Collaborative agent for a work environment

• US 7,996,462 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wriessnegger, Klaus, Degenhardt, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ibrahim; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US10/903,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-205, 707/708, 707/709, 707/713, 707/726, 707/728, 707/771
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method for connecting information resources in a collaborative work environment. A system includes at least one information source providing collaboration data, and a repository framework including at least one source for storing the collaboration data. A collaborative bot service is connected with the repository framework, and includes one or more bots, or autonomous programs, configured to traverse the source via the repository framework, extract a topic from a portion of the collaboration data, and create a link between the portion of the collaboration data and an information resource related to the collaboration data based on the topic.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by an agent comprising an autonomous bot implemented by one or more processors, a topic list of topics previously identified in a plurality of collaboration data sources that are monitored by the agent, the plurality of collaboration data sources comprising a collaborative work environment that comprises a portal facilitating communication between a plurality of users who contribute collaboration information to the collaborative work environment via one or more user interfaces;

monitoring, automatically and autonomously by the agent, the collaborative work environment, the monitoring comprising the collaboration information provided within the collaborative work environment;

extracting, by the agent using a text-mining tool upon detection via the monitoring of new collaboration information contributed by one of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment for use by at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment, an extracted topic of the new collaboration information, the extracted topic comprising at least one of a theme, a question, a problem, and a subject matter of the new collaboration information;

identifying an information resource within the plurality of collaboration data sources that is related to the extracted topic, the identifying comprising comparing the extracted topic to the topic list and determining that previously contributed collaboration information available from the information resource has a topic related to the extracted topic;

creating, by the agent, a link insertable into a collaborative process, through which the plurality of users can send communications, of the collaborative work environment, the link being to the information resource identified as related to the extracted topic of the new collaboration information contributed by the one of the plurality of users for use by the at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment; and

inserting, automatically by the agent, the link into the collaborative process through which the plurality of users can send communications and into the user interface in a close proximal relation to the new collaboration information.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising accessing the plurality of collaboration data sources via a repository framework.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the information resource is associated with an expert related with the extracted topic.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

traversing collaboration data provided by the expert in the information resource;

extracting a second topic from a portion of the collaboration data provided by the expert; and

adding the second topic to the topic list.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising comparing the extracted topic from the new collaboration information with the second topic extracted from the portion of collaboration data provided by the expert.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising storing, in a table, the second topic from the portion of the collaboration data provided the expert.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the traversing of the collaborative work environment occurs according to a schedule.

16. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the collaborative work environment comprises a discussion group and the new collaboration information comprises a discussion group entry by the one of the plurality of users, the query comprising a natural language question or statement regarding a requested topic.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the link is provided as part of an answer or response to the question or statement that is displayed in the user interface as a reply to the discussion group entry.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the answer or response further comprises a bot identifier to show that the answer or response was generated by the agent.

19. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

adding the extracted topic to the topic list.

8. A system for connecting information resources, the system comprising:

at least one of a processor and a memory providing;

a collaborative work environment accessible by a plurality of users who contribute collaboration data to the collaborative work environment via one or more user interfaces;

a repository framework including a plurality of collaboration data sources that includes the collaborative work environment; and

a collaborative bot service connected with the repository framework, the collaborative bot service including one or more bots that perform functions comprising;

maintaining a topic list of topics previously identified in the plurality of collaboration data sources automatically and autonomously monitoring the collaboration work environment, the monitoring comprising traversing the collaboration information provided within the collaborative work environment via a user interface by the plurality of users;

extracting, using a text-mining tool upon detection via the monitoring of new collaboration information contributed by one of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment for use by at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment, an extracted topic of the new collaboration information, the extracted topic comprising at least one of a theme, a question, a problem, and a subject matter of the new collaboration information;

identifying an information resource within the plurality of collaboration data sources that is related to the extracted topic, the identifying comprising comparing the extracted topic to the topic list and determining that previously contributed collaboration information available from the information resource has a topic related to the extracted topic;

creating a link insertable into a collaborative process, through which the plurality of users can send communications, of the collaborative work environment, the link being to the information resource identified as related to the extracted topic of the new collaboration information contributed by the one of the plurality of users for use by the at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment; and

inserting the link into the collaborative process through which the plurality of users can send communications and into the user interface in a close proximal relation to the new collaboration information.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein each of the one or more bots is preprogrammed to run in a batch mode according to a schedule.

10. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein each of the one or more bots runs in real time upon detection of any of the plurality of users adding new collaboration information.

11. A system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising a discussion service within the collaborative work environment, the discussion service providing a discussion thread in the user interface, one or more of the plurality of users providing the collaboration information in the discussion thread.

12. A system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising a people selector service that identifies the information resource based on the information resource being associated with an expert related to the topic.

13. A system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising an administration interface for receiving user commands and for configuring each of the one or more bots.

14. A system for connecting information resources in a collaborative work environment, the system comprising:

at least one of a processor and a memory providing;

a collaborative bot service comprising one or more bots that perform functions comprising;

maintaining a topic list of topics found in a plurality of collaboration data sources, the plurality of collaboration data sources comprising a collaborative work environment that comprises a portal facilitating communication between a plurality of users who contribute collaboration information to the collaborative work environment via one or more user interfaces;

automatically and autonomously monitoring the collaboration work environment, the monitoring comprising traversing the collaboration information provided within the collaborative work environment via a user interface by the plurality of users;

extracting, using a text-mining tool upon detection via the monitoring of new collaboration information contributed by one of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment for use by at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment, an extracted topic of the new collaboration information, the extracted topic comprising at least one of a theme, a question, a problem, and a subject matter of the new collaboration information;

identifying an information resource within the plurality of collaboration data sources that is related to the extracted topic, the identifying comprising comparing the extracted topic to the topic list and determining that previously contributed collaboration information available from the information resource has a topic related to the extracted topic;

creating a link insertable into a collaborative process, through which the plurality of users can send communications, of the collaborative work environment, the link being to the information resource identified as related to the extracted topic of the new collaboration information contributed by the one of the plurality of users for use by the at least one other of the plurality of users in the collaborative work environment; and

inserting the link into the collaborative process through which the plurality of users can send communications and into the user interface in a close proximal relation to the new collaboration information.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a repository framework providing access to the plurality of collaboration data sources including the collaborative work environment.