge, and

how to introduce it into the problem resolution software. After all, the

essential problem is that a few available experts are overloaded by the

need to support the whole organization. It would be impractical to attempt

to solve the dilemma by asking the experts to spend months computerizing

their knowledge, also because problems are solved as they present

themselves, and may be difficult to remember and characterize at a

distance in time. Two prevalent methods of eliciting and organizing diagnostics expertise are

the model-based method - which asks the expert to specify the components,

functions, possible symptoms and available repair for the unit being

serviced, and the case-based method, which relies on collecting cases

(wherein each case includes the original symptom, the fact-finding or

repair actions undertaken by the service engineer, and the problem

resolution). By looking closely into the requirements of problem resolution

software, we find that both methods play important roles. We also find that

both methods share the problem discussed here: getting knowledge into the

expert system.

Just as no human becomes an expert effortlessly, neither can a software

expert system acquire all knowledge immediately. Information has to be

input before we can get anything out. Therefore, a knowledge-based system

might be a suitable solution.

The Prior Art

Available commercial problem-solving software for the above-mentioned

purposes include:

- The EXP Company offers a knowledge-based service to the public on

www.exp.com Web site, on a number of subjects. The experts usually are paid by the users, and are also rated according to two categories:

the number of questions they have been asked, and the users'

recommendations.

- The ClickSoftware company offers ClickFix, a Web-based solution that

supports the complete call life cycle. It enable the customers of a firm to

perform simple troubleshooting procedures themselves, 24 hours a day.

The expert technical team provides' service for "real" service calls, and

then providing them with easy access to the database and case history

file. It guides engineers and technicians through each and every repair

and installation with ease and by providing intuitive diagrams and

instructions.

- http:/ / www.clicksoftware.com/

- http://www.serviceware.com/

- http://www.acknosoft.com/

- http://www.primus.com/

- http://www.keen.com/

- and many other.

Combining model-based and case-based knowledge

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the overall approach, according to the prior

art. It combines the pre-packaged Universal Domain Knowledge (511) with Initial Service Knowledge (512) for the specific equipment type and with

accumulated case data (513). The emphasis on "Initial Service Knowledge"

is central to this approach: It specifies tapping whatever knowledge is

easily available for automatic import, and gaining additional knowledge

(by implementing algorithms 517: Analytic 515 and Analogical 516) from

analyzing (514) case data, using the initial knowledge to structure and

refine the cases (avoiding the laborious filtering and restructuring required

when relying only on case-based reasoning).

References:

• Ben-Bassat M., Berriaminy L, Joseph D., Different Approaches to Fault

Isolation Support Software, Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE International

Workshop on System Test and Diagnosis.

• Ben-Bassat M., Beniaminy I., Can Model-Based and Case-Based Expert

Systems Operate Together? in "System Test and Diagnosis: Recent

Trends and Case Studies", edited by John W. Sheppard and Wilham R.

Simpson. The problem resolution model: central knowledge repository

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a possible method of defining the different

parts of the problem resolution model and their interaction, according to

the prior art.

The Element Hierarchy 600 contains:

- Subsystem A (601), which comprises Board Al (602) and Board A2

(603);

- Subsystem B (604), which comprises Board Bl (605) and Board B2

(606);

The Symptom/Test Hierarchy 650 contains:

- Symptoml (651) and Symptom2 (652);

- Test Accl (656) and Test Acc2 (657);

- Test Diagl (658);

- Test Diag2 (659);

- Symptom Section (653);

- Acceptance Section (654);

- Diagnostic Section (655);

One part of this model may be read as follows: "Board A2 (of subsystem A,

603) may fail in three different malfunction modes (MF). If mode MF1 occurs, there is a high (H) probability that symptom 1 (651) will be present,

a very high (VH) probability that test Accl (656) will fail, and a medium

(M) probability that test Diagl (658) will fail". Such information is readily

available from several sources - input from system and service engineers,

as well as automatic analysis of failure patterns in recorded cases. Once in

the problem resolution knowledge base, all sources contribute to the model

stored in the central knowledge repository.

By using the terms 'technical personnel', 'qualified personnel' or 'qualified

crew', it is meant to include any personnel whose roles require acquiring,

preserving and delivering knowledge relevant to the organization's tasks.

By using the term 'technical documents', it is meant to include any

document containing such knowledge.

All the methods described above have not yet provided satisfactory

solutions to the problem of capturing and sharing knowledge of technical

issues among the technical personnel of an organization, and between it

and the public.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for

sharing knowledge among the personnel of a company. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method, and

system for sharing knowledge between the personnel of a company and the

users.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and

system for contribution of knowledge by the technical personnel of a

company.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method and

system for contribution of knowledge by the customers of a company.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method and system

for sharing knowledge inside a qualified crew regardless of where they

work (large corporation, small business, independent).

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method and system

for sharing knowledge between qualified crew and users.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method and system

for sharing knowledge among users of equipment. It is a still further object of the invention to provide an incentive for

qualified personnel to share their knowledge with the company and its

personnel and customers, and to enrich the knowledge base.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a handling case(s) in

which technical personnel from one company can share their knowledge

with skilled technicians from another company.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a handling case(s)

wherein technical personnel from one company can share their knowledge

with users associated with another company.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the

description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method for sharing knowledge

among a plurality of individuals, comprising:

a) providing a dynamically updated knowledge base that can be accessed

over a network; b)- allowing an individual encountering a problem the solution of which is

not known, to query the knowledge base to determine whether the

problem and its solution are found in it;

c) if the solution to the problem is not available in the knowledge base,

allowing the individual to prepare a query including the details of the

problem;

d) broadcasting the query described in step (c) over the network;

e) allowing the experts who "listen in" the network to answer the query by

filling-in their reply to the query form, and if desired, also by additional

person-to-person communication;

f) conveying the answer to the query via the network to the individual

who queried the system;

g) optionally, once the problem has been solved, or when the suggestions

have produced no positive result, reporting by the individual the

outcome of the query to the system, thereby to complete the dialogue

between the individual and the system;

h) adding to the knowledge base, and making part of it, the dialogue, the

problem, and information on the suggestion that led to the solution of

the problem;

i) reusing the knowledge contributed in steps (a) to (g) when similar

problems subsequently arise, so that they are completely solved at step

(b); and j) keeping track of the knowledge contributed by each expert, and

subsequent cases solved by such knowledge, as a tool for performance

monitoring and incentive generation.

