AU614330B2 - User guide for data terminal - Google Patents

Description

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614j COMMONWEALTH OP AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-1969 COMPLETE, SPWIFTCATION FOR THE INVENTION ENT ITLED 0 "USER GUILE FOR DATA TERCITNAL"V The foll~owing statement is a full desoription of this invention, including the best method of performring it known to us:- Tnis invention relates to a method of and a circuit arrangement for guiding a user of a communication or data terminal wherein stored prompts of a predetermined sequence of user actions are displayed on a screen under control of a control unit.

It is known that in order to operate a user terminal in a videotex system, a television receiver, the necessary steps in the search for desired information are performed in a dialog between the user and the videotex system. After establishment of a connection, an initial page is transmitted to the user, and the user is requested to enter a password.

Then, messages, for example, are transmitted to the user, which can be o o called up by pressing a key. The dialog is normally ended by pressing a 00 00 0 predetermined sequence of keys ("Der Bildschirmtextdienst der Deutschen 00 00" 0 0 0 Bundespost", Unterrichtsblatter der Deutschen Bundespost, Ausgabe B, .0 Fernmeldewesen, Jg. 36/1983, No. 8, pages 345 to 350).

The increasing use of microprocessors, particularly in communication terminals, and the characteristics of the planned multi-service integrated networks, such as broadband ISDN, make it possible to implement increasingly complex service features.

Such communication terminals, however, must not be operable only by trained experts. The use of office, home, and new public terminals must be o possible for a large public.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit arrangement and a method whereby flexible guidance is provided to different users of a communication or data terminal.

According to the invention there is provided a circuit arrangement for providing adaptive guidance to a user of a communication or data terminal, comprising a control unit which causes prompts of a predetermined sequence of user actions stored in a memory to be displayed on a display unit and/or announced through loudspeaker means, a time-meaauring unit for measuring a time which elapses from the output of a user prompt until operation of an I i i I- i associated input unit, a user-error counter which counts the number of user errors per prompt under control of the control unit, and a referenc. -data register which holds reference data for the time and the number of errors corresponding to the predetermined sequence of user actions, with the control unit determining wehether the data determined by the time-measuring unit and the user-error counter lie within, above, or below a referencedata interval defined by an upper predetermined limit value and a lower predetermined limit value, and displaying and/or announcing a next prompt corresponding to the predetermined sequence of user actions if the data lie within the interval, inserting at least one additional prompt into the seo quence of user actions and displaying and/or announcing it if the data lie 0 0 above the upper limit value, and skipping the output of at least one following prompt in the sequence of user actions If the data lie below the lower limit value.

The invention makes it possible to automatically adapt the user guidance for a communication or data terminal to the users' widely varying pre- S0 00 0 00 vious experience. A user with little previous experience will be given very detailed prompts, which will be reduced according to the user's degree 0 of practice.

As a result, a practised user, who only makes careless mistakes, will not be inhibited by unnecessary instructions, while less practised users will be supported by the adaptive user guidance according to experience.

Further advantageous aspects of the subject matter of the invention are recited in the subclaims.

An embodiment of the invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the circuit arrangement according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a public video telephone; Fig. 3 shows an input unit according to the invention, for operating a public video telephone, and Fig. 4 is a flowchart serving to explain the method according to the invention.

A circuit arrangement according to the invention and a method according to the invention will be described with respect to a public telephone as shown schematically in Fig. 2.

A public telephone booth Z contains a video telephone BF consisting essentially of a video camera K and a video display unit BW. Since the video camera K and a picture tube of the video display unit BW are not situated on the same optical axis, a parallax results. To avoid this, a semitransparent mirror US is positioned in the beam path between the video camera K and the user's position. This mirror deviates the beams coming 00 from the video camera K so that their direction coincides with the direc- 0 0 tion of the beam path between the video display unit BW and the user.

The circuit arrangement for adaptive user guidance can be accommodated O0 0 0 0 in the video display unit BW. It includes a control unit SE (Fig. 1), 4 40 which is connected to a memory S, in which prompts of a predetermined sequence of actions to be taken by the user of the public video telephone are stored. The user prompts are outputted on a display unit AZ, in this case a screen BS of the video telephone BF, and/or acoustically through a loudspeaker L.

The control unit SE is connected to an input unit E (of. Fig. 3) and a time-measuring unit ZE. The time-measuring unit Z1 is also connected to the input unit E to determine a period of time t which elapses from the ouput of a user prompt until operation of the input unit E. A user-error counter FR connected to the control unit SE counts the number of user errors per prompt. Also connected to the control unit SE is a reference-data register RR, in which reference data for the time period and the number of errors corresponding to the predetermined sequence or user actions are stored.

The control unit SE is also connected to a picture counter BR, Whi~3h counts the number of outputted user prompts from zero to a final valan K, and to a user counter TR, which serves to classify the user (will be explained later).

The control unit SE can be Implemented with a commercially available microprocessor with associated write, read, and program memories as well as input/output controls.

As shown in Fig. 3, the input unit FB for operating the public video telephone BF has a card reader KL, which is connected to a credit display GA. To effect a vertical adjustment of the user's image being taken by the video camera K (of. Fig. the input unit E has a first key Ti and a sec- 0 ond key T2 below the first key. Depression of -the first key Ti causes the user'Is head to be moved up in the picture, and depression of the second key The input unit E further includes a conventional push-button assembly T2 cassteiaet4esitd nteopst iet4n TW for dialling. The video telephone BF has a hands-free facility (not 04 shown), withn the loudness of the reproduced sound being variable via a third key T13 (up) and a fourth key T4I (down). A fifth key T$ of the Input unit E is provided for releasing the telephone connection and returning the credit card.

The methcd of providing adaptive guidance to the user of a public video telephone BF will now be explained with the aid of the flowchart of Fig. ~4 in conjunction with the Input unit Q, shown In Fig. 3 The user of the video telephone BF must take the following predetermined sequence of five actions: 1. Inserting the credit card Into the card reader ML; 2. adjusting the image with the aid of the first and second keys Ti, T2; 3. entering the call number to be dialled; 4. adjusting the loudness of the reproduced sound with the aid of the third and fourth keys T3, T4, and releasing the connection with the aid of the fifth key The reference data to be entered into the reference-data register RR is, as a rule, determined by user tests involving a sufficiently large numw a ber of test subjects ("learning phase").

09 ~From the time values determined for each user prompt, a time-average .909 io value tn Is calculated, and to predetermine an interval, an upper limit value En a x in and a lower limit value tn a x sn are determined from the standard deviation sn, where the constant a 1.

99 4 9 9Correspondingly, average values can be predetermined fo t 'e number of user errors per prompt. In the present case, a reference value of zero, zero errors per prompt, is assumed for simplicity.

It is assumed that the picture counter BR has the value BR=0 at e beginning of a user guidance, and that a final value of K=4 is set Vor the five user actions. The user counter TR also has an initial value of TR -O, with a count of TR=0 being characteristic of an average user, a user corresponding to the reference values. A negative count, TR<0, marks an unpractised user, and a count TR>Q a practised user.

The count of the user-error counter FR is initially FR=Q. At the end of each user action, the user-error counter FR is set to zero by the control unit SE, The user-error counter has a preset maximum count of FR=3.

In a first step 1, of. Fig. 4, the count of the picture counter BR is sensed, and if BR=0, this indicates the beginning of a user guidance. Afii 9 0 a 9 0 00 0 0l 0 e o e 20 0 S s Q (i 0 0 0 a9 0 00 0 003 0099 0 0 a Z a a' 09 9 9g 0 a e *0 9 99 t 9 9.

ter entering the telephone booth (monitored by an infrared motion detector, for example), the user is given a first prompt la, the credit display GA of the input unit E shows the amount 0.00 DM to indicate to the user that the video telephone BF is ready for service.

