Compiling user profile information from multiple sources

• US 7,765,166 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lenz, Annette, Beringer, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORMICK, GABRIELLE A
• Application Number:
  US10/663,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and techniques to compile profile information for a user of a computer network into a user object. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes: collecting profile information implicitly and explicitly from structured data sources; collecting profile information implicitly from unstructured data sources; and importing profile information inherited from collaborative entities with which the user is associated.

Claims

1. A method being performed by a computer system, the method comprising:

generating, by a processor of the computer system, a user profile corresponding to a user;

identifying one or more entities related to the user, said one or more entities having corresponding entity profiles including context information comprising a plurality of types of categorized data;

providing an initial list including entity profiles corresponding to one or more entities related to the user;

refining the initial list based on a refining attribute to select an entity profile from the entity profiles included in the initial list;

associating at least a portion of the context information from the selected entity profile to the user profile by importing at least the portion of the context information into the user profile, wherein the imported portion comprises data belonging to the plurality of types of categorized data;

associating explicit context information with the user profile by collecting information entered by the user;

associating implicit context information with the user profile by collecting information based on an email and a document of the user;

associating inherited context information with the user profile by collecting information from a profile of a parent entity of the user profile;

implementing, by using the processor, an identity inspector tool;

sending, by the processor, a notification to the user to indicate that new information is available for updating the user profile, wherein the identity inspector tool provides;

different filtered views of the user profile based on different types of context information, the filtered views including a first view having the explicit context information, a second view having the implicit context information, and a third view having the inherited context information;

a first option to the user to accept the new information for updating the user profile based on the new information;

a second option to the user to change the new information for updating the user profile based on the changed new information; and

a third option to the user to add additional information to the new information for updating the user profile based on the additional information;

assigning a collaborative task to the user;

transporting, to the user profile, workset context information included in a workset associated with the collaborative task, wherein the workset defines a work environment including a communication feature, a collaboration feature, and a user interface requirement, and the collaborative task is performed by collaborating with another user in the work environment and by using the workset context information; and

tracking progress of the task by implementing a dashboard indicating whether a milestone associated with the task is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said context information is organized into context clusters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said associating at least a portion of the context information from the selected entity profile to the user profile comprises transporting one or more context clusters into the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising personalizing the work environment by including links in the work environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the links are to services.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the links are to information places.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the work environment comprises a portal environment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the context information in the user profile periodically.

9. The method claim 1 further comprising:

generating an additional user profile for the user; and

associating at least an additional portion of the context information to the additional user profile by transporting at least the additional portion of the context information into the additional user profile.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

switching between the user profile and the additional user profile based on a selection received from the user, wherein the user profile is associated with a first identity of the user in the work environment and the additional user profile is associated with a second identity of the user in the work environment, the second identity being different from the first identity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying one or more entities related to the user comprises identifying one or more entities having a collaborative relationship with the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying one or more entities related to the user comprises identifying one or more entities having a business relationship with the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is related to the one or more entities based on one of activities of the user, worksets of the user, and collaboration of the user with the one or more entities.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

implementing a decay function for deleting a portion of the context information included in the user profile based on a decay time, wherein a duration of the decay time is set based on a relevance of the portion.

15. A method being performed by a computer system, the method comprising:

generating, by a processor of the computer system, a child entity profile corresponding to a child entity;

identifying parent entity profiles from which the child entity profile depends, the parent entity profiles including context information comprising a plurality of types of categorized data;

providing an initial list including the parent entity profiles;

refining the initial list based on a refining attribute to select a parent entity profile from the parent entity profiles included in the initial list;

importing at least a portion of the context information from the selected parent entity profile into the child entity profile, said imported context information comprising inherited context information belonging to the plurality of types of categorized data;

associating explicit context information with the child entity profile by collecting information entered by the child entity;

associating implicit context information with the child entity profile by collecting information based on an email and a document of the child entity;

updating the inherited context information in the child entity profile by editing data stored in the computer system in response to a change in the corresponding at least a portion of the context information in the parent entity profile;

implementing, by using the processor, an identity inspector tool;

sending a notification to the child entity to indicate that new context information is available for updating the child entity profile, wherein the identity inspector tool provides;

different filtered views of the child entity profile based on different types of context information, the filtered views including a first view having the explicit context information, a second view having the implicit context information, and a third view having the inherited context information;

a first option to the child entity to accept the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the new information;

a second option to the child entity to change the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the changed new information; and

a third option to the child entity to add additional information to the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the additional information;

assigning a collaborative task to the child entity;

transporting, to the child entity profile, workset context information included in a workset associated with the collaborative task, wherein the workset defines a work environment including a communication feature, a collaboration feature, and a user interface requirement, and the collaborative task is performed by collaborating with another parent entity or child entity in the work environment and by using the workset context information; and

tracking progress of the task by implementing a dashboard indicating whether a milestone associated with the task is complete.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising personalizing the work environment associated with child entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said personalizing comprises including links in the work environment.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the links are to services.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the links are to information places.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the work environment comprises a portal environment.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said inherited context information comprises context clusters.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

updating the context information in the child entity profile periodically.

