Filtering relevant event notifications in a file sharing and collaboration environment

• US 9,208,153 B1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NortonLifeLock Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Zaveri, Ameet, Bogorad, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cam-Linh
• Application Number:
  US14/105,446
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 707/608, 707/737, 707/754, 707/767
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

Profile information is maintained concerning users and files in the context of a file sharing and collaboration environment. Profile information quantifies each user'"'"'s interest level in specific files, and levels of similarity between users and between files. Machine learning techniques are applied to monitored actions taken by users directed towards files, and profile information is dynamically updated in response. Natural language processing such as n-gram analysis is applied to files, and file similarity levels are increased in response to requisite amounts of common content. The event notification stream is filtered. For each specific event notification, a relevance value is quantified for each specific user, based on profile information concerning the specific user, the file to which the event is directed, and the user who undertook the event. The corresponding notification is only transmitted to specific users for whom the relevance value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for filtering an event notification stream based on relevance to specific targets in a distributed file sharing and collaboration environment in which multiple users collaboratively view, modify and comment on a shared set of files, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, by a computer, dynamic and static profile information concerning each one of the multiple users, wherein user profile information concerning a user describes the user and quantifies an interest level of the user in specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set, and quantifies a similarity level of the user to other specific users and to specific types of users;

maintaining, by the computer, file profile information concerning each file of the shared set, wherein file profile information concerning a file describes the file and quantifies a similarity level of the file to other specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set;

filtering the event notification stream of the file sharing and collaboration environment, by the computer, wherein the event notification stream comprises a plurality of notifications, each notification describing an event undertaken by a user and directed towards a file of the shared set;

for each specific event notification in the filtered event notification stream, quantifying a relevance value, by the computer, for each specific one of the multiple users, based on user profile information concerning the specific user, file profile information concerning the file to which the event is directed, and user profile information concerning the user who undertook the event; and

transmitting, by the computer, a notification describing the specific event only to those specific users for whom the relevance value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring actions taken by specific ones of the multiple users directed towards files of the shared set and towards received notifications of events of the file sharing and collaboration environment; and

dynamically updating user profile information, based on applying machine learning techniques to the monitored actions.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein dynamically updating user profile information further comprises:

dynamically updating user profile information to increase a quantification of a first user'"'"'s interest level in a specific file, in a specific type of file, in specific file content or in a specific event, based on a second user taking an action indicative of interest in the specific file, specific type of file, specific file content or specific event, wherein a quantification of similarity of the first user to the second user exceeds a threshold value.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein dynamically updating user profile information further comprises:

dynamically updating user profile information to decrease a quantification of a first user'"'"'s interest level in a specific file, in a specific type of file, in specific file content or in a specific event, based on a second user taking an action indicative of a lack of interest in the specific file, specific type of file, specific file content or specific event, wherein a quantification of similarity of the first user to the second user exceeds a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein dynamically updating user profile information further comprises:

dynamically updating user profile information to increase a quantification of similarity level of a first user to a second user, based on the first user and the second user each separately taking an action indicative of interest in a common specific file, in a common specific file type, in common specific file content or in a common specific event.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying natural language processing to files in the shared set; and

increasing a quantification of a first file'"'"'s similarity level to a second file, responsive to the applied natural language processing indicating that the first file and the second file have a requisite amount of common content.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

applying natural language processing to files in the shared set further comprises performing n-gram analysis on content of the files; and

the applied natural language processing indicating that the first file and the second file have a requisite amount of common content further comprises determining that a requisite number of common n-grams occur in both the first file and in the second file with a requisite frequency.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

increasing a quantification of a first file'"'"'s similarity level to a second file, responsive to the first file and the second file both having a requisite amount of common metadata.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein file content further comprises at least one of:

content in a body of a file and content in a comment concerning a file.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein quantifying a relevance value of an event notification for a specific user further comprises:

adjusting a relevance value of an event notification for a target user in proportion to a quantification, in the user profile information, of the similarity level of

