INTRODUCTION

1. Field

This disclosure relates to processing user provided information and more particularly to processing user provided information for ranking information modules.

2. Description of Related Art

A large proportion of a group, business, organization, or society's value may rest in the knowledge and expertise of its members or employees. Some computer systems may be configured to try to understand and/or utilize the knowledge of members or employees. For example, organizations may implement computer systems which facilitate communication with employees. This may include, for example, a computer system for bug reports or wiki entries that can be used by employees to request and/or offer knowledge on various subjects. However, these computer systems may suffer from various drawbacks.

SUMMARY

The disclosure describes a computer-implemented method of processing user provided information from a plurality of users in a digital network for ranking one or more information modules. The method involves causing at least one processor to store in memory respective user assessment weights, each of the user assessment weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to information module assessments, causing the at least one processor to receive a proxy nomination message including a proxy user identifier identifying a proxy user that a nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy in providing information, and causing the at least one processor to change the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user based on the proxy nomination message. The method also involves causing the at least one processor to, for one or more information modules of the plurality of information modules: receive information module assessments, each of the information module assessments associated with a user of the plurality of users, generate weighted assessments, each of the weighted assessments based on one of the information module assessments received and a user assessment weight associated with a user associated with the information module assessment, and aggregate the weighted assessments to generate an aggregated weighted assessment associated with the information module. The method also involves causing the at least one processor to rank a set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the aggregated weighted assessments.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to produce signals for causing at least one ranking display to display the set of the plurality of information modules in an order based on the ranking.

Causing the at least one processor to update the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user may involve causing the at least one processor to increase the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to update the user assessment weight associated with the nominating user based on the proxy nomination message.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to, for each of the plurality of users: determine the user assessment weight value for the user based on an experience value representing a formal position of the user.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to receive a search query and causing the at least one processor to rank the set of the plurality of information modules may involve causing the at least one processor to rank the set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the search query.

The method may further involve: causing the at least one processor to receive a plurality of responses to the inquiry, each of the responses associated with one of the plurality of users, wherein the plurality of responses may involve one or more sets of corresponding responses, and causing the at least one processor to determine a score for each set of corresponding responses.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to, for each of the responses received: update a user engagement value for the user associated with the response, and determine the user assessment weight value for the user associated with the response based on the updated user engagement value.

The method may further involve: causing the at least one processor to determine user response weights, each of the user response weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to a response to the inquiry provided by the user, the user response weight associated with the proxy user determined based on the proxy nomination message. Causing the at least one processor to determine the score for each set of corresponding responses may involve aggregating user response weights associated with corresponding responses.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to produce signals for causing at least one response score display to display a representation of the scores.

Causing the at least one processor to determine the user response weight associated with the proxy user may involve causing the at least one processor to determine a proxy weight modification value.

Causing the at least one processor to determine the proxy weight modification value may involve causing the at least one processor to determine a user response weight associated with the nominating user and causing the at least one processor to derive the proxy weight modification value from the determined user response weight associated with the nominating user.

Causing the at least one processor to derive the proxy weight modification value may involve: causing the at least one processor to set the proxy weight modification value to a sum of the user response weight associated with the nominating user and a proxy modifier.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to determine a nominator modifier associated with the nominating user and causing the at least one processor to derive the proxy modifier based on the nominator modifier.

The proxy modifier may be greater than the nominator modifier

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to produce signals representing an information request for causing at least one information request display to present the information request to the nominating user and the proxy user identifier of the proxy nomination message may identify the proxy user as a user that the nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy for the nominating user for responding to the information request.

The method may further involve causing the at least one processor to produce signals for causing a proxy nomination to be stored in memory, the proxy nomination including an identification of the proxy user and an identification of the nominating user and representing the nomination of the proxy user by the nominating user.

The disclosure also describes an apparatus for processing user provided information from a plurality of users in a digital network for ranking one or more information modules. The apparatus includes at least one processor configured to store in memory respective user assessment weights, each of the user assessment weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to information module assessments, receive a proxy nomination message including a proxy user identifier identifying a proxy user that a nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy in providing information, and change the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user based on the proxy nomination message. The at least one processor is also configured to for one or more information modules of the plurality of information modules: receive information module assessments, each of the information module assessments associated with a user of the plurality of users, generate weighted assessments, each of the weighted assessments based on one of the information module assessments received and a user assessment weight associated with a user associated with the information module assessment, and aggregate the weighted assessments to generate an aggregated weighted assessment associated with the information module. The at least one processor is also configured to rank a set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the aggregated weighted assessments.

The at least one processor may be configured to produce signals for causing at least one ranking display to display the set of the plurality of information modules in an order based on the ranking.

The at least one processor may be configured to update the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user by increasing the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user.

The at least one processor may be configured to update the user assessment weight associated with the nominating user based on the proxy nomination message.

The at least one processor may be configured to, for each of the plurality of users: determine the user assessment weight value for the user based on an experience value representing a formal position of the user.

The at least one processor may be configured to receive a search query and the at least one processor may be configured to rank the set of the plurality of information modules by ranking the set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the search query.