In step 4, cf. Fig. 4, the time-measuring unit ZE is started. In the next step 5 it is determined whether the user has already entered any information through the input unit E. If that is not the case, it will be determined in step 5a whether the time measured so far, t, is greater or less than a predetermined reference value tA. The value tA can be chosen freely; in this embodiment, it may lie between 2 and 10 seconds.

If At is less than the reference value t

A

step 5 will be repeated; if At is greater, the user-error counter will be incremented by one in step 22. In step 23, the count of the user-error counter FR is sensed, and if the pre-set maximum value FR=3 has not been reached yet, execution jumps to step 19.

Since the measured time At is greater than the predetermined reference value tA, the user is classified as unpractised, and an additional prompt is outputted beside the original prc*npt, picture n, step 20, where 1 n K. This may be an acoustic request to insert the credit card into the card reader KL or a corresponding written request on the screen BS of the video telephone BF. Execution then jumps to step 4, the time t is measured again.

If it is then determined in step 5 that information has been entered through the input unit E, the time measurement will be terminated in step 6. If the user has inserted the credit card into the card reader KL, i.e., if the input associated with the prompt has taken place, step 7, the count of the user-error counter FR will be sensed in step 8.

If it is determined in step 7 that the input through the input unit E was effected not by inserting the credit card into the card reader KL, but 7 U W by operating one of the keys Ti to T5, for example, the user has made a mistakce and will be classified as unpractised.

The user counter TR is then decremented by one in step 21, and the user-error counter FR is incremented by one in step 22. This is followed by steps 23, 19, 20, and as described above.

If it is found in step 23 that the count of the user-error counter is FR=3, that the maximum value F has been reached, the user-error counter FR will be set to zero in step 24. Then, the picture counter BR and the user counter TR will be set to zero in step 15, and the user guidance will be terminated in step 16.

This routine was chosen because, if a large number of user errors are determined for a prompt, it must be assumed that the user only wants to C66 0 0 1play 1 with the video telephone, so that termination of the user guidance 6 will be appropriate.

If it is found in step 7 that the credit card was inserted into the S card reader KL, the count of the user-error counter FR will be sensed in step 8. If FR=0, it will be determined in step 9 Whether the time deter- Ii mined by the time-measuring unit ZE Is At Tn sn, whether it lies above the upper limit value tn+s.If so, the user counter TR wiiL. be decremented by one in step 25. If not, it will be determined in step whether the measured time is At <"En sn, whether it lies below the lower limit value tn an. It so, the user counter TR will be incremented by one. In either case, after step 25 or 26, Sbep 11 is then performed as follows.

If the measured time At lies neither above the uipper limit value, step 9, nor below the lower limit value, step 10, the measured value Will be used in step 11. to calculate a new average value tn and associated limit values determined by the standard, deviation) and stored in the referencedata r'egister' RR in place of the hitherto stored r~eference values.

It is also possible to use the last, 30, measured time values for a prompt to calculate a new time-average value and corresponding limit values determined by the standard deviation.

Then, or if it was round in step 8 that the count of the user-error counter is FR 0, the picture counter BR will be incremented by one and the user-error counter FR set to zero in step 12. In step 13, the count of -the picture counter BR is sensed. If BR =K 1, if BR=5 in this embodiment, the picture counter BR and the user counter TR will be set to zero in step 15 and the user guidance will be terminated in step 16.

