FI105241B - Method for transfer and application of knowledge in a data system - Google Patents

Description

5, 105241

METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING AND USING INFORMATION IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEM - FÖRFARANDE FÖR ÖVERFÖRING OCH ANVÄNDNING AV KUNSKAP I ETT DATASYSTEM

The invention relates to a method for entering, transmitting and using information as set forth in the preamble of claim 1 and to a communication system as set out in the preamble of claim 3.

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The method according to the invention is a geographically dispersed expert system used nationally and internationally for processing query and notification data provided by users from intelligent terminal units as input data. 15 Information is fed from smart terminals of customers connected to the data network to each regional central unit, from where the input data can also be read from smart terminals from anywhere.

20 At present, only manual filing systems and very basic computerized solutions for finding business partners or subcontractors are known. Teletext has also been used as an aid to the oil supply market. However, the current sub-stock exchanges are all inactive and rarely and centrally updated. The centralized upgrade results in the low value added of the proxy services and their static nature,. with outdated information. Further, partnering or the like is slow, expensive and too sporadic so that no synergistic benefit can be generated. Also, the aforementioned services do not currently offer any kind of "intelligent" and automatic browsing or pre-qualification by users.

However, competition in international markets also means' 'small skilled companies' need to be able to adapt 35 significantly faster than the current situation to meet the challenges of change. It also has the disadvantage that many opportunities have been missed due to lack of language skills and marketing skills and resources. unused.

40 2 105241 For the purposes of this invention, communication primarily refers to the search, collection, processing, and "mailing" of organizations such as corporate real-time needs (e.g., synergies) at any given time. for those interested in a computer-5 assisted and internationally implemented information system. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages and to provide a new type of computer-aided, highly automated user-language-independent communication system 10 among all users involved in the system, free from the drawbacks of existing systems. The system can significantly reduce the time it takes to find a partner, improve search results, and help you develop a new or emerging partner that requires expensive investments.

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In practice, this means, for example, the transition from one-to-one cooperation to the establishment of national and international cooperation networks between companies, utilizing eg. the opportunities offered by new information technology to find the 20 best-performing jobs in the market quickly.

One such solution is described in the applicant's earlier Finnish patent application FI901595. In this application; “In the solution presented in Figure 25, finding a partner (including buying, selling, technology and development) and gathering synergistic needs for businesses to build new investments or business development can be accomplished significantly faster and better with a new type of brokerage service called the Synergy Exchange. The technical implementation of the Synergy Exchange is based on the potential of next-generation computer technology.

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At this stage, the Synergy Exchange offers industry new opportunities to find profitable ways of doing business as well. Necessary for new situations. It is crucially easier than ever before to find partners with the Synergy Exchange.

3 105241 The operation of the system is based on the network of regional Synergy Exchange brokerage services established in different countries, the Synergy Exchange Regional Centers, which collect the offers regionally and print out to the inquirers the 5 offers that meet the needs of each inquirer. As a function, the Synergy Exchange includes both terminal units and an unlimited number of regional central units, which communicate with each other, providing information from whistleblowers to its inquirers.

The method according to the invention is characterized in what is stated in the characterizing part of claim 1. Similarly, the communication system according to the invention is characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim 3.

In the method of the invention, the automatic language conversion of the system is based on a structure modeled on industry and application, which describes both the content and the functional structure with detailed criteria. The entire content and its criteria have become established over the course of the 20s and decades, i.e., for example, turning with different alternatives is the same all over the world, regardless of why it is called in different countries. The modeled structure makes it easy to set up a native language interface in each country. The system handles automatic language conversion. . 25 when seeking a partner from another country.

The process of the invention provides significant advantages over current practice. Industry alone achieves e.g. The following benefits:. \ - The profitability conditions of traditional subcontracting (subcontracting) will improve as the "unproductive" work of both main and subcontractor is reduced, especially in the SME industry. A significant improvement is the increase in alternatives and the shortening of the time needed to find the right partner for each partner.

*, - Responsiveness and speed to market changes will be enhanced by quickly and easily assembling synergistic needs as the starting point for new or emerging business. This feature 4 105241 represents an entirely new type of development environment for most SMEs with financing arrangements for new investments.

- Improvement in profitability as business resumes at 5 (more market-based things to be done in less time).

