Information Profile Clustering for Knowledge Worker Retrieval

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Solution Overview

Problem

Knowledge workers face difficulties in managing and retrieving specific information items from large personal collections, and existing systems lack effective methods to establish meaningful information-based social networks among individuals with shared interests.

Innovation Solution

The system generates an information profile for each user by clustering and ranking their information items, and infers social connections based on common information items, creating a network where stronger connections exist between individuals with more similar interests.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a person collects a large amount of information over time, then the quantity of information increases, but it becomes difficult to manage and retrieve specific information items

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequantity of informationVSAvoidease of information retrieval

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the large information collection into smaller, organized groups or clusters. The system automatically divides information items into categories based on content analysis, creating a hierarchical structure that makes retrieval easier. This segmentation transforms an unmanageable mass of information into organized, accessible segments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (automatic information management system) that acts as a mediator between the user and the large information collection. This intermediary automatically analyzes, organizes, and indexes information items, providing efficient retrieval mechanisms without requiring direct user intervention in the organization process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If existing systems store information without analysis, then storage simplicity is maintained, but meaningful social network connections cannot be established

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of storage systemVSAvoidability to establish social connections

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by automatically analyzing and organizing information items before they need to be used for social network establishment. The system pre-processes information by extracting key features, categorizing content, and creating indexes, so that when social network connections need to be established, the analysis is already complete and ready for immediate use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8990208B2Information management and networking

Publication Date: 2015.03.24 FUJITSU LTD

AI summary

In one embodiment, a personal information profile is constructed for a user having a collection of information items. The personal information profile comprises one or more information topics, and each information topic comprises one or more information items. Each information topic has an interesting score, which indicates a level of interest the user has in the information topic. In one embodiment, a social network is inferred among a group of users, each having a personal information profile. A connection exists between every two users that share at least one common-interest information topic, indicated by their respective personal information profiles.