Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile, having private and public portions with different access restrictions, commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with a first entity. The content may furthermore potentially be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. However, if the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content is automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile. The public portion of the profile may be freely accessible by other entities, whereas the private portion may have access restrictions.

Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile, having private and public portions with different access restrictions, commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with the first entity (e.g., may have been authored by or addressed to the first entity). The content may furthermore potentially be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. On the other hand, if the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content is automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile.

Abstract: A method of addressing a communication, such as an e-mail, for transmission over a network is disclosed. A knowledge server accesses a descriptive profile for each of a number of potential recipients of the communication. A subset of the potential recipients is identified as suggested recipients based on detected correspondences between the content of the communication and the contents of the respective descriptive profiles for the potential recipients. The subset of suggested recipients is then presented to the sender of the communication, in conjunction with an indication of the correspondence between the content of the communication and the contents of the respective descriptive profiles. The indication of the correspondence may, for example, include highlighting terms within the communication that match published terms within the descriptive profiles of the suggested recipients.

Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile, having private and public portions with different access restrictions, commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with a first entity. The content may be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. If the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content can be automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile. The public portion of the entity profile may be freely accessible by other entities, whereas the private portion may have access restrictions.

Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile having private and public portions commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with a first entity. The content may be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. If the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content can be automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile. The public portion of the entity profile may be freely accessible by other entities, whereas the private portion may have access restrictions.

Abstract: A method of constructing a profile comprising terms indicative of a characteristic of an entity commences when first electronic mail address, associated with a first entity, is created within a knowledge management system. The electronic mail address may be created automatically upon submission of an electronic mail document, or may be created manually by a systems administrator. A first electronic document is received via an electronic communications network at the first electronic mail address from a second entity, typically a user of the knowledge management system who is a registered and interactive user. The first electronic document is then parsed to identify profile terms therein. These profile terms are included within a first profile for the first entity. In this way, users of a knowledge management system may construct a profile of an entity (e.g., a customer) that is not a user of or participant within the knowledge management system.

Abstract: A method of assigning a confidence level to a term within an electronic document, such as an e-mail, includes the step of firstly determining a quantitative indicator in the exemplary form of an occurrence value, based on the number of occurrences of a particular term within an electronic document, and associating the occurrence term within the relevant term. Thereafter, a qualitative indicator, based on a quality of the term, is determined. For example, the qualitative indicator may be determined utilizing the parts of speech of words comprising the term. A confidence level value, which may be utilized to indicate a relative importance of the term in describing a user knowledge base, is then generated utilizing the quantitative and qualitative indicators.

Abstract: Knowledge neighborhoods are generated from concepts associated with knowledge profiles within an organization to create a knowledge taxonomy. A root concept is used to select a set of profiles associated with the root concept. At least one concept common to the set of profiles is determined and an affinity between the common concept and the root concept is derived. The common concept is a knowledge neighbor of the root concept. A set of one or more such knowledge neighbors forms one level of the knowledge neighborhood for the root concept. The knowledge neighborhood can grow through various levels by using one or more of the common concepts as a new root concept. A knowledge map can be employed to graphically illustrate the knowledge neighborhood.

Abstract: An agent in a knowledge management system automatically manages profile terms in a user profile by selecting certain terms in a private portion of the user profile and moving the selected terms to a public portion of the profile. Additionally, the selected terms can be further filtered to determine which will be moved. The owner of the user profile also may specify whether a particular term is always moved, never moved, or moved only when the user is alerted that the term is selected and the owner chooses to move the term.

Abstract: A method for facilitating user-authorized disclosure of profile information to a requesting entity involves the specification of notification and authorization rules pertaining to a composite profile or a collection of profiles. The notification and authorization rules specify appropriate responses to hits that occur as a result of matching operations against the composite profile or collection of profiles. The notification and authorization rules may specify appropriate responses on a profile by profile basis. The rules may further authorize publication of profile information to a requesting entity, or may specify that authorization for the publication of such information be expressly obtained from the subject (or owner) of the profile prior to any publication to the requesting entity. The composite profile, or collection of profiles, may include profile information submitted by a profile subject, or profile information harvested by an external profile owner (e.g., a website).

Abstract: A method of authorizing a user profile access request includes the step of detecting the access request from an inquiring user to access a user profile of a target user. Responsive to the detected access request, an authorization request is automatically generated and sent to the target user. In response to the authorization request, the target user may then authorize access to his or her user profile by the inquiring user. Of course, the target user may also decline access to the relevant user profile.