- Businesses can concentrate profitably on fewer technologies, including modern technology, because Synergy Exchange 10 brings together the scattered needs of several client companies to form a basis for new business across a broad and international sphere. This will allow for the practical implementation of network economy activities, which will significantly reduce the vulnerability of subcontracting chains.

15 - The market is expanding.

- The importance of the geographical location of companies is decreasing as Foreign customers also find Finnish companies precisely because of their 20 competencies.

- The availability and financing of new investments will increase and improve. The assessment and management of investment-related risks will also be improved.

25 - The search for a partner is possible with more precise criteria and answers are based on information updated by the service and product providers at any time.

30 - Build business chains faster and improve management.

- Reduce the dependency of the various functions on the system as the expertise of the system in companies and regional Synergy exchanges increases.

- Finding and transferring new technologies that are needed regionally • I (companies - universities - research institutes ...).

5 105241 - Everyone can use their native language to find a partner.

The combined effect of these benefits is the establishment of internationally competitive businesses.

The method of the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 10 shows the connections of regional synergy exchanges nationally and further between states, Figure 2 illustrates a method of the invention applied as a block diagram for use Figures 3 further illustrates, in block diagram form, the following step selected from the Industrial Applications subgroup, Figure 4 further illustrates in block diagram form the next step selected from Subgroup 20 of Figure 3, entitled "Manufacturing of Components," 6-13 illustrate various exemplary menus which are characterized by their content.

Synergy Exchange graphical user interface and implemented in accordance with the multimedia principle.

In order that the method of the invention may be more fully understood, the background Synergy Exchange to which the method of the invention is applicable will first be described.

Synergy Exchange includes expert system-based computer software and hardware needed to run the software.

35 Regional Synergy Stock Exchanges are the basic units for each country and for international operations. Their task is to act as a builder of the regional cooperation network, so that each region can be searched for wherever necessary and vice versa. In industry, for example, you can focus on both traditional subcontracting (buying and selling) and the search for experts, such as product development, production or business development needs.

5 In addition, transportation, training, labor, etc. services can be implemented at significantly lower costs and more efficiently with applications built for the purpose of the Synergy Exchange. In addition, synergistic needs will be gathered from each area to develop an existing business 10 or to start a new business.

The internal structure of the Synergy Exchange, together with its criteria, is based on the existing practices of the companies and more broadly, the organizations and the selection criteria of the partners. Its activities can be divided into two parts: the existing capacity, the purchasing and sales segment (traditional subcontracting) according to the current workload situation of the companies, and the capacity based on emerging needs, being renewed or being developed entirely. The latter serves as an essential accelerator of regional business development.

It is essential that the user does not have to navigate through any electronic bulletin boards, but simply to enter industry-specific or application-specific criteria for what they are searching for or offering through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. For example, a company in the role of a prime supplier defines what they want to buy at any given time. The purchase and its selection criteria are prepared through a "smart" interface and fed into the Syneria Stock Exchange network. Thereafter, Synergia Exchange will auto-execute a business search so that it will print out both fully tailored subcontracting companies and the best possible, albeit not fully matched, companies based on differently prioritized needs. The buyer can then check with the vendor companies themselves to find out which one (s) are best suited to partner with. For example, if your search is unsuccessful or your partner is too long-term, ·! the need can be defined in the development capability database 7 105241 eg for six months. When other companies have a similar need, they accumulate under the same search heading. Once the volume is large enough, any company can enroll and invite interested companies to consult, either by email or by traditional means. The capability to be developed can be some modern, expensive investment in new technology for which no single company has been able to procure. An example of the other extreme might be a need that can be solved from a spinn-10 off, or by utilizing some new innovation, since the concept is that the needs of the Synergy Exchange can be "browsed" not only by companies but also by universities and research institutes. Naturally, both the seller and the buyer can leave their search "fished" naturally, 15 so that the effects of changing situations every day - for example due to different cancellations - can be reversed. Everything is based on "intelligent" sorting of messages and their automatic transmission based on the search criteria presented. Significantly, the system is 20 open and fair to all users.

Once a partner is found, the actual trading can be done either traditionally or in paperless form via electronic data interchange (EDI). The Synergy Exchange also includes EDI-ready integration.

