System for storage and navigation of application states and interactions

• US 9,575,640 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Dempski, Kelly L., Harvey, Brandon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/830,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20160041728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Complex collaboration or decision support applications perform complex design or planning tasks, often with the input of large groups of people over long periods of time. The combination of time and complexity can often obscure past actions, making it difficult to remember the factors that influenced earlier stages in the planning task. This is especially true if the task involves many people and different people work at different times. The application state navigation system provides an application-independent mechanism that allows operators to walk back through the history of the application in order to better understand (or remember) the application actions that were taken in the past and the triggers for those actions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, by a computer system, user input directed to an interactive surface that is displaying information;

obtaining, by the computer system and from one or more detector units, observations of a physical environment around the interactive surface, wherein the physical environment includes one or more unknown users who are physically located within a threshold distance of the interactive surface;

accessing, by the computer system, data that correlates a plurality of unique features to a plurality of known users;

selecting, by the computer system, one or more users from among the plurality of known users based, at least in part, on a comparison of the one or more observations with the plurality of unique features, wherein the one or more selected users are identified as likely being the one or more unknown users who are observed as being located in the physical environment around the interactive surface;

accessing, by the computer system, one or more profiles for the one or more selected users identifying, at least, preferences for the one or more selected users;

determining, by the computer system, an update to apply to the information that is being displayed on the interactive surface based, at least in part, on (i) the user input, (ii) the one or more selected users, and (iii) the one or more profiles; and

displaying, by the computer system, the update on the interactive surface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, one or more locations of the one or more selected users around the interactive surface based, at least in part, on the one or more observations,

wherein the update is determined further based on the one or more locations of the one or more selected users around the interactive surface.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying, by the computer system, a particular user from among the one or more selected users who provided the user input based, at least in part, on the one or more locations determined for the one or more selected users,

wherein the update is determined further based on the particular user who is identified as having provided the user input.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, where the particular user is identified based on a determined location for the particular user being correlated to a location from which the user input is provided.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the one or more selected users include one or more additional users who are different from the particular user, who are also located around the interactive surface, and who did not provide the user input, and

the update is determined further based on the one or more additional users who are located around the interactive surface.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein:

the one or more profiles additionally identify roles in an organization for the particular user and the one or more additional users, and

the update is further determined based on the roles for the particular user and the one or more additional users.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein:

the one or more detector units comprise one or more RFID readers, and

the observations comprise readings, by the RFID readers, of one or more RFID tags that are physically associated with the one or more unknown users.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more detector units comprise one or more wireless network communication units, and

the observations comprise detecting, by the one or more wireless network communication units, wireless communication with one or more mobile computing devices that are being used by the one or more unknown users.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more mobile computing devices include one or more cellular telephones.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more wireless network communication units route the wireless communication between the one or more mobile computing devices and the computer system over one or more networks.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication comprises the user input.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more detector units comprise one or more cameras, and

the observations comprise visual images of the one or more unknown users captured by the one or more cameras.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein plurality of unique features comprise a plurality of unique visual features that are associated with the plurality of known users.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein:

the plurality of unique visual features include, at least, unique visual characteristics of a plurality of styluses that are associated with the plurality of known users, and

the user input is received from one of the plurality of styluses.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the unique visual characteristics are selected from the group consisting of:

color, shape, and size.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computer system, one or more environmental conditions in the physical environment around the interactive surface, and

wherein the update is determined further based on the one or more environmental conditions.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the one or more environmental conditions are selected from the group consisting of:

a number of people located in the physical environment, a length of time that the people have been in the physical environment, temperature, noise levels, and weather conditions.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the computer system and using one or more biosensors that are associated with the one or more unknown users, biodata for the one or more unknown users,

wherein the update is determined further based on the biodata for the one or more unknown users.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the biodata is selected from the group consisting of:

heart rate, blood pressure, brain wave activity, weight, height, and temperature.

20. A system comprising:

an interactive surface that is configured to display information;

one or more detector units that are configured to generate observations of a physical environment around the interactive surface, wherein the physical environment includes one or more unknown users who are physically located within a threshold distance of the interactive surface; and

a computer system comprising;

one or more interfaces through which the observations generated by the one or more detector units are received;

one or more processors;

one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

detect user input directed to the interactive surface that is displaying information,

access data that correlates a plurality of unique features to a plurality of known users;

select one or more users from among the plurality of known users based, at least in part, on a comparison of the one or more observations with the plurality of unique features, wherein the one or more selected users are identified as likely being the one or more unknown users who are observed as being located in the physical environment around the interactive surface;

accessing one or more profiles for the one or more selected users identifying, at least, preferences for the one or more selected users;

determine an update to apply to the information that is being displayed on the interactive surface based, at least in part, on (i) the user input, (ii) the one or more selected users, and (iii) the one or more profiles; and

display the update on the interactive surface.