23. The method claim 15 further comprising:

generating an additional child entity profile for the child entity; and

associating at least an additional portion of the context information to the additional child entity profile by importing at least the additional portion of the context information into the additional child entity profile.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

switching between the child entity profile and the additional child entity profile based on a selection received from the child entity, wherein the child entity profile is associated with a first identity of the child entity in a work environment and the additional child entity user profile is associated with a second identity of the child entity in the work environment, the second identity being different from the first identity.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the child entity profile depends on the parent entity profile based on one of activities of the child entity, worksets of the child entity, and collaboration of the child entity with the parent entity profile.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

implementing a decay function for deleting a portion of the context information included in the child entity profile based on a decay time, wherein a duration of the decay time is set based on a relevance of the portion.

27. A machine-readable storage medium including machine-readable instructions which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to:

generate a user profile corresponding to a user;

identify one or more entities related to the user, said one or more entities having corresponding entity profiles including context information comprising a plurality of types of categorized data;

provide an initial list including entity profiles corresponding to one or more entities related to the user;

refine the initial list based on a refining attribute to select an entity profile from the entity profiles included in the initial list;

associate at least a portion of the context information from the selected entity profile to the user profile by importing at least the portion of the context information into the user profile, wherein the imported portion comprises data belonging to the plurality of types of categorized data;

associate explicit context information with the user profile by collecting information entered by the user;

associate implicit context information with the user profile by collecting information based on an email and a document of the user;

associate inherited context information with the user profile by collecting information from a profile of a parent entity of the user profile;

implement an identity inspector tool;

send a notification to the user to indicate that new information is available for updating the user profile, wherein the identity inspector tool provides;

different filtered views of the user profile based on different types of context information, the filtered views including a first view having the explicit context information, a second view having the implicit context information, and a third view having the inherited context information;

a first option to the user to accept the new information for updating the user profile based on the new information;

a second option to the user to change the new information for updating the user profile based on the changed new information; and

a third option to the user to add additional information to the new information for updating the user profile based on the additional information;

assign a collaborative task to the user;

transport, to the user profile, workset context information included in a workset associated with the collaborative task, wherein the workset defines a work environment including a communication feature, a collaboration feature, and a user interface requirement, and the collaborative task is performed by collaborating with another user in the work environment and by using the workset context information; and

track progress of the task by implementing a dashboard indicating whether a milestone associated with the task is complete.

28. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the user is related to the one or more entities based on one of activities of the user, worksets of the user, and collaboration of the user with the one or more entities.

29. A machine-readable storage medium including machine-readable instructions which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to:

generate a child entity profile corresponding to a child entity;

identify parent entity profiles from which the child entity profile, the parent entity profiles including context information comprising a plurality of types of categorized data;

provide an initial list including the parent entity profiles;

refine the initial list based on a refining attribute to select a parent entity profile from the parent entity profiles included in the initial list;

import at least a portion of the context information from the selected parent entity profile into the child entity profile, said imported context information comprising inherited context information belonging to the plurality of types of categorized data;

update the inherited context information in the child entity profile in response to a change in the corresponding at least a portion of the context information in the parent entity profile;

associate explicit context information with the child entity profile by collecting information entered by the child entity;

associate implicit context information with the child entity profile by collecting information based on an email and a document of the child entity;

implement an identity inspector tool;

send a notification to the child entity to indicate that new information is available for updating the child entity profile, wherein the identity inspector tool provides;

different filtered views of the child entity profile based on different types of context information, the filtered views including a first view having the explicit context information, a second view having the implicit context information, and a third view having the inherited context information;

a first option to the child entity to accept the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the new information;

a second option to the child entity to change the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the changed new information; and

a third option to the child entity to add additional information to the new information for updating the child entity profile based on the additional information;

assign a collaborative task to the child entity;

transport, to the child entity profile, workset context information included in a workset associated with the collaborative task, wherein the workset defines a work environment including a communication feature, a collaboration feature, and a user interface requirement, and the collaborative task is performed by collaborating with another parent entity or child entity in the work environment and by using the workset context information; and

track progress of the task by implementing a dashboard indicating whether a milestone associated with the task is complete.

30. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the child entity profile depends on the parent entity profile based on one of activities of the child entity, worksets of the child entity, and collaboration of the child entity with the parent entity profile.