User interface for conflict resolution management

• US 20060020360A1
• Filed: 01/04/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wu, Yuh-Cherng
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In one implementation, a method provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base. The method includes displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity, displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a first version of a second modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity, and receiving user input specifying a change to the first version of the second modification. The method further includes displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second version of the second modification that is based upon the specified change, and applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform a method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base, the method comprising:

displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that is applied to the knowledge entity;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second modification that was applied to the knowledge entity prior to application of the first modification; and

displaying in a second GUI area one or more representations of one or more previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity, such that the second modification corresponds to one of the previously proposed modifications selected by a user.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method comprises displaying in the second GUI area a plurality of representations of a plurality of previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the representations of the previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity are spatially positioned to visually indicate that a conflict exists between first and second previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the second modification corresponds to either the first or the second previously proposed modification selected by the user using a user-adjustable decision criterion.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising displaying in a third GUI area the user-adjustable decision criterion.

6. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the first and second previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity comprise additions of information to, deletions of information from, or edits of information in the knowledge entity.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more previously proposed modifications were provided by one or more external devices.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the one or more external devices comprise one or more mobile devices.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying in the first GUI area a third representation of a third modification that was applied to the knowledge entity prior to application of the second modification; and

displaying in the second GUI area one or more additional representations of one or more additional previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity, such that the third modification corresponds to one of the additional previously proposed modifications selected by a user.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method comprises displaying in the first GUI area the representation of the second modification upon receipt of user input.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the knowledge entity comprises an electronic document.

12. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform a method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base, the method comprising:

displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a first version of a second modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity;

receiving user input specifying a change to the first version of the second modification;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second version of the second modification that is based upon the specified change; and

applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying in a second GUI area one or more representations of one or more previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity, such that the first version of the second modification corresponds to one of the previously proposed modifications selected by a user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more previously proposed modifications were provided by one or more external devices.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more external devices comprise one or more mobile devices.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method comprises displaying in the second GUI area a plurality of representations of a plurality of previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the representations of the previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity are spatially positioned to visually indicate that a conflict exists between first and second previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first version of the second modification corresponds to either the first or the second previously proposed modification previously selected by the user using a user-adjustable decision criterion.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising displaying in a third GUI area the user-adjustable decision criterion.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein receiving user input specifying the change to the first version of the second modification includes receiving user input within the third GUI area adjusting the decision criterion.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

computing a first weighted value associated with the first previously proposed modification using the adjusted decision criterion; and

computing a second weighted value associated with the second previously proposed modification using the adjusted decision criterion,

wherein if the first weighted value is greater than the second weighted value, applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity includes applying the first previously proposed modification to the knowledge entity, and

wherein if the second weighted value is greater than the first weighted value, applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity includes applying the second previously proposed modification to the knowledge entity.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

storing the first modification to the knowledge entity in the knowledge base; and

storing the first version of the second modification to the knowledge entity in the knowledge base.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising:

storing the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity in the knowledge base.

24. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein receiving user input specifying the change to the first version of the second modification includes receiving user input within the first GUI area that graphically changes the first version of the second modification.

25. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

generating the second version of the second modification from the first version of the second modification by incorporating the change specified from the user input.

26. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the knowledge entity comprises an electronic document.

27. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base, the method comprising:

displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that is applied to the knowledge entity;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second modification that was applied to the knowledge entity prior to application of the first modification; and

displaying in a second GUI area one or more representations of one or more previously proposed modifications to the knowledge entity, such that the second modification corresponds to one of the previously proposed modifications selected by a user.

28. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base, the method comprising:

displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a first version of a second modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity;

receiving user input specifying a change to the first version of the second modification;

displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second version of the second modification that is based upon the specified change; and

applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity.