Enhanced service environments with user-specific working sets

• US 10,417,612 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gehrke, Johannes Ernst, Knutsen, Eirik, Torbjornsen, Oystein, Kleewein, James Charles, Kvalheim, Bard, Wang, Oivind
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Nicholas E
• Application Number:
  US14/096,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein for implementing enhanced search environments. In one implementation, an enhanced service environment includes a working set service that receives event signals initiated by working set agents in various application services. The working set agents communicate the event signals to nominate events occurring in the application services for inclusion in a working set of information specific to a user. The nominations may be based at least in part on a working set model specific to the user. In response to receiving the event signals, the working set service determines which of the events qualify for inclusion in the working set of information based at least in part on the working set model. For each event that qualifies for inclusion, the working set is modified to include at least the event.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating user-specific working sets comprising:

developing a user-specific working set model based on behavior of a user across a plurality of application services;

monitoring via a plurality of working set agents for events to occur in the plurality of application services, each application service for carrying out a service, wherein the plurality of working set agents operate on a per-user basis regardless of a number of users for which the plurality of working set agents operate on behalf of to assemble a user-specific working set of information for the user;

in response to the events occurring while carrying out services via the plurality of application services, the plurality of working set agents determining which of the events to nominate for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information to facilitate a search specific to the user;

receiving in a working set service a plurality of event signals initiated by the plurality of working set agents indicative of the events being nominated by the plurality of working set agents for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information;

determining which of the events nominated by the plurality of working set agents qualify for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information based at least in part on the user-specific working set model;

for each event for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information, modifying the user-specific working set of information to include at least the event; and

searching the user-specific working set of information for content relevant to a query from the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user-specific working set of information comprises a content database that includes content associated with the event and other content associated with other events included in the user-specific working set of information, and wherein the method further comprises performing a security check on the content prior to including it in the user-specific working set of information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user-specific working set of information further comprises a graph index to a social graph of the user and wherein modifying the user-specific working set of information to include the event comprises modifying the user-specific working set of information to include the event in the social graph, performing a security check on the content to determine if the user is allowed to access the content, and modifying the content database to include the content associated with the event in the content database.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising monitoring via the plurality of working set agents for the events to occur in the plurality of application services and in a plurality of client applications based at least in part on the user-specific working set model.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, in response to one of the events occurring in one of the plurality of application services, a corresponding one of the plurality of working set agents determining if the one of the events belongs in an additional working set of information specific to an additional user and if so, nominating the event for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information specific to the user and for inclusion in the additional working set of information specific to the additional user.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the content database includes documents, email, blog posts, and chat communications, wherein the plurality of application services comprises a document service, an email service, a blog service, and a chat service, and wherein the plurality of client applications comprises a document application, an email application, and a blogging application, and a chat application.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating updates to the user-specific working set model based at least in part on the events and communicating the updates to the plurality of working set agents.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a request to perform a search associated with the user, and in response, searching at least a portion of the user-specific working set of information for search results prior to expanding the search beyond the user-specific working set of information.

9. One or more computer readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon to facilitate user-specific working sets and working set search that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to at least:

develop a user-specific working set model based on behavior of a user across a plurality of application services;

monitor via a plurality of working set agents for events to occur in the plurality of application services, each application service for carrying out a service, wherein the plurality of working set agents operate on a per-user basis regardless of a number of users for which the plurality of working set agents operate on behalf of to assemble a user-specific working set of information for the user;

in response to the events occurring while carrying out services via the plurality of application services, the plurality of working set agents determine which of the events to nominate for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information;

receive from the plurality of working set agents in the plurality of application services a plurality of event signals indicative of the events being nominated for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information to facilitate a search specific to the user;

determine which of the events nominated by the plurality of working set agents qualify for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information based at least in part on the user-specific working set model;

for each event determined to qualify for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information, modify the user-specific working set of information to include at least the event; and

search the user-specific working set of information for content relevant to a query from the user.

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the user-specific working set of information comprises a content database that includes content associated with the event and other content associated with other events included in the user-specific working set of information, and wherein the user-specific working set of information further comprises a search index to the content database that is searchable from any of the plurality of application services.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the user-specific working set of information further comprises a graph index to a social graph of the user and wherein to modify the user-specific working set of information to include the event, the computing system modifies the user-specific working set of information to include the event in the social graph and the content associated with the event in the content database.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the plurality of working set agents monitor for the events to occur in the plurality of application services and in a plurality of client applications corresponding to the plurality of application services based at least in part on the user-specific working set model.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 12 wherein the content database includes documents, email, blog posts, and chat communications, wherein the plurality of application services comprises a document service, an email service, a blog service, and a chat service, and wherein the plurality of client applications comprises a document application, an email application, a blogging application, and a chat application.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to generate updates to the user-specific working set model based at least in part on the events and the social graph and communicate the updates to the plurality of working set agents and update an enterprise graph for a plurality of users in an enterprise based at least in part on the event.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to, in response to a request to perform a search associated with the user, search at least a portion of the user-specific working set of information for search results prior to expanding the search beyond the user-specific working set of information.

16. A system for facilitating user-specific working sets, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

develop a user-specific working set model based on behavior of a user across a plurality of application services;

monitor via a plurality of working set agents residing in the plurality of application services for events to occur in the plurality of application services, each application service for carrying out a service, wherein the plurality of working set agents operate on a per-user basis regardless of a number of users for which the plurality of working set agents operate on behalf of to assemble a user-specific working set of information for the user;

in response to the events occurring while carrying out services via the plurality of application services, determine via the plurality of working set agents which of the events to nominate for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information to facilitate a search specific to the user and to communicate a plurality of event signals indicative of the events being nominated;

receive in a working set service the plurality of event signals indicative of the events nominated by the plurality of working set agents;

determine via the working set service which of the events nominated by the plurality of working set agents qualify for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information based at least in part on the user-specific working set model;

for each event determined to qualify for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information, modify via the working set service the user-specific working set of information to include at least the event;

identify via a working set manager updates to the user-specific working set model based at least in part on the plurality of event signals and a plurality of previously received event signals, wherein the updates to the user-specific working set model are communicated at least to the plurality of working set agents and the working set service; and

search via a search service the user-specific working set of information for content relevant to a query from the user.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the user-specific working set of information comprises a content database that includes content associated with the event and other content associated with other events included in the user-specific working set of information, and wherein the user-specific working set of information further comprises a search index to the content database that is searchable from any of the plurality of application services.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the user-specific working set of information further comprises a graph index to a social graph for the user and wherein to modify the user-specific working set of information to include the event, the working set service modifies the user-specific working set of information to include the event in the social graph and the content associated with the event in the content database.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the content database includes documents, email, blog posts, and chat communications, wherein the plurality of application services comprises a document service, an email service, a blog service, and a chat service.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operative to, in response to a request to perform a search associated with the user, search via the search service at least a portion of the user-specific working set of information for search results prior to expanding the search beyond the user-specific working set of information and wherein:

the user-specific working set model comprises event criteria against which to compare each of the events for inclusion in the user-specific working set of information, wherein the event criteria comprises a social relevance to the user of any of the events and a subject matter relevance to the user of any of the events.