Information processing device and method

• US 20040088273A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Komori, Yasuhiro, Mutsuno, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,272,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

An information processing device according to the present invention is included in an information processing apparatus and outputs guidance information for an operation performed for the information processing apparatus by a user. In the information processing device, a user information acquisition unit identifies a user who is operating the information processing device, and an input control unit identifies the type of operation performed by the user. The information processing device also includes an operation history database for storing operation history information unique to the user and a voice guidance database for storing at least one piece of guidance information on the operation. A guidance selection unit selects appropriate guidance information on the basis of the operation history information on the operation unique to the user, and a voice output unit outputs the selected guidance information.

Claims

1. An information processing device included in an information processing apparatus and outputting guidance information for an operation performed for the information processing apparatus by a user, the information processing device comprising:

history information storing means for storing operation history information unique to the user;

operation identification means for identifying the type of operation performed by the user;

guidance information storing means for storing at least one piece of guidance information on the operation;

selection means for selecting appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the operation history information on the operation unique to the user; and

output means for outputting the selected guidance information.

2. An information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising determination means for determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the operation on the basis of the operation history information on the user, wherein

the selection means selects appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the results determined by the determination means.

3. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has performed each operation and/or the frequency of each operation performed by each user.

4. An information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the operation history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has performed each operation and/or the frequency of each operation performed by each user.

5. An information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the guidance information storing means stores detailed guidance information and simple guidance information for a single operation,

wherein, when the number of times the user has performed the operation is small or when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large but the frequency of the operation is low, the selection means selects the detailed guidance information, and

wherein, when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large and the frequency of the operation is high, the selection means selects the simple guidance information.

6. An information processing device according to claim 3, wherein, when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large and the frequency of the operation is high, the selection means does not select any guidance information, and the output means does not output any guidance information.

17. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the output means outputs the guidance information by voice.

7. An information processing device included in an information processing apparatus and outputting guidance information for troubleshooting of the information processing apparatus used by a user, the information processing device comprising:

history information storing means for storing trouble history information unique to the user;

trouble identification means for identifying the type of trouble the user experiences;

guidance information storing means for storing at least one piece of guidance information on the trouble;

selection means for selecting appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the trouble history information on the trouble unique to the user; and

output means for outputting the selected guidance information.

8. An information processing device according to claim 7, further comprising determination means for determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the troubleshooting on the basis of the trouble history information on the user, wherein

the selection means selects appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the results determined by the determination means.

9. An information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the trouble history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has experienced each kind of trouble during the use of the information processing apparatus and/or the frequency of experience of each kind of trouble by each user.

10. An information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the trouble history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has experienced each kind of trouble during the use of the information processing apparatus and/or the frequency of experience of each kind of trouble by each user.

11. An information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the guidance information storing means stores detailed guidance information and simple guidance information for troubleshooting for a single kind of trouble,

wherein, when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is small or when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large but the frequency of the experience is low, the selection means selects the detailed guidance information, and

wherein, when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large and the frequency of the experience is high, the selection means selects the simple guidance information.

12. An information processing device according to claim 9, wherein, when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large and the frequency of the experience is high, the selection means does not select any guidance information, and the output means does not output any guidance information.

13. An information processing device included in an information processing apparatus and outputting guidance information for an operation performed for the information processing apparatus by a user or guidance information for troubleshooting of the information processing apparatus used by the user, the information processing device comprising:

history information storing means for storing operation history information unique to the user and trouble history information unique to the user;

identification means for identifying the type of operation performed by the user or identifying the type of trouble the user experiences;

guidance information storing means for storing at least one piece of guidance information on the operation and on the trouble;

selection means for selecting appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the operation history information on the operation unique to the user or on the basis of the trouble history information on the trouble unique to the user; and

output means for outputting the selected guidance information.

14. An information processing device according to claim 13, further comprising determination means for determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the operation on the basis of the operation history information on the user or for determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the troubleshooting on the basis of the trouble history information on the user, wherein

the selection means selects appropriate guidance information from the guidance information storing means on the basis of the results determined by the determination means.

15. An information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the guidance information for the troubleshooting is output in preference to the guidance information for the operation.

16. An information processing device according to claim 14, wherein the guidance information for the troubleshooting is output in preference to the guidance information for the operation.

