MULTIATTRIBUTE SPECIFICATION OF PREFERENCES ABOUT PEOPLE, PRIORITIES, AND PRIVACY FOR GUIDING MESSAGING AND COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20060206573A1
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Kadie, Carl M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/10 using kernel methods, e.g. support vector machines [SVM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and methodology to facilitate multiattribute adjustments and control associated with messages and other communications and informational items that are directed to a user via automated systems. An interface, specification language, and controls are provided for defining a plurality of variously configured groups that may attempt to communicate respective items. Controls include the specification of priorities and preferences as well as the modification of priorities and preferences that have been learned from training sets via machine learning methods. The system provides both a means for assessing parameters used in the control of messaging and communications and for the inspection and modification of parameters that have been learned autonomously.

Claims

1. A notification manager, comprising:

a multiattribute preference (MAP) tool that influences automated decision-making processes according to one or more user preferences;

a language component that cooperates with the MAP tool and utilizes one or more user inputs to at least one of control, adjust, tune and determine the user preferences;

a learning algorithm component that analyzes one or more attributes of one or more items, wherein the learning algorithm includes at least one classifier that analyzes the one or more attributes and automatically determines at least one of urgency and priority of the item; and

a message browser that automatically identifies values assigned to selected attributes of items based on the at least one of urgency and priority of the item, the values provide indications of the automated learning processes affecting delivery of the one or more items to the user.

2. The notification manager of claim 1, the one or more items include at least one of a message, a notification, a voice message, web information, an e-mail, pager information, an image, an audio file, a video, an alert, and content provided from a web service.

3. The notification manager of claim 1, the at least one classifier further comprises at least one of a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a Naive Bayes model, a Bayes network model, a decision tree model, a similarity-based model, and a vector-based model.

4. The notification manager of claim 1, further comprising a context input component that analyzes one or more context inputs to determine the user'"'"'s present context state in order to direct the at least one item in accordance with a determined urgency of the item and the user'"'"'s present context.

5. The notification manager of claim 4, the one or more context inputs include evidence of at least one of keyboard activities, mouse movements, microphone inputs, camera inputs, time inputs and electronic calendar information relating to the user'"'"'s activity.

6. The notification manager of claim 1, the MAP tool is operated and presented in a related set of graphical user interfaces (GUI) that interact with a display.

7. The notification manager of claim 6, the display includes one or more display objects that include at least one of a configurable icon, a button, a slider, an input box, a selection option, a menu, and a tab having at least one of multiple configurable dimensions, shapes, colors, text, data and sounds to facilitate operations with the MAP tool.

8. The notification manager of claim 1, further comprising a feedback component that receives automatically determined values from the notification manager representing weights that have been assigned to the one or more attributes.

9. The notification manager of claim 8, the automatically determined values provide indications of the automated learning processes affecting delivery of the one or more items to the user.

10. The notification manager of claim 8, the feedback is provided by the MAP tool to facilitate user preferences associated with at least one of controlling, altering, adjusting, tuning, and personalizing the automated processes within the notification manager to desired notification performance.

11. The notification manager of claim 10, the notification performance includes at least one of adjusting how often items are delivered, when items are delivered, who the items are received from, what security measures should be adopted before receiving an item, adjusting an urgency threshold, adjusting policies for receiving items, and controlling access to resources of the user by entities other than the user.

12. The notification manager of claim 1, the language component facilitates various group definitions related to entities that transmit the at least one item to the user, the groups including at least one of a static group, a dynamic group, and group defining other groups.

13. The notification manager of claim 12, the groups are specified by at least one of a distance and a relationship between a user and other entities.

14. The notification manager of claim 12, the dynamic group is based in part on at least one of meetings, meeting histories, appointments and futures.

15. The notification manager of claim 1, the language component includes at least one of privacy and authorization controls to at least one of assess and control preferences about thresholds of authorization for at least one of different groups of people and for different dimensions of life.

16. A method to facilitate communications in an automated notification system, comprising:

influencing automated decision-making processes according to one or more user preferences derived from one or more user inputs;

processing the one or more user inputs to at least one of control, adjust, tune and determine the user preferences that potentially alter decision processes within the notification system;

analyzing one or more attributes of the one or more items for automatically determining characteristics relating to at least one of an urgency and a priority of the item; and

automatically identifying values of selected attributes based on the at least one of urgency and priority of the one or more items.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of defining static groups, defining dynamic groups, defining groups by a relationship within an organizational structure, defining groups by communications history, defining groups by past associations, defining groups by frequency of contact, defining groups by meetings and appointments, and defining groups by projects.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing one or more context inputs to determine the user'"'"'s present context state in order to direct the at least one item in accordance with a determined urgency of the item and the user'"'"'s present context.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving automatically determined values from the notification system representing weights that have been assigned to the at least one attribute.

20. A notification manager, comprising:

means for deriving one or more user preferences from one or more user inputs;

means for providing feedback of portions of the one or more user inputs within the notification system to the user;

means for analyzing the feedback to automatically determine characteristics relating to at least one of an urgency and a priority of an item; and

means for analyzing one or more context inputs to determine the user'"'"'s present context state in order to direct the item in accordance with a determined urgency of the item.