Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method and program

Abstract

To reduce an operation burden for clearing up doubts arisen regarding an information processing device.SOLUTION: The information processing device comprises: a recording unit which records, in a storage unit, information associating a help content displayed by the information processing device with the state of the information processing device when the help content is displayed; and a display control unit which in a case where the information processing device comes into the state after the information is recorded in the storage unit, displays information recommending the help content based on the information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When a user has questions about how to deal with an abnormality occurring in an information processing device (e.g., an image forming device) used by multiple users in an office or the like, or when a user has questions about how to operate the information processing device, the user can request a customer engineer or the like to handle the problem. However, if the customer engineer is asked to handle even abnormalities that are easy to handle or simple operating methods, the workload of the customer engineer will become excessively large.

[0003] Conventionally, it has been possible for users to refer to help content such as electronic manuals to enable them to deal with abnormalities and check operation methods themselves (for example, Patent Document 1). Users search for the method of dealing with the abnormality or the operation method in the help content and try to resolve their questions about the method of dealing with the abnormality or the operation method. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If a user successfully resolves a question by referring to certain help content, unless that solution is properly shared with other users, the other users will end up wasting time by repeatedly searching the same help content when they encounter the same question.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to reduce the workload for resolving questions that arise regarding information processing devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, an information processing device is configured to: Applications used in a recording unit that records information relating the information to the information processing device after the information is recorded in the storage unit; The application is used in and a display control unit that displays information recommending the help content based on the information when the user selects the help content. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This reduces the workload for resolving questions that arise regarding the information processing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure for a help display process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a recommended information storage unit 22 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a help list screen when there is no recommended help content. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a help list screen when there is recommended help content. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for searching for recommended help content. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for registering a method for resolving the current abnormality. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure for a help display process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a recommended information storage unit 22 according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system in a first embodiment. In Fig. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 is connected to a help server 20 via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

[0010] The image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an information processing apparatus used by a user. For example, the image forming apparatus 10 may be a multifunction peripheral.

[0011] The help server 20 is one or more computers that store content in which help content related to the image forming apparatus 10 is recorded (hereinafter referred to as "help content").

[0012] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, image forming apparatus 10 has hardware such as controller 11, scanner 12, printer 13, modem 14, operation panel 15, network interface 16, and SD card slot 17.

[0013] The controller 11 has a CPU 111, a RAM 112, a ROM 113, a HDD 114, an NVRAM 115, etc. The ROM 113 stores various programs, data used by the programs, etc. The RAM 112 is used as a storage area for loading programs, a work area for the loaded programs, etc. The CPU 111 realizes various functions by processing the programs loaded into the RAM 112. The HDD 114 stores programs, various data used by the programs, etc. The NVRAM 115 stores various setting information, etc.

[0014] The scanner 12 is hardware (image reading means) for reading image data from an original. The printer 13 is hardware (printing means) for printing print data on printing paper. The modem 14 is hardware for connecting to a telephone line and is used to send and receive image data via FAX communication. The operation panel 15 is hardware equipped with input means such as buttons for receiving user input and display means such as an LCD panel. The LCD panel may have a touch panel function. In this case, the LCD panel also functions as an input means. The network interface 16 is hardware for connecting to a network (whether wired or wireless) such as a LAN. The SD card slot 17 is used to read programs stored on the SD card 80. In other words, in the image forming apparatus 10, not only programs stored in the ROM 113 but also programs stored on the SD card 80 can be loaded into the RAM 112 and executed. Note that the SD card 80 may be replaced with another recording medium (e.g., a CD-ROM or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory). That is, the type of recording medium corresponding to the position of the SD card 80 is not limited to a predetermined one. In this case, the SD card slot 17 may be replaced by hardware that corresponds to the type of recording medium.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 3, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a display control unit 121, an operation receiving unit 122, and a help acquisition unit 123. These units are realized by processing executed by the CPU 111 of one or more programs installed in the image forming apparatus 10.

