Patent ID: 7065536

Claim:
A method for real-time automated maintenance of an electronic database, said method comprising: providing a value parameter associated with each individual data component within said database; tracking a use history of each of said individual data components via said value parameter; assigning a set number of points to a data component each time said component is retrieved by a user-entered request for data, wherein said set number of points is utilized to update a total within said value parameter; wherein at least one of the individual data components is a recipe that includes processes for completion of a user-defined goal and objective, said method further comprising: triggering a reward-issuing feature that results in a user receiving a reward for generating a new recipe that is accepted for publication within said database; assigning a point to a recipe each time said recipe is utilized by a user; responsive to a recipe being utilized more than a maximum threshold number of times, providing an additional reward to the user who generated said recipe; and dynamically determining when a particular component within said database fails to accumulate at least a minimum threshold number of points over a predetermined time period; and removing said particular component from said database when said component fails to accumulate the minimum threshold number of points.