Displaying and navigating implicit and explicit enterprise people relationships

• US 9,531,793 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kempton, Alexander, Distel, Alexander, Shah, Viral, Herstad, Berit, Jassal, Vikramjeet Singh, Srensen, Stle, Rasmussen, Sveinar, Dovedan, Zoran, Dijan, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/194,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 715/734, 705/10, 705/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A network map of an individual'"'"'s implicit and explicit people relationships across multiple workloads is provided. Relationships between people may be leveraged and ranking for people relationships may be performed based on activities across multiple workloads. People relationships may be displayed in the network map to provide a visual understanding of relationships and connections. Navigation to any person represented in the network map may be enabled, and commonalities in relationships between a navigating user and a given person navigated to in the network map may be exposed. Trending items and activity streams for a person or group of persons may be shown in the network map.

Claims

1. A method for providing a network map, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by a user to view a network map of a first individual'"'"'s people relationships across a plurality of information sources;

querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual, wherein querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual comprises querying the graph for the first individual'"'"'s node, for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges, and for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges;

querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the user;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the first individual and the user;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the first individual; and

displaying the network map in the user interface, wherein displaying the network map in the user interface comprises displaying selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges and displaying an activity stream of entities whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable thumbnail images are grouped according to a type of relationship the person shares with the individual, the types of relationships comprising one or more of:

a manager relationship;

a peer relationship;

a directs relationship;

a working with relationship; and

a we both work with relationship.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selectable thumbnail images grouped according to a we both work with relationship comprises selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to both the first individual'"'"'s node and the user'"'"'s node by relationship edges.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the graph for nodes connected by activity edges to the nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges;

calculating and applying weights to the activity edges according to a type of activity;

determining one or more items that are trending around the individual according to a number of activity edges connected to the one or more items and the weight of the one or more activity edges; and

displaying the one or more item trending items in the user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by the user to view a network map associated with a second individual;

querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the second individual; and

displaying the network map in the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selectable thumbnail images grouped according to a we both work with relationship comprises selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to both the first individual'"'"'s node and the user'"'"'s node by relationship edges.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by the user to view a network map associated with a second individual;

querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the second individual; and

displaying the network map in the user interface.

8. A method for providing a network map, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by a user to view a network map of a first individual'"'"'s people relationships across a plurality of information sources;

querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual, querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the user;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the first individual and the user;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the first individual;

displaying the network map in the user interface; and

querying the graph for nodes connected by activity edges to the nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges;

calculating and applying weights to the activity edges according to a type of activity;

determining one or more items that are trending around the individual according to a number of activity edges connected to the one or more items and the weight of the one or more activity edges; and

displaying the one or more item trending items in the user interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual comprises querying the graph for the first individual'"'"'s node, for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges, and for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the network map in the user interface comprises displaying selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges and displaying an activity stream of entities whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectable thumbnail images are grouped according to a type of relationship the person shares with the individual, the types of relationships comprising one or more of:

a manager relationship;

a peer relationship;

a directs relationship;

a working with relationship; and

a we both work with relationship.

12. A system comprising a processor coupled to computer-readable storage media, the computer readable-storage media storing instructions that when executed perform a method for providing a network map, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by a user to view a network map of a first individual'"'"'s people relationships across a plurality of information sources;

querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual, wherein querying a graph for relationship and activity data associated with the first individual comprises querying the graph for the first individual'"'"'s node, for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges, and for nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges;

querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the user;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the first individual and the user;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the first individual; and

displaying the network map in the user interface, wherein displaying the network map in the user interface comprises displaying selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges and displaying an activity stream of entities whose nodes are connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by activity edges.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectable thumbnail images are grouped according to a type of relationship the person shares with the individual, the types of relationships comprising one or more of:

a manager relationship;

a peer relationship;

a directs relationship;

a working with relationship; and

a we both work with relationship.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein selectable thumbnail images grouped according to a we both work with relationship comprises selectable thumbnail images of people whose nodes are connected to both the first individual'"'"'s node and the user'"'"'s node by relationship edges.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

querying the graph for nodes connected by activity edges to the nodes connected to the first individual'"'"'s node by relationship edges;

calculating and applying weights to the activity edges according to a type of activity;

determining one or more items that are trending around the individual according to a number of activity edges connected to the one or more items and the weight of the one or more activity edges; and

displaying the one or more item trending items in the user interface.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection by the user to view a network map associated with a second individual;

querying the graph for relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

receiving relationship and activity data associated with the second individual;

generating a user interface for displaying the network map comprising the relationship and activity data associated with the second individual; and

displaying the network map in the user interface.