[0016] Display control unit 121 controls the display of information on operation panel 15. In the present embodiment, display control unit 121 controls the display of error information related to an abnormality that has occurred in image forming apparatus 10, help content for dealing with the abnormality, and the like.

[0017] The operation receiving unit 122 receives an operation performed by the user via the operation panel 15 .

[0018] The help acquisition unit 123 acquires help contents and the like from the help server 20.

[0019] On the other hand, the help server 20 has a help storage unit 21 and a recommended information storage unit 22. These storage units can be realized using, for example, an auxiliary storage device that the help server 20 has.

[0020] The help storage unit 21 stores a list of help contents. The recommended information storage unit 22 stores information indicating help contents that were referenced when resolving an abnormality that occurred in the image forming apparatus 10 in the past and that were determined to be recommended for resolving the abnormality.

[0021] The image forming apparatus 10 may include the help storage unit 21 and the recommended information storage unit 22.

[0022] The processing procedure executed in the information processing system will be described below. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the processing procedure for help display processing in the first embodiment. During the processing procedure in Fig. 4, a user who operates the image forming apparatus 10 is referred to as a "target user."

[0023] When an abnormality occurs in the image forming apparatus 10 while the image forming apparatus 10 is executing a process in response to an operation by a target user, the display control unit 121 displays error information related to the abnormality (hereinafter referred to as "target error information") on the operation panel 15 (S101). The error information includes an error number that identifies the error and an error message that indicates the content of the error.

[0024] When the target user recognizes the occurrence of an abnormality from the display of the error information and operates the operation panel 15 of the image forming apparatus 10 to input a request to display help (S102), the operation accepting unit 122 sends a request to acquire help content to the help acquiring unit 123 (S103). The acquisition request includes the error ID of the error information currently being displayed (hereinafter referred to as the "target error ID").

[0025] In response to the request for help content acquisition, the help acquisition unit 123 searches the recommended information storage unit 22 for help content recommended for the error associated with the target error ID included in the request for help content acquisition (S104, S105).

[0026] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recommended information storage unit 22 in the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the recommended information storage unit 22 stores recommended content IDs, the number of recommended times, etc., in association with error IDs of abnormalities that have occurred in the past.

[0027] The recommended content ID is the ID of the help content (hereinafter referred to as "content ID") that describes a solution that was effective (helpful) in resolving the abnormality associated with the error ID. The number of times recommended refers to the number of times the recommended content ID has been registered as a recommended solution for the abnormality associated with the error ID. In other words, in this embodiment, the same content ID can be registered multiple times for the same error ID. Also, different content IDs can be registered for the same error ID. This is because there may be multiple solutions for the same abnormality.

[0028] In step S105, if one or more records including the target error ID are stored in the recommended information storage unit 22, a set of the recommended content ID and the number of recommended times for each record is acquired as a search result. If no record including the target error ID is stored in the recommended information storage unit 22, "not registered" is acquired as a search result.

[0029] Next, the help acquisition unit 123 acquires a list of bibliographic information of each help content prepared in advance (hereinafter referred to as "help list") from the help storage unit 21 (S106, S107). The help list is information including a content ID, a title, etc. for each help content. The help contents in the help list are arranged in the order of the table of contents of the help, for example.

[0030] Next, if the search result in step S105 is "not registered," the help acquisition unit 123 transmits the help list acquired in step S107 as is to the display control unit 121 (S108). The display control unit 121 displays a help list screen on the operation panel 15 based on the help list (S109).

[0031] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the help list screen when there is no recommended help content. In FIG. 6, the help list screen 510 includes options e1 to e4, etc. Each option corresponds one-to-one to each component (content ID and title) in the help list. Therefore, the character string assigned to each option is the title of the help content corresponding to that option. When one of the options is selected, the help acquisition unit 123 acquires the help content corresponding to the content ID corresponding to that option from the help storage unit 21, and the display control unit 121 displays the help content on the operation panel 15.

