Method and apparatus for enhancing compound documents with questions and answers

• US 8,224,901 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hind, John, Chen, Li, Li, Yongcheng, Xiao, Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US12/636,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A server system runs a bot service that registers an FAQ (frequently asked questions) for a document having an embedded object. The FAQ includes one or more question-and-answer (Q&A) pairs. The bot service receives, from each electronics device that renders a copy of the document, a request from the embedded object for the FAQ registered for the document, and transmits the FAQ to each electronic device from which a request is received. Each electronics device displays the FAQ, including the one or more Q&A pairs, within its rendered copy of the document. Any viewer of a copy of the document with the embedded object can submit a question to the bot service through the embedded object. The bot service uses a messaging service to obtain an answer to the question from an author. The FAQs displayed at the electronics devices are updated to include the new Q&A pair.

Claims

1. A method for inserting collaborative content in a document distributed to one or more viewers, the method comprising:

registering an FAQ (frequently asked questions) for a document having an embedded object, the FAQ including one or more Q&

A pairs associated with the document, wherein registering the FAQ for the document includes defining a list of instant messaging (IM) endpoints and filters for each IM endpoint that determine when that IM endpoint is available to answer questions and a type of questions that that IM endpoint will answer, each IM endpoint representing an author or group of authors of the document;

receiving, from at least one electronics device rendering a copy of the document having the object embedded therein, a request from the embedded object to acquire the FAQ that is registered for the document;

transmitting the FAQ including the one or more Q&

A pairs associated with the document to each electronics device from which a request is received;

receiving a question from the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on a given electronics device; and

applying the filters for each IM endpoint in the list of IM endpoints to a content of the question to select at least one of the IM endpoints as a candidate for answering the received question.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a message containing the question to an author of the document.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, from the author, a message containing an answer to the question;

updating, in response to receiving the message containing the answer, the FAQ associated with the document to include a new Q&

A pair comprised of the question received from the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on the given electronics device and the answer received from the author; and

transmitting the new Q&

A pair to the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on the given electronics device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising updating the FAQ that is displayed in the copy of the document rendered at each of the other electronics devices to include the new Q&

A pair.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

associating an identifier with the question contained in the message sent to the author of the document; and

matching the answer to the question based on the identifier.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the message containing the question and the message containing the answer are instant messages.

7. A collaborative communication system comprising:

a server system running a bot service that registers an FAQ for a document having an embedded object, the FAQ including one or more Q&

A pairs associated with the document, the bot service receiving, from each electronics device that renders a copy of the document, a request from the embedded object for the FAQ registered for the document, the bot service associating the registered FAQ with a list of IM endpoints and filters for each IM endpoint that determine when that IM endpoint is available to answer questions and a type of questions that that IM endpoint will answer, each IM endpoint representing an author or group of authors of the document, the bot service transmitting the FAQ including the one or more Q&

A pairs associated with the document to each electronic device from which a request is received, and wherein the bot service receives a question from the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on a given one of the electronics devices and applies the filters for each IM endpoint in the list of IM endpoints to a content of the question to select at least one of the IM endpoints as a candidate for answering the received question.

8. The collaborative communication system of claim 7, further comprising the plurality of electronics devices, each electronics device rendering a copy of the document with the embedded object and displaying the FAQ including the one or more Q&

A pairs within its rendered copy of the document.

9. The collaborative communication system of claim 7, wherein the server system runs a messaging service that sends a message containing the question to an author of the document.

10. The collaborative communication system of claim 9, wherein the messaging service is an instant messaging service.

11. The collaborative communication system of claim 9, wherein the messaging service receives from the author a message containing an answer to the question, and the bot service updates, in response to the received message containing the answer, the FAQ associated with the document to include a new Q&

A pair comprised of the question received from the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on the given electronics device and the answer received from the author, and transmits the new Q&

A pair to the object embedded in the copy of the document rendered on the given electronics device.

12. The collaborative communication system of claim 11, wherein each of the other electronics devices updates the FAQ that is displayed in its rendered copy of the document to include the new Q&

A pair.

13. The collaborative communication system of claim 11, wherein the bot service associates an identifier with the question contained in the message sent to the author of the document, and matches the received answer to the question based on the identifier.

14. The collaborative communication system of claim 11, wherein the message containing the question and the message containing the answer are instant messages.