Abstract: An agent in a knowledge management system automatically manages profile terms in a user profile by selecting certain terms in a private portion of the user profile and moving the selected terms to a public portion of the profile. Additionally, the selected terms can be further filtered to determine which will be moved. The owner of the user profile also may specify whether a particular term is always moved, never moved, or moved only when the user is alerted that the term is selected and the owner chooses to move the term.

Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile, having private and public portions with different access restrictions, commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with the first entity (e.g., may have been authored by or addressed to the first entity). The content may furthermore potentially be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. On the other hand, if the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content is automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile.

Abstract: A method of assigning a confidence level to a term within an electronic document, such as an e-mail, includes the step of firstly determining a quantitative indicator in the exemplary form of an occurrence value, based on the number of occurrences of a particular term within an electronic document, and associating the occurrence term within the relevant term. Thereafter, a qualitative indicator, based on a quality of the term, is determined. For example, the qualitative indicator may be determined utilizing the parts of speech of words comprising the term. A confidence level value, which may be utilized to indicate a relative importance of the term in describing a user knowledge base, is then generated utilizing the quantitative and qualitative indicators.

Abstract: A method of constructing an entity profile, having private and public portions with different access restrictions, commences with the assignment of a confidence level to content within an electronic document. The electronic document may be associated with the first entity (e.g., may have been authored by or addressed to the first entity). The content may furthermore potentially be descriptive of the first entity. If the confidence level assigned to the content is less than a predetermined threshold, the content is automatically rejected for inclusion within the entity profile. On the other hand, if the confidence level assigned to the content exceeds the predetermined threshold, the content is included within the private portion of the entity profile. Thereafter, the content is automatically presented to the first entity for authorization, by the first entity, for inclusion of the content within the public portion of the profile.

Abstract: A method of authorizing a user profile access request includes the step of detecting the access request from an inquiring user to access a user profile of a target user. Responsive to the detected access request, an authorization request is automatically generated and sent to the target user. In response to the authorization request, the target user may then authorize access to his or her user profile by the inquiring user. Of course, the target user may also decline access to the relevant user profile.

Abstract: A method of constructing a profile comprising terms indicative of a characteristic of an entity commences when first electronic mail address, associated with a first entity, is created within a knowledge management system. The electronic mail address may be created automatically upon submission of an electronic mail document, or may be created manually by a systems administrator. A first electronic document is received via an electronic communications network at the first electronic mail address from a second entity, typically a user of the knowledge management system who is a registered and interactive user. The first electronic document is then parsed to identify profile terms therein. These profile terms are included within a first profile for the first entity. In this way, users of a knowledge management system may construct a profile of an entity (e.g., a customer) that is not a user of or participant within the knowledge management system.

Abstract: A method of assigning a confidence level to a term within an electronic document, such as an e-mail, includes the step of firstly determining a quantitative indicator in the exemplary form of an occurrence value, based on the number of occurrences of a particular term within an electronic document, and associating the occurrence term within the relevant term. Thereafter, a qualitative indicator, based on a quality of the term, is determined. For example, the qualitative indicator may be determined utilizing the parts of speech of words comprising the term. A confidence level value, which may be utilized to indicate a relative importance of the term in describing a user knowledge base, is then generated utilizing the quantitative and qualitative indicators.

Abstract: A method of constructing a profile comprising terms indicative of a characteristic of an entity commences when first electronic mail address, associated with a first entity, is created within a knowledge management system. The electronic mail address may be created automatically upon submission of an electronic mail document, or may be created manually by a systems administrator. A first electronic document is received via an electronic communications network at the first electronic mail address from a second entity, typically a user of the knowledge management system who is a registered and interactive user. The first electronic document is then parsed to identify profile terms therein. These profile terms are included within a first profile for the first entity. In this way, users of a knowledge management system may construct a profile of an entity (e.g., a customer) that is not a user of or participant within the knowledge management system.

Abstract: A method of authorizing a user profile access request includes the step of detecting the access request from an inquiring user to access a user profile of a target user. Responsive to the detected access request, an authorization request is automatically generated and sent to the target user. In response to the authorization request, the target user may then authorize access to his or her user profile by the inquiring user. Of course, the target user may also decline access to the relevant user profile.