[0032] On the other hand, if one or more pairs of recommended content ID and recommended count are found in step S105, the help acquisition unit 123 sends the pairs of recommended content ID and recommended count to the display control unit 121 in addition to the help list acquired in step S107 (S109). The display control unit 121 changes the order of the help list based on the content ID and recommended count, and displays a help list screen 510 based on the changed help list on the operation panel 15 (S110). Specifically, the display control unit 121 moves the order of the element (content ID and title) in the help list that corresponds to the recommended content ID to the top of the help list, and displays the help list screen 510 so that the option corresponding to the element is distinguishable from other options.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a help list screen display when recommended help content is available. In FIG. 7, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The help list screen 510 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes a highlighted option e11 before option e1 in the sort order. Note that the highlighting is represented by a dashed line in the figure. Option e11 is an option corresponding to a recommended content ID. Option e11 is highlighted to distinguish it from other options. Therefore, the user can easily recognize that option e11 is an option corresponding to recommended help content. The help list screen 510 illustrated in FIG. 7 also includes a label e12. The label e12 includes the number of times that the help content corresponding to option e11 has been recommended. By referring to the number of times that it has been recommended, the user can learn the degree to which the help content related to option e11 is recommended. Note that if there are multiple recommended content IDs, the display control unit 121 sorts the multiple recommended content IDs in descending order of their respective number of times of recommendation and, based on the sorting result, displays options corresponding to each recommended content ID at the top of the help list.

[0034] Thereafter, the user takes action in accordance with the help content etc. displayed via the help list screen 510. At this time, the display control unit 121 stores the content ID (hereinafter referred to as "reference content ID") of the help content (hereinafter referred to as "reference content") referenced by the user in the RAM 112 etc. When multiple help contents are referenced, the display control unit 121 stores the content ID of each as the reference content ID.

[0035] When the abnormality is resolved by the user's action, the display control unit 121 displays information notifying the user that the abnormality has been resolved on the operation panel 15 (S112). The information does not necessarily have to explicitly notify the user that the abnormality has been resolved. For example, the information may be a screen that is displayed in a normal state.

[0036] Next, the display control unit 121 displays a screen (hereinafter referred to as the "query screen") on the operation panel 15 to inquire whether or not it is necessary to register a method for resolving the current abnormality (S113). The query screen is a screen that includes, for example, options corresponding to the reference content and a registration button.

[0037] When an option corresponding to one or more reference contents is selected on the inquiry screen and the registration button is pressed (S120), the operation reception unit 122 transmits a registration request for a solution to the help acquisition unit 123 (S121). The registration request includes the target error ID and the content ID of the selected reference content (hereinafter referred to as the "target content ID"). If multiple reference contents are selected, the registration request includes multiple target content IDs.

[0038] Next, the help acquisition unit 123 executes a registration process for a method for resolving the current abnormality (S122). The registration process will be described in detail later. Next, the operation acceptance unit 122 requests the display control unit 121 to close the inquiry screen (S123). In response to the request from the operation acceptance unit 122, the display control unit 121 hides the inquiry screen (S124).

[0039] On the other hand, when the cancel button is pressed on the inquiry screen (S130), the operation reception unit 122 requests the display control unit 121 to close the inquiry screen (S131). In response to the request from the operation reception unit 122, the display control unit 121 hides the inquiry screen (S132). Therefore, in this case, the current resolution method is not registered.

[0040] Next, a detailed description will be given of steps S104 and S105. Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure for searching for recommended help content.

[0041] In step S201, the help acquisition unit 123 determines whether a record including the error ID (hereinafter referred to as the "target error ID") included in the acquisition request received in step S103 of Figure 4 is registered in the recommended information storage unit 22 (Figure 5).

[0042] If a corresponding record is registered (Yes in S201), the help acquisition unit 123 sets the pair of the recommended content ID and registration ID of the corresponding record as the search result (S202). If there are multiple corresponding records, multiple pairs are included in the search result.

[0043] On the other hand, if the corresponding record is not registered (No in S201), the help acquisition unit 123 sets "not registered" as the search result.

[0044] Next, step S122 in Fig. 4 will be described in detail. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing procedure for registering a method for resolving the current abnormality. Fig. 9 shows the processing procedure for one target content ID. If there are multiple target content IDs, the processing procedure in Fig. 8 may be executed for each target content.

