Interactive peer directory with question router

摘要

A computer network implemented peer forum system and method enabling question and answer rates to be increased by automatically routing questions and receiving answers to and from peers. Information is input into network via a user interface. A peer forum system enables users to ask and answer questions. A forums database captures questions and answers provided via the peer forum system. A stage database pulls and stores questions from the forums database. A question router pulls the questions from the stage database and finds peers who can answer the questions using a peer search module that uses implicit and explicit user profiles to determine the best subject matter experts to answer the questions. A set of throttle rules is associated with the question router for determining if a peer is eligible to answer a question. A delivery system delivers a communication to eligible peers requesting an answer to the question.

主权项

1. A peer forum system for routing questions and answers among peers having common interests, the peer forum system being implemented on a digital computer network and comprising:
a user interface operatively associated with a digital computer for enabling user information to be input via the digital computer network; and a question router associated with the digital computer network, said question router being adapted to automatically route questions to relevant peers, thereby increasing question and answer rates provided by the peer forum system, said question router comprising:
a forums database for capturing questions and answers provided via the peer forum system;a stage database associated with the forums database for pulling questions from the forums database and storing the questions;a peer search module associated with the stage database for pulling the questions from the stage database and finding peers who can answer the questions;a recommendation engine operatively associated with the peer search module for recommending peers who can answer the question;a peer profile database associated with the recommendation engine that stores explicit and implicit profiles for each of the peers;a set of throttle rules associated with the peer search module for determining if peers found by the peer search module are eligible to be sent a communication requesting the peers to answer the question; anda communication delivery system for delivering the communication to eligible peers; wherein:
the implicit profiles for the peers comprise user-related information relating to independent behavior of the peers on the digital computer network; andthe user-related information relating to independent behavior of the peers on the digital computer network comprises at least one of search terms used, documents read, and alerts set up on the digital computer network.