Decision theoretic principles and policies for notification

• US 6,513,026 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2000
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hovel, David O., Horvitz, Eric J., Kadie, Carl M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Starks, Jr., Wilbert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US09/596,348
• Time in Patent Office: 955 Days
• Field of Search: 707/6, 707/102, 706/11, 706/12, 706/46
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Performance of a decision-theoretic analysis to determine which notifications as can be received from notification sources should be conveyed to the user, and via which modes of which notification sinks, is disclosed. A value can be determined for each mode of each notification sink, equal to an expected value of information contained within the notification, minus an expected cost of disruption to convey the notification via each mode of each sink, minus an expected value of the user independently learning the information contained with the notification without notification, and minus an actual cost of conveying the notification via each mode of each sink. If this value is greater than a predetermined conveyance threshold for any mode of any sink, then the notification is conveyed via the mode of the sink having the highest such value.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

for each of a number of notifications, performing a decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification over a number of notification sinks; and

,

conveying at least one of the number of notifications to at least one of the number of notification sinks based on the decision-theoretic analyses performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification compromises the performing the decision-theoretic analysis over each of a number of modes of each notification sink.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification over the number of notification sinks results in a value for the notification as to each notification sink.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein conveying the at least one of the number of notifications to the at least one of the number of notification sinks comprises conveying each notification having a value for any of the notification sinks greater than a predetermined conveyance threshold to the notification sink for which the notification has a highest value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification comprises performing the decision-theoretic analysis over each of a number of modes of each notification sink, which results in a value for the notification as to each mode of each notification sink.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein conveying the at least one of the number of notifications to the at least one of the number of notification sinks comprises conveying each notification having a value for any of the mode of any of the notification sink for which the notification has a highest value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis comprises utilizing a probabilistic model.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein utilizing the probabilistic model comprises utilizing a Bayesian network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting each of the notifications that has been conveyed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each of the notifications that has been conveyed to a notification sink, deleting the notification upon receiving confirmation of receipt from the notification sink.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each of the notifications that has been conveyed to a notification sink, deleting the notification in response to determining that the notification sink has a transmission reliability greater than a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an expected value of information contained within the notification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an expected cost of disruption of conveying the notification as to each notification sink.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the expected cost of disruption of conveying the notification for each notification sink comprises determining the expected cost of disruption of conveying the notification as to each of a number of modes of each notification sink.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an expected value of a user independently learning the information contained within the notification without having the notification conveyed to the user.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an actual cost of conveying the notification to each notification sink.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the actual cost of conveying the notification to each notification sink comprises determining the actual cost of conveying the notification for each mode of each notification sink.

18. The method of claim 1, further initially comprising receiving via a notification manager the number of notifications from a number of notification sources.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

for each of a number of notifications, performing a decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification over a number of modes of each of a number of notification sinks; and

,

conveying at least one of the number of notifications via at least one of the modes to at least one of the sinks based on the decision-theoretic analysis performed.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification over the number of modes of each of the number of sinks results in a value for the notification as to each mode of each notification sink.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein conveying the at least one of the number of notifications via the at least one of the modes of the at least one of the sinks comprises conveying each notification having value for any of the modes of any of the notification sinks greater than a predetermined conveyance threshold via the mode of the notification sink for which the notification has a highest value.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the decision-theoretic analysis comprises determining an expected value of information contained within the notification.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an expected cost of disruption as to each mode of each notification sink.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an expected value of a user independently learning the information contained within the notification without having the notification conveyed to the user.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein performing the decision-theoretic analysis further comprises determining an actual cost of conveying the notification via each mode of each notification sink.

26. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining an expected value of information contained within a notification;

determining an expected cost of disruption to convey the notification to each of a number of notification sinks;

determining a value for each of the number of notification sinks equal to the expected value of information contained within the notification minus the expected cost of disruption to convey the notification to the notification sink;

where the value for any of the number of notification sinks is greater that a predetermined conveyance threshold, conveying the notification to the notification sink having a highest value.

27. The medium of claim 26, further comprising determining an expected value of a user independently learning the information contained within the notification without having the notification conveyed to the user, and wherein determining the value for each of the number of notification sinks further comprises substituting the expected value of the user independently learning the information contained within the notification without having the notification conveyed to the user.

28. The medium of claim 27, further comprising determining an actual cost of conveying the notification to each notification sink, wherein determining the value for each of the number of notification sinks further comprises subtracting the actual cost of conveying the notification to the notification sink.

29. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining an expected value of information contained with a notification;

determining an expected cost of disruption to convey the notification via each of a number of modes of each of a number of notification sinks;

determining a value for each mode of each notification sink equal to the expected value of information contained within the notification minus the expected cost of disruption to convey the notification via the mode of the notification sink;

where in the value for any of the number of modes of any of the number of notification sinks is greater than a predetermined conveyance threshold, conveying the notification via the mode of the notification sink having a highest value.

30. The medium of claim 29, further comprising determining an expected value of a user independently learning the information contained within the notification without having the notification conveyed the user, and wherein determining the value for each mode of each notification sink further comprises subtracting the expected value of the user independently learning the information contained with the notification without having the notification conveyed to the user.

31. The medium of claim 30, further comprising determining an actual cost of conveying the notification via each mode of each notification sink, wherein determining the value for each mode of each notification sink further comprises subtraction the actual cost of conveying the notification via the mode of the notification sink.

32. A system that facilitates conveying notifications, comprising:

means for performing a decision-theoretic analysis as to a notification over a number of notification sinks; and

,

means for conveying the notification to at least one of the number of notification sinks based on the decision-theoretic analyses performed.

33. A system that facilitates conveying notifications, comprising:

a component that receives a notification and performs a decision-theoretic analysis as to the notification over a number of notification sinks; and

,

a conveying component that conveys the notification to at least one of the number of notification sinks based on the decision-theoretic analyses performed.