Computer system, information collection support device, and method for supporting information collection

• US 8,234,584 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Motobayashi, Masahiro, Okochi, Toshio, Sakai, Michiko, Hayashi, Maki, Azuma, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/379,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20100031178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Provided is a computer system including an information providing server and a computer which is coupled to the information providing server, and which collects information, the computer being configured to: record status histories including a history of an operation to a screen which shows a status of the computer, and which is displayed on the computer in chronological order to constitute a set of the status histories; and divide, in a case where a history of an operation of switching the screen is detected from the set of the status histories, based on the history of the operation of switching the screen, the set of the status histories. Accordingly, when a user collects information, navigation information is provided by taking the fact that the user has actually reached useful information into consideration.

Claims

1. A computer system, including a computer which is coupled to a server for providing requested information, and which collects the requested information, wherein the computer is configured to:

obtain status histories including histories of operations to a screen of a web browser displayed on the computer and histories of operations to a screen of an application other than the web browser displayed on the computer, the status histories including information on the screen displayed on the computer;

record the obtained status histories in chronological order to constitute a set of the status histories;

divide, in a case where a history of an operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the set of the status histories, the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generate a plurality of combined histories in each of which corresponding status histories included in the divided set of the status histories are integrated based on screen information included in the status histories included in the divided set of the status histories, the plurality of combined histories each including an attribute which is set based on screen information on the corresponding integrated status histories of the combined history; and

determine importance of each of the plurality of combined histories based on the attribute of the combined history and an importance of the combined history within consecutive combined histories of the plurality of combined histories, and

wherein the plurality of combined histories include a pair of consecutive combined histories having a first combined history that includes histories of operations to the screen of the web browser and a second combined history that includes histories of operations to the application other than the web browser.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, further including a management server for managing navigation information to support collection of information by the computer, wherein:

the computer is further configured to;

extract a subset of the status histories recorded within a predetermined period of time;

divide, in a case where the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the extracted subset of the status histories, the extracted subset of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generate a work history including a history of a work carried out to collect the requested information based on the divided subset of the status histories; and

transmit the generated work history to the management server; and

the management server is configured to;

generate, based on the transmitted work history, the navigation information to support collection of the requested information; and

provide the generated navigation information to the computer.

3. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein:

the computer is further configured to;

generate, based on the determined importance of each combined history, the work history by integrating the plurality of combined histories.

4. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein:

the work history is added with importance which is set based on the importance of each of the integrated plurality of combined histories;

the computer is further configured to notify the management server of usage of the navigation information including whether or not the requested information has been collected by using the navigation information; and

the management server is further configured to update the importance added to the work history based on the notified usage.

5. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein:

the requested information is collected by referring to the screen displaying a page including the requested information by the computer;

the page includes a description for link to another page from the page;

the work history is correlated with at least one page, and is associated with a work history corresponding to the another page based on the link;

the navigation information is represented by a tree structure including a node corresponding to the work history, and a branch for linking the node corresponding to the work history with a node corresponding to the work history associated with the work history; and

the management server is further configured to provide the computer with a work history corresponding to a page displayed on the computer and the navigation information including the work history associated with the work history.

6. An information collection supporting device for providing a computer for collecting information by using a server which provides requested information with navigation information to support collection of the requested information, wherein the information collection supporting device is configured to:

obtain status histories including histories of operations to a screen of a web browser displayed on the computer and histories of operations to a screen of an application other than the web browser displayed on the computer, the status histories including information on the screen displayed on the computer;

record the obtained status histories in chronological order to constitute a set of the status histories;

divide, in a case where a history of an operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the set of the status histories, the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generate a plurality of combined histories in each of which corresponding status histories included in the divided set of the status histories are integrated based on screen information included in the status histories included in the divided set of the status histories, the plurality of combined histories each including an attribute which is set based on screen information on the corresponding integrated status histories of the combined history; and

determine importance of each of the plurality of combined histories based on the attribute of the combined history and an importance of the combined history within consecutive combined histories of the plurality of combined histories, and

wherein the plurality of combined histories include a pair of consecutive combined histories having a first combined history that includes histories of operations to the screen of the web browser and a second combined history that includes histories of operations to the application other than the web browser.