The user interface is implemented with three programs, which are: Form Filler, Message Reader and Data Transfer Program. The user interface is a modern or equivalent 30 through which the user interface communicates with each user's own regional central computer, i.e. a regional node, to other regional centers or data networks according to the geographic search area defined by the user. Connecting the user interface to information networks utilizes a public telephone network. The public 35 telephone networks communicate asynchronously, i.e. when the traffic is terminated, the connection is disconnected. The language of communication, or protocol, is determined by a common standard for the modern. Communication from the UI to the Node is a three-step process: the connection is established to a 105241 8 gateway between networks, then the connection request is routed to a regionally "own" node on the international data network, and finally the actual communication between the UI and the Node. In communicating, the public 5 telephone network only acts as a data path, so it is insensitive to what information and in what language information is being transmitted across the network.

The second step of the connection begins when the computer in the gateway connecting the various data networks formulates a connection request from a user interface sent by the interface to a regional node on the Synergy Exchange according to a certain protocol. At this stage, the data packets are not yet transmitted, and the network performs several checks. If there are no obstacles to the data transfer, the Synergy Exchange node will give the computer of the data network permission to start the data transfer, i.e. to send the data. In the user interface, this is shown by unlocking the send buttons.

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In the third step, the actual information is transferred in packets from the user interface to the node machine. From the gateway of the public telephone network to the data network used, the information passes through the data network in computer-generated packets. The system takes 25 positions only on where the packets are routed, how the packets are packaged, what protocol the two terminal devices, i.e. modern, talk to each other, and how to handle error situations. The information network is completely insensitive to what information and in what language the packages are in, as long as the packages are packaged in a specific format. 30 Once the user interface information has been transferred, the user can close the connection with his or her own modern device, which also causes the connection to be disconnected.

A message transmitted on a Synergy Exchange node machine is processed so that its information content grows. Such processing is, for example, the language conversion of the message. However, the actual information is not changed. After processing, the message is directed to a specific part of the application which makes the actual comparison or, 105241 recording, based on what was said in the mandatory part of the message. The same application also formulates any response received by the user, which is sent to the user in the manner specified in the mandatory part of the message.

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The method of the invention, wherein each user can communicate in his or her own language, is based on hierarchical levels accessible to the user through a user interface. The hierarchy of the message and the control of possible choices make the message structured 10 and thus enable language conversion. The language conversion works by communicating with the system user in the language he / she uses. Messages made in different languages are interpreted as so-called. into a generic (code) format through a conversion table that can be maintained and developed 15 precisely because of the hierarchy and structure of the messages.

The various hierarchical levels according to the invention are schematically illustrated in Figures 2-4 in the light of an example. The main alternatives selected for the example: "Industrial Applications 1992", "Subcontracting 20 from Work to Production Factors and Installations", "Manufacture of Parts", "Mechanical Parts" and "Castings" are shown in bold.

The form hierarchy that enables the method of the invention is shown in Table 1. In this example, the options selected are in bold. The description of the form hierarchy in Table 1 is a more detailed description of the options available to the user from the system-provided form template after selecting "Castings". The application to be used, which is an example of "Partial Procurement Mediation" and the role of the user described in the example, i.e. "Buyer 30 system", are already specified when the user interface is installed, so they do not have to be selected separately. The same interface can have both buyer and seller roles. These are shipped with separate program disks. Similarly, the applications "Subcontracting brokerage", "Technology brokerage", "Transportation", "Tek-35 wholesale", etc. are delivered on separate software disks, each of which also includes the role of buyer and seller. "Subcontracting" still has sub-items selected from "Mechanical Engineering" in the example.

10 105241

DOCUMENT HIERARCHY

5 Subcontracting agency Mechanical engineering Purchaser system Manufacture of parts Mechanical parts 10 Castings

Iron and steel castings Gray cast iron

MESSAGE

Aluminum Castings 15 Steps Application: Mechanical Engineering

Sand mold Supply level: Manufacture of parts

Shell Mold Product family: Castings

Chill Casting Mold - Type: Gray Iron Casting - Work Steps: Shell Mold 20 Precision Casting Mold Materials: Gray Cast Iron

Materials Search area: South of England

Structural Steel Gray Cast Iron 25 GRP Cast Iron

Search area

Own regional center Southern Finland Eastern Finland 30

Bavaria (Germany)

South East England

Table 1 35

The right side of Table 1 summarizes the options selected by the Finnish-language user interface, which is sent as a message to the data network.