[0045] In step S301, the help acquisition unit 123 determines whether a record including both the target error ID and the target content ID included in the registration request in step S121 of Figure 4 (i.e., a record that associates the target error ID with the target content ID) is registered (recorded) in the recommended information storage unit 22.

[0046] If a corresponding record is found (Yes in S301), the help acquisition unit 123 adds 1 to the recommended number of times for that record (S302).

[0047] If there is no corresponding record (No in S301), the help acquisition unit 123 generates a new record including the target record and the target content ID in the recommended information storage unit 22 (S302). Then, the help acquisition unit 123 records 1 in the recommended count of the generated record (S303).

[0048] As described above, according to the first embodiment, information associating the help content displayed by the image forming apparatus 10 with the state of the image forming apparatus 10 (the abnormality occurring in the image forming apparatus 10) at the time the help content was displayed is recorded in the recommended information storage unit 22. Thereafter, when the image forming apparatus 10 enters the state (when the abnormality occurs again in the image forming apparatus 10), information recommending the help content is displayed based on the information recorded in the recommended information storage unit 22. Therefore, help information according to the state of the image forming apparatus 10 (the abnormality occurring in the image forming apparatus 10) can be quickly presented to the user. As a result, the workload for resolving questions that arise regarding the image forming apparatus 10 can be reduced.

[0049] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the second embodiment may be the same as the first embodiment.

[0050] In the second embodiment, when a user refers to help content while using an application, information associating the help content with the application is recorded in the recommended information storage unit 22. Thereafter, when the user requests the display of help while using the application, information recommending the help content is displayed based on the information stored in the recommended information storage unit 22.

[0051] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a help display process according to the second embodiment. During the execution of the procedure in FIG. 10, a user who operates the image forming apparatus 10 is referred to as a "target user."

[0052] When a target user has a question while using a certain application (hereinafter referred to as "target application") available on the image forming apparatus 10 (S401), and operates the operation panel 15 of the image forming apparatus 10 to input a request to display help in order to resolve the question (S402), the operation accepting unit 122 sends a request to acquire help content to the help acquiring unit 123 (S403). The acquisition request includes identification information of the target application (hereinafter referred to as "target application name"). Note that "while an application is being used" means, for example, while a setting operation related to a job executed by the application is being performed.

[0053] In response to the request for help content acquisition, the help acquisition unit 123 searches the recommended information storage unit 22 for help content recommended for the error related to the target application name included in the request for help content acquisition (S404, S405).

[0054] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the recommended information storage unit 22 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the recommended information storage unit 22 stores the recommended content ID, the number of times recommended, etc., in association with the app name of each application.

[0055] The recommended content ID is the ID of help content (hereinafter referred to as "content ID") that describes a solution that was effective (helpful) in resolving a question when using an application associated with the app name. The number of times recommended refers to the number of times the recommended content ID has been registered as a solution to a question about using an application associated with the app name. That is, in this embodiment, the same content ID can be registered multiple times for the same app name. Also, different content IDs can be registered for the same app name. This is because there may be multiple solutions to a question about using the same application.

[0056] In step S405, if one or more records including the target application name are stored in the recommended information storage unit 22, a set of the recommended content ID and the number of times recommended for each record is acquired as a search result. If no records including the target application name are stored in the recommended information storage unit 22, "not registered" is acquired as a search result.

[0057] Subsequently, in steps S408 to S411, the same processing procedures as in steps S108 to S111 in Fig. 4 are executed. As a result, a help list screen 510 is displayed.

[0058] Thereafter, the user performs an operation for the target application in accordance with the help content, etc., displayed via the help list screen 510. At this time, the display control unit 121 stores the content ID (hereinafter referred to as the "reference content ID") of the help content (hereinafter referred to as the "reference content") referenced by the user in the RAM 112, etc. When multiple pieces of help content are referenced, the display control unit 121 stores the content IDs of the respective pieces of help content as the reference content IDs.

