Multidimensional approach to context-awareness

• US 8,126,984 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Vogler, Hartmut K., Goslar, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US12/210,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20090013038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/233, 709/218, 709/219, 345/762, 715/231
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A context aware enterprise system includes a network, an enterprise service coupled to the network, and a plurality of information sources that include enterprise information related to one or more activities of the enterprise system. The enterprise system also includes a plurality of clients with user interfaces by which a user may access the enterprise service over the network. A context determination service determines context information describing a multi-dimensional context based on the enterprise information. The context information determined by the context determination service includes a user identification, an identification of a client selected by the user, a user role, a user expertise related to the enterprise service, and a user expertise related to the selected client. Based on the context information, an interface adaptation service adapts the user interface of the client.

Claims

1. An enterprise system with multi-dimensional context awareness, the system comprising:

an enterprise service coupled to a network, the enterprise service configured to perform at least one enterprise operation based on a user request;

a client device coupled to the network to access the enterprise service, the client device including a user interface, and being configured to issue the user request; and

a context adaptation service that communicates with the enterprise service and the client device via the network, the context adaptation service including a context determination service, and an interface adaptation service, wherein;

the context determination service is configured to determine context information from enterprise information related to the at least one enterprise operation, the context information comprising a user expertise related to user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service, a user expertise related to user-accessible help with using components of the client device, and a user expertise related to an interaction scheme of the user interface, the interaction scheme related to a mode of data input for the user interface, and

the interface adaptation service generates an interface adaptation based on the context information, which is received from the context determination service, determines an interface configuration based on the interface adaptation, and transmits the interface configuration to at least one of the enterprise service and the client device, the enterprise service processing the interface configuration to provide an adapted user interface that is displayed on the client device, the adapted user interface hiding irrelevant items and providing shortcuts to functions and being based on a combination of the user expertise related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service and the user expertise related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device; and

the context adaption service is configured to monitor the context information to determine that the context information has changed and to regenerate the interface adaptation based on changed context information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface adaptation service adapts the user interface of the client device to select a sensory communication path for interaction of the user with the enterprise service suited to a context described by the context information.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensory communication path selected comprises at least one of a voice communication path, a text communication path, and a graphical communication path.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface adaptation service adapts the user interface to adjust a level of help automatically provided to the user regarding operation of at least one of the client device and the enterprise service based on the expertise of the user related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device and the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service, respectively.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface adaptation service adapts the user interface to present only information to the user relevant to at least one of a user role and a user identification described by the context information.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the context adaptation service comprises at least one of a rule engine, an inference engine, and a Bayesian reasoning engine.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of information sources that communicate with the network, the plurality of information sources including at least one of a database, a security device, a global positioning system, and an information source configured to provide other information in addition to the context information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the user expertise related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service and the user expertise related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device is based on an activity history of the user.

9. A method of adapting a user interface of a client device in an enterprise system based on multi-dimensional context information, the method comprising:

performing an enterprise operation via an enterprise service that is coupled to a network based on a user request;

issuing the user request from a client device that is coupled to the network, the client device including a user interface;

receiving enterprise information at a context adaptation service that includes a context determination service, and an interface adaptation service;

determining, at the context determination service, context information based on the enterprise information related to the at least one enterprise operation, the context information comprising a user expertise related to user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service, a user expertise related to user-accessible help with using components of the client device, and a user expertise related to an interaction scheme of the user interface, the interaction scheme related to a mode of data input for the user interface;

generating, at the interface adaptation service, an interface adaptation based on the context information, which is received from the context determination service;

determining, at the interface adaptation service, an interface configuration based on the interface adaptation;

transmitting the interface configuration to at least one of the enterprise service and the client device, the enterprise service processing the interface configuration to provide an adapted user interface that is displayed on the client device, the adapted user interface hiding irrelevant items and providing shortcuts to functions and being based on a combination of the user expertise related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service and the user expertise related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device; and

monitoring the context information to determine that the context information has changed and to regenerate the interface adaptation based on changed context information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein adapting the user interface comprises selecting a sensory communication path for interaction of the user with the enterprise service that is suited to a context described by the context information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the sensory communication path selected comprises at least one of a voice communication path, a text communication path, and a graphical communication path.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein adapting the user interface comprises adapting the user interface to adjust a level of help automatically provided to the user regarding operation of the client device based on the expertise of the user related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein adapting the user interface comprises adapting the user interface to adjust a level of help automatically provided to the user regarding operation of the enterprise service based on the expertise of the user related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein adapting the user interface of the client device based on the context information comprises adapting the user interface to present only information to the user relevant to a user role described by the context information.

15. A computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, operate to cause the one or more processors to:

perform an enterprise operation via an enterprise service that is coupled to a network based on a user request;

issue the user request from a client device that is coupled to the network, the client device including a user interface;

receive enterprise information at a context adaptation service that includes a context determination service, and an interface adaptation service;

determine, at the context determination service, context information based on the enterprise information related to the at least one enterprise operation, the context information comprising a user expertise related to user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service, a user expertise related to user-accessible help with using components of the client device, and a user expertise related to an interaction scheme of the user interface, the interaction scheme related to a mode of data input for the user interface;

generate, at the interface adaptation service, an interface adaptation based on the context information, which is received from the context determination service;

determine, at the interface adaptation service, an interface configuration based on the interface adaptation; and

transmit the interface configuration to at least one of the enterprise service and the client device, the enterprise service processing the interface configuration to provide an adapted user interface that is displayed on the client device, the adapted user interface hiding irrelevant items and providing shortcuts to functions and being based on a combination of the user expertise related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service and the user expertise related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device; and

monitor the context information to determine that the context information has changed and to regenerate the interface adaptation based on changed context information.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adapting the user interface comprises selecting a sensory communication path for interaction of the user with the enterprise service that is suited to a context described by the context information.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the sensory communication path selected comprises at least one of a voice communication path, a text communication path, and a graphical communication path.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adapting the user interface comprises adapting the user interface to adjust a level of help automatically provided to the user regarding operation of the client device based on the expertise of the user related to the user-accessible help with using the components of the client device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adapting the user interface comprises adapting the user interface to adjust a level of help automatically provided to the user regarding operation of the enterprise service based on the expertise of the user related to the user-populated information fields associated with the enterprise service.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adapting the user interface of the client device based on the context information comprises adapting the user interface to present only information to the user relevant to the user role described by the context information.