Optionally, the individual querying the system is a service person.

Optionally, the individual querying the system is a user.

Optionally, broadcasting is effected through a communication channel

selected from a computer network, a telephone network, e-mail, and

satellite.

Optionally, the query is broadcast solely, or preferentially to those experts

that, according to the knowledge base, are knowledgeable in the relevant

field.

Optionally, the query is broadcast to human experts, as described in claim

1 step (c), at the same time that the individual is interacting with the

knowledge base as described in claim 1 step (b).

Optionally, different priorities are assigned to the queries. Optionally, the priority is a function of the problem severity and/or the

service guaranteed to the individual and/or the type of equipment

regarding the query.

Optionally, the process of adding the problem information, dialogue and

solution to the knowledge base, as described in claim 1, step (h), goes^'

through a quality control process wherein each such new information is

tagged for review by appropriately- authorized experts.

Optionally, the experts are notified of new and as-yet-unreviewed additions

to the knowledge base, and are asked to approve, reject or edit and then

approve each new addition of the information.

Optionally, if more than one expert answers the query, the system relays

one or more of the answers, according to a predetermined criterion.

Optionally, the criterion is the seniority of the expert.

Optionally, the criterion is a "first to answer" criterion.

Optionally, the criterion is the level of expertise of the answering expert in

the specific problem context, as defined by management and or as updated by reviewing the performance of the expert in an earlier, similar context,

and/or other strategies defined by management.

Optionally, if more than one expert and/or knowledge base mechanism

answers the query, then all the answers are ranked according to the source

rehability and to the ranking reported by the source itself, and relays the

top-ranked answers.

The invention is also directed to a method for sharing knowledge via a

knowledge base, among expert(s), company personnel and user(s), wherein

the expert(s), the personnel and the user(s) are equipped with a

computer/terminal connected to a network, the knowledge base being

accessible via the network, comprising:

a) launching a query from the user(s) or member(s) or the personnel to the

knowledge base;

b) receiving answer(s) from the knowledge base as a result of the query;

c) directing the query to the expert(s), in case of unsatisfactory answer(s);

and

d) registering the answer (s) in the knowledge base. Optionally, the personnel is in charge of the maintenance / service /

technical issues / help desk of the company.

Optionally, the expert(s) are members of the personnel.

Optionally, the information stored in the knowledge base is controlled,

maintained, edited and removed from the knowledge base by the experts(s)

and/or by the personnel and/or by the user(s).

Optionally, the query is composed of keyword(s) and optionally Boolean

relations between the keywords.

Optionally, the query is free-text sentence(s).

Optionally, the knowledge base is model-based oriented (MBR).

Optionally, the knowledge base is case-based oriented (CBR).

The method may further comprise creating incentive and rewarding

experts for contributing knowledge into the knowledge base. Optionally, the contribution is based on an off-line basis and/or based on a

rating policy of the the experts' contributions.

Optionally, the rating policy is based on users' assessments of knowledge

provided by the expert, and/or the number of problems solved by the

expert, and/or the responsiveness of the expert, and/or number of items the

expert contributed to the knowledge base, and/or number of times that

knowledge contributed by the expert into the knowledge base was used in

successful problem resolution, and/or time spent on-line handling user

problems.

Optionally, the rating is used for financial bonus and/or. for publishing

periodic rating and "top contributors", and/or for accomplishing points and

"virtual money" for use in frequent-flier programs and other purchasing

plans, and/or for being used as a factor in periodic employee reviews.

Optionally, the suggestions include list(s) of required resources.

Optionally, the list(s) contains tools and/or parts and/or service(s).

Optionally, the list(s) is linked to an e-commerce system and/or an

inventory system and/or job management system. Optionally, the individual may order item(s) from the list(s).

Optionally, the knowledge is presented by multimedia means.

Optionally, the interaction with the individual is carried out by multimedia

means.

Optionally, the individual may start a collaborative Web-session.

Optionally, the Web-session involves shared browsing and/or shared

apphcation(s) and/or shared whiteboard and/or conversations via

voice-over-IP and/or voice conversation(s).

Optionally, the database information is edited by direct authoring or

import of CBR and MBR content, and/or by direct authoring or import of

troubleshooting guides, and/or by importing of raw data, and/or by direct

dialog where either expert or software system highlight a specific step in

the problem resolution process and inspect the reasons for the step,

resulting in future knowledge base refinement. Optionally, the raw data comprises cases and or hst(s) of symptoms and/or

list(s) of replaceable part(s) and/or list(s) of relevant observation(s) and

measurement(s) and/or list(s) of repair action(s) and/or engineering data

and/or directed dialog wherein either expert or software system highlight a

specific step in the problem resolution process and inspect the reasons for

the step, resulting in future knowledge base refinement.

Optionally, the engineering data comprise block diagram(s) and/or

simulation data and/or reliability estimates.

Optionally, the expert(s) are notified of new query(s)

Optionally, the notification is initiated due to a comparison between the

query(s) to stored notification profile(s).

Optionally, the notification consists record(s), each of which specifying

notification circumstances specified by field(s) of knowledge and/or

geographical region and or asker's profile and/or the time passed since the

query was first reported and/or expert's reliability and expertise ranking.

Optionally, the record(s) describes the notification method to be used if the

condition(s) specified by the record are met. Optionally, the method is carried out by a telephone means and/or by

e-mail and or by instant messaging and/or by fax and/or by pager.

Optionally, the notification profile(s) are set and edited by the expert(s)

and/or by software means.

Optionally, the knowledge base is integrated with any combination of other

types of knowledge bases and knowledge retrieval.

Optionally, the types of knowledge base is fault trees and/or hst(s) of

common problem (s) and/or solution(s) to the problem (s) and/or

troubleshooting procedure(s) and/or categorized or non-categorized

searchable technical documents regarding problems.

The knowledge base may comprise information related to commerce, and/or

technical support, and/or entertainment, and or travel-related subjects,

and or software support, and/or finance consultation, and/or insurance

consultation, and/or medical assistance, and/or telecommunication

services. In another aspect, the invention is directed to a system for sharing

knowledge among expert(s), and or personnel of a company and/or user(s),

wherein the expert(s), the personnel and the user(s) are equipped with a

communication terminal connected to a network, comprising:

- a knowledge base system for storing and retrieving knowledge;

- a software component for interacting with the user(s);

- a software component for presenting query results; and

- a software component for controlling, maintaining, editing and

removing information from the knowledge base system.

