AUTOMATED SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE INFORMATION BASED ON A COMPUTER USER'S CONTEXT

• US 20090013052A1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robarts, James O., Newell, Dan, Abbott, Kenneth H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system filters received messages (e.g., unsolicited advertisements) to determine if they are appropriate for a user based on the non-static, constantly evolving, context of the user. The system can track the user'"'"'s context by monitoring various environmental parameters, such as related to the user'"'"'s physical, mental, computing and data environments, and can model the current context of the user based at least in part on the monitoring. The system selects a set of one or more filters to apply to incoming messages based on the user'"'"'s context, and the selected filters can be updated as the user'"'"'s context changes. Messages that survive the filters are then evaluated against the user'"'"'s context to determine whether they should be presented immediately or stored for delayed presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a computing device; and

selecting, based on a context of a user of the computing device, a set of one of more filters to apply the message.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting a different set of one of more filters in response to changes in the user'"'"'s context.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising filtering the message using the set of one or more filters.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the message survives the set of one or more filters, further comprising presenting the message to the user.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the message survives the set of one or more filters, further comprising storing the message for delayed presentation to the user.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the message survives the set of one or more filters, further comprising evaluating, based on the user'"'"'s context, whether to present the message to the user.

7. A method comprising:

monitoring a context of a user of a computing device;

receiving multiple unsolicited messages at the computing device;

selecting, based on the user'"'"'s context, a set of one or more filters to apply to the messages;

filtering the messages using the set of filters to selectively block certain messages while allowing other accepted messages; and

evaluating, based on the user'"'"'s context, whether to present the accepted messages to the user or delay presentation of the accepted messages to the user.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring comprises at least one of:

monitoring a physical environment of the user;

monitoring a computing environment of the user;

monitoring a mental environment of the user; and

monitoring a data environment of the user.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the filtering comprises comparing contents of the messages to filter criteria in the one or more filters.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the messages contain metadata provided by a source of the messages, and the filtering comprises comparing the metadata to filter criteria in the one or more filters.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the filtering comprises:

parsing the messages to produce metadata; and

comparing the metadata to filter criteria in the one or more filters.

12. A method comprising:

collecting interest data from client computing devices that indicate types of messages in which users of the client computing devices might be interested;

receiving messages intended to be delivered to one or more of the users; and

determining which messages to send to which users based on the interest data collected from the client computing devices.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the interest data is derived at the client computing devices based on the user'"'"'s context.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the interest data is derived at the client computing devices based on the user'"'"'s preferences.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising distributing selected messages to the client computing devices of the users who are determined to be interested in the selected messages.

16. A system, comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring a computer user'"'"'s context; and

filtering means for filtering unsolicited messages based on the user'"'"'s context.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the monitoring means comprises means for gathering data representative of at least one of a physical environment of the computer user, a computing environment of the computer user, a mental environment of the computer user, and a data environment of the computer user.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the messages contain metadata provided by a source of the messages, and the filtering means comprises means for comparing the metadata to filter criteria.

19. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the filtering means comprises:

parsing means for parsing the messages to produce metadata; and

comparator

means for comparing the metadata to filter criteria.

20. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the filtering means filters the messages with a set of one or more filters, further comprising means for modifying the set of one or more filters in response to changes in the computer user'"'"'s context.

21. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising presentation evaluation means for evaluating, based on the computer user'"'"'s context, whether to present acceptable messages that survive the filtering means to the computer user.