User interfaces for categorization schemes

• US 20050234959A1
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kumar, Janaki, Kuehn, Michael, Ronnewinkel, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) tool for maintaining categorization schemes includes a categorization area that displays user-input fields which may be used to define a number of categories and a number of links that form a categorization scheme. The categorization scheme is organized to enable the computer-executed process to categorize the data. The categorization causes the selection of categories that correspond to the data. The selection is made by making a category determination beginning at the top level and proceeding to the children of categories that correspond to the data.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer-program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface (GUI) for editing a data structure to be used by a computer-executed process that categorizes data, the GUI comprising:

a categorization area that displays user-input fields which may be used to define a plurality of categories and a plurality of links that form a categorization scheme, each category corresponding to certain content associated with that category, each category being defined to be at one of a series of levels between a top level and a bottom level, wherein each category at a level below the top level is linked by one of the plurality of defined links as a child category to a corresponding parent category, the parent category being one of the categories defined in the level immediately above the child category, wherein each child category corresponds to certain content that is a sub-set of the content that corresponds to the corresponding parent category, and the categorization scheme is organized to enable the computer-executed process to categorize the data, the categorization causing categories that correspond to the data to be selected, the selection being made by making a category determination beginning at the top level and proceeding to the children of categories that correspond to the data.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a linking area that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and stored information, such that the computer-executed process, when executed, uses the stored information that is linked to the selected categories to perform subsequent processing of the data.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the linking area further displays a plurality of user-selectable links, each link corresponding to a viewset that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and stored information.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein one of the user-selectable links corresponds to a viewset that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and documents.

5. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein one of the user-selectable links corresponds to a viewset that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and experts.

6. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein one of the user-selectable links corresponds to a viewset that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and response templates.

7. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein one of the user-selectable links corresponds to a viewset that displays a query input area for entering criteria that defines the content that corresponds to each category.

8. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein one of the user-selectable links corresponds to a viewset that displays a preview area for viewing selected stored information.

9. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the GUI displays in the categorization area user-selectable buttons that, when selected, enable information in the user-input fields to be edited using cut and paste functionality.

10. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the stored information is stored in a plurality of memory locations in an enterprise computing system.

11. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the linking area further displays an application area which may be used to define associations between categorization schemes that have been defined in the categorization area and pre-defined business processes that categorize the data.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the linking area is used to associate a plurality of business processes with a categorization scheme.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least two of the plurality of associated business processes can be executed using stored information determined to be linked to categories selected during a single categorization of the data.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the categorization area further displays selectable buttons which may be used to change the level at which a category is defined.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the categorization area further displays selectable buttons associated with each parent category, wherein each parent category may be selectively displayed in an expanded form in which all child categories are graphically displayed, and selectively displayed in a collapsed form such that no child categories are graphically displayed.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data comprises content of a received message.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data comprises business objects.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the business objects include stored documents.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the business objects include stored response templates.

20. A system for responding to a received message, the system comprising:

an information repository that includes a plurality of categories and a plurality of links that form a categorization scheme, each category corresponding to certain content associated with that category, each category being defined to be at one of a series of levels between a top level and a bottom level, wherein each category at a level below the top level is linked by one of the plurality of defined links as a child category to a corresponding parent category, the parent category being one of the categories defined in the level immediately above the child category, wherein each child category corresponds to certain content that is a sub-set of the content that corresponds to the corresponding parent category, and the categorization scheme is organized to enable a categorization of the content of the received message, the categorization causing categories that correspond to the content of the received message to be selected, the selection being made by making a category determination beginning at the top level and proceeding to the children of categories that correspond to the content of the received message; and

a software program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the software program including instructions that, when executed, categorize the content of the received message into at least one of the categories in the categorization scheme, wherein subsequent processing resulting from the received message is dependent on the categorization.

21. A method of defining a data structure to be used by a computer-executed process that categorizes content of a received message into at least one of a plurality of defined categories, the method comprising:

inputting categorization scheme information into user-input fields displayed in a categorization area of a graphical user interface (GUI), the categorization scheme information including a plurality of categories and a plurality of links, each category corresponding to certain content associated with that category, each category being defined to be at one of a series of levels between a top level and a bottom level, wherein each category at a level below the top level is linked by one of the plurality of defined links as a child category to a corresponding parent category, the parent category being one of the categories defined in the level immediately above the child category, wherein each child category corresponds to certain content that is a sub-set of the content that corresponds to the corresponding parent category, and the categorization scheme is organized to enable the computer-executed process to categorize the content of the received message, the categorization causing categories that correspond to the content of the received message to be selected, the selection being made by making a category determination beginning at the top level and proceeding to the children of categories that correspond to the content of the received message.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising defining links using a linking area displayed in the GUI, the links defining associations between categories defined in the categorization area and stored information, such that the computer-executed process, when executed, uses the stored information that is linked to the selected categories to perform subsequent processing of the received message.

23. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer-program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface (GUI) for editing a data structure to be used by a computer-executed process that categorizes content of a received message, the GUI comprising:

a categorization area that displays user-input fields which may be used to define a plurality of categories and a plurality of links that form a categorization scheme, each category corresponding to certain content associated with that category, each category being defined to be at one of a series of levels between a top level and a bottom level, wherein each category at a level below the top level is linked by one of the plurality of defined links as a child category to a corresponding parent category, the parent category being one of the categories defined in the level immediately above the child category, wherein each child category corresponds to certain content that is a sub-set of the content that corresponds to the corresponding parent category, and the categorization scheme is organized to enable the computer-executed process to categorize the content of the received message, the categorization causing categories that correspond to the content of the received message to be selected, the selection being made by making a category determination beginning at the top level and proceeding to the children of categories that correspond to the content of the received message; and

a linking area that displays user-input fields which may be used to define associations between categories defined in the categorization area and stored information, such that the computer-executed process, when executed, uses the stored information that is linked to the selected categories to perform subsequent processing of the received message.