The system may further comprise a software component for setting up and

editing notification profile(s).

Optionally, the network is a Wide Area Network (WAN).

Optionally, the network is a Local Area Network (LAN).

Optionally, the network is the organization's Internet.

Optionally, the network is the organization's Intranet.

Optionally, wherein the network is a mobile and/or wireless network. Optionally, the network is a one-directional or two-directional paging.

Optionally, the network is a circuit-switched or packet-switched.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will

be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative

detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to

the appended drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a knowledge base system, according to

the prior art;

- Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system for sharing knowledge,

according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

- Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a Web site, according to a preferred

embodiment of the invention: - Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the activities of a user on a Web site

that comprises a knowledge base, according to a preferred embodiment

of the invention;

- Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the overall approach, according to the

prior art;

- Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a possible method of defining the

different parts of the problem resolution model and their interaction,

according to the prior art; and

- Fig. 7 to 14 illustrates a scenario regarding the implementation of the

invention over the Internet, according to a preferred embodiment of the

' invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The term "Knowledge Base System" (KBS) usually applies to a database,

which contains textual information, generally with a common denominator.

The information entities are categorized by keywords. The platform of the

stored information may be text-content documents, structured files,

multimedia files, etc. In order to retrieve such information, knowledge bases usually contain a

subsystem that enables finding and retrieving information by the

keywords that categorize the stored information.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a knowledge base system, according to the

prior art. It contains text-content files 1, structured files 2, multimedia

files 3, and a table 4, which connects the mentioned components.

Text-content files are usually documents that have been produced by a

word processor, HTML files, etc.

Structured files are usually composed of records with the same structure.

Due to their nature, they usually contain information such as part-lists,

erro -lists, etc.

Multimedia files usually contain visual and/or audio information, such as

drawings, illustrations, etc.

The keywords of a text-content file can be obtained by an automatic scan of

the file, and the same is true of structured files. However, in multimedia

files, the keywords are often provided manually. In order to link the stored information and keywords describing it,

knowledge bases use a table 4. Such a table contains file descriptors (name

and location of a file) and a list of keywords which characterizes the files.

For instance, if a file contains a description of how to handle a certain

defect in an electronic system, the related keywords should describe the

defect, and preferably contain the keyword "repair", as well.

In order to locate the files containing a list of keywords, a software

component should scan the table 4. In matter of fact, the structure of the

system is usually more complicated than described above, due to the fact

that search speed is crucial for such a system, as is known to any database

expert. The above-simplified description was therefore made only for the

sake of brevity.

By employing a Knowledge Base System (KBS) in the company's service

layout or help desk, some benefits may be achieved. The service / help desk

personnel can add relevant information to the knowledge base. Such

information may describe flaws and their correction, instructions, etc. In

this way, information regarding product maintenance is shared among the

service / help desk personnel. Additional benefits can be gained by making the knowledge base accessible

to the users. From a potential buyer's point of view, one of the issues

effecting the purchase decision is the service accessibility. If a product is

not supported by a repair service, the potential buyer may prefer a

competitor's product. However, there are users that prefer to perform

maintenance by themselves, usually in order to reduce costs. Such users

may prefer the product of a company supporting such repairs, and a

knowledge base open to the public, at least to some extent, may be helpful

in convincing potential customers of the advantages of a product.

The KBS should of course be accessible by the personnel of the company

and, as explained above, in some cases by the users. The users may try to

find a solution to problems that arise with the products, at least up to a

certain minimal level, before appealing to the company's qualified

personnel.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system for sharing knowledge, according

to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such a system comprises:

- A Knowledge Base System (KBS) 10, which contains information

relevant to the maintenance of products or technical issues belonging to

the enterprise that owns the KBS;

- Users 20, the customers of the company; - Service personnel 30, employed by this company, or connected by other

agreement with this company;

- Experts 40, employed by this company, or connected to the company by

another agreement. Said experts may also be employed by another

company, self-employed, etc.

- A software component 11, for managing the interaction and directing

queries and responses between users 20, personnel 30 and experts 40.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the software

component (hereinafter briefly called "MEM" - Multi- Engine Manager)

is a part of the KBS. According to another embodiment of the invention,

the software component is a part of the Web-site mechanism. According

to another embodiment of the invention, the software component is a

client-software, which resides on the users', the personnel and the

experts' computer device. According to another embodiment of the

invention, the ^' MEM is a combination of KBS and/or Web-site

mechanism and/or client software.

The connection between the users 20, service personnel 30, experts 40 and

the KBS 10, is carried out using the network 50, which can be, for instance,

the Internet or other WAN. If the use of the system is limited to the

company personnel, the network can be an Intranet of the company. The basic need of such systems is to provide advice to the user of such a

system (qualified persons, as well as customers) as fast as possible, and

sufficiently accurate to allow for timely problem resolution. This calls for

an effective combination of all the diagnostic mechanisms described above,

along with rapid creation of a quality knowledge base.

The advice to the qualified person will be a combination of the outputs of

all the following mechanisms:

• From a human expert

• From CBR (Case-Base Reasoning)

• From MBR (Model-Based Reasoning)

• Additional mechanisms (e.g. fault charts)

It is, therefore, usually suggested to utilize all three advice-providers^'

together, using a knowledge base that might have been at least partially

created before but is also built on line.

Obviously, the quality of each 'member's' advice will vary based on the

status of the knowledge base. If there is no model yet, the chat mechanism

will be the only possible venue. The chat mechanism will help to create a

case repository, which will be used by the CBR. At the same time, the

model will be gradually created. The CBR will probably be the second component to start providing effective advice, while the model-based

component will be the third.

Each component not only enhances the knowledge base to be subsequently

used by the others - the diagnostic process itself is dynamically influenced.

This means that advice provided by a human expert in the chat layer

actually adds an element to the current goal set (the list of probable faulty

elements or fault causes) to be immediately used by the MBR component

for its next step analysis. This same information is also used by the CBR

component to refine the retrieval matching cases. Moreover, the advice

provided by the CBR layer also adds elements to the goal set that is used

by the MBR. Hence, there is cross-pollination between the layers affecting

the diagnostics in real time.

