Abstract: A system for generating and retrieving relevant electronic information required by a user initiating an electronic search on the system. The system comprise a user-interactive search engine and a knowledge database, which stores knowledge information that is formatted. Additionally, the system includes a plurality of functional software modules that enables a user to complete an interactive search and find a solution to a task based on entered context information and keywords. A list of keywords are displayed to the user and the user selects those keywords that are relevant to the solution desired. The search engine looks for the articles containing the identified keywords. If no article is found with the search terms, the search is expanded to the Internet. The user may then modify the information returned from the Internet, format the information and save the information as a new recipe.

Abstract: A method for real-time automated maintenance of an electronic database. A value parameter is associated with each data component. The use history of each of the individual data components is tracked using the value parameter. A set number of points is assigned to each data component each time the component is retrieved in response to a user-entered search request. The set number of points is added to the value parameter. A minimum threshold value is established and at pre-determine time intervals a check is made to determine if any data component within the database fails to accumulate at least a minimum threshold number of points. Data components that have not accumulated the minimum number of points are removed from the database. When a new data component is added to the database, a default point value is assigned to the value parameter of the new component.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for enabling users of a search engine to utilize and create recipes for a knowledge database by tracking user responses. The user-entered query (goal or objective) is parsed and intelligent search techniques are utilized to provide a list of items, which are saved as the result set. If no hits occur, articles are returned from an external database, and the user is prompted to create a recipe from the returned articles. The created recipe becomes the user's solution to the problem. The user-created recipe is saved and fed back to the database where an administrator eventually approves it if it provides a viable solution to the task. The user is then provided a reward for providing the recipe. In this manner, database updates are driven by what the user's actually want and not what the system administrator thinks the users want.

Abstract: A system for generating and retrieving relevant electronic information required by a user initiating an electronic search on the system. The system comprise a user-interactive search engine and a knowledge database, which stores knowledge information that is formatted. Additionally, the system includes a plurality of functional software modules that enables a user to complete an interactive search and find a solution to a task based on entered context information and keywords. A list of keywords are displayed to the user and the user selects those keywords that are relevant to the solution desired. The search engine looks for the articles containing the identified keywords. If no article is found with the search terms, the search is expanded to the Internet. The user may then modify the information returned from the Internet, format the information and save the information as a new recipe.

Abstract: A method for real-time automated maintenance of an electronic database. A value parameter is associated with each data component. The use history of each of the individual data components is tracked using the value parameter. A set number of points is assigned to each data component each time the component is retrieved in response to a user-entered search request. The set number of points is added to the value parameter. A minimum threshold value is established and at pre-determine time intervals a check is made to determine if any data component within the database fails to accumulate at least a minimum threshold number of points. Data components that have not accumulated the minimum number of points are removed from the database. When a new data component is added to the database, a default point value is assigned to the value parameter of the new component.