Expertise-Based Multi-User Communication Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

In multi-user communications, participants with the most experience and knowledge may be overshadowed by less experienced participants, and moderators often struggle to identify who has the most expertise on a particular topic, leading to inefficient contribution and decision-making processes.

Innovation Solution

A method that identifies users participating in a multi-user communication, determines the topic, calculates a topical expertise score based on media access quality and duration, and ranks users accordingly, allowing for the modification of participation parameters such as moderation rights or transmission priority based on their expertise level.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If all participants are given equal participation opportunities in multi-user communication, then every participant can contribute freely, but participants with less experience may overshadow those with the most expertise, reducing the quality of contributions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticipation accessibilityVSAvoidexpertise identification accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different participation parameters to different users based on their topical expertise. Users with higher expertise levels receive enhanced participation rights (such as priority speaking, ability to interrupt, or weighted voting), while less experienced users have standard participation rights. This creates localized quality differences in participation based on individual user attributes rather than uniform treatment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes participation parameters (such as speaking priority, message visibility, or decision weight) based on the determined topical expertise levels of users. The expertise determination module calculates expertise scores based on user profiles, contribution history, and topic relevance, then adjusts participation parameters accordingly to ensure expert opinions have appropriate influence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If a moderator is assigned to control individual contributions, then contribution quality can be managed, but the moderator may not know which participant has the most experience or knowledge on a particular topic

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontribution controlVSAvoidexpertise information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an automated expertise determination module as an intermediary between users and the moderation process. This module objectively assesses user expertise based on predefined criteria (such as contribution quality, topic knowledge, and participation history) and provides expertise rankings to the moderator or system, eliminating the need for the moderator to manually evaluate who has the most knowledge on each topic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables users to self-demonstrate their expertise through their participation patterns, contribution quality, and topic engagement. The expertise determination module automatically tracks and evaluates these behaviors, allowing users to earn higher participation parameters through demonstrated expertise rather than requiring external validation from the moderator.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If participation parameters are modified based on topical expertise ranking, then expert contributions are given prominence, but the system complexity increases due to expertise determination and ranking mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecision-making effectivenessVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary determination of user expertise levels before the multi-user communication begins. User profiles, expertise areas, and initial rankings are pre-established based on available data (such as user credentials, past contributions, or topic affiliations). This preliminary action allows the system to quickly apply appropriate participation parameters without complex real-time calculations during the communication itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where user contributions are continuously evaluated against expertise criteria, and participation parameters are dynamically adjusted based on this feedback. The expertise determination module monitors contribution quality, topic relevance, and participation patterns, providing ongoing feedback that refines expertise rankings and adjusts participation parameters accordingly, creating a self-optimizing system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9871925B2Managing a multi-user communication based on the topical expertise of one or more users
Publication Date: 2018.01.16 LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
  • US9871925B2 patent drawing
  • US9871925B2 patent drawing
  • US9871925B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and a computer program product for causing a processor to perform the method, where the method includes identifying a plurality of users participating in a multi-user communication, determining a topic of the multi-user communication, obtaining a topical expertise level relative to the topic for each of the identified users, ranking each user participating in the multi-user communication according to the topical expertise level for each user, and modifying, for one or more of the users, at least one parameter of participation in the multi-user communication according to the topical expertise rank of the one or more users.