Automatic invocation of computational resources without user intervention across a network

• US 7,734,563 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Graham, Jamey, Hart, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): STARKS, WILBERT L
• Application Number:
  US10/462,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 706/10, 706/11, 706/46, 706/47, 706/50, 706/60, 701/29, 714/26, 713/1
• US Class Current: 706/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2257 using expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system is described for automatically invoking computational resources without intervention or request from a user of the system. The computational resources may operate by searching across a network, or may themselves be located across a network. In the system a query-free information retrieval system is described in which the exact technical documentation contained in existing user or other technical manuals is provided to a user investigating apparatus having a fault. The user enters symptoms based upon the user'"'"'s analysis of the apparatus, and in response the system provides information concerning likely faults with the apparatus. As the symptoms are entered, to relative value of individual faults is determined and related to the symptoms they cause. The user can then select technical information relating to probable faults in the system.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computer systems of retrieving information for a user interacting with one or more applications associated with the set of one or more computer systems, the method comprising:

receiving a selection signal from one or more user input devices, the selection signal indicative of a user selection made with a first application executing on a first computer system;

determining contextual information indicative of a context for the user selection made with the first application based upon the selection signal from the one or more user input devices;

constructing an information request by a first set of the one or more computer systems for information that is relevant to the context; and

receiving first information that is relevant to the context in response to the information request, the first information generated by a second set of the one or more computer systems in response to the information request using a computational resource.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computational resource is operating on a second computer system, the method further comprising communicating the information request from the first computer system to the second computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the computational resource is operating on the first computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the first information that is relevant to the context.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein displaying the first information that is relevant to the determined context comprises displaying the first information via the first application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving the selection signal from the one or more user input devices comprises receiving information identifying a symptom related to an apparatus; and

receiving the first information comprises receiving information identifying one or more faults in the apparatus corresponding to the symptom.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the computational resource comprises a document comprising information for the apparatus.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the apparatus is a photocopier.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

displaying, for at least one fault from the one or more faults, information identifying the at least one fault; and

displaying information indicating a degree of likelihood that the symptom is caused by the at least one fault.

10. A computer-implemented method performed by a set of one or more computer systems of retrieving information for a user interacting with one more applications associated with the set of one of the one or more computer systems, the method comprising:

receiving user interaction information from a user interface indicative of one or more user interactions made with a first application executing on a first computer system;

determining contextual information indicative of a context for the one or more user interactions made with the first application based upon the user interaction information received from the user interface;

constructing an instruction by a first set of the one or more computer systems based upon the contextual information;

executing the instruction to determine first information that is relevant to the determined context, wherein the first information is determined at a second set of the one or more computer systems using a computational resource; and

displaying the first information using a display device.

11. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium and operational with a set of one or more computer systems for retrieving information for a user interacting with one more applications associated with the set of one or more computer systems, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving a selection signal from one or more user input devices, the selection signal indicative of a user selection made with a first application executing on a first computer system;

code for determining contextual information indicative of a context for the user selection made with the first application based upon the selection signal from the one or more user input devices;

code for constructing an information request by a first set of the one or more computer systems for information that is relevant to the context; and

code for receiving first information that is relevant to the context in response to the information request, the first information generated by a second set of the one or more computer systems in response to the information request using a computational resource.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computational resource is operating on a second computer system, the computer program product further comprising code for communicating the information request from the first computer system to the second computer system.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computational resource is operating on the first computer system.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising code for displaying the first information that is relevant to the context.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the code for displaying the first information that is relevant to the context comprises code for displaying the first information via the first application.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

the code for receiving the selection signal from the one or more user input devices comprises code for receiving information identifying a symptom related to an apparatus; and

the code for receiving the first information comprises code for receiving information identifying one or more faults in the apparatus corresponding to the symptom.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the computational resource comprises a document comprising information for the apparatus.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the apparatus is a photocopier.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising:

code for displaying, for at least one fault from the one or more faults, information identifying the at least one fault; and

code for displaying information indicating a degree of likelihood that the symptom is caused by the at least one fault.

20. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium and operational with a set of one or more computer systems for retrieving information for a user interacting with one or more applications associated with the one or more computer systems, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving user interaction information from a user interface, the user interaction information indicative of one or more user interactions with a first application executing on a computer system;

code for determining contextual information indicative of a context for the one or more user interactions with the first application based upon the user interaction information received from the user interface;

code for constructing an instruction by a first set of one or more computer systems based upon the contextual information;

code for executing the instruction to determine first information that is relevant to the context, wherein the first information is determined at a second set of one or more computer systems using a computational resource; and

code for displaying the first information via the first application using a display device.

21. A data processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store a plurality of instructions executable by the processor, the plurality of instructions comprising;

instructions for receiving a selection signal from one or more user input devices, the selection signal indicative of a user selection made with a first application executing on a computer system;

instructions for receiving contextual information based upon the selection signal from the one or more user input devices;

instructions for constructing a request from the contextual information; and

instructions for receiving first information that is relevant to a context established by the contextual information for the user selection in response to the request, the first information generated in response to the request using a computational resource.

22. The data processing apparatus of claim 21 wherein the instructions for constructing the request comprises instructions for generating the request automatically from the contextual information without direct intervention from the user.