     1) the target user or a user type of the target user to

     2) the user who undertook the event or a user type of the user who undertook the event.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein quantifying a relevance value of an event notification for a specific user further comprises:

adjusting a relevance value of an event notification for a target user in proportion to a quantification, in the user profile information concerning the target user, of the target user'"'"'s interest level in the file to which the event is directed, in a file type of the file to which the event is directed or in content of the file to which the event is directed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein content of the file further comprises at least one of:

content in a body of the file, content in a modification made to the file by a user, content in a comment made by a user concerning the file and metadata of the file.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a general relevance value for each one of the multiple users, wherein a general relevance value for a user quantifies an interest level of other users in events undertaken by the specific user; and

wherein quantifying a relevance value of an event notification for a user further comprises adjusting a relevance value of an event notification for a target user in proportion to the general relevance value of the user who undertook the event.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

monitoring actions taken by users directed towards received notifications of events undertaken by a specific user, towards file content added to files of the shared set by the specific user and to comments made concerning files of the shared set by the specific user; and

dynamically adjusting the general relevance value of the specific user in response to monitored actions, wherein the general relevance value is increased in response to a monitored action indicating interest and the general relevance value is decreased in response to a monitored action indicating a lack of interest.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein quantifying a relevance value of a specific event notification further comprises:

determining a general relevance value for the specific event, wherein the general relevance value quantifies an interest level of users in the specific event based on at least one of;

a type of the specific event, a time of the specific event, a target file of the specific event, a user who undertook the specific event and a comment made by a user concerning the specific event;

adjusting the relevance value of the specific event notification for a target user in proportion to the 1;

3 general relevance value of the specific event.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein determining the general relevance value for the specific event further comprises:

parsing file content generated by the user undertaking the specific event, wherein the file content consists of at least one from a group consisting of;

content added to a target file during the course of the specific event and content entered as a comment concerning the target file during the course of the specific event;

applying natural language processing to the file content;

quantifying a substantiality level of the file content in response to results of the applied natural language processing; and

adjusting the general relevance value of the specific event in proportion to the quantified substantiality level of the file content.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

maintaining a general relevance value for each file of the shared set, wherein a general relevance value for a specific file quantifies an interest level of users in events targeting the specific file; and

wherein quantifying a relevance value of an event notification for a user further comprises adjusting a relevance value of an event notification for a target user in proportion to the general relevance value of the file targeted by the event.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

monitoring actions taken by users directed towards received notifications of events targeting the specific file, towards file content of the specific file, towards file content added to the specific file and towards comments made by users concerning the specific file; and

dynamically adjusting the general relevance value of the specific file in response to monitored actions, wherein the general relevance value is increased in response to a monitored action indicating interest and the general relevance value is decreased in response to a monitored action indicating a lack of interest.

19. At least one non-transitory computer readable-storage medium for filtering an event notification stream based on relevance to specific targets in a distributed file sharing and collaboration environment in which multiple users collaboratively view, modify and comment on a shared set of files, the at least one non-transitory computer readable-storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when loaded into computer memory and executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the following steps:

maintaining dynamic and static profile information concerning each one of the multiple users, wherein user profile information concerning a user describes the user and quantifies an interest level of the user in specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set, and quantifies a similarity level of the user to other specific users and to specific types of users;

maintaining profile information concerning each file of the shared set, wherein file profile information concerning a file describes the file and quantifies a similarity level of the file to other specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set;

filtering the event notification stream of the file sharing and collaboration environment, wherein the event notification stream comprises a plurality of notifications, each notification describing an event undertaken by a user and directed towards a file of the shared set;

for each specific event notification in the filtered event notification stream, quantifying a relevance value for each specific one of the multiple users, based on user profile information concerning the specific user, file profile information concerning the file to which the event is directed, and user profile information concerning the user who undertook the event; and

transmitting a notification describing the specific event only to those specific users for whom the relevance value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

20. A computer system for filtering an event notification stream based on relevance to specific targets in a distributed file sharing and collaboration environment in which multiple users collaboratively view, modify and comment on a shared set of files, the computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

system memory;

a user profile information maintaining module residing in the system memory, the user profile information maintaining module being programmed to maintain dynamic and static profile information concerning each one of the multiple users, wherein user profile information concerning a user describes the user and quantifies an interest level of the user in specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set, and quantifies a similarity level of the user to other specific users and to specific types of users;

a file profile information maintaining module residing in the system memory, the file profile information maintaining module being programmed to maintain profile information concerning each file of the shared set, wherein file profile information concerning a file describes the file and quantifies a similarity level of the file to other specific files, specific types of files and specific file content of the shared set;

a filtering module residing in the system memory, the filtering module being programmed to filter the event notification stream of the file sharing and collaboration environment, wherein the event notification stream comprises a plurality of notifications, each notification describing an event undertaken by a user and directed towards a file of the shared set;

a relevance value quantifying module residing in the system memory, the relevance value quantifying module being programmed to quantify, for each specific event notification in the filtered event notification stream, a relevance value for each specific one of the multiple users, based on user profile information concerning the specific user, file profile information concerning the file to which the event is directed, and user profile information concerning the user who undertook the event; and

an event notification transmitting module residing in the system memory, the event notification transmitting module being programmed to transmit a notification describing the specific event only to those specific users for whom the relevance value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.