Help system with an online help facility and an offline help facility, an automation device with such a help system and a method for providing help data

• US 7,904,400 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: List, Stefan, Wiedenberg, Peter, Menzl, Franz-Josef, Heller, Rainer, Meusser, Klaus, Schlereth, Michael, Stölzle, Bodo, Fischer, Jan, Schlemper, Michael, Lange, Ronald, Büssert, Jürgen, Herberth, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks; Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Jr.; Nathan H
• Application Number:
  US10/540,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A help system, an automation device with such a help system and a method for providing help data are disclosed. The help system includes a first offline help facility which is installed as part of an application on a data processing device, the first help facility providing a user with help data based upon context data defined by the user, the help data being stored in the first help facility and thus on the data processing device. A second online help facility is provided which is accessed by the data processing device via the internet such that the context data defined by the user in relation to the first help facility is automatically adopted in the second help facility as context data, the second help facility providing the user with additional help data based on this context data, the help data being stored in the second help facility.

Claims

1. A help system comprising:

a data processing device storing a first help facility, wherein the first help facility provides help data to a user on the basis of context data produced implicitly or explicitly by the user, wherein the help data is stored in the first help facility; and

a non-volatile storage medium storing a second help facility accessed by the data processing device via the Internet such that the context data is adopted automatically in the second help facility, wherein the second help facility provides additional online help data to the user on the basis of the context data, wherein the additional online help data is stored in the second help facility,

wherein the additional online help data is visualized for the user in a display device together with the help data provided by the first help facility,

wherein the first help facility is configured as an offline help facility and the second help facility is configured as an online help facility, and

wherein the context data comprises data and/or information about the version of the first help facility.

2. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the first help facility is an application or a part of an application.

3. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the context data are determined on the basis of search terms.

4. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the context data comprises data defined explicitly by the user, search expressions, and data predetermined by the first help facility which can be implicitly derived from a current workflow.

5. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the additional online help data provided by the second help facility can be visualized for the user in a display device, together with the offline help data provided by the first help facility.

6. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the context data defined by the user using the first help facility is stored at least as a link and the second help facility can be automatically activated via said link or any link.

7. The help system according to claim 6, wherein the link or any link can then automatically activate the second help facility, when the second help facility is available online for the first help facility and thus for the data processing device, whereby if the second help facility is not available online, said link or any link and/or its context data is intermediately stored until the second help facility is available online.

8. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the additional help data provided by the second help facility is stored on the second help facility such that the additional help data is supplemented by metadata, the metadata defining the context in which the respective additional help data is relevant.

9. The help system according to claim 1, wherein help data stored on the first help facility is automatically supplemented such that the additional help data provided by the second help facility is stored in the first help facility.

10. The help system according to claim 1, wherein the additional help data is stored in the second help facility and structured according to the workflow of the user, such that when additional help data is determined, help data is provided only for a current processing step.

11. An automation device, comprising:

a help system, the help system comprising;

a data processing device storing a first help facility, wherein the first help facility provides help data to a user on the basis of context data produced implicitly or explicitly by the user, wherein the help data is stored in the first help facility; and

a non-volatile medium storing a second help facility accessed by the data processing device via the Internet such that the context data is adopted automatically in the second help facility, wherein the second help facility provides additional online help data to the user on the basis of the context data, wherein the additional online help data is stored in the second help facility,

wherein the additional online help data is visualized for the user in a display device together with the help data provided by the first help facility,

wherein the first help facility is configured as an offline help facility and the second help facility is configured as an online help facility, and

wherein the context data comprises data and/or information about the version of the first help facility.

12. A method for providing help data, the method comprising:

implicitly or explicitly defining context data regarding a first help facility by a user;

providing offline help data to the user, the offline help data being based on the context data, and wherein the offline help data is stored in the first help facility;

automatically adopting the context data in a second help facility;

providing additional online help data to the user based on the context data by the second help facility, wherein the additional online help data is stored in the second help facility,

wherein the additional online help data provided by the second help facility is visualized for the user in a display device, together with the offline help data provided by the first help facility,

wherein the context data is stored as at least one link, and the second help facility is automatically activated via said link or any link, and

wherein the context data comprises data and/or information about the version of the first help facility.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the context data are determined on the basis of search terms.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the context data comprises data explicitly defined by the user and data predetermined by the first help facility, wherein the data are derived implicitly from a current workflow.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the link or any link then automatically activates the second help facility, if the second help facility is available online for the first help facility and thus for the data processing device, whereby if the second help facility is not available online, the link or any link and/or its context data is stored until the second help facility is available online.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the additional help data provided by the second help facility is stored on the second help facility such that the additional help data is supplemented by metadata, the metadata defining the context in which the respective additional help data is relevant.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the additional help data is stored in the second help facility in a structured manner according to a workflow of the user such that, with a determination of additional help data, help data only required for the current processing step is necessary.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the workflow and/or user role are used to determine the offline help data and the online help data.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the context data is compiled by the first help facility from several different data sources and/or information sources.