Context-sensitive help for thin client-based business operations platform

• US 6,990,532 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2001
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CPA.com (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
• Original Assignee: CPA.com (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
• Inventors: Day, Ian, Von Haas, Elaina E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/828,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,753 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 709/202, 709/246, 711/1, 718/1, 719331-317
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided to support the provision of context-sensitive help functions in a back-end HTML/XML server. The apparatus provides partner-sensitive help functions to users that have been redirected from a plurality of partner sites to the back-end server. The apparatus has a data base and a context-sensitive help engine. The data base stores general help data, as well as partner-specific metadata corresponding to the plurality of partner sites. The context-sensitive help engine is coupled to the data base. The context-sensitive help engine receives a help transaction request that has been redirected from a specific one of the plurality of partner sites. The context-sensitive help engine provides specific help functions in response to the help transaction request, where the specific help functions correspond to the specific partner site.

Claims

1. A back-end help apparatus, for providing partner-sensitive help functions to users, the users being redirected from a plurality of partner sites, the back-end help apparatus comprising:

a data base, configured to store general help data, and configured to store partner-specific metadata corresponding to the plurality of partner sites; and

a context-sensitive help engine, coupled to said data base, configured to receive a help transaction request, said help transaction request being redirected from one of the plurality of partner sites, and configured to provide specific help functions in response to said help transaction request, wherein said help transaction request is received over a data network, and wherein said specific help functions correspond to said one of the plurality of partner sites, wherein said context-sensitive help engine comprises;

a help plug-in application, configured to execute on an application/web server within a business operations platform; and

transaction request routing logic, coupled to said help plug-in application, configured to route transaction requests to a plurality of plug-in applications executing on said application/web server, wherein said transaction request routing logic identifies said one of the plurality of partner sites.

2. The back-end help apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said data network is the Internet.

3. The back-end help apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said transaction request routing logic provides the identity of said one of the plurality of partner sites to said help plug-in application along with said help transaction request.

4. The back-end help apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said partner-specific metadata comprises:

first metadata, configured to describe first content/format, said first content/format corresponding to a first partner site, said first content/format comprising a first tailored version of said general help data; and

second metadata, configured to describe second content/format, said second content/format corresponding to a second partner site, said second content/format comprising a second tailored version of said general help data.

5. The back-end help apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said tailored versions comprise a subset of said general help data.

6. The back-end help apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said tailored versions comprise a superset of said general help data.

7. A context-sensitive help system, for providing help functions corresponding to a plurality of partners, the context-sensitive help system comprising:

an application/web server, configured to execute plug-in applications, said plug-in applications providing services in response to transaction requests, said application/web server comprising;

entry point awareness logic, configured to provide an origination partner identity corresponding to a specific transaction request redirected from an origination partner;

a data base, coupled to said application/web server, configured to store general help data, and configured to store metadata for each of the plurality of partners, wherein origination partner metadata describes modifications to said general help data associated with said origination partner; and

a help plug-in application, coupled to said application/web server, configured to receive said origination partner identity, and configured to modify said general help data according to said origination partner metadata, and configured to provide said specific help functions to a user associated with said origination partner.

8. The context-sensitive help system as recited in claim 7, wherein said transaction requests are received over a data network.

9. The context-sensitive help system as recited in claim 8, wherein said data network is the Internet.

10. The context-sensitive help system as recited in claim 7, wherein said metadata comprises:

first metadata, configured to describe first content/format, said first content/format corresponding to a first partner, said first content/format comprising a first tailored version of said general help data; and

second metadata, configured to describe second content/format, said second content/format corresponding to a second partner, said second content/format comprising a second tailored version of said general help data.

11. The context-sensitive help system as recited in claim 10, wherein said tailored versions comprise a subset of said general customer support data.

12. The context-sensitive help system as recited in claim 10, wherein said tailored versions comprise a superset of said general customer support data.

13. A method for providing context-sensitive help functions in a back-end applications server, comprising:

first storing generalized help data corresponding to general help functions, said storing occurring in a centralized data base;

second storing a plurality of metadata sets within the centralized data base, each of the plurality of metadata sets describing modifications to the generalized help data, wherein the modifications produce a plurality of specific help data sets that each correspond to each of a plurality of partners;

upon receipt of a help request, identifying an origination partner; and

modifying the generalized help data to produce an origination partner-specific help data set to satisfy the help request.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said identifying corresponds to receipt of the help request over a data network.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said identifying corresponds to receipt of the help request over the Internet.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said second storing comprises:

first configuring first metadata, to describe a first tailored version of the generalized help data corresponding to a first partner; and

second configuring second metadata, to describe a second tailored version of the generalized help data corresponding to a second partner.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the tailored versions comprise subsets of the generalized help data.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the tailored versions comprise supersets of the generalized help data.