All three answers will then be combined into a single set of

recommendations to the user, with the weight allocated to each layer's

answer reflecting its quality at that point.

Most knowledge bases used for problem resolution are more sophisticated,

and designed to carry out a question-and-answer session with the user. In

such systems, a case is defined as a collection of reported symptoms,

suggested actions (together with their results) and, if available, the actual cause of the fault. A case might be generated as a result of the discussion

taking place in the chat room (see above), records stored as part of the

business's service database (for example, customer complaints and problem

resolutions), or specifically created as input for the CBR mechanism.

When a qualified person reports a problem, the application searches the

stored cases repository to find the closest matching case and provides a

suggestion accordingly. The search might result in a 'closest matching

case', one that yields a probable cause for the fault, thereby concluding the

diagnostic process. Or, it finds a similar case from which to retrieve the

next test to be suggested to the qualified person. In the latter case, the

process continues until a probable fault cause can be suggested. This

search is done according to proximity algorithms (such as Nearest

Neighbor), which can match cases even when the input to be matched is

incomplete.

In model-based systems, the knowledge base consists of an actual

representation (topological, functional, etc.) of the system to be diagnosed.

This presentation or model describes what functional parts the system

consists of, which observations can be made, which possible actions taken,

how these relate to the functional entities, and so on. The model is created using a generic terminology and a set of entities that

allow modeling of practically any type of system to be determined by the

same generic algorithms.

The model allows the computer to 'understand' how the modeled system

behaves (or fails) under various conditions. When the qualified person

reports an observed symptom, the algorithm can use its 'understanding' of

the system to suggest probable causes for the symptom, and the

appropriate actions to be taken to better isolate the exact cause. The more

complete the model, the better the 'understanding' of the system, which

leads to more accurate and efficient diagnostics. Unlike CBR, which

matches the input symptom to its stored set of previously encountered

cases, the model-based approach can handle faults that have never

previously occurred but that can be explained by a good understanding of

the system's behavior. Thus, instead of using previous experience (which

might not always be available), the diagnostics use actual knowledge of the

diagnosed system to tackle ad-hoc occurrences, even extremely rare ones.

The process of the invention operates as follows:

Step 1: A user (customer or a qualified person), encountering a problem

the solution of which he does not know, queries the knowledge base to determine whether the problem and its solution are known. Preparing the

query is software-assisted by automatically displaying the most relevant

terms (such as equipment types, equipment functions and more), known

problems, etc., while the user is constructing the query (by picking from

lists and/or typing free text).

For example:

• Software support:

- How can I print in columns?

- Program X crashes each time I run program Y. What shall I do?

- What add-on products exist for product Z?

• Finance:

- Are there any limitations on foreign nationals in investment of type

X?

- How long does it take to get a mortgage?

• Insurance (including medical):

- What earthquake cover do you offer?

- How do I report a theft?

• Telecommunications services:

- What weekend rates do you offer?

- How do I get e-mail on my cell phone?

- How do I make a conference call? - I cannot hear any ringing when people call my cell phone - what do I

do?

• Internet service providers:

- How do I get higher-speed connections?

- Why don't I get my e-mail?

• Foods:

- How many calories are in product X?

- Please suggest recipes for cooking with Y.

• Consumer product:

- Where can I buy X?

- What accessories do you recommend for Y?

- How do I remove food stains" (question to either washing-machine

vendor, detergent vendor or fashion vendor)

This list can be extended to just about any type of commercial enterprise -

manufacturing as well as services - whose activities include answering

questions asked by internal staff, customers, partners, suppliers,

entertainment, travel, etc.

Some of these questions are not specific enough and would require some

dialog before giving the requested answer. For example, the question "How long does it take to get a mortgage?" need to ask how much is needed, what

securities the asker has.

Step 2: The software component, which manages the interaction, 'queries'

the KBS and returns suggestions to the user. This is done in any suitable

format that is compatible with the knowledge base and its input.

Step 3: The query prepared in Step 1 is broadcast over the network 50. In

the context of the present invention broadcasting can be effected by any

suitable means, e.g., through a computer network, a telephone network,

e-mail, satellite, cellular, wireless, pager, etc. The query may be broadcast

over the network (to secure human advice) if:

(a) MEM finds that the KBS suggestions are below a specified quality (as

ranked by the KBS); and/or

(b) At least one expert has set a "notification profile" so that it is triggered

by the interaction thus far gathered in the case; and/or

(c) The user who originated the current issue explicitly requests direct

expert advice (other causes may also apply).

The system may broadcast the query solely, or preferentially, to those

experts that, according to the knowledge base, are highly experienced in

the specific relevant field. For instance, if a company services aircrafts and coffee machines, the coffee machines experts will preferentially not receive

queries having to do with aircraft engines.

Step 4: The experts who "listen in" the network (as said, by any suitable

communication means) may answer the query by filling-in their reply to

the query form, and if they, desire, also by additional person-to-person

communication (e.g., via a voice conversation on Voice-Over-IP, landline

phone, or cellular phone). If more than one expert answers the query, the

system may decide to take only one of the answers (whether according to

seniority of the technician, or on a "first to answer" basis, or on the basis of

the technician's expertise and past performance on similar problems, or

other management-defined criteria), or to combine some or all answers to

the query, ranked according to the aforementioned criteria.

Step 5: The answer to the query (which may be combined from several

sources such as the CBR or the MBR component of the KBS and the

human expert contributions) is then conveyed (again, via the network) to

the qualified person (or user), who tries to fix the problem according to the

suggestions received.

Step 6: Once the problem has been solved, or when the suggestions have

produced no positive result, the qualified person (or user) reports the outcome to the system, again, in the same way, and this completes the

dialogue between the qualified person (or user) and the system. The

dialogue, the problem, and' information on the suggestion that led to the

solution of the problem, are then added to the knowledge base and become

part of it, so that the next query on the same problem will automatically

produce the suggestions as the first approach to a solution.

Steps 2 to 5 may be iterated any number of times, with the result of

qualified person (or user) actions performed in step 5 used as input for the

next iteration.