[0059] When the user's question is resolved, the job of the target application is executed, and the job is completed, the display control unit 121 displays information notifying the completion of the job on the operation panel 15 (S412). The information does not necessarily have to be information that explicitly notifies the completion of the job. For example, the information may be a screen that is displayed when the job is not being executed.

[0060] Next, the display control unit 121 displays an inquiry screen on the operation panel 15 to inquire whether or not it is necessary to register the solution to the current question (S413). The inquiry screen is a screen that includes, for example, options corresponding to the reference content and a registration button.

[0061] When an option corresponding to one or more reference contents is selected on the inquiry screen and the registration button is pressed (S420), the operation accepting unit 122 transmits a registration request for a solution method to the help acquisition unit 123 (S421). The registration request includes the target application name and the content ID of the selected reference content (hereinafter referred to as the "target content ID"). When multiple reference contents are selected, the registration request includes multiple target content IDs.

[0062] Next, the help acquisition unit 123 executes a registration process for a solution to the current question (S422). This registration process is the same as the process procedure in FIG. 9, except that the error ID is replaced with the application name. Next, the operation acceptance unit 122 requests the display control unit 121 to close the inquiry screen (S423). In response to the request from the operation acceptance unit 122, the display control unit 121 hides the inquiry screen (S424).

[0063] On the other hand, when the cancel button is pressed on the inquiry screen (S430), the operation acceptance unit 122 requests the display control unit 121 to close the inquiry screen (S431). In response to the request from the operation acceptance unit 122, the display control unit 121 hides the inquiry screen (S432). Therefore, in this case, the current resolution method is not registered.

[0064] As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment with regard to questions that arise when using an application.

[0065] The functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the above-described functions.

[0066] Additionally, the devices described in the example are merely representative of one of several computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0067] In one embodiment, image forming apparatus 10 includes multiple computing devices (information processing systems), such as a server cluster, configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., to perform the processes disclosed herein. Similarly, help server 20 may include multiple computing devices configured to communicate with each other.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an information processing apparatus and an information processing system. That is, the information processing apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus 10. The information processing apparatus may be, for example, an output device such as a PJ (Projector), an IWB (Interactive White Board: a white board with an electronic blackboard function capable of intercommunication), digital signage, a HUD (Head Up Display) device, industrial machinery, an imaging device, a sound collection device, medical equipment, a network home appliance, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a game console, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a digital camera, a wearable PC, or a desktop PC.

[0069] The help acquisition unit 123 is an example of a recording unit. The recommended information storage unit 22 is an example of a storage unit.

[0070] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10 Image forming device 11 Controller 12 Scanner 13 Printers 14 Modem 15 Operation panel 16 Network Interfaces 17 SD card slot 80 SD cards 111 CPU 112 RAM 113 ROM 114 HDD 115 NVRAM 121 Display control unit 122 Operation reception section 123 Help Acquisition Department 20 Help Server 21 Help Memory 22 Recommendation information storage unit [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0072] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-175211 A

Claims

1. An information processing device, a recording unit that records information that associates the help content displayed by the information processing device with the application that was being used when the help content was displayed in a storage unit; a display control unit that displays information recommending the help content based on the information when the application is being used in the information processing device after the information is recorded in the storage unit; and An information processing device comprising:

2. An information processing system, a recording unit that records information that associates the help content displayed by the information processing system with the application that was being used when the help content was displayed in a storage unit; a display control unit that displays information recommending the help content based on the information when the application is being used in the information processing system after the information is recorded in the storage unit; and An information processing system comprising:

3. The information processing device a recording step of recording in a storage unit information associating the help content displayed by the information processing device with the application being used when the help content was displayed; a display control step of displaying information recommending the help content based on the information when the application is being used in the information processing device after the information is recorded in the storage unit; An information processing method comprising:

4. In the information processing device, a recording step of recording in a storage unit information associating the help content displayed by the information processing device with the application being used when the help content was displayed; a display control step of displaying information recommending the help content based on the information when the application is being used in the information processing device after the information is recorded in the storage unit; A program characterized by executing the following.

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