Role-based user tracking in service usage

• US 20090083272A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Law, David, McQuillan, Gilbert, Kumar, Rahul, Li, Karvell, Marconi, Jamie, Borkenhagen, Miriam
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Devising a centralized usage database for tracking and recording the usage of various services by various users may be difficult for several reasons, including the volume of data generated by each user in interacting with each service. Techniques are disclosed for streamlining usage data transmitted between the services, the users, and the usage database, such as by redistributing a portion of the computational burden to the users, and by characterizing the usage data based on the role of each user in interacting with each service. Additional techniques are disclosed for caching and authenticating the usage data, and for improving the response rate in the interaction of the usage database with users in order to provide a better user experience.

Claims

1. A method of recording a usage of a service by a user, the method comprising:

generating a usage data set identifying at least the service, the user, and the role of the user;

sending the usage data set to the user;

instructing the user to send the usage data set to a usage database; and

upon the usage database receiving the usage data set from the user, storing the usage data set in the usage database.

2. The method of claim 1, the service configured to generate consistent usage data sets for respective usages of the service by a user in a role.

3. The method of claim 2, the user configured to store in a usage data set cache the usage data sets sent to the usage database.

4. The method of claim 3, the user configured to prevent sending to the usage database a usage data set contained in the usage data set cache.

5. The method of claim 3, the user configured to send the usage data set cache to the usage database, and the usage database configured to prevent recording of usage data sets contained in the usage data set cache.

6. The method of claim 1, the usage data set comprising service authentication data that authenticates the creation of the usage data set by the service.

7. The method of claim 1, the instructing comprising instructing the user to request a resource from the usage database, and the resource request containing the usage data set.

8. The method of claim 7, the service comprising a webserver configured to send a webpage to the user, and the resource request comprising a resource request from the usage database embedded in the webpage that includes the usage data set.

9. A computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A system for notifying a usage database of a usage of a service by a user, the system comprising:

a service usage representing component configured to;

generate a usage data set identifying at least the service, the user, and the role of the user;

send the usage data set to the user; and

instruct the user to send the usage data set to the usage database.

11. The system of claim 10, the service usage representing component configured to generate consistent usage data sets for respective usages of the service by a user in a role.

12. The system of claim 10, comprising a usage data set authentication component configured to generate service authentication data that authenticates the creation of the usage data set by the service usage representing component.

13. The system of claim 10, the instruction comprising an instruction to request a resource from the usage database, and the resource request containing the usage data set.

14. The system of claim 13, the service comprising a webserver configured to send a webpage to the user, and the resource request comprising a resource request from the usage database embedded in the webpage that includes the usage data set.

15. A system for recording a usage of a service by a user, the system comprising:

a usage database configured to receive from the user a usage data set identifying at least the service, the user, and the role of the user, and to store the usage data set.

16. The system of claim 15, the usage data set comprising a usage data set cache, and the system comprising a usage data set cache reviewing component configured to receive the usage data set cache from the user and to prevent recording of usage data sets contained in the usage data set cache.

17. The system of claim 15, comprising:

a usage data set caching component configured to send a usage data set cache to the user to be stored.

18. The system of claim 15, the usage data set comprising service authentication data that authenticates the creation of the usage data set by the service, and the system comprising a service verifying component configured to verify with the service authentication data the creation of the usage data set by the service before recording the usage data set.

19. The system of claim 15, the usage data set sent to the usage database in a resource request, and the usage database configured to fulfill the resource request before recording the usage data set.

20. The system of claim 19, the usage database comprising:

a usage data set processing queue configured to store the usage data set for recording after fulfilling the resource request.