However, since only the first user action, insertion of the credit card into the card reader EL, has been completed, the count of the picture 0counter BR is now BR~l (step 13), and in step 14, execution jumps to step 040 thtthe con tepicture c ountehftdpr BRwn is nopifernth fr zer seon thet the coun of thenu uencit r R.wl esesdi tp I R0 ihe., if ase has bee ctsimed s maverae, b the ne prmatrin pcurn, ZEfo te 4eon actolonwil beefo the munemoryexpland diaed fon the scee IS is n n step .httecuto h ue one Ri o eqa to Aferoisetoo the c reditilb card tep ide as htelp e r it firs rswted ols th n sefvewing mode, ige, rta erIeI the user'spcuehigtknb ey ptisT2do the ounput unith netpop wl esipe rol l greatly simplified prompt will be given, step 18. This is followed by the start of the time measurement in step 4 and the sequence described above.

Should the user, because of the skipping of the prompt, be unable to adjust the picture, the user-error counter FR will be incremented by one step 22, because the time At is too long compared with the stored referene value t

A

step 5a, and the user will be given a corresponding prompt to adjust the picture, step 19.

If, in step 17, the count of the user counter TR is found to be less than zero, if the user is unpractised, an additional prompt will be outputted directly in step 19, as described above. This additional prompt Sfor adjusting the picture with the aid of the first and second keys Tl, T2 S can be outputted acoustically through the loudspeaker L or visually on the o* a screen BS of the video telephone BF.

After the output of an additional prompt or the skipping of a prompt, the time measurement by the time-measuring unit ZE is started again in step 4. After completion of the second user action (user-error counter FR=0, 4 4 step 2, and picture counter incremented by one, BR=2, step 13), step 1 fola 4e lows for the third user action, the dialling of the wanted video- 44 S telephone subscriber via the push-button assembly W. When this action has been completed, the picture counter BR has the value BR=3, After establishment of a connection, the self-viewing mode changes to the calledsubscriber-viewing mode.

For the fourth user action, the user's attention is called to the possibility of adjusting the volume via the third key T3 (up) and the fourth key T4 (down) (after completion, BR=4), and for the fifth user action, a prompt is provided to the effect that the connection can be released with the aid of the fifth key After release of the connection, the credit card is returned (possibly accompanied by flashin of the credit display DA or by an attention tone), I I the amount used up is presented on the credit display DA, and the screen BS is turned off.

Since the count of the picture counter is now BR=K+1, step 13, the picture counter BR and the user counter TR are set to zero in step 15 and the user guidance is terminated in step 16.

Thus, adaptive guidance is implemented not only for different users, but also for the same user.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to classify a user for the next user action (of. step 2 in Fig. 4) as less qualified, average, or more highly qualified. Furthermore, it is possible to correct any initial wrong qualifications in the course of the suosequent user actions.

*This adaptive user guidance permits better utilization of the communi- Scation or data terminals but can be used in principle for any man-machine interface.

The skipping of prompts enables practised users to use the terminal S more steadily.

Unpractised users will make fewer mistakes thanks to more detailed prompts. In both oases, the terminal becomes free for other users more quickly.

1i tra P

Claims (6)

1. A circuit arrangement for providing adaptive guidance to a user of a commu- nication or data terminal, comprising a control unit which causes prompts of a pre- determined sequence of user actions stored in a memory to be c':tyed on a display unit and/or announced through loudspeaker means, a time-measuring unit for meas- uring a time which elapses from the output of a user prompt until operation of an associated input unit, a user-error counter which counts the number of user errors per prompt under control of the control unit, and a reference-data register which holds reference data for the time and the number of errors corresponding to the prcdcter- mined sequence of user actions, with the control unit determining whether the data determined by the time-measuring unit and the user-error counter lie within, above, or below a reference-data interval defined by an upper predetermined limit value and a lower predetermined limit value, and displaying and/or announcing a next prompt corresponding to the predetermined sequence of user actions if the data lie within the interval, inserting at least one additional prompt into the sequence of user actions and displaying and/or announcing it if the data lie above the upper limit value, and skip- .o ping the output of at least one following prompt in the sequence of user actions if the data lie below the lower limit value,

2. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim I, wherein the control unit is con- o" 20 nected to a picture counter which counts the number of prompts of the predetermined S* sequence of user actions from zero to a final value K, and that upon reaching the S count K 1, the picture counter is set to zero by the control unit,

3. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is connected to a user counter which is incremented by one, starting with zero, whenever S 25 the control unit determines that the data lie below the lower limit value, and 1 de- ,j *remcnted by one whenver the data lie above the upper limit value, and whose coai t 'is left unchanged if the data lie within the reference-data interval defined by the limit values.

4. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control unit sets the 3o user counter to zero when the count of the picture counter is equal to K 1. S

5. A circuit arratgcment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, whercin the user-error counter is incremented by one with each user error per prompt deter- mined by the control unit, and that upon attainment of a predetermined maximum value, the control unit terminates the user guidance and sets the user-error counter 0 to zero,

6. A circuit arrangemnrt as clhimed iii ciaim 5, whcrein ait. a count of theC User- error counter between zero and [lie maxim um ii v Ic, at lo~st one ;aditinal promipt is inserted in to the predetermined seq ucnce of usei actions ai11( on[putted under con- trol of thc control unit. 1i A method or proud i g adaptive gid ianace to a user of a comnmuniiicat[ion or data termainal wich comnpikes the steps or: (I ipaying and/or announcing store proni p1s of a predeterined~ seqiueiice of User actions inl a correct order of (itime; measu rinig aInd storing a time whic clia pses f'-rm the display a nd/or aninoin rce- mat, of a user prompt unti the perl'rma ance of ai a associa te~ user action: coun ting the user erros deteri ned by a cotrt itfrec sci pI I ptdis- played anld/!or ann1ounced; *So compai ing the data for the t ime anad the anumiber of osie vrim' wihI reference dna for the predoterm itied sequence of user actions stored in al reference-dat a) register; ,5 displayng and/or arlnnoncng a next prompt corresponding to [lie predoteril i nied sequence of user actions if [lie data lie with in at referaec-cdata interval (leflind by- an uipper predetermined limit value anad a lower predeterm ined limit value; O iplaying and/or a aaoundcng at loast one adWiOnWa! promipt inlsertedI into [lie predetermined sequence or tisvi act ons if the (iata lie abhove t lie u pper iit, a ad the dlsplay andjOr announacemnat of at least one followi nj prompt in tlie predeterminedl sequence of user actions if thle cdaw[ ie below the lower im itvalue. 8, A riifbi !it s cia im~ed inl cla imi 7, wherein, thle stored refeorence data For thie timet (are tinie- 'iVerage V~aluies (lclernilliel ilna lea ru11ig phase in1 which a stand ard deviat[ion is aniso oibtai ned, anrd that te tipper anad lower lmit mhnl ts are del rm med by the sta adard deviation from filie I li-ne-a vrage v.alIue. Q.A metho1 aS c1a iMed In Cia urnl 8, Wherein from [lie stored time-averatge v'alue an.1d [lie measued time, a new time-average value anad new imnit valuies determined by lie stanada rd (teviat ton are en lendnted ir [lie mecasu red time lies with in [lie interval, I 0. A method asq cia imed inl claim wherein [lie respective latst 30 mieasu red timec s0 Mautes for each user prompt are used to calculIat[ a [new Wonea'~rngc vaC anrd cor- responduig nCw limit values determined by the stand ard (leviation., A ,i method of providing adaptive guiance to at user of at con munaicatioii or data terminal as herein described .vith refcieiic to [lie aIccom11patny ig (Irniwings. MMMMMN I'4 I .A circuit ari'angcict ror proViding IadaptiVC gtLin].Ic to a. usci or' a commfu- nication or data termninal Su~bstatially as licri decscribed with i-rcccncc to tho ac- companying drawings. DATE3D TIS NINTh DAY OF MAY 1991 ALCATEL NV. *4 0 0