In another embodiment of the invention, the information gathered in the

case (e.g., problem, dialogue, and solution, if any) is added to the KBS but

flagged as not-yet-approved. Such flagged information goes through a

quality control process wherein each such new information is tagged for

review by appropriately- authorized experts. These experts are notified of

new and as-yet-unreviewed additions to the knowledge base, and are asked

to approve, reject, or edit (and then approve) each new addition. This

process may use e-mail, database management, version control, and/or

workflow principles. The system may be set to never retrieve

as-yet-unapproved knowledge except when the approved knowledge has no

answer. In another embodiment of the invention, Step 6 is optional: even without

it, information from the completed case is added to the KBS. Of course,

performing Step 6 makes it possible to contribute more information to the

KBS. For this reason, we also have the option of completing the details

after the fact, by an expert (who holds the required authorization), and not

just by the initiator, regardless of whether this expert participated in the

actual interaction.

It should be appreciated that while the actual type of the knowledge base,

the queries and input formats, and the processing of the information, are

all important parameters in the functioning of the system, the invention is

by no means limited to any type of knowledge base, form of query, dialogue

or information processing, and any suitable system can be used for these

purposes, while retaining all the advantages of the invention.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the system does not

broadcast each query to all known experts, but selects which experts

should be notified of each query based on the level of match between the

query parameters (e.g. problem type, equipment type, urgency, etc.) and

the "Notification Profile" listed for each expert. Optionally, if too many

experts are matched, the system uses a randomization mechanism to select a smaller number for notification. A notification profile may comprise the

following:

• Fields of knowledge - described as a combination of types of

equipment, types of problems (e.g. operation, installation, etc. with

hierarchical structure - e.g. operation can be divided into "washing" and

"drying" for a combined washer-drier), subsystems (e.g. in a photocopier

- electrical, optical, mechanical), and a collection of relevant keywords;

• Geographical region;

• Profile of client (e.g. residential, business, terms of Service Level

Agreement);

• Duration of time since first reported (e.g. a senior engineer might set

his notification profile to "every problem reported more than 4 hours

ago and not yet solved");

• Expert's reliability and expertise ranking in the specific problem

context (as defined by management and/or as updated by reviewing

performance of that expert in earlier similar contexts). From this it is clear that the profile for one expert can include any number

of records. For each such record, the engineer can specify how to notify

him, notification methods including at least business phone, cell phone,

home phone, fax, e-mail, pager, and instant-messaging (as in ICQ - if he is

online, he will see a pop-up message). Obviously, the profile should include

relevant information (e.g. phone numbers, ICQ user-id, e-mail). For

example, a profile might include the following entries:

• "Notify me of any photocopier problem if I'm on-line";

• "Notify me by pager and by message to my home fax if there's a

page-stuck problem on a model X76 copier"; and

• "Notify me by cell phone of any problem reported by users whose

service-level-agreement specifies all problems solved within 4 hours or i less".

Notification-Profiles may be set by the expert and/or by the expert's

manager. Additionally, the MEM may track the expert's performance and

periodically compare it to stated fields of knowledge defined for that expert.

This comparison may discover the need to add, delete or modify these

definitions. These changes may be configured to be automatically

performed, or forwarded to the expert (or his manager) for approval. Example

A scenario regarding the implementation, of the invention over the

Internet, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, may look

as follows:

A technician repairing VCR (video cassette recorder) at laboratory. Could

not solve problem.

In the following discussion, the software implementing the invention will

be designated as ClickFix or CF for short.

1. Technician — Joe Brown - opens CF (ClickFix) page on his browser.

2. Technician clicks "New problem".

3. Technician identifies brand and model of video - by typing it in or by

selecting from list boxes or tree.

4. CF asks technician to describe the problem. At this point the screen

looks conceptually as shown in Fig. 7. As shown in the figure, CF displays hsts (optionally hierarchical) of known

symptoms. Each of these symptoms may have documentation (text, video,

audio - e.g. what kind of noise is heard while rewinding) associated with it,

which can be accessed by clicking on a "doc available" icon next to the

symptom name.

5. Technician starts typing and has reached "cannot load cassette". While

he's typing, CF automatically retrieves and displays best matches, as

shown in Fig. 8.

6. Technician may submit typed symptom or click on any named symptom.

In this case, technician clicks on 'VCR rejects cassette".

7. CF accesses its knowledge base and retrieves several possible actions

that may be relevant. It creates a display for the technician, as shown in

Fig. 9.

The suggestions all came from CF's knowledge base and are ranked by

likelihood and by time it takes to perform the action (marked with "!") or

answer the question (marked with "?"). Again, each such item (including possible answers - it will be shown later

that some questions are more complex than simple Yes/No answers) may

be hnked to documentation, and Joe can access any such information by

clicking on the appropriate icon (not shown) next to the item.

8. Joe answers all the questions, as shown in Fig. 10.

9. CF changes the display, as shown in Fig. 11.

Of course Joe is not forced to perform each action and answer each

question. He has the option (not shown) to mark^" questions and actions as

"Skip", thereby telling CF he rejects these suggestions.

10. CF examines its list of expert profiles and finds that Mary White, Dave

Black and Alice Green are currently on-line and are experts on this brand

of VCR. Both receive high-priority notifications on their screen that a new

problem requires their attention. Both may be handling several calls at the

same time. Mary reacts first by clicking on the notification. This causes CF

to lower the priority of the notification displayed on Alice's and Dave's

screen. They may still access the problem and participate in the resolution

process, but this won't be shown in this scenario. 11. At this point, Mary's screen may look as in Fig. 12:

As in can be seen, Mary is handling two problems: Joe's problem from this

scenario and another one - Karen's DVD problem. She is now viewing

details of Joe's problem. She has already made some suggestions to Karen.

CF will notify Mary when Karen acts on Mary's suggestions and reports

some results. In the mean time, Mary is free to work on the VCR problem.

We can also see Mary's queue, with a couple of other problems that CF has

determined she might be able to help with. The priority assigned by CF

depends on many parameters, including relevance of problem to Mary's

expertise; time that the asker is already waiting; number of other experts

who have relevant knowledge (if Mary is the only one, the priority will be

higher than if there are dozens); importance of customer who brought in

the VCR (e.g. existence and terms of service agreement); and more.

12. Mary composes one or more additional suggestions by using an

interface that in this example, is as shown in Fig. 13.

