System and method for public consumption of communication events between arbitrary processes

• US 7,827,561 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sareen, Chaitanya D., McKee, Timothy P., Arcuri, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, QING YUAN
• Application Number:
  US10/809,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20040194116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,413 Days
• Field of Search: 719/318, 719/313, 709/204, 709206-207, 706 45- 47
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A system and method for public consumption of communication events between arbitrary processes. In one embodiment, mechanisms are provided by which the system can effectively act to broker a user'"'"'s communications and thus act as a type of automated assistant. The invention is provided in a notification user context system which determines when it is appropriate or not appropriate to interrupt a user with a notification based on the user'"'"'s context (i.e., availability to interruption). The system provides for processes to be informed when these notification events are occurring, thus allowing the processes to act on these types of events on the user'"'"'s behalf. In one example embodiment, a calendaring program may be a type of process that is registered to be informed when communication events occur. When the calendaring program is informed that a notification from another program (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, etc.) has been refused due to the user being busy, the calendaring program may evaluate the sender, and if appropriate respond with a customized busy announcement that indicates a time when the user may next be available.

Claims

1. A method for registering a process in a system where communication events occur that are related to notifications, the method comprising:

providing a user context including a user context state, the user context defining a communication event to be performed in response to a notification for at least one value of the user context state;

providing a rule that specifies at least one condition for modifying the defined communication event;

receiving a message to register a process for communication events;

registering the process in response to the received message, the registered process being a program that includes data regarding the user context state that is outside data maintained by other components of the system;

receiving an indication that the user context state has changed value; and

evaluating a sender, in response to the occurrence of the defined communication event or the modified defined communication event, to determine whether the registered process will send a customized message to the sender,

wherein the evaluation of the sender comprises determining whether the sender has been placed on a list of persons entitled to receive the customized message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one type of communication event occurs when a notification from a sender is not delivered to a user due to a user'"'"'s context.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in response to receiving a communication event, the registered process provides a customized message to the sender of the notification that includes data about the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the registered process is a calendaring program and the data about the user indicates a time when the user may next be available.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the data about the user includes at least one alternative contact for the user.

6. A method for registering a process in a user context system, the user context system including a user context state and a rule, wherein a communication event to be performed in response to a notification is defined for at least one value of the user context state, and the rule includes at least one condition for modifying the defined communication event, the method comprising:

sending a message for registering a process, the registered process being a program that has data regarding the user context state that is outside data maintained by other components of the user context system;

evaluating a sender, in response the occurrence of the defined communication event or the modified defined communication event, to determine whether the registered process will send a customized message to the sender, wherein the evaluation of the sender comprises determining whether the sender has been placed on a list of persons entitled to receive the customized message, and

providing the registered process with information regarding the communication event.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the defined communication event is related to a notification that is sent from a sender to a user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the defined communication event indicates that the notification did not reach the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information regarding the defined communication event includes a copy of the notification.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the data provided to the registered process comprises data regarding the user'"'"'s activities.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the registered process provides a customized message to the sender of the notification that includes data regarding the user.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions including instructions for implementing a notification system comprising:

a user context process for setting a user context including a user context state and at least one user rule, the user context and the at least one user rule being made available to a user for modification in accordance with a preference of the user, wherein a communication event to be performed in response to a notification is defined for at least one value of the user context state, and the at least one rule includes at least one condition for modifying the communication event;

a receiving component which receives notifications from a sending component and under specified conditions delivers the notifications to the user; and

a registered process, the registered process being a program that has data regarding the user context state that is outside data maintained by other components of the notification system;

wherein when the sending component sends a notification to the receiving component, if the notification is not delivered to the user then a message is sent to the registered process regarding the non-delivery of the notification and wherein a sender who is associated with the sending component is evaluated to determine whether the registered process will send a customized message to the sender, the evaluation of the sender comprising determination of whether the sender has been placed on a list of persons entitled to receive the customized message.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the specified conditions under which a notification will not be delivered to a user are determined according to a user context.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein in response to receiving a message regarding the non-delivery of a notification the registered process provides a customized message to the sending component that includes data about the user.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the registered process is a calendaring program and the data about the user indicates a time when the user may next be available.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the data about the user indicates at least one alternative contact for the user.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions including instructions for implementing a user context system, comprising:

a first process for setting a user context including a user context state and at least one user rule, the user context and the at least one user rule being made available to a user for modification in accordance with at least one preference of the user, wherein a communication event to be performed in response to a notification is defined for at least one value of the user context state , and the at least one rule includes at least one condition for modifying the communication event;

a second process for generating a notification; and

a third process that is registered;

wherein the registered third process receives an event message in response to the notification not being delivered to the user, and wherein a sender of the notification who is associated with the second process is evaluated to determine whether the registered third process will send a customized message to the sender when the notification does not reach the user, the evaluation of the sender comprising a determination of whether the sender has been placed on a list of persons entitled to receive the customized message.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the second process is a communication program.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the communication program comprises one of an email or instant messaging program.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the registered third process is a program that has data regarding the user that is outside data that is maintained by other components of the user context system.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein the registered third process is a calendaring program that has data regarding the user'"'"'s scheduled activities.

22. The media of claim 20, wherein the registered third process provides a customized message to the sender of the notification which includes information regarding the user.

23. The media of claim 22, wherein the customized message indicates a time when the user may next be available.

24. The media of claim 17, wherein the user context that is set by the first process indicates when the user is not available to interruption.

25. The media of claim 24, wherein when the registered third process receives an event message indicating that a notification was not delivered to the user, the registered third process sends a customized message indicating when the user may next be available.

26. The media of claim 17, wherein the evaluation of the sender comprises a determination of whether or not the sender has been placed in a category that the user has selected.

27. One or more computer-storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method for providing information regarding communication events, at least one communication event occurring when a notification is not delivered to a user, comprising:

providing a user context including a user context state, the user context defining a communication event to be performed in response to a notification for at least one value of the user context state;

providing a rule that specifies at least one condition for modifying the defined communication event;

receiving a message to register a process for communication events;

registering the process in response to the received message, the registered process being a program that includes data regarding the user context state that is outside data maintained by other components of the system;

receiving an indication that the user context state has changed value; and

evaluating a sender, in response to the occurrence of the defined communication event or the modified defined communication event, to determine whether the registered process will send a customized message to the sender,

wherein the evaluation of the sender comprises determining whether the sender has been placed on a list of persons entitled to receive the customized message.

28. The computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method according to claim 27, further comprising computer-usable instructions for enabling the evaluation of a notification in accordance with the user context in order to determine whether the notification will be delivered to the user.

29. The computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method according to claim 28, wherein if the notification is not delivered to the user, then a communication event occurs which is delivered to the registered process.

30. The computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method according to claim 27, wherein if a customized message is sent, the customized message is made to include data about the user.

31. The computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method according to claim 30, wherein the data about the user indicates a time when the user may next be available.