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

• US 20100031178A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Motobayashi, Masahiro, Okochi, Toshio, Sakai, Michiko, Azuma, Akio, Hayashi, Maki
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 a history of an operation to a screen which shows a status of the computer, and which is displayed on the computer;

record the obtained status histories 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, the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching the screen.

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 set of the status histories recorded within a predetermined period of time;

divide, in a case where the history of the operation of switching the screen is detected from the extracted set of the status histories, the extracted set of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching the screen;

generate a work history including a history of a work carried out to collect the requested information based on the divided set 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 status history includes information on the screen displayed on the computer;

the computer is further configured to generate at least one combined history in which the 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 at least one combined history includes an attribute which is set based on screen information on the integrated status histories; and

the computer is further configured to;

determine importance of the at least one combined history based on the attribute of the at least one combined history; and

generate, based on the determined importance, the work history by integrating the at least one combined history.

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

the work history is added with importance which is set based on the importance of the integrated at least one combined history;

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 a history of an operation to a screen which shows a status of the computer, and which is displayed on the computer;

record the obtained status histories 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, the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching the screen.

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

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

divide, in a case where the history of the operation of switching the screen is detected from the extracted set of the status histories, the extracted set of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching the screen;

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

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 status history includes information on the screen displayed on the computer;

the information collection supporting device is further configured to generate at least one combined history in which the status histories included in the divided status histories are integrated based on screen information included in the status histories included in the divided set of the status histories;

the at least one combined history includes an attribute which is set based on screen information of the integrated status histories; and

the information collection supporting device is further configured to;

determine importance of the at least one combined history based on the attribute of the at least one combined history; and

generate the work history based on the determined importance by integrating the at least one combined history.

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 the integrated at least one combined history;

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 a history of an operation to a screen which shows a status of the computer, and which is displayed on the computer;

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

dividing, in a case where a history of an operation of switching the screen is detected from the set of the status histories the set of the status histories based on the history of the operation of switching the screen.

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

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

dividing, in a case where the history of the operation of switching the screen is detected from the extracted set of the status histories, the extracted set of the status histories based on the detected history of the operation of switching the screen;

generating a work history including a history of a work carried out to collect the requested information based on the divided set 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, wherein:

the status history includes information of the screen displayed on the computer;

the information collection supporting method further includes the step of generating at least one combined history in which the 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 at least one combined history includes an attribute which is set based on screen information of the integrated status histories; and

the information collection supporting method further includes the steps of;

determining importance of the combined history based on the attribute of the at least one combined history; and

generating the work history based on the determined importance by integrating the at least one combined history.

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 the integrated at least one combined history; 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.