Methods and apparatus to abstract events in software applications or services

• US 20070150783A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hess, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a system may be monitored to detect change events. A sequence associated with the detected change events may then be stored. The sequence may then be modified by deleting information associated with a detected change event. The sequence might also (or instead) be modified by adding information associated with a non-detected change event. Information associated with the normalized sequence may then be provided.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring a system to detect change events;

storing a sequence associated with the detected change events;

normalizing the sequence by at least one of deleting information associated with a detected change event or adding information associated with a non-detected change event; and

providing information associated with the normalized sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a change event is associated with at least one of:

(i) a user interaction with an application, (ii) a user interaction with a data object, (iii) an action automatically generated by an application, (iv) a service, (v) a server, or (vi) a peripheral.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a set of abstract action types;

mapping a detected change event into an appropriate abstract action type, wherein the sequence comprises an ordered list of abstract action types.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a detected change event is discarded if it is not associated with an abstract action type.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of abstract action types includes at least one of:

(i) open data object;

(ii) close data object;

(iii) activate data object;

(iv) deactivate data object;

(v) create data object;

(vi) delete data object;

(vii) copy data object;

(viii) replace data object;

(ix) active hyperlink in data object;

(x) copy content from data object;

(xi) paste content within data object; and

(xii) notification that data object is ready.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said normalizing includes:

ensuring that an open data object action is followed by an activate data object action of the same data object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said normalizing includes:

ensuring that an activate data object action is preceded by a deactivate data object action of a previously active data object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said normalizing includes at least one of:

(i) ensuring that a deactivate data object action is ignored if the data object is not active, (ii) ensuring that an activate data object action is ignored if the data object is not open, (iii) ensuring that a deactivate data object action is ignored if the data object is not open, and (iv) ensuring that a close data object action is ignored if the data object is not open.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

archiving the sequence in an order based on at least one relevant parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the relevant parameter is associated with a chronological order in which the change events occurred.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence includes at least one of:

(i) an action type, (ii) a data source, (iii) a time stamp, or (iv) an action name.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the provided information is analyzed determine relevance evidence between data objects.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a first data object of interest;

based on the relevance evidence, selecting a second data object associated with the first data object; and

providing an indication of the second data object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data object is of interest to a user and said providing comprises presenting the indication of the second data object to the user.

15. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform a method, said method comprising:

defining a set of abstract action types;

monitoring a system to detect change events associated with a user'"'"'s interaction with data objects;

mapping a detected change event into an appropriate abstract action type;

generating an ordered list of abstract action types;

deleting from the list at least one abstract action type associated with a detected change event to normalize the list;

adding to the list at least one abstract action type associated with a non-detected change event to further normalize the list; and

providing the normalized list.

16. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

using the provided normalized list to determine that a first data object is related to a second data object.

17. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that a user is interested in a first data object; and

based at least in part on said determination of relatedness, presenting to the user a list of related data objects, including the second data object.

18. The medium of claim 15, a change event is associated with at least one of:

(i) a user interaction with an application, (ii) an action automatically generated by an application, or (iii) a service.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a monitoring component to detect change events associated with a user'"'"'s interaction with data objects or applications; and

a normalizing component to normalize a sequence associated with detected change events by either deleting information associated with a detected change event or adding information associated with a non-detected change event, wherein the normalizing component is further to provide information associated with the normalized sequence.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further including:

an analyzer to receive from the normalizing component information associated with the normalized sequence and further to determine evidence of relationships between data objects; and

an evidence store to store the evidence or relationships between data objects.