7. The information collection supporting device according to claim 6, further configured to:

extract a subset of the status histories recorded within a predetermined period of time;

divide, in a case where the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the extracted subset of the status histories, the extracted subset of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generate a work history including a history of a work carried out to collect the requested information based on the divided subset of the status histories;

generate, based on the generated work history, the navigation information to support collection of the requested information; and

provide the generated navigation information to the computer.

8. The information collection supporting device according to claim 7, wherein:

the information collection supporting device is further configured to;

generate the work history based on the determined importance of each combined history by integrating the plurality of combined histories.

9. The information collection supporting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the work history is added with importance which is set based on the importance of each of the integrated plurality of combined histories;

the information collection supporting device is further configured to;

receive usage of the navigation information including whether or not the information has been collected by the computer using the navigation information from the computer; and

update the importance added to the work history based on the received usage.

10. The requested information collection supporting device according to claim 8, wherein:

the requested information is collected by referring to the screen displaying a page including the information by the computer;

the page includes a description for link to another page from the page;

the work history is correlated with at least one page, and is associated with a work history corresponding to the another page based on the link;

the navigation information is represented by a tree structure including a node corresponding to the work history, and a branch for linking the node corresponding to the work history with a node corresponding to the work history associated with the work history; and

the information collection supporting device is further configured to provide the computer with a work history corresponding to a page displayed on the computer and the navigation information including the work history associated with the work history.

11. An information collection supporting method used in a computer system including:

a computer which is coupled to a server for providing requested information, and which collects the requested information; and

a management server for managing navigation information to support the collection of the requested information by the computer,

the information collection supporting method including the steps of;

obtaining status histories including histories of operations to a screen of a web browser displayed on the computer and histories of operations to a screen of an application other than the web browser displayed on the computer, the status histories including information on the screen displayed on the computer;

recording the obtained status histories in chronological order to constitute a set of the status histories;

dividing, in a case where a history of an operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the set of the status histories, the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generating a plurality of combined histories in each of which corresponding status histories included in the divided set of the status histories are integrated based on screen information included in the status histories included in the divided set of the status histories, the plurality of combined histories each including an attribute which is set based on screen information on the corresponding integrated status histories of the combined history; and

determining importance of each of the plurality of combined histories based on the attribute of the combined history and an importance of the combined history within consecutive combined histories of the plurality of combined histories, and

wherein the plurality of combined histories include a pair of consecutive combined histories having a first combined history that includes histories of operations to the screen of the web browser and a second combined history that includes histories of operations to the application other than the web browser.

12. The information collection supporting method according to claim 11, further including the steps of:

extracting a subset of the status histories recorded within a predetermined period of time;

dividing, in a case where the history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser is detected from the extracted subset of the status histories, the extracted subset of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching between the screen of the web browser and the screen of the application other than the web browser;

generating a work history including a history of a work carried out to collect the requested information based on the divided subset of the status histories;

generating, based on the generated work history, navigation information to support collection of the requested information; and

providing the generated navigation information to the computer.

13. The information collection supporting method according to claim 12, further comprising generating the work history based on the determined importance of each combined history by integrating the plurality of combined histories.

14. The information collection supporting method according to claim 13, wherein:

the work history is added with importance which is set based on the importance of each of the integrated plurality of combined histories; and

the information collection supporting method further includes the steps of;

receiving usage of the navigation information including whether the requested information has been collected by the computer using the navigation information from the computer; and

updating, by the computer, the importance added to the work history based on the received usage.

15. The information collection supporting method according to claim 13, wherein:

the requested information is collected by referring to the screen displaying a page including the requested information by the computer;

the page includes a description for link to another page from the page;

the work history is correlated with at least one page, and is associated with a work history corresponding to the another page based on the link;

the navigation information is represented by a tree structure including a node corresponding to the work history, and a branch for linking the node corresponding to the work history with a node corresponding to the work history associated with the work history; and

the information collection supporting method further includes the step of providing the computer with a work history corresponding to a page displayed on the computer and the navigation information including the work history associated with the work history.