Accessing previously viewed windows

• US 8,015,501 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kuehn, Michael, Mayer-Ullmann, Dietrich, Conrad, Peter, Held, Theo, Rodgers, Deborah, Kumar, Janaki P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Ba
• Application Number:
  US10/884,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,622 Days
• Field of Search: 715/778, 715/783, 715/806, 715/807, 715/819, 715/820, 715/829, 715/851, 715/855
• US Class Current: 715/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

One implementation provides a method for accessing a window previously viewed by a user in a graphical user interface (GUI) during an interaction with an individual. The method includes displaying to the user a first window in the GUI. The first window contains a collapsible/expandable menu. The menu contains an entry that refers to a window previously viewed by the user. Upon selection of the entry in the menu, the method further includes displaying to the user the corresponding window previously viewed by the user in the GUI. The corresponding window has a data-entry field that contains a latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the individual that was previously entered or modified by the user.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a window previously viewed by an interaction center agent in a graphical user interface (GUI) during an interaction with a customer, the method comprising:

during the interaction, displaying to the agent a first window in the GUI, wherein the first window contains a menu and a back button, wherein the menu contains multiple entries that refer to windows that have been previously displayed to the agent during the interaction, including the first window, wherein the entries in the menu are arranged in an order opposite to that in which the corresponding windows were displayed to the agent, wherein each of the windows corresponding to the entries is only listed once in the menu with an entry corresponding to the first window displayed at the beginning of the menu, and wherein the agent is able to expand or collapse the menu in the GUI;

during the interaction, receiving an input of information from the agent in a data-entry field of the first window;

during the interaction, storing in an interaction information repository the input of information contained in the data-entry field of the first window;

receiving a selection of the back button;

upon selection of the back button;

retrieving from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of a window displayed immediately prior to the first window;

displaying to the agent the prior window in the GUI, wherein the data-entry field of the prior window contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the prior window, wherein the prior window contains the menu and the back button; and

moving the entry that refers to the prior window to the beginning of the menu and moving the entry that refers to the first window to the end of the menu;

receiving a selection of one of the entries in the menu; and

upon selection of the entry in the menu;

retrieving from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry;

displaying to the agent the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the window corresponding to the selected entry contains the menu and the back button; and

moving the selected entry to the beginning of the menu.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entries in the menu include titles of the windows previously displayed to the agent during the interaction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is a drop-down menu.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the window corresponding to the selected entry contains additional data-entry fields that each contain a latest version of information previously entered or modified by the agent relating to the interaction with the customer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction has been initiated by the customer.

6. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a storage device, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations for accessing a window previously viewed by an interaction center agent in a graphical user interface (GUI) during an interaction with a customer, the operations comprising:

during the interaction, displaying to the agent a first window in the GUI, wherein the first window contains a menu and a back button, wherein the menu contains multiple entries that refer to windows that have been previously displayed to the agent during the interaction, including the first window, wherein the entries in the menu are arranged in an order opposite to that in which the corresponding windows were displayed to the agent, wherein each of the windows corresponding to the entries is only listed once in the menu with an entry corresponding to the first window displayed at the beginning of the menu, and wherein the agent is able to expand or collapse the menu in the GUI;

during the interaction, receiving an input of information from the agent in a data-entry field of the first window;

during the interaction, storing in an interaction information repository the input of information contained in the data-entry field of the first window;

receiving a selection of the back button;

upon selection of the back button;

retrieving from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of a window displayed immediately prior to the first window;

displaying to the agent the prior window in the GUI, wherein the data-entry field of the prior window contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the prior window, wherein the prior window contains the menu and the back button; and

moving the entry that refers to the prior window to the beginning of the menu and moving the entry that refers to the first window to the end of the menu;

receiving a selection of one of the entries in the menu; and

upon selection of the entry in the menu;

retrieving from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry;

displaying to the agent the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the window corresponding to the selected entry contains the menu and the back button; and

moving the selected entry to the beginning of the menu.

7. A system for accessing a window previously viewed by an interaction center agent in a graphical user interface (GUI) during an interaction with a customer, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory unit in operable communication with the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the following operations;

during the interaction, display to the agent a first window in the GUI, wherein the first window contains a menu and a back button, wherein the menu contains multiple entries that refer to windows that have been previously displayed to the agent during the interaction, including the first window, wherein the entries in the menu are arranged in an order opposite to that in which the corresponding windows were displayed to the agent, wherein each of the windows corresponding to the entries is only listed once in the menu with an entry corresponding to the first window displayed at the beginning of the menu, and wherein the agent is able to expand or collapse the menu in the GUI;

during the interaction, receive an input of information from the agent in a data-entry field of the first window;

during the interaction, store in an interaction information repository the input of information contained in the data-entry field of the first window;

receive a selection of the back button;

upon selection of the back button;

retrieve from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of a window displayed immediately prior to the first window;

display to the agent the prior window in the GUI, wherein the data-entry field of the prior window contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the prior window, wherein the prior window contains the menu and the back button; and

move the entry that refers to the prior window to the beginning of the menu and move the entry that refers to the first window to the end of the menu;

receive a selection of one of the entries in the menu; and

upon selection of the entry in the menu;

retrieve from the interaction information repository a latest version of information that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in a data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry;

display to the agent the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry contains only the retrieved latest version of information that is related to the interaction with the customer that was previously entered or modified by the agent during the interaction in the data-entry field of the window corresponding to the selected entry, wherein the window corresponding to the selected entry contains the menu and the back button; and

move the selected entry to the beginning of the menu.