METHOD OF STORING AND ANALYSING DATA PRODUCED FROM INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EXTERNAL AGENTS AND A SYSTEM

• US 20110184905A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NICE Systems Technologies UK Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Causata Limited
• Inventors: PHILLIPS, Alan Paul Rolleston, PICKERING, Benjamin Thomas, McFALL, Jason Derek, HERON, Steven, CLANCY, Liam Philip, CURRY-TOWNELEY-O'HAGAN, Fiann James, GALLONI, Andrew, MELLOR, Paul David, GRAHAM-CUMMING, John, BUCZKOWSKI, Maciej, O'LOUGHLIN, Gareth, RAMOS-ALVAREZ, Alfredo, FERGUSON, Neil Samuel, BELESIS, Panagiocity
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of storing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system. The method comprises defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest. A chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system are monitored and potential events of interest occurring in the said chain are determined. Data records from the monitored chain of interactions are produced, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and data associated therewith. A profile identity, representative of the external agent, is assigned to each data record produced during a said interaction session. Data records of individual potential events of interest are stored in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest and data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session are stored in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

Claims

1. A method of storing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system, the method comprising:

defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest;

monitoring a chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system and determining potential events of interest occurring in the said chain;

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and data associated therewith;

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session;

storing data records of individual potential events of interest in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest and storing data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

2. A method according to claim 1 further including:

assigning a plurality of dispersed storage devices to store said data records;

storing said data records around the plurality of dispersed storage devices in an unbiassed manner, wherein data records of a said profile identity are stored on a common storage device

3. A method according to claim 2 further including:

storing the data records of individual potential events of interest in a first section of a part of a said storage device and storing the data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session in a second section of said part.

4. A method according to claim 3 further comprising:

storing data records separately according to whether the profile identity corresponds to a known identity of the external agent or an unknown identity of the external agent.

5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session together with a confidence parameter representative of the certainty of the identity of the external agent involved in the potential event of interest.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising forming a database which records storage location of data records according to profile identity.

7. A method according to claim 1 further including:

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and the timing thereof, and data associated therewith.

8. A method of analysing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system, the method comprising:

defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest;

monitoring a chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system and determining potential events of interest occurring in the said chain;

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and the timing thereof, and data associated therewith;

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session;

storing individual data records on a storage device;

selecting a said potential event of interest as an actual event of interest;

querying and retrieving from the stored data records those data records containing a potential event of interest corresponding to said selected event of interest; and

constructing, from the data of the retrieved data records, a scenario record of the actual event of interest which includes data of interactions associated therewith and which uses the time of the actual event of interest as an origin for ordering the data in the scenario record.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the step of querying and retrieving from the stored data records further includes filtering the retrieved data according to one or more selected parameters of the data in those data records containing a potential event of interest corresponding to said selected event of interest.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the step of querying and retrieving from the stored data records further includes specifying a time scale for the ordering of the data in the scenario record.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein the step of constructing, from the data of the retrieved data records, a scenario record of the actual event of interest uses absolute periods of time relative to the current time as a scale in the ordering of the data in the scenario record or relative periods of time relative to the time of the actual event as a scale in the ordering of the data in the scenario record or relative activity intervals relative to the time of the actual event as a scale in the ordering of the data in the scenario record.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein the data records of individual potential events of interest are stored on the storage device in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest and data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session are stored on the storage device in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

13. A method according to claim 12 further including:

assigning a plurality of dispersed storage devices to store said data records;

storing said data records around the plurality of dispersed storage devices in an unbiassed manner, wherein data records of a said profile identity are stored on a common storage device.

14. A method according to claim 13 further including:

storing the data records of individual potential events of interest in a first section of a part of a said storage device and storing the data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session in a second section of said part,

15. A method according to claim 12 further comprising:

storing data records separately according to whether the profile identity corresponds to a known identity of the external agent or an unknown identity of the external agent.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising:

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session together with a confidence parameter representative of the certainty of the identity of the extern&

agent involved in the potential event of interest.

17. A method according to claim 8 further comprising forming a database which records storage location of data records according to profile identity.

18. A method of storing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system, the method comprising:

defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest;

monitoring a chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system and determining potential events of interest occurring in the said chain;

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and data associated therewith;

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session;

assigning a plurality of dispersed storage devices to store said data records;

storing data records around the plurality of dispersed storage devices in an unbiassed manner, wherein data records of a said profile identity are stored on a common storage device and the data records of individual potential events of interest are stored in a first section of a part of a said storage device in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest, and the data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session are stored in a second section of said part in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

19. A method of analysing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system, the method comprising:

defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest;

monitoring a chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system and determining potential events of interest occurring in the said chain;

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and data associated therewith;

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session;

assigning a plurality of dispersed storage devices to store said data records;

storing data records around the plurality of dispersed storage devices in an unbiassed manner, wherein data records of a said profile identity are stored on a common storage device and wherein the data records of individual potential events of interest are stored in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest, and wherein the data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session are stored in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity;

selecting a said potential event of interest as an actual event of interest;

accessing the plurality of dispersed storage devices at the same time and querying and retrieving from the stored data records thereon those data records containing a potential event of interest corresponding to said selected actual event of interest; and

constructing, from the data of the retrieved data records, a scenario record of the actual event of interest which includes data of interactions associated therewith.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein data records of a said profile identity are stored on a common storage device and the data records of individual potential events of interest are stored in a first section of a part of a said storage device in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest, and the data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session are stored in a second section of said part in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

21. A method of analysing data records produced from monitoring interactions between external agents and a system, the method comprising:

defining specific interactions that can occur between the external agents and the system as potential events of interest;

monitoring a chain of interactions occurring during respective interaction sessions between a respective external agent and the system and determining potential events of interest occurring in the said chain;

producing data records from the monitored chain of interactions, the respective data record including data identifying determined potential events of interest and data associated therewith;

assigning a profile identity, representative of the external agent, to each data record produced during a said interaction session together with a confidence parameter representative of the certainty of the identity of the external agent involved in the potential event of interest;

storing data records of individual potential events of interest in a first store in a way that is ordered according to the type of potential event of interest and storing data records of potential events of interest occurring during an interaction session in a second store in a way that is ordered according to assigned profile identity.

selecting a said potential event of interest as an actual event of interest and selecting a confidence interrogation parameter for the confidence parameter;

querying and retrieving from the stored data records those data records where the confidence parameter satisfies the confidence interrogation parameter and contains a potential event of interest corresponding to said selected actual event of interest; and

constructing, from the data of the retrieved data records, a scenario record of the actual event of interest which includes data of interactions associated therewith.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the confidence parameter includes an identified status indicator when a potential event of interest between a respective external agent and the system has occurred with an identified external agent or an anonymous status indicator when a potential event of interest between a respective external agent and the system has occurred with an unidentified external agent.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein when the confidence parameter includes an identified status indicator, the confidence parameter further includes an upgrade rule representative of a degree of confidence in the identity of the external agent.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the upgrade rule comprises:

a high upgrade potential if the external agent authenticates their identity;

a medium upgrade potential if the external agent identifies their identity;

a low upgrade potential if the external agent occurs in an interaction session.

25. A method according to claim 22 wherein the second store includes an identified events store for storing data records of having a confidence parameter including an identified status indicator and an anonymous events store for storing data records of having a confidence parameter including an anonymous status indicator,

26. A method according to claim 25 further including the step of transferring data records from the anonymous events store to the identified events store if the confidence parameter of the data records changes from an anonymous indicator to an identified indicator.