Patent ID: 7389280

Claim:
A method utilizing the processing activity of a computer which is present in a computer-based knowledge system for outputting problem diagnoses in a defined, plural-problem-type knowledge domain based upon user-introduced data including EDP and problem-type content, and where the system possesses a defined-knowledge-domain database which contains bodies of both normalized and non-normalized, problem-type-associated EDPs that are (1) linked by relevance short-cutting, and (2) organized into different, problem-type-associated Result Keys, said method comprising the computer-implemented steps of reviewing such user-introduced EDP and problem-type data content to identify all system-known results, including plural, different problem-type results, which contain the user-introduced EDP data content, with respect to all such known results so identified, examining the respective, associated Master Keys, where each Master Key is a collection of all EDPs that are associated with a single result, these EDPs being organized into one or more Result Key(s) which, where plural Result Keys are involved, point with different degrees of certainty to the same result which is associated with the Master Key, for each such associated and examined Master Key, looking therein for an associated Result Key hit, and following said looking step, and on the occurrence of, and in relation to, such a Result Key hit, outputting, for use by the system user, a problem diagnosis associated with the user-input EDP and problem-type data content.