Monitoring group activities

• US 8,364,514 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Macbeth, Steven W., Fernandez, Roland L., Meyers, Brian R., Tan, Desney S., Robertson, George G., Oliver, Nuria M., Murillo, Oscar E., Czerwinski, Mary P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSEN, ELIZABETH H
• Application Number:
  US11/426,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,408 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/7, 705/11, 715/709
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A unique monitoring system and method is provided that involves monitoring user activity in order to facilitate managing and optimizing the utilization of various system resources. In particular, the system can monitor user activity, detect when users need assistance with their specific activities, and identify at least one other user that can assist them. Assistance can be in the form of answering questions, providing guidance to the user as the user completes the activity, or completing the activity such as in the case of taking on an assigned activity. In addition, the system can aggregate activity data across users and/or devices. As a result, problems with activity templates or activities themselves can be more readily identified, user performance can be readily compared, and users can communicate and exchange information regarding similar activity experiences. Furthermore, synchronicity and time-sensitive scheduling of activities between users can be facilitated and improved overall.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates managing and optimizing user activity automatically to improve overall user productivity and efficiency, the method comprising:

monitoring, through at least one computing device, user activity conducted by multiple users on one or more computing devices;

determining, through the at least one computing device, that a target user needs assistance with a target activity, which comprises completing multiple tasks, because an elapsed time spent on the multiple tasks exceeds an allotted time for the target activity and because a probabilistic analysis detects a problem pattern within the target user'"'"'s user activity data;

locating, through the at least one computing device, based on the user activity data, an assisting user to help the target user with the target activity; and

assigning the target activity to the assisting user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity data for the target user is gathered by monitoring user activity conducted by the target user on at least two different computing devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the user activity occurs in real-time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises recording offline user activity and subsequently uploading the offline user activity for monitoring.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the assisting user is located based on physical proximity to the target user and because the assisting user and the target user are both members of a particular group.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the assisting user is a co-worker of the target user that has opted into providing assistance to coworkers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target user needs assistance with the target activity when one or more-physiological or environmental sensors to detect at least one of, galvanic skin response, EMG, brain signals, facial movements, and facial expressions, indicate the target user is frustrated.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the assisting user is located while the assisting user is currently performing the target activity as determined by analysis of the user activity data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assisting user is located based on the assisting user'"'"'s success/failure history with the target activity.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the assisting user is located based on the assisting user'"'"'s current interruptibility as determined by observing that the assisting user is currently browsing the Internet.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprises displaying monitored data on a user-interface in a time-line format in order to notify interested users of an activity'"'"'s progress or state.

12. A method that facilitates managing and optimizing user activity automatically to improve overall user productivity and efficiency, the method comprising:

monitoring, through at least one computing device, user activity conducted by multiple users on one or more computing devices;

determining, through the at least one computing device, in real-time, based on the user activity data, that a target user needs assistance with a target activity, wherein one or more physiological sensors detect user characteristics that indicate the target user is frustrated, wherein the one or more physiological sensors detect at least one of facial movements and facial expressions that indicate the target user is frustrated;

finding, through the at least one computing device, at least one assisting user to assist the target user with the target activity based on the assisting user'"'"'s experience with the target activity; and

assigning the target activity to the at least one assisting user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the assisting user is also selected based on the assisting user'"'"'s current interruptibility as determined by determining the assisting user'"'"'s current activity, wherein interruptibility describes a degree of work disruption caused to the assisting user by stopping the assisting user'"'"'s current activity to assist the target user.