Automatic subscriptions to documents based on user navigation behavior

• US 7,693,815 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Heidloff, Niklas, Klouda, Gregory R., O'Brien, Michael R., Kraenzel, Carl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bromell; Alexandria Y
• Application Number:
  US10/967,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 709/217, 719/318
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A network device such as a server monitors user behavior and provides subscriptions to documents based at least in part on that behavior. Subscription triggers include requesting at least a predetermined percentage of the entire document, requesting at least a predetermined number of pages in a document, and requesting a document at least a predetermined number of times. If documents are organized in a root and branch structure, the subscription may be triggered based on the extent to which documents are requested in the structure, e.g., triggered upon request for a branch document related to a root document. Subscriptions may also be limited to a portion of a document, such as a branch document associated with a root document.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a subscription to a document that is available to a user via a network, wherein the document is associated with a level in a hierarchy having multiple levels, comprising the steps of:

monitoring user behavior;

automatically triggering a subscription to the document, responsive to the monitoring, when the user exhibits a predetermined behavior with respect to the document, by

automatically triggering a subscription to the document when the user accesses at least a predetermined percentage of documents at the level of the document in the hierarchy,

automatically triggering a subscription to the document when the user accesses at least a predetermined number of documents at the level of the document in the hierarchy,

automatically triggering a subscription to the document when the user accesses a predetermined number of pages at the level of the document in the hierarchy, and

automatically triggering a subscription to the document when the user accesses at least a predetermined percentage of the total document;

wherein the subscription causes an electronic mail notification to be sent to the user responsive to another user subsequently modifying the document; and

wherein the electronic mail notification indicates how the document has been modified by including a plurality of modified portions of the document in the body of the notification.

2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of automatically triggering a subscription to the document if the user accesses at least a predetermined number of pages of the document.

3. The method of claim 2 including the further step of automatically triggering a subscription to the document if the user accesses the document a predetermined number of times.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the multiple levels in the hierarchy comprise folders, wherein the document is a branch document associated with a root document, and including the further step of limiting the subscription to the branch document.