Enhancing User Experiences Using Aggregated Device Usage Data

• US 20080147684A1
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schwarz, Jonathan R., Sadovsky, Vladimir, Stokes, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Enhancing user experiences using aggregated device usage data includes receiving aggregated usage data for a device, such as a computing device and/or a peripheral device. A current user context for the device is identified, and based on the aggregated usage data and the current user context an enhanced user interface is generated.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

receive aggregated usage data for a device;

identify a current user context; and

generate, based on the aggregated usage data and the current user context, an enhanced user experience.

2. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the enhanced user experience is to:

generate, based on the aggregated usage data and the current user context, a list of possible actions; and

select, from the list of possible actions, a most likely desired action.

3. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the one or more processors to send an indication of the list of possible actions to a source of the aggregated usage data for inclusion in the aggregated usage data.

4. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the one or more processors to send an indication of the selected most likely desired action to a source of the aggregated usage data for inclusion in the aggregated usage data.

5. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the enhanced user experience is to:

generate, based on the aggregated usage data and the current user context, a list of possible actions; and

re-order the list of possible actions so that those actions that are determined to be more likely desired by the user are presented more prominently than those that are determined to be less likely desired by the user.

6. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the enhanced user experience is to alter one or more colors used in the user interface.

7. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein to generate the enhanced user experience is to alter hyperlinks embedded in the user interface.

8. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, the aggregated usage data comprising usage data from a plurality of users of a plurality of devices.

9. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein to collect the aggregated usage data for a device is to receive, from an aggregation server, the aggregated usage data.

10. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a computing device.

11. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a peripheral device.

12. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from a peripheral device coupled to the device, data representing usage information for the peripheral device captured during normal operation of the peripheral device; and

transfer the usage information to a server for inclusion in the aggregated usage data for the device.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is a peripheral device, wherein the plurality of instructions are executed by one or more processors of a computing device, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform the identification, generation, and selection a first time the peripheral device is coupled to the computing device.

14. A system comprising:

a list generation module configured to receive aggregated usage data and a current context, and to generate a list of possible actions based at least in part on the aggregated usage data and the current context; and

an action selection module configured to receive the list of possible actions and select one or more actions from the list of possible actions.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, the aggregated usage data comprising usage data from a plurality of users of a plurality of devices.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of devices includes both a computing device and a peripheral device.

17. A system as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a usage data control module configured to receive, from a peripheral device coupled to the system, data representing usage information for the peripheral device captured during normal operation of the peripheral device, and further configured to transfer the usage information to a server for inclusion in the aggregated usage data.

18. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the system is implemented in a computing device, wherein the list generation module is further configured to generate the list of possible actions a first time a peripheral device is coupled to the computing device, and wherein the action selection module is further configured to select the one or more actions the first time the peripheral device is coupled to the computing device.

19. A method comprising:

receiving aggregated usage data regarding usage of a plurality of different devices of the same device type by a plurality of different users;

identifying a current context for a device of the device type; and

automatically generating an enhanced user interface based at least in part on the received aggregated usage data and the current context.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein automatically generating the enhanced user interface comprises automatically selecting and performing one or more actions based at least in part on the received aggregated usage data and the current context.