INTELLIGENT SELF-ENABLED SOLUTION DISCOVERY

• US 20110055699A1
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Huajing, Pingali, Gopal Sarma, Vukovic, Maja
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/709
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work

Abstract

Solutions for solving a problem experienced by a user are retrieved. In response to receiving a query from the user describing the problem, relevant candidate solutions to the problem are sent to the user. In response to receiving a selection of one relevant candidate solution from the relevant candidate solutions, instructions steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected by the user are analyzed. An instruction step similarity is calculated between the instruction steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected and other instructions steps within other solutions stored in a storage device. Then, similar solutions are sent to the user containing similar instruction steps to the instruction steps contained within the one relevant candidate solution selected based on the calculated instruction step similarity.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a data processing system for retrieving solutions that solve a problem experienced by a user, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to receiving a query from the user describing the problem, sending by the data processing system relevant candidate solutions to the problem to the user;

responsive to receiving a selection of one relevant candidate solution from the relevant candidate solutions, analyzing by a processor communicatively coupled to the data processing system instructions steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected by the user;

calculating by the processor an instruction step similarity between the instruction steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected and other instructions steps within other solutions stored in a storage device; and

sending to the user by the data processing system similar solutions containing similar instruction steps to the instruction steps contained within the one relevant candidate solution selected based on the calculated instruction step similarity.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the query from the user describing the problem, retrieving a query history associated with the user;

determining by the processor whether a problem topic taxonomy is available;

responsive to determining that a problem topic taxonomy is available, determining by the processor a taxonomy-based context for the problem based on a description of the problem within the query and the retrieved query history associated with the user;

generating a user context for the problem;

translating the query into an internal form that includes original terms in the query and the generated user context for the problem; and

accessing full-text indices using the translated query to determine a textual relevance of candidate solutions to the problem.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a candidate solution document set for solving the problem from solution documents stored in the storage device;

generating a document object model tree for the generated candidate solution document set;

simplifying the generated document object model tree for the generated candidate solution document set by filtering out nodes in the generated document object model tree that do not have structural effects;

generating a template based on the simplified document object model tree;

calculating by the processor a structural similarity score for solution documents by comparing document object model trees of the solution documents with the template;

determining by the processor whether the structural similarity score for the solution documents is greater than a predetermined threshold;

responsive to determining that the structural similarity score is greater than the predetermined threshold, storing the solution documents with structural similarity scores greater than the predetermined threshold in the storage device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

segmenting a solution into a series of individual instruction steps;

assigning a label to each of the individual instruction steps in the series that represents an individual instruction step'"'"'s function within the solution;

generating a solution path by assembling the labels assigned to each of the individual instruction steps within the solution; and

storing the solution path in the storage device.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the instruction steps include click-through instruction steps and core instruction steps, and wherein the click-through instruction steps and core instruction steps are labeled for identification.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the core instruction steps are highlighted, and wherein the core instruction steps are action steps for the user to follow to solve the problem.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein in response to determining a current solution the user is browsing, a textual relevance of the core instruction steps of this currently browsed solution is determined in order to recommend other relevant solutions.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein metadata is used to determine similarity between solutions.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a customized solution procedure for a newly encountered problem is generated from a plurality of previously stored solution documents.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the customized solution procedure for solving the newly encountered problem is generated by combining one or more instruction steps selected from a first solution document with one or more other instruction steps selected from a second solution document.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein in response to receiving a user input rejecting one or more of the instruction steps included in the customized solution procedure, a modified solution procedure with another set of instruction steps is generated for solving the newly encountered problem based on the user input.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a new solution procedure is generated from a plurality of stored solution documents based on an interactive process with user during a recommendation process.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein relevant candidate solutions include unstructured hypertext markup language solution documents found on a World Wide Web, and wherein the unstructured hypertext markup language solution documents include solution data found in web logs, instant messaging chat sessions, and online message boards.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the solution data found on the World Wide Web is analyzed to determine which problems these available solution data solve in order to store and reuse the solution data in a context of solving problems submitted by other users.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the query history associated with the user includes a history of problem queries submitted by the user, user search and browse history, and user profile information.

16. A data processing system for retrieving solutions that solve a problem experienced by a user, comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to send relevant candidate solutions to the problem to the user in response to receiving a query from the user describing the problem;

analyze instructions steps within one relevant candidate solution selected by the user in response to receiving a selection of the one relevant candidate solution from the relevant candidate solutions;

calculate an instruction step similarity between the instruction steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected and other instructions steps within other solutions stored in the storage device; and

send to the user similar solutions containing similar instruction steps to the instruction steps contained within the one relevant candidate solution selected based on the calculated instruction step similarity.

17. A computer program product stored on a computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon for retrieving solutions that solve a problem experienced by a user, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to send relevant candidate solutions to the problem to the user in response to receiving a query from the user describing the problem;

computer usable program code configured to analyze instructions steps within one relevant candidate solution selected by the user in response to receiving a selection of the one relevant candidate solution from the relevant candidate solutions;

computer usable program code configured to calculate an instruction step similarity between the instruction steps within the one relevant candidate solution selected and other instructions steps within other solutions stored in the storage device; and

computer usable program code configured to send to the user similar solutions containing similar instruction steps to the instruction steps contained within the one relevant candidate solution selected based on the calculated instruction step similarity.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to retrieve a query history associated with the user in response to receiving the query from the user describing the problem;

computer usable program code configured to determine whether a problem topic taxonomy is available;

computer usable program code configured to determine a taxonomy-based context for the problem based on a description of the problem within the query and the retrieved query history associated with the user in response to determining that a problem topic taxonomy is available;

computer usable program code configured to generate a user context for the problem;

computer usable program code configured to translate the query into an internal form that includes original terms in the query and the generated user context for the problem; and

computer usable program code configured to access full-text indices using the translated query to determine a textual relevance of candidate solutions to the problem.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to generate a candidate solution document set for solving the problem from solution documents stored in the storage device;

computer usable program code configured to generate a document object model tree for the generated candidate solution document set;

computer usable program code configured to simplify the generated document object model tree for the generated candidate solution document set by filtering out nodes in the generated document object model tree that do not have structural effects;

computer usable program code configured to generate a template based on the simplified document object model tree;

computer usable program code configured to calculate a structural similarity score for solution documents by comparing document object model trees of the solution documents with the template;

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the structural similarity score for the solution documents is greater than a predetermined threshold;

computer usable program code configured to store the solution documents with structural similarity scores greater than the predetermined threshold in the storage device in response to determining that the structural similarity score is greater than the predetermined threshold.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to segment a solution into a series of individual instruction steps;

computer usable program code configured to assign a label to each of the individual instruction steps in the series that represents an individual instruction step'"'"'s function within the solution;

computer usable program code configured to generate a solution path by assembling the labels assigned to each of the individual instruction steps within the solution; and

computer usable program code configured to store the solution path in the storage device.