If Mary wants to suggest a question, she will need to specify whether it's a

Yes/No question or a question with several different possible answers -

single-choice such as "What is the voltage at TP5 - less than IV or 1-5V or over 5V?" or multiple-choice such as "Does examining wheel W56 show

abrasion and or off-center movement and/or lack of oil?".

As in step 5, if Mary types text, CF will keep updating the hst of matches

that best fit the text typed so far. In this case, CF will also display the list

of possible answers defined for each retrieved question.

Mary may browse through available on-line documentation to find

appropriate web pages (or video, audio etc.) explaining her suggestions (e.g.

instructions on how to perform the suggested action), and link such pages

to her suggestions. Joe will see an "have doc" icon next to such items and

will be able to access the documentation marked by Mary. Mary and Joe

can also start a collaborative Web session, possibly involving shared

browsing, shared applications, shared whiteboard, and Voice-Over-IP or

"traditional" conversations.

Mary may indicate what resources are required for performing her

suggestions (e.g. voltmeter or the actual spare part for replacement action).

13. As Mary contributes her suggestions, they appear one-by-one on Joe's

screen. At this point, Joe and Mary (and any other expert — or maybe technician — who has also accessed this problem) are actually collaborating

on the same view of the problem.

The suggestions are ranked by CF according to data supplied by Mary as

well as by data already stored in the knowledge base (e.g. time required for

each suggestion may already be known, as well as cost for wheel W56).

If Mary has contributed three suggestions. Joe's screen now looks as shown

in Fig. 14.

If a specific resource (e.g. Wheel W56) is required, Joe will see a "resource

icon" (not shown here) next to the suggestion requiring this resource. Joe

can click on that icon and either (a) state that he has it; (b) state that he

does not have it and does not expect to have it (in which case CF will

remove the suggestion, and others requiring the same resource, to the list

of skipped suggestions mentioned earlier, which may or may not be

displayed according to user preferences); or (c) request data on how to

obtain it (which may lead Joe to company-internal inventory management

screens or to e-commerce sites outside his company). 15. At this point, Mary's screen shows the suggestions she has made, and

shows the status of Joe's problem as "awaiting answer". She is now free to

work on another problem in her active-list or from her queue.

16. Once Joe performs one or more of the suggestions, this will be indicated

to Mary (and the status will change to "awaiting expert"), who will return

to the screen displaying details of Joe's problem and examine the new

"evidence".

17. CF's knowledge-base software continues monitoring the interaction,

and can add its own suggestions triggered by Mary's questions and Joe's

answers - it is quite possible that after a few more facts are known, CF

will find relevant knowledge in its knowledge base.

18. The process continues until Joe performs some action that solves the

problem. CF may be configured to ask Joe to verify the solution (guiding

him through final testing before notifying the customer that the VCR has

been fixed) and verify which action or actions were relevant to the solution.

Once this is finished, CF removes the problem from everybody's screens.

19. CF will "remember" the interaction and will reuse it or parts of it for

other problems, if they bear some similarities to this problem. In some scenarios, each user may simultaneously play both roles, that of

the party seeking to solve some problems, and the role of expert on other

problems. For such cases, the invention would be embodied in a user

interface that combines elements of both types of user interfaces shown in

Fig. 7 to Fig. 14.

This example has of course been provided for the purpose of illustration

and is, therefore, simplified in nature.

In order to encourage usage of the knowledge base, a remuneration policy

can be implemented. Moreover, a rating policy can be used as well, so that

the experts will be motivated to do their best not only for financial gain,

but to improve their position within the organization. Implementation of

such a policy may comprise the following:

- Rating the experts according to the users' recommendations;

- Rating the experts according to the number of problems solved by them;

- Publishing the index of ratings, together with their names, in the

experts hst;

- Publishing the number of questions together with their names in the

experts hst; - Financial bonus for every question they answer;

- Financial compensation for the time spent chatting with users.

It should be noted that incentive need not necessarily be represented by a

financial bonus. It might also be comprised of "points" to be used for many

different purposes, and the financial aspect is one of them. The incentive

may be also a factor in evaluating periodic employee ratings, the gaining of

frequent-fiier miles, "virtual dollars" to spend on entertainment and

services, etc.

The incentive may also depend on:

• How much of the knowledge currently stored in the KBS was

contributed ("knowledge equity");

• How many of the cases in the past period (e.g. month, quarter) were

resolved directly by the expert, or indirectly by the KBS, using

knowledge contributed by the expert.

The firm may also charge the users for use of the knowledge base, for

answers to their questions, etc. Thus, for instance, an independent service

person may gain access to the knowledge base of a large service company,

and benefit from the knowledge contained therein and by the contact with problem-solving experts, in return for a payment on a usage (e.g., time or

number of queries) basis or on a periodic basis.

An independent service person may be asked by a large service company to

monitor reported problems which were not resolved quickly enough by the

company's personnel (such a person's notification profile will only notify

him regarding, or let him access, such cases). This person will be paid by

the service company for any case he resolves. This opens up business-model

possibilities in the "knowledge economy".

The knowledge base and the other services the Web site provides may be

used not only by the customers, but by the personnel of the company, as

well. However, since such information may be confidential, a suitable

system may enable different levels of access, each level with its own

attributes.

Reusing captured knowledge

All the interactions, as described in the above example, are stored in the

KB as cases. When new problems are reported, ClickFix will use CBR

methods to retrieve these cases and suggest new solutions, so that - for

example - the suggestion composed by Mary in step 12 will be automatically used by ClickFix, with no need for human-expert

involvement, in handling future cases.

Additionally, ClickFix's MBR component will use the cases generated

through such interactions in creating and or refining its Model-Base. The

MBR uses different learning and inference algorithms, and its cooperation

with CBR raises the quality of suggestions generated by ClickFix.

Other means of building the Knowledge Base

The description above showed how . the KB is generated as a result of

recording and reusing human-to-human interactions. Our invention

supports additional means of building and maintaining the KB:

A. The expert may create CBR and MBR content directly through software

knowledge authoring models;

B. The expert may import data (cases, hsts of symptoms, lists of

replaceable parts, hsts of applicable observations and measurements,

hsts of possible repair actions, engineering data such as block diagrams,

simulation data and reliability estimates etc.) into the KB; C. After one or more cases have been handled, the expert may engage in a

dialog with the expert system concerning these cases. The expert may

highlight a suggestion made by the expert system and ask the software

why this suggestion was made, and if necessary supply specific

knowledge that will prevent this suggestion from being made again for

the same context. Similarly, the software may highlight a suggestion

made by the expert that contradicts the software's knowledge, and the

expert may then supply knowledge to support that suggestion and

contribute to the software's "understanding" of when it is applicable.

