Context-specific electronic performance support

• US 7,260,498 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Dade Behring, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Quinn, Clark, Koroknay, Maria C., Franklin, Carolyn D., Stoller, Jude, Harris, Diane E., Battenfelder, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/443,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20060288259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 702/186, 702/188, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 714/47, 345/326, 345/327, 345/744, 345/763, 345/765, 434/322
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Providing context-specific electronic performance support for a device through just-in-time knowledge transfer. Performance support content comprising information regarding device procedures, device alerts, and display screens for displaying information related to the device can be stored in multiple content files. Each content file can be associated with a device alert, a device procedure, and/or a display screen. Device users can interact with one or more display screens on a display associated with the device. The device users can request performance support content by activating an icon or hyperlink on the display screen(s). A content publisher can identify performance support content responsive to each request from one or more of the content files based on context information related to the display screen(s) on the display at the time of the request. The content publisher can display a display screen comprising the identified information on the display associated with the device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing performance support content for a device, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first display screen comprising information related to a device;

receiving a request for performance support content for the device, the request comprising context information related to the first display screen;

identifying a content file based on the context information, the content file comprising performance support content responsive to the request; and

displaying a second display screen comprising the performance support content of the identified content file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen comprises an alert related to the device, and wherein the context information comprises information related to the alert.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the alert comprises one of an instruction to a user of the device and a notification of an error in connection with the device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the performance support content displayed on the second display screen comprises instructions for responding to the alert.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen comprises information related to a software application of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information comprises a name of the first display screen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of identifying the content file comprises identifying the content file with the same name as the first display screen.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second request for performance support content for the device, the second request comprising context information related to the second display screen; and

displaying a third display screen comprising performance support content responsive to the second request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is an analytical workstation configured to perform at least one diagnostic procedure in a laboratory setting.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

11. A computer-implemented method for creating performance support content for a device, comprising the steps of:

creating a performance support file comprising performance support content corresponding to each of a plurality of device alerts and device procedures;

associating a display screen configured to display information related to the device with at least one of the device alerts and device procedures;

identifying information in the performance support file regarding the at least one of the device alerts and device procedures associated with the display screen;

creating a content file comprising the identified information; and

storing the content file in a data storage medium associated with the device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of validating the contents of the performance support file.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the device alert comprises one of an instruction to a user of the device and a notification of an error in connection with the device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the performance support file further comprises information regarding a screen description of each of a plurality of display screens configured to display information related to the device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the display screen is a display screen of a software application of the device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is an analytical workstation configured to perform at least one diagnostic procedure in a laboratory setting.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 11.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the performance support content corresponding to at least one device alert of the plurality of device alerts and device procedures comprises instructions for responding to the device alert.

19. A system for providing performance support content for a device, comprising:

a content database comprising the performance support content for the device;

a content requestor configured to;

receive a request for the performance support content, and

transmit context information related to a first display screen displayed on a display associated with the device to a content publisher; and

the content publisher in communication with the content requestor and the content database and configured to;

identify a content file comprising the performance support content based on the transmitted context information, and

display a second display screen comprising the performance support content from the identified content file on the display, in response to the request.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the device is an analytical workstation configured to perform at least one diagnostic procedure in a laboratory setting.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first display screen comprises an alert related to the device, and wherein the context information comprises information related to the alert.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the alert comprises one of an instruction to a user of the device and a notification of an error in connection with the device.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first display screen comprises information related to a software application of the device.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the context information comprises a name of the first display screen.