Patent Document ID: 5548714
Application ID: 08030068
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A system for structuring technical and other information in a knowledge base in order to troubleshoot computer equipment and provide directions and training with technical equipment, comprising: means for storing a knowledge base; means for defining required concepts describing states in the knowledge base using definition functions, each definition function including node types indicating at least one of a type of information and an instruction that a node is to contain; reading means for reading into the knowledge base views containing pictures or graphic descriptions of technical equipment; input means for inputting plural nodes into the views to create points where at least one of additional information about various parts of the technical equipment and tests for various parts of the technical equipment are available, the input means inputting at least one node of said plural nodes as a rule node containing at least one rule having a condition part and a conclusion part, the condition part consisting of conditions for the technical equipment and the conclusion part containing measures to be taken if the conditions are fulfilled, and the means for storing the knowledge base comprising means to divide the knowledge base into a base block and other blocks, the base block containing information common to all the blocks and information about linking the blocks; and initiating means for choosing the base block as a current block arranged to display a starting view, the initiating means being arranged to select a new block, whereupon at least one of a new starting view is shown, a new view is selected within the current block, and a node is selected in a current view, the initiating means selecting at least one of a text node, a picture node and a rule node, wherein selected rule nodes obtain at least one of measurements and information from a user and wherein the selected rule nodes provide instructions about what measures are to be taken, further measurements and information being obtained and further instructions being provided by means of the initiating means until a conclusion can be drawn.