Additional features can be added to a system operating according to the

invention. For illustrative and non-limitative purposes, Fig. 3

schematically shows a Web site, according to a preferred embodiment of

the invention. A Web site may be a particularly suitable implementation of

the present invention, since the Web has become a common communication

channel.

In Fig. 3, the Web site 31 comprises:

- a knowledge base 32, that operates according to the system described

above with reference to Fig. 2, and in addition:

- a public board 33;

- an onhne service 34; - a chat board 35; and

- expert boards 36 - 36®.

The public board 33 may be implemented in the fashion of the News

service of the Internet. The users may leave their questions, remarks, etc.

on the board, and other users or qualified persons may respond to the

questions. They may leave the answers on the board, or_. directly respond to

the user by e-mail.

The online service 34 is a private chat room, wherein a user may carry on a

conversation (in the chat fashion) with a qualified person.

In the chat board 35, the users may carry out a group chat session. In such

a chat, the experts may participate, as well as the users, and therefore,

each participant may contribute his experience to the chat.

The expert boards 36 contain questions directed to individual experts, and

the answers provided by the experts. The users may prefer one expert or

the other according to the subjects he deals with, his experience and

expertise, etc. Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the activities of a user on a Web site that

comprises a knowledge base, according to a preferred embodiment of the

invention, and which comprises additional options as detailed with

reference to Fig. 3.

- In Step 41, the process starts, i.e., with the display of the Web site

home-page;

- In Step 42, the user poses a query to the knowledge base. Such a query

comprises a list of keywords and the logical relation between them. For

instance: (Keywordl OR Keyword2) AND Keyword3. A more

sophisticated system may contain the ability to analyze free-text

queries, such as "My washing machine leaks".

- In Step 43, the user assesses the result of the query. If the answer is

satisfactory, then the process ends at step 51, otherwise, the user

selects one of the following paths:

- proceed to Step 44, directing the question to an individual expert;

- proceed to Step 45, attempting to get an answer from other users

engaged in a chat (who can be other qualified persons, when the

"user" is a qualified person and the network is an Intranet or other

private or semi-private WAN);

- proceed to Step 46, placing the question on the public board. In Step 44, the user selects an expert from a hst. The particular expert

is selected by the user according to the subjects he deals with, his

expertise, his popularity, etc.;

- In Step 47, the user directs a question to the expert. The question may

be sent to the expert by e-mail, or by a public board which is edited by

the expert, etc.;

- In Step 45, the user selects a chat room. Usually a chat room is directed

to a subject or to an expert;

- In the next Step 48, the user carries out a chat with other users. In the

chat session, the user may ask for assistance;

- In Step 46, the user places a question on the public board. The public

boards have a general nature, i.e., are not dedicated to a specific

subject. In this way, the user may receive an answer to his question

from both experts and other users.

- In Step 49, the user assesses the answers he has received. Should the

answers prove unsatisfactory, the user may try again, by proceeding to

Step 42 or to Step 44, 45 or 46. He may refine his query by selecting

other keywords, by redefinition of the logical relations between the

keywords, etc. If the answer he received was satisfactory, he may quit

(Step 51). The above options may be provided to users who are customers, or to

novice technicians, as "light options", i.e., to solve simple questions and

problems that do not require the intervention of experts as described with

reference to Fig. 2. Such options may prevent unnecessary demand on the

resources of the experts and the knowledge base, but they are of course

optional, and by no means form a necessary part of the invention. A

knowledge base that^" is properly managed contains pointers to ^' the

questions and answers dealt with.

If the above-mentioned "light options" have not provided a proper answer

to his question, the user may call the maintenance service or the help desk

personnel of the company, or, if his system allows it, even try to operate

the query system as described with reference to Fig. 2.

The above examples and description have of course been provided only for

the purpose of illustration, and are not intended to limit the invention in

any way. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the invention can be

carried out in a great variety of ways and for a great variety of knowledge

domains such as commerce, entertainment, travel, telecommunication

services, insurance and financial services, employing more than one

technique from those described above, all without exceeding the scope of

the invention.

Claims

1. A method for sharing knowledge among a plurality of individuals,

comprising:

a) providing a dynamically updated knowledge base that can be

accessed over a network;

b) allowing an individual encountering a problem the solution of which

is not known, to query said knowledge base to determine whether

the problem and its solution are found in it;

c) if the solution to the problem is not available in said knowledge

base, allowing said individual to prepare a query including the

details of the problem;

d) broadcasting said query described in step (c) over said network;

e) allowing the experts who "listen in" said network to answer the

query by filling-in their reply to the query form, and if desired, also

by additional person-to-person communication; . .

f) conveying the answer to the query via the network to the individual

who queried the system;

g) optionally, once the problem has been solved, or when the

suggestions have produced no positive result, reporting by said

individual the outcome of the query to the system, thereby to

complete the dialogue between the individual and the system; h) adding to the knowledge base, and making part of it, the dialogue,

the problem, and information on the suggestion that led to the

solution of the problem;

i) reusing the knowledge contributed in steps (a) to (g) when similar

problems subsequently arise, so that they are completely solved at

step (b); and

j) keeping track of the knowledge contributed by each expert, and

subsequent cases solved by such knowledge, as a tool for

performance monitoring and incentive generation.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the individual querying the

system is a qualified person.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the individual querying the

system is a user.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein broadcasting is effected through

a communication channel selected from a computer network, a

telephone network, e-mail, and satellite.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said query is

broadcast solely, or preferentially to those experts that, according to .

said knowledge base, are knowledgeable in the relevant field.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said query is

broadcast to human experts, as described in claim 1 step (c), at the .

same time that said individual is interacting with the knowledge base

as described in claim 1 step (b).