40 Table 2 shows the language version version table according to the invention applied to the example described. Certain table fields such as "Application" can be set by default · already when installing the user interface.

u 105241

FIELD ID FINLAND ENGLISH ETC.

Application: A1 Mechanical Engineering Machine Construction A2 Plastic Industry Plastic industry A3 Space Industry Space industry

Purchase Level: B1 Manufacturing Techniques Manufacturing Technologies B2 Manufacturing of Parts Manufactured Components B3 Subassemblies Subassemblies and modules • · ·

Product family: D4 Castings Casts F5 Oxygen cuttings F6 Fittings Metal plate parts • «

Type: G2 Gray cast iron Gray castiron casts

Steps: G78 Shell Mold Shell Mold

Materials: J7 Gray Cast Cast Iron (gray) J8 Structural Steel Construction Steel J9 Aluminum Aluminum

Searching area: H13 Southern England Southern England

Length: K

Width: L

Height: M

Quality system: P1 ISO 9001 ISO 9001 P2 ISO 9002 ISO 9002

Testing: Q1 Radiographic Radiographic Q2 X-ray X3 Q3 Penetration Fluid Penetration fluid · · ·

Purchase Type: T1

AND SO ON

Table 2

In the left column of the table there is a field, in the next column the ID, that is, the code given to each of the criteria and the alternative 105241 12, in the third column the Finnish term corresponding to that code, then the corresponding English term, etc.

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The message according to Table 1 is sent in encoded form from the user to the national or international network. An example encoded message is: A1, B2, D4, 62, G78, J7 and H13. These codes are indexed memory-5 slot addresses of an n-dimensional table, where the corresponding "plain language" information in the memory locations is an element of the table. In multilingual versions, table locations are the same, but item information with the same meaning is in different languages. Thus, for example, the memory location AI in the table has the information "Machine Building" in the Finnish version, while the same 10 memory locations have the information "Machine construction", etc. The location information in the table is referred to herein as code. If users receive suggestions for adding any new information to the system, this information will be encoded (added to the new memory location in the table and given 15 indexed addresses) and updated centrally.

Table 3 shows how the example message is displayed to an English user.

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MESSAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH USER

INTERNET NETWORK

• A1 Application: Machine Construction 25 B2 Purchasing Level: Manufactured Components D4 Product Family: Casts G2 Type: Gray Castiron Casts G78 Manufacturing Techniques: Shell Molds J7 Materials: Castiron (Gray) 30 H13 Search Area: Southern England

Table 3

the use of automatic kielikonversion Synergy Exchange 35 will be described in the following by means of figures 6-13, there is shown a part of a Finnish language user interface according to the invention 1. In step VI, the address register is opened by clicking the yeast «105 241 13 ren the arrow button in the top bar of the screen is the option" points "into. The Address Register contains information, by country, on the areas from which you can query the Synergy Exchange. In step V2, further clicking on the mouse selects the target area (s). The choices below are all made by moving the arrow on the screen to the desired option and clicking the mouse button. Step V3 moves to the form template that best meets the user's need. First, select "Form" and then select "10", after which the "Fill in form", "Save", "New form" and "Exit" functions of the form filler drop down menu will be displayed. Select "New form" in step V4 because a new message is being filled. In Step V5, the procurement level is selected, which in this example is "Parts Manufacture". 15 Acquisition levels appear in their own drop-down menu, and if there are so many that not all appear in the menu window at the same time, they can be scrolled vertically. In the next step V6, from the next level of hierarchy, again select "Mechanical parts" from its scrollable drop-down menu, and finally, in step 20 V7, a single template "Casting" is still selected from its scrollable drop-down menu.

Now the user is presented with a form template starting from Figure 9 and also shown in a different form in Table 1. 25 The form template has about 30 different criteria with one or more criteria; pia filling options. Some of the criteria, such as "Parts Manufacturing" and "Casting", have their value based on the already completed form hierarchy in steps V1-V7. Various dialog boxes are displayed sequentially from which the user selects the desired criteria. Figure 10 shows how the user fills in the form as desired in step V8. Finally, in step V9, the user selects the "Done!" Option, whereupon the program transfers the file to the outbox's electronic mailbox.