18. An information processing method for outputting guidance information for an operation performed for an information processing apparatus by a user, the information processing method comprising:

an operation identification step of identifying the type of operation performed by the user;

a selection step of selecting appropriate guidance information from a guidance information storing unit that stores at least one piece of guidance information on the operation on the basis of operation history information on the operation unique to the user; and

an output step of outputting the selected guidance information.

19. An information processing method according to claim 18, further comprising a determination step of determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the operation on the basis of the operation history information on the user, wherein

in the selection step, appropriate guidance information is selected from the guidance information storing unit on the basis of the results determined by the determination step.

20. An information processing method according to claim 18, wherein the operation history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has performed each operation and/or the frequency of each operation performed by each user.

21. An information processing method according to claim 19, wherein the operation history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has performed each operation and/or the frequency of each operation performed by each user.

22. An information processing method according to claim 20, wherein the guidance information storing unit stores detailed guidance information and simple guidance information for a single operation,

wherein, in the selection step, the detailed guidance information is selected when the number of times the user has performed the operation is small or when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large but the frequency of the operation is low, and

wherein, in the selection step, the simple guidance information is selected when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large and the frequency of the operation is high.

23. An information processing method according to claim 20, wherein, when the number of times the user has performed the operation is large and the frequency of the operation is high, no guidance information is selected by the selection step, and no guidance information is output by the output step.

34. An information processing method according to any one of claims 18 to 33, wherein, in the output step, the guidance information is output by voice.

24. An information processing method for outputting guidance information for troubleshooting of an information processing apparatus used by a user, the information processing method comprising:

a trouble identification step of identifying the type of trouble the user experiences;

a selection step of selecting appropriate guidance information from a guidance information storing unit that stores at lest one piece of guidance information on the trouble on the basis of trouble history information on the trouble unique to the user; and

an output step of outputting the selected guidance information.

25. An information processing method according to claim 24, further comprising a determination step of determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the troubleshooting on the basis of the trouble history information on the user, wherein

in the selection step, appropriate guidance information is selected from the guidance information storing unit on the basis of the results determined by the determination step.

26. An information processing method according to claim 24, wherein the trouble history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has experienced each kind of trouble during the use of the information processing apparatus and/or the frequency of experience of each kind of trouble by each user.

27. An information processing method according to claim 25, wherein the trouble history information comprises at least one of the number of times each user has experienced each kind of trouble during the use of the information processing apparatus and/or the frequency of experience of each kind of trouble by each user.

28. An information processing method according to claim 26, wherein the guidance information storing unit stores detailed guidance information and simple guidance information for troubleshooting for a single kind of trouble,

wherein, in the selection step, the detailed guidance information is selected when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is small or when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large but the frequency of the experience is low, and

wherein, in the selection step, the simple guidance information is selected when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large and the frequency of the experience is high.

29. An information processing method according to claim 26, wherein, when the number of times the user has experienced the trouble is large and the frequency of the experience is high, no guidance information is selected by the selection step, and no guidance information is output by the output step.

30. An information processing method for outputting guidance information for an operation performed for an information processing apparatus by a user or outputting guidance information for troubleshooting of the information processing apparatus used by the user, the information processing method comprising:

an identification step of identifying the type of operation performed by the user or identifying the type of trouble the user experiences;

a selection step of selecting appropriate guidance information from a guidance information storing unit that stores at least one piece of guidance information on the operation and on the trouble on the basis of operation history information on the operation unique to the user or on the basis of trouble history information on the trouble unique to the user; and

an output step of outputting the selected guidance information.

31. An information processing method according to claim 30, further comprising a determination step of determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the operation on the basis of the operation history information on the user or determining the degree of the user'"'"'s knowledge about the troubleshooting on the basis of the trouble history information on the user, wherein

in the selection step, appropriate guidance information is selected from the guidance information storing unit on the basis of the results determined by the determination step.

32. An information processing method according to claim 30, wherein the guidance information for the troubleshooting is output in preference to the guidance information for the operation.

33. An information processing method according to claim 31, wherein the guidance information for the troubleshooting is output in preference to the guidance information for the operation.

35. A program for causing a computer to output guidance information for an operation performed for an information processing apparatus by a user, the program comprising:

an operation identification step of identifying the type of operation performed by the user;

a selection step of selecting appropriate guidance information from a guidance information storing unit that stores at least one piece of guidance information on the operation on the basis of operation history information on the operation unique to the user; and

an output step of outputting the selected guidance information.

36. A computer-readable recording medium storing the program as set forth in claim 35.