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein different

priorities are assigned to said queries.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said priority is a function of

said problem severity and/or the service guaranteed to said individual

and/or the type of equipment regarding said query.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said process of adding the

problem information, dialogue and solution to the knowledge base, as

described in claim 1, step (h), goes through a quality control process

wherein each such new information is tagged for review by

appropriately-authorized experts.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said experts are notified of

new and as-yet-unreviewed additions to said knowledge base, and are

asked to approve, reject or edit and then approve each new addition of

said information.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein if more than

one expert answers the query, the system relays one or more of said

answers, according to a predetermined criterion.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said criterion is the

seniority of said expert.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said criterion is a "first to

answer" criterion.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein said criterion is the level of

expertise of the answering expert in the specific problem context, as

defined by management and/or as updated by reviewing the

performance of said expert in an earlier, similar context, and/or other

strategies defined by management.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein if more than one expert

and/or knowledge base mechanism answers the query, then all said

answers are ranked according to the source reliability and to the

ranking reported by the source itself, and relays the top-ranked

answers.

16. A method for sharing knowledge via a knowledge base, among

expert(s), company personnel and user(s), wherein said expert(s), said

personnel and said user(s) are equipped with a computer/terminal

connected to a network, said knowledge base being accessible via said

network, comprising:

a) launching a query from said user(s) or member(s) or said personnel

to said knowledge base;

b) receiving answer(s) from said knowledge base as a result of said

query;

c) directing said query to said expert(s), in case of unsatisfactory

answer(s); and

d) registering said answer(s) in said knowledge base.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said personnel is in charge

of the maintenance / service / technical issues / help desk of said

company.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said expert(s) are members

of said personnel.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the information stored in

said knowledge base is controlled, maintained, edited and removed from

said knowledge base by said experts(s) and/or by said personnel and/or

by said user(s).

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein said query is composed of

-keyword(s) and optionally Boolean relations between said keywords.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherem said query is free-text

sentence(s).

22. A method according to claim 16, wherein said knowledge base is

model-based oriented (MBR).

23. A method according to claim 16, wherein said knowledge base is

case-based oriented (CBR).

24. A method according to any one of claim 1 to 4 and claim 16, further

comprising creating incentive and rewarding experts for contributing

knowledge into said knowledge base.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said contribution is based

on an off-line basis and/or based on a rating policy of the said experts'

contributions.

26. A method according to claims 24 or 25, wherein said rating policy is

based on users' assessments of knowledge provided by said expert,

and/or the number of problems solved by said expert, and/or the

responsiveness of said expert, and/or number of items said expert

contributed to the knowledge base, and/or number of times that

knowledge contributed by said expert into said knowledge base was

used in successful problem resolution, and/or time spent on-line

handling user problems.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherem said rating is used for

financial bonus and/or for publishing periodic rating and "top

contributors", and/or for accomplishing points and "virtual money" for

use in frequent-flier programs and other purchasing plans, and/or for

being used as a factor in periodic employee reviews.

28. A method according to claim 1, wherein said suggestions include

list(s) of required resources.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein said list(s) contains tools

and/or parts and/or service(s).

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein said list(s) is hnked to an

e.-commerce system and/or an inventory system and/or job management

system.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein said individual may order

item(s) from said list(s).

32. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein said knowledge is

presented by multimedia means.

33. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein the interaction with

said individual is carried out by multimedia means.

34. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein said individual may

start a collaborative Web-session.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein said Web-session involves

shared browsing and/or shared application(s) and/or shared whiteboard

and or conversations via voice-over-IP and/or voice conversation(s).

36. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein said database

information is edited by direct authoring or import of CBR and MBR

content, and/or by direct authoring or import of troubleshooting guides,

and/or by importing of raw data, and/or by direct dialog where either

expert or software system highlight a specific step in the problem

resolution process and inspect the reasons for the step, resulting in

future knowledge base refinement.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein said raw data comprises

cases and/or list(s) of symptoms and or list(s) of replaceable part(s)

and/or list(s) of relevant observation(s) and measurement(s) and/or

list(s) of repair action(s) and/or engineering data and/or directed dialog

wherein either expert or software system highlight a specific step in the

problem resolution process and inspect the reasons for said step,

resulting in future knowledge base refinement.

38. A method according to claim 37, wherein said engineering data

comprise block diagram(s) and/or simulation data and or rehability

estimates.

39. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein said expert(s) are

notified of new query(s)

40. A method according to claim 39, wherein said notification is initiated

due to a comparison between said query(s) to stored notification

profile(s).

41. A method according to claim 40, wherein said notification consists

record(s), each of which specifying notification circumstances specified

by field(s) of knowledge and/or geographical region and/or asker's profile

and/or the time passed since said query was first reported and/or

expert's reliability and expertise ranking.

42. A method according to claim 41, wherein said record(s) describes the

notification method to be used if the condition(s) specified by said record

are met.

43. A method according to claim 42, wherein said method is carried out

by a telephone means and/or by e-mail and/or by instant messaging

and/or by fax and/or by pager.

44. A method according to claim 40, wherein said notification profile(s)

are set and edited by said expert(s) and/or by software means.

45. A method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein said knowledge base

is integrated with any combination of other types of knowledge bases

and knowledge retrieval.

46. A method according to claim 45, wherein said types of knowledge

base is fault trees and or list(s) of common problem(s) and/or solution(s)

to said problem(s) and or troubleshooting procedure(s) and/or

categorized or non-categorized searchable technical documents.

47. A method according to claim 1 or 16, wherein said knowledge base

comprises information related to commerce, and/or technical support,

and or entertainment, and or travel-related subjects, and/or software

support, and/or finance consultation, and/or insurance consultation,

and/or medical assistance, and/or telecommunication services.

48. A system for sharing knowledge among expert(s), and/or personnel

of a company and/or user(s), wherem said expert(s), said personnel and

said user(s) are equipped with a communication terminal connected to a

network, comprising:

- a knowledge base system for storing and retrieving knowledge;

- a software component for interacting with said user(s);

- a software component for presenting query results; and

- a software component for controlling, maintaining, editing and

removing information from said knowledge base system.

49. A system according to claim 48, further comprising a software

component for setting up and editing notification profile(s).

50. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is a Wide

Area Network (WAN).

51. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is a Local

Area Network (LAN).

52. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is the

organization's Internet.

53. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is the

organization's Intranet.

54. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is a mobile

and/or wireless network.

55. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is a

one-directional or two-directional paging.

56. A system according to claim 48, wherein said network is a

circuit-switched or packet-switched.