Extended user assistance

• US 9,189,903 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ekstrom, Ann, Overgaard, Emma, Dimovski, Dragan
• Primary Examiner(s): Obiniyi, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/504,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20140097935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/5.86, 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729, 704/270.1, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID

Abstract

The invention relates to providing extended user assistance to the user of a portable electronic device. In particular, the invention relates to providing using assistance for a user of a portable electronic device, comprising a display and a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit. The method comprises swiping the portable electronic device over an NFC tag comprising user assistance data, accessing user assistance information based on the user assistance data and displaying the user assistance information on the display. The application also relates to a method for providing context-based user assistance information and to a corresponding device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit adapted to retrieve data stored on an NFC tag, and

a controller adapted to identify the data as being context-based user assistance data,

wherein the controller is further adapted to;

identify a first user context of the portable electronic device, wherein the first user context comprises a UI context displayed on a display of the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the data stored on the NFC tag, and

access means adapted to access at least one element of user assistance information based on the identified first user context and the context-based user assistance data, and

provision means adapted to provide the at least one element of user assistance information, corresponding to the identified first user context, to the user, and

wherein the controller is further adapted to;

identify a second user context of the portable electronic device that is different than the first user context, wherein the second user context comprises an application running on the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the data stored on the NFC tag,

wherein the access means is further adapted to access a second element of user assistance information based on the identified second user context and the context-based user assistance data, wherein the second element of user assistance information is different than the first element of user assistance information, and

wherein the provision means is further adapted to provide the second element of user assistance information, corresponding to the identified second user context, to the user.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

means for identifying a language in the portable electronic device and for providing the user assistance information based on the language.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an internal memory for storing the user assistance information.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the context-based user assistance data comprises an address to an external data storage and wherein the access means is a wireless communication means, adapted to retrieve the user assistance information from the external data storage.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one element of user assistance information corresponding to the second user context is a user manual of the application.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone.

7. A method for providing user assistance to a user of a portable electronic device, comprising a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit, comprising:

providing user assistance data on at least one NFC tag,

swiping the portable electronic device over the NFC tag,

retrieving context-based user assistance data stored on the NFC tag,

identifying a first user context of the portable electronic device,

wherein the first user context comprises a UI context displayed on a display of the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the data stored on the NFC tag,

accessing a first item of user assistance information based on the identified first user context and the context-based user assistance data,

providing the first item of user assistance information corresponding to the identified first user context to the user,

identifying a second user context of the portable electronic device that is different than the first user context, wherein the second user context comprises an application running on the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the data on the NFC tag,

accessing a second item of user assistance information based on the identified second user context and the context-based user assistance data, wherein the second item of user assistance information is different than the first item of user assistance information, and

providing the second item of user assistance information corresponding to the identified second user context to the user.

8. The method for providing user assistance of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying a language in the portable electronic device, and

providing the first item of user assistance information based on the language.

9. The method for providing user assistance of claim 7, wherein accessing the first item of user assistance information comprises accessing data from an internal memory in the portable electronic device.

10. The method for providing user assistance of claim 7, wherein the user assistance data comprises an address to an external data storage, and

wherein accessing the first item of user assistance information comprises retrieving data from the external data storage.

11. The method for providing user assistance of claim 7, wherein at least one NFC tag is placed on a box comprising the portable electronic device.

12. The method for providing user assistance of claim 7, wherein at least one NFC tag is placed in a printed document.

13. The method for providing user assistance of claim 12, wherein the printed document is a “

Quick guide”

, and wherein each NFC tag is represented by an image.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including programmed instructions to be executed by a processor forming part of a portable electronic device that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine that the portable electronic device has been moved into proximity with at least one NFC tag,

wherein the at least one NFC tag includes context-based user assistance data stored thereon;

retrieve the context-based user assistance data stored on the NFC tag,

identify a first user context of the portable electronic device,

wherein the first user context comprises a UI displayed on a display of the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the user assistance data stored on the NFC tag,

access a first item of user assistance information based on the identified first user context and the context-based user assistance data,

provide the first item of user assistance information corresponding to the identified first user context to the user,

identify a second user context of the portable electronic device that is different than the first user context, wherein the second user context comprises an application running on the portable electronic device at the time when the portable electronic device retrieves the data on the NFC tag,

access a second item of user assistance information based on the identified second user context and the context-based user assistance data, wherein the second item of user assistance information is different than the first item of user assistance information, and

provide the second item of user assistance information corresponding to the identified second user context to the user.