Contextual and customized help information

• US 20090183237A1
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mathai, Aji, Van Tassell, David Alonzo, Cortes, Ricardo, Bhatnagar, Aloke
• Application Number:
  US12/034,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20090183237A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Improved methods, systems, computer readable media and graphical user interfaces for automated customer support are disclosed. Automated customer support can be computer-implemented and can provide help information to users. The help information can be context sensitive and/or customized. For example, the help information can be dependent on (i) context of a help request and/or (ii) a particular user. Further, if a user requires more help than the automated customer support can provide, then the user can be provided with the opportunity to contact a customer support agent for additional assistance.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for presenting context-sensitive help, said method comprising:

providing online service support;

detecting a help request from a particular user; and

presenting help information to the particular user based on the particular user'"'"'s answers to an ordered series of a predetermined questions.

2. A computer-implemented method of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the predetermined questions is a Frequently Asked Question, and

wherein said presenting of the help information comprises presenting at least an answer to the Frequently Asked Question.

3. A computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said presenting of the help information comprises presenting at least a help request form.

4. A computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the help request form contains at least a plurality of text fields, at least one of which is pre-populated using information specific to the particular user.

5. A computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the information specific to the particular user is obtained by accessing a user-profile associated with the particular user.

6. A computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the help information presented to the particular user is limited dependent on information contained in the user-profile associated with the particular user.

7. A computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined questions and the help information are retrieved from a help database.

8. A computer-implemented method of claim 3,

wherein the help request form is filled out by the particular user and submitted to a customer support system, and

wherein the help request form submitted to the customer support system includes at least the help session log, data from the help request form filled out by the particular user, and information obtained from the user-profile associated with the particular user.

9. A computer-implemented method of claim 3,

wherein the help request form is filled out by the particular user and submitted to a customer support system,

wherein the help request form submitted to the customer support system, and

wherein the submitted help request is directed to one or more responders.

10. A computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the help information presented to the particular user is dependent on information contained in a user-profile associated with the particular user.

11. A computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a help session log is maintained for the help request, and wherein at least a portion of the help session log is used to determine the help information to be presented to the particular user.

12. A computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said presenting of the help information comprises presenting at least a help request form, and wherein the help request form is also retrieved from the help database.

13. A computer-implemented method for presenting context-sensitive help, said method comprising:

(a) presenting a user log-in prompt at an online service site;

(b) detecting a user log-in at the online service site by a particular user;

(c) retrieving a user-profile associated with the particular user;

(d) detecting a help request from the particular user; and

(e) presenting context-sensitive help information to the particular user based on the context of the help request and the user-profile.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the user-profile includes access rights information for the particular user, the access rights information pertaining to certain services available at the online service site, and

wherein said presenting (e) of the context-sensitive help information limits the context-sensitive help information to the particular user based on the access rights information for the particular user.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the user-profile includes a user classification for the particular user.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein said presenting (e) of the context-sensitive help information limits the context-sensitive help information based on the user classification for the particular user.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the user-profile includes contractual agreement information for the particular user, the access rights information pertaining to certain services available at the online service site, and wherein said presenting (e) of the context-sensitive help information limits the context-sensitive help information based on the contractual agreement information for the particular user.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the online service site permits users to submit and manage digital media assets for distribution on an online store, and wherein the context-sensitive help information pertains to submission or management of digital media assets with the online service site.

19. A system for providing context-sensitive help information to a particular authorized user, comprising:

an online server providing an one or more services;

a user-authentication server for the online service provider, the user-authentication server being configured to authorize users;

a user database containing one or more user profiles, the user-database containing user profiles associated with the users of the online service provider, and the user-profiles associated with the users containing information regarding which of the one or more services provided by the online service provider are accessible to the respective users;

a help database comprising help information related to the one or more services provided by the online service provider; and

a help system configured to retrieve help information from the help database in response to a help request from a particular user for help, and to present the retrieved help information to the particular user,

wherein the retrieved help information provided in response to the help request from the particular user is based on the one or more services accessible to the particular user.

20. A system of claim 19, wherein the help database comprises layout information that is used to format the help information presented to the particular user.

21. A system of claim 19, wherein the help database comprises ordered sets of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

22. A system of claim 19, wherein the particular user is presented with an ordered series of predetermined questions, and wherein the help information that is presented to the particular user is presented in response to the particular user'"'"'s answers to the ordered series of predetermined questions.

23. A system of claim 22, wherein the ordered series of predetermined questions are retrieved from the help database.

24. A system of claim 23, wherein the layout of the ordered series of predetermined questions that are presented to the particular user is retrieved from the help database.

25. A system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the series of questions that is retrieved from the help database is presented in the form of a question and a set of answers selected from a pop-up menu.

26. A system of claim 25, wherein when the user selects a particular answer from the set of answers in the pop-up menu, another help request is initiated and responsive help information is subsequently presented, whereby the help information is dynamically updated.

27. A computer implemented method for providing context-sensitive help information to a particular authorized user, comprising:

presenting, at a computing device, one or more modules;

authenticating a particular user for use of the one or more modules;

receiving a help request for help information from the particular user;

retrieving a user profile for the particular user from a user-database containing one or more user profiles, the user-profile associated with the particular user containing information regarding which of the one or more modules are available to the particular user;

determining the one or more modules that are available to the particular user based on the user profile;

retrieving help information related to the one or more modules based on the determined one or more modules available to the particular user; and

presenting the help information to the particular user in response to the help request from the particular user,

wherein the help information presented to the particular user is limited to help information that pertains to one or more of the one or more modules that are available to the particular user.

28. A computer implemented method of claim 27, wherein the particular user is presented with a series of questions, and wherein the help information that is presented to the particular user is presented in response to the particular user'"'"'s answers to the series of questions.

29. A computer implemented method of claim 28, wherein at least one of the questions that is retrieved from the help database is presented in the form of a question and a set of answers selected from a pop-up menu.

30. A system of claim 29, wherein said method further comprises:

selecting an answer from the set of answers in the pop-up menu causes the help information to be dynamically updated.

31. A computer implemented method claim 27, wherein layout information is retrieved from a help database and used to format the help information presented to the particular user.

32. A computer implemented method of claim 31, wherein the layout of the series of questions that are presented to the particular user is determined by the layout information.