LOGGING USER ACTIONS WITHIN ACTIVITY CONTEXT

• US 20070299631A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Macbeth, Steven W., Fernandez, Roland L., Meyers, Brian R., Tan, Desney S., Robertson, George G., Oliver, Nuria M., Murillo, Oscar E., Pedersen, Elin R., Czerwinski, Mary P., Spence, Jeanine E.
• Application Number:
  US11/426,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system that can log user actions associated with an activity is disclosed. For example, the system can maintain a log of user keystrokes, files accessed, files opened, files created, websites visited, communication events (e.g., phone calls, instant messaging communications), etc. Additionally, the system can log extrinsic data (e.g., context data) associated with the user actions. As well, these logged actions can be aggregated, synchronized and/or shared between multiple users and/or devices.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates logging actions related to an activity, comprising:

an activity determination component that identifies an activity associated with a plurality of actions; and

a log management component that logs a subset of the plurality of actions based at least in part upon the activity.

2. The system of claim 1, the activity determination component employs a monitoring component that dynamically tracks the plurality of actions.

3. The system of claim 2, the plurality of actions comprise user interactions that include at least one of key strokes, speech, gestures, eye movements, communication events and data accessed.

4. The system of claim 2, the activity determination component employs an extrinsic data collaboration component that receives extrinsic data, the activity determination component employs a subset of the extrinsic data to identify the activity.

5. The system of claim 4, the extrinsic data includes at least one of personal information manager (PIM) data, environment context data, user context information, device profile/context information, activity context information and user state.

6. The system of claim 4, the log management component logs at least a subset of the extrinsic data associated to the activity.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising an activity inference component that infers the activity based at least in part upon a subset of the plurality of actions.

8. The system of claim 7, the activity inference component infers the activity from a subset of extrinsic data.

9. The system of claim 2, the activity determination component includes an extrinsic data collaboration component that determines the activity based at least in part upon extrinsic data related to the subset of the plurality of actions.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a logging policy component that employs a policy to determine the subset of the plurality of actions to log; and

an action record component that logs the plurality of actions in an activity log.

11. The system of claim 10, the policy is a generic policy component that enables a user to identify the subset of the plurality of actions to log.

12. The system of claim 10, the policy is a third party policy that enables a third party to dictate the subset of the plurality of actions to log.

13. The system of claim 10, the policy is a first party policy that enables a developer of an application to determine the subset of the plurality of actions to log with respect to the application.

14. The system of claim 10, the action record component includes a granularity component that adjusts a recording threshold related to the plurality of actions.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a machine learning and reasoning component that automatically infers the activity based at least in part upon the subset of the plurality of actions.

16. A method of logging user actions associated with an activity, comprising:

monitoring a plurality of user actions;

determining an activity associated with a subset of the plurality of user actions; and

logging a subset of the plurality of user actions.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising logging extrinsic data associated to the subset of the plurality of user actions.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising consolidating the logged subset of the plurality of user actions with a plurality of activity actions associated with a disparate user.

19. A system that facilitates logging user actions associated with an activity, comprising:

means for observing actions of a user;

means for determining a subset of the actions of the user based at least in part upon a policy;

means for associating the subset of the actions of the user to the activity;

means for tagging the subset of the actions of the user to the activity; and

means for logging the subset of the actions of the user.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for gathering extrinsic data related to the subset of the actions of the user; and

means for logging the extrinsic data.