The at least one processor may be configured to: receive a plurality of responses to the inquiry, each of the responses associated with one of the plurality of users, wherein the plurality of responses may include one or more sets of corresponding responses, and determine a score for each set of corresponding responses.

The at least one processor may be configured to, for each of the responses received: update a user engagement value for the user associated with the response, and determine the user assessment weight value for the user associated with the response based on the updated user engagement value.

The at least one processor may be configured to determine user response weights, each of the user response weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to a response to the inquiry provided by the user, the user response weight associated with the proxy user determined based on the proxy nomination message. The at least one processor may be configured to determine the score for each set of corresponding responses by aggregating user response weights associated with corresponding responses.

The at least one processor may be configured to produce signals for causing at least one response score display to display a representation of the scores.

The at least one processor may be configured to determine the user response weight associated with the proxy user by determining a proxy weight modification value.

The at least one processor may be configured to determine the proxy weight modification value by determining a user response weight associated with the nominating user and deriving the proxy weight modification value from the determined user response weight associated with the nominating user.

The at least one processor may be configured to derive the proxy weight modification value by setting the proxy weight modification value to a sum of the user response weight associated with the nominating user and a proxy modifier.

The at least one processor may be configured to determine a nominator modifier associated with the nominating user and derive the proxy modifier based on the nominator modifier.

The proxy modifier may be greater than the nominator modifier

The at least one processor may be configured to produce signals representing an information request for causing at least one information request display to present the information request to the nominating user and the proxy user identifier of the proxy nomination message identifies the proxy user as a user that the nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy for the nominating user for responding to the information request.

The at least one processor may be configured to produce signals for causing a proxy nomination to be stored in memory, the proxy nomination including an identification of the proxy user and an identification of the nominating user and representing the nomination of the proxy user by the nominating user.

The disclosure also describes a system for processing user provided information from a plurality of users in a digital network for ranking one or more information modules. The system includes provisions for storing in memory respective user assessment weights, each of the user assessment weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to information module assessments, provisions for receiving a proxy nomination message including a proxy user identifier identifying a proxy user that a nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy in providing information, and provisions for changing the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user based on the proxy nomination message. The system also includes provisions for, for one or more information modules of the plurality of information modules: receiving information module assessments, each of the information module assessments associated with a user of the plurality of users, generating weighted assessments, each of the weighted assessments based on one of the information module assessments received and a user assessment weight associated with a user associated with the information module assessment, and aggregating the weighted assessments to generate an aggregated weighted assessment associated with the information module. The system also includes provisions for ranking a set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the aggregated weighted assessments.

The system may further include provisions for causing at least one ranking display to display the set of the plurality of information modules in an order based on the ranking.

The provisions for updating the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user may include provisions for increasing the user assessment weight associated with the proxy user.

The system may further include provisions for updating the user assessment weight associated with the nominating user based on the proxy nomination message.

The system may further include provisions for, for each of the plurality of users, determining the user assessment weight value for the user based on an experience value representing a formal position of the user.

The system may further include provisions for receiving a search query and the provisions for ranking the set of the plurality of information modules may include provisions for ranking the set of the plurality of information modules based at least in part on the search query.

The system may further include: provisions for receiving a plurality of responses to the inquiry, each of the responses associated with one of the plurality of users, wherein the plurality of responses may include one or more sets of corresponding responses, and provisions for determining a score for each set of corresponding responses.

The system may further include provisions for, for each of the responses received: updating a user engagement value for the user associated with the response, and determining the user assessment weight value for the user associated with the response based on the updated user engagement value.

The system may further include provisions for determining user response weights, each of the user response weights associated with a user of the plurality of users and representing a weight to be applied to a response to the inquiry provided by the user, the user response weight associated with the proxy user determined based on the proxy nomination message. The provisions for determining the score for each set of corresponding responses may include provisions for aggregating user response weights associated with corresponding responses.

The system may further include provisions for causing at least one response score display to display a representation of the scores.

The system may further include provisions for determining the user response weight associated with the proxy user by determining a proxy weight modification value.

The provisions for determining the proxy weight modification value may include provisions for determining a user response weight associated with the nominating user and provisions for deriving the proxy weight modification value from the determined user response weight associated with the nominating user.

The provisions for deriving the proxy weight modification value may include provisions for setting the proxy weight modification value to a sum of the user response weight associated with the nominating user and a proxy modifier.

The system may further include provisions for determining a nominator modifier associated with the nominating user and provisions for deriving the proxy modifier based on the nominator modifier.

The proxy modifier may be greater than the nominator modifier

The system may further include provisions for producing signals representing an information request for causing at least one information request display to present the information request to the nominating user and the proxy user identifier of the proxy nomination message may identify the proxy user as a user that the nominating user of the plurality of users wishes to act as a proxy for the nominating user for responding to the information request.

The system may further include provisions for producing signals for causing a proxy nomination to be stored in memory, the proxy nomination including an identification of the proxy user and an identification of the nominating user and representing the nomination of the proxy user by the nominating user.

The disclosure also describes a computer readable medium having stored thereon codes which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the above methods

Other aspects and features of embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

