Compiling user profile information from multiple sources

• US 20040128156A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beringer, Joerg, Lenz, Annette
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and techniques to compile profile information for a user of a computer network into a user object. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes: collecting profile information implicitly explicitly from structured data sources; collecting profile information implicitly from unstructured data sources; and importing profile information inherited from collaborative entities with which the user is associated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a user profile corresponding to a user;

identifying one or more entities related to the user, said one or more entities having corresponding entity profiles including context information;

associating at least a portion of the context information from the one or more entity profiles to the user profile; and

personalizing a work environment associated with user based on the context information associated with the user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating the user profile comprises explicitly associating context information relating to the user with the user profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said context information is organized into context clusters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said associating at least a portion of the context information from the one or more entity profiles to the user profile comprises transporting one or more context clusters into the user profile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said personalizing comprises including links in the work environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the links are to services.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the links are to information places.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the work environment comprises a portal environment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the context information in the user profile periodically.

10. The method claim 9, wherein said updating comprises removing at least a portion of the context information based on relevance to the user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining relevance of said at least a portion of the context information based on user activity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying one or more entities related to the user comprises identifying one or more entities having a collaborative relationship with the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying one or more entities related to the user comprises identifying one or more entities having a business relationship with the user.

14. A method comprising:

generating a child entity profile corresponding to a child entity;

identifying a parent entity profile from which the child entity profile depends, the parent entity profile including context information;

importing at least a portion of the context information from the parent entity profile into the child entity profile, said imported context information comprising inherited context information; and

updating the inherited context information in the child entity profile in response to a change in the corresponding at least a portion of the context information in the parent entity profile.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising personalizing a work environment associated with user based on the context information associated with the user profile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said personalizing comprises including links in the work environment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the links are to services.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the links are to information places.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the work environment comprises a portal environment.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said generating the child entity profile comprises explicitly associating context information relating to the child entity with the child entity profile.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein said inherited context information comprises context clusters.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

updating the context information in the user profile periodically.

23. The method claim 22, wherein said updating comprises removing at least a portion of the context information based on relevance to the user.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining relevance of said at least a portion of the context information based on user activity.

25. An article comprising a medium including machine-readable instructions operative to cause the machine to:

generate a user profile corresponding to a user;

identify one or more entities related to the user, said one or more entities having corresponding entity profiles including context information;

associate at least a portion of the context information from the one or more entity profiles to the user profile; and

personalize a work environment associated with user based on the context information associated with the user profile.

26. An article comprising a medium including machine-readable instructions operative to cause the machine to:

generate a child entity profile corresponding to a child entity;

identify a parent entity profile from which the child entity profile depends, the parent entity profile including context information;

import at least a portion of the context information from the parent entity profile into the child entity profile, said imported context information comprising inherited context information; and

update the inherited context information in the child entity profile in response to a change in the corresponding at least a portion of the context information in the parent entity profile.