Method and system for generating help files based on user queries

• US 20050182783A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huentelman, Mark, Vadai, Christine, McDowell, Kevin, Ashby, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method and system for generating a help file based on failed user queries. A help file generation system collects failed user queries from user computer systems. The generation system assists a developer in identifying failed user queries that are related to a topic. The generation system then updates the entry in the help file for that topic based on the identified user queries. When a help system subsequently uses that help file, it checks the updated entry when searching for a match and will likely find a match to a relevant topic for a user query that previously failed.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for generating a help file having topics, the method comprising:

collecting failed user queries;

receiving a selection of a topic;

receiving a selection of some of the collected user queries; and

modifying the help file so that the selected topic is more likely identified as being relevant to the selected user queries.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the modifying includes adding data derived from the selected user queries to an entry of the selected topic.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the derived data is added as metadata that is searched by a help system when determining whether a topic matches a user query.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein when a help system searches for topics that match a user query, the help system weights matches within the derived data of the topics more heavily than matches within the content of the topics.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the modifying includes adding data derived from the selected user queries to a search catalog of the help file.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the derived data is added as metadata that is searched by a help system when determining whether a topic matches a user query.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein when a help system searches for topics that match a user query, the help system weights matches based on the derived data of the topics more heavily than matches based on the content of the topics.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the failed user queries are collected from user computer systems.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the collecting includes collecting an indication of an application associated with the failed user query.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the selection of some of the collected user queries includes:

receiving a search criteria; and

searching the collected user queries for those that match the received search criteria.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the receiving of the selection of some of the collected user queries includes:

displaying the matching user queries; and

receiving a selection of some of the matching user queries.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the modifying of the entry includes adding data derived from the selected matching user queries to the entry for the selected topic.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein a user query is considered to have failed based on an indication received from a user.

14. The method of claim 1 including collecting user queries that did not fail and providing information derived from a failure rate of the user queries.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the modifying includes adding the selected user queries to the entry of the selected topic.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the help file includes an index and a content file.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein a help file has an original language and the generated help file has a different language and the selection of the collected user queries is different for different languages.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the collected user queries are in the original language and the selected user queries are translated to the different language.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the collected user queries are in the different language.

20. The method of claim 1 including adding a new entry to the help file based on review of the collected user queries.

21. A computer system for modifying a help file having topics, comprising:

a component that collects failed user queries;

a component that selects some of the collected user queries; and

a component that modifies the help file based on the selected user queries so that a selected topic is more likely identified when a selected user query is submitted.

22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the modifying includes adding the selected user queries to an entry for the selected topic.

23. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the failed user queries are collected from user computer systems.

24. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the component that selects receives a search criteria and searches the collected user queries for those that match the received search criteria.

25. The computer system of claim 24 wherein the component that selects displays the matching user queries and receives a selection of some of the matching user queries.

26. The computer system of claim 25 wherein the component that modifies adds the selected matching user queries to an entry for the selected topic.

27. The computer system of claim 21 wherein a help file has an original language and the modified help file has a different language and the selection of the collected user queries is language specific.

28. The computer system of claim 27 wherein the collected user queries are in the original language and the selected user queries are translated to the different language.

29. The computer system of claim 27 wherein the collected user queries are in the different language.

30. The computer system of claim 21 including a component that adds a new entry to the help file based on review of the collected user queries.

31. A method for generating a help file having an entry for each topic, the method comprising:

collecting failed user queries;

selecting some of the collected user queries that are related to a topic; and

modifying the entry for the topic based on the selected user queries.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the modifying includes adding the selected user queries to the entry.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the selected user queries are added as metadata of the entry that is searched by a help system when determining whether a topic matches a user query.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein when a help system searches for topics that match a user query, the help system weights matches within the added user queries more heavily than matches within the content of the topics.

35. A method in a help system for providing help information to a user, the method comprising:

providing a help file that includes an entry for each topic, each entry having a title, content, and data derived from failed user queries;

receiving a user query; and

searching the provided help file for a topic that matches the received user query, a match determined based at least in part on a comparison of the received user query to the data derived from failed user queries.

36. The method of claim 35 including displaying the content of a topic that matches.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the data derived from the failed user queries includes the failed user queries.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the searching gives more weight to the data derived from the failed user queries than to the content of an entry when determining whether the entry matches the received user query.

39. A computer-readable medium containing a data structure for a help file, the data structure including for each topic:

a title for the topic;

data derived from failed user queries; and

content describing the topic.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein data derived from the failed user queries includes the failed user queries themselves.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein the data structure includes an index that maps keywords to entries for topics.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41 wherein the index includes keywords derived from the failed user queries.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein the data structure includes a searchable catalog with data derived from the failed queries.