Methods and systems for applying attention strength, activation scores and co-occurrence statistics in information management
First Claim
1. A method for measuring the attention strength directed by a user towards one of one or more information items present in a presentation channel during an interaction period in which the user directs attention towards a target information item through one or more proactive or passive interactions with the target information item, said method comprising:
- (a) recording the start time of the interaction period as represented by the start of an event through which the user directs attention towards the target information item, (b) recording the end time of the interaction period as represented by one of;
(i) the passage of a specified period of time during which the user does not direct any attention towards the target information item, or (ii) the start of another event that confirms that the user is not directing any attention towards the target information item, (c) measuring the duration of the interaction period as the difference between the end time and the start time of the interaction period, (d) dividing the duration of the interaction period into attention units appropriate to the presentation channel, (e) counting the number of attention units within the interaction period during which the user directed attention towards the information item proactively (hereinafter called the proactive attention period), (f) counting the number of attention units within the interaction period during which the user directed attention towards the information passively (hereinafter called the passive attention period), (g) allocating the attention units described in (e) to the target information item, and (h) allocating the attention units described in (f) among the target information item and all of the rest of the information items present in the presentation channel, based on the presentation characteristics of each of the information items in the presentation channel.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for applying attention strength, activation scores and co-occurrence statistics to information management. Attention strength values used in computing the base activation scores of information items are derived from user interactions with such items. Co-occurrence strength values used in computing associative activation and partial matching scores of information items are also derived from attention strength values. Activation scores of information items are then derived and employed in a variety of information management methods and systems.
53 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for measuring the attention strength directed by a user towards one of one or more information items present in a presentation channel during an interaction period in which the user directs attention towards a target information item through one or more proactive or passive interactions with the target information item, said method comprising:
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(a) recording the start time of the interaction period as represented by the start of an event through which the user directs attention towards the target information item, (b) recording the end time of the interaction period as represented by one of;
(i) the passage of a specified period of time during which the user does not direct any attention towards the target information item, or (ii) the start of another event that confirms that the user is not directing any attention towards the target information item, (c) measuring the duration of the interaction period as the difference between the end time and the start time of the interaction period, (d) dividing the duration of the interaction period into attention units appropriate to the presentation channel, (e) counting the number of attention units within the interaction period during which the user directed attention towards the information item proactively (hereinafter called the proactive attention period), (f) counting the number of attention units within the interaction period during which the user directed attention towards the information passively (hereinafter called the passive attention period), (g) allocating the attention units described in (e) to the target information item, and (h) allocating the attention units described in (f) among the target information item and all of the rest of the information items present in the presentation channel, based on the presentation characteristics of each of the information items in the presentation channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of measuring co-occurrence of attention strength (hereinafter called co-occurrence strength) between pairs of co-information items in an information space, said method comprising:
(a) for each information item in the information space for which it is desired to derive one or more co-occurrence strength values (each such item hereinafter called a co-occurring item) with one or more other information items in the information space (each such other item hereinafter called a reference item) and for each reference item, (i) for each of the periods during which user attention also known as an interaction is directed at the said information item (hereinafter called the attention period), (A) recording when the attention period occurs and its duration, (B) measuring the attention period strength of the item during the attention period in (A), (C) applying a decay factor to the attention period attention strength in (B) that that takes into account any decay in memory of the attention period attention strength, thereby yielding a corresponding decayed attention period attention strength, (D) for each occurrence of an overlap in attention periods of a pair of co-occurring item and reference items (each such overlap hereinafter called an overlap period), comparing the decayed attention period attention strength of each of the items from (C) with a specified threshold value (hereinafter called the memory threshold), (E) where the corresponding decayed attention period attention strength in (C) for each item in the pair of co-occurring item and reference items in (D) is greater than the memory threshold in (D), computing, for the reference item, a decayed attention strength attributable to a corresponding overlap period in (F) (hereinafter called the reference item'"'"'s decayed overlap attention strength), computed as the quotient obtained by dividing the product of the overlap period and the reference item'"'"'s corresponding decayed attention period attention strength by the reference item'"'"'s corresponding attention period, and (G) where the reference item'"'"'s decayed overlap attention strength in (F) is above a specified threshold (hereinafter called a co-occurrence threshold), the co-occurrence strength of the co-occurring item is computed as the quotient obtained by dividing the product of the overlap period in (F) and the co-occurring item'"'"'s corresponding decayed attention period attention strength by the co-occurring item'"'"'s corresponding attention period. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20)
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18. An information retrieval and ranking system comprising:
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(a) means for launching, via a user interface, a query for information items according to specific search criteria selected by a user, (b) means for retrieving all available information items that match the search criteria, (c) means for ranking those retrieved information items for which base activation, associative activation and/or partial matching (hereinafter collectively called activation) scores, (d) means for ranking those retrieved information items for which activation scores are not available according to user preferences, and (e) means for displaying the search results according to the rank order of the information items. - View Dependent Claims (19, 21, 22)
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Specification