35 Once the form is completed, return to the form filler action options by clicking "Option" V10 and in step Vll the user can save the form as a pre-filled template for later use. Finally, the user exits the fill 105241 14 filler program under "Quit" V12. When appropriate, the user, in step V13, sends a message to its own area center, i.e., regional node 9, from where it is forwarded to one or more area centers (e.g.

5 8, 13 or 14). Finally, the user returns to the beginning by performing step V14, from which he enters the incoming message reader. The user receives messages if he or she receives them, each time he or she sends messages. The user selects the message V16 he wants to read and then enters the message reader 10 by selecting "Read", step V15.

All user interface functions according to the invention are hierarchically menu driven, so that the language in which the menus are executed is exactly the same for the Synergy Exchange node machine. All fillable positions are coded so that each user sees the options to be filled in their own language, but similarly, the system sees the same option in the same hierarchical level, always encoded in the same way, regardless of who has selected the fill point and in which language.

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Figure 5 shows the interface of Synergy Exchange user interfaces and regional nodes to public information networks. The user interface 1, 18, 20 connects to either a regional dial-up telephone network 3, 17, 19 with an asynchronous modern 2 or an X.25 network 25 with size 6, 11, 12 (also called a national WAN, or: Wide Area Network) synchronous modern 2 communication cable 7. In the figure, the same modern corresponds to both modem types. The optional, or public, telephone network 3, 17, 19 is connected to the X.25 network by a gateway 5, 15, 16. The gateway-30 also has asynchronous modem 4s that communicate with the computer in the gateway to the computer on the X.25 network, which in turn routes the communication to the regional node 8, 9, 13, 14 with synchronous modern. From the regional node, the message may continue to be sent to any other regional node. Although the regional node machine is overseas, the address is in the same format as any other regional node machine. The X.400 protocol is used between the nodes, with 105241 15 networks in almost all Western countries. This allows the network address configuration to be consistent. Thus, for example, a message sent from Finland via the X.400 protocol is routed abroad to the correct address just as it is routed domestically. 5 Between different countries The X.4OO messaging system (Digipak, Diginet, ... in Finland) uses data transmission paths that already exist between countries. In each country, the regional Synergy Exchange network consists of the same components as in Finland. In Figure 5, the dashed line 21 represents the borders of different states.

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It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the example described above, but may vary within the scope of the following claims.

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Claims (3)

A method for input, transmission and use of information in a computer system, where the input data is structurally and content-specific query and response data, which data with pre-restricted access is input via one or more intelligent terminal units to separate node computers where input and response data can be read by means of one or more intelligent terminal devices connected to the node computers, characterized in that the method comprises at least the following phases: the data input to the intelligent terminal unit (1,18,20) is arranged as elements in a n-dimensional table in the terminal unit such that when data in an element has the same meaning, they are always placed independently of the language at the same address / memory location in the table; the address of the memory location of an element in the table is denoted in the system by a code statement transmitted from the terminal unit to the node computer (8,9,13,14); 20. from the node computer, the code information is further transmitted to other terminal units and / or node computers; the address of the memory location corresponding to the address specified by the code information is selected in the terminal unit (1,18,20) and displayed to the user of the terminal unit in the selected language. • '· Method according to claim 1, characterized in that new codes are centrally supplied to the system, whereby the input is entered into the system and the code information indicating the address corresponding to the input data. 3. A data transmission system in a computer system, where the input data is structurally and content-specific query and response data, which data can be input with pre-limited authority via one or more intelligent terminal units to separate node computers where input and response data can be read with by means of one or more intelligent terminal units connected to the node computers, characterized in that the system comprises: organizing means by which the data input to the intelligent terminal unit (1,18,20) is arranged as elements in an n-dimensional table in the terminal unit, say 5. that when data in an element has the same meaning, the independent of the language is always at the same address / memory location in the table; designation means by which the memory location of an element in the table is denoted by a code statement in the system; io - transfer means by which the code information is transmitted from the terminal unit to the node computer (8,9,13,14) and transmission means by which the code data is transferred from the node computer to other terminal units and / or node computers; means by which the address of the memory location corresponding to the address specified by the code information is selected in the terminal unit (1,18,20) and displayed to the user of the terminal unit in the selected language. • · 'a a a v