Computer system architecture for automatic context associations

• US 20030158855A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Turski, Andrzej, Marcjan, Cezary, Kelly, Sean U., Rashid, Richard F., Vronay, David P., Farnham, Shelly D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• 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: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A computer system models human memory by deriving associations between objects, events, and the context of the computer user or users. These associations can be dynamically generated, changing depending on the behavior of the user and context. Examples of areas in which this system can be used include time management (e.g., a calendar that presents time-based groupings of objects), people management (e.g., use analysis of user communications to rank importance of people to the user, groupings, and associations between people/groups and other objects such as documents, email), and general computer management (e.g., use analysis of user behavior to identify important objects and objects that are related to a current focus and context of the computer user).

Claims

1. Context association software in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a system activity monitor that monitors user activity on a user-operated computer;

a computer system database of metadata relating to objects stored or activities carried out on the computer;

an association system that determines a degree of association between at least a pair of computer objects;

a chunking system that uses the degrees of association determined by the association system for a set of objects and groups them into a number of sub-groups; and

a user interface system that utilizes information stored in the computer system database by the system activity monitor, and information determined by the association system and the chunking system to display information relating to objects stored or activities carried out on the computer.

2. The medium of claim 1 in which the system activity monitor discerns automatically a user context based upon user activity on the computer and in which the user interface system renders on a display screen a user interface based upon the user context.

3. The medium of claim 1 in which the system activity monitor includes a universal input activity monitor.

4. The medium of claim 1 further comprising a history manager that provides in a tree structure a representation of user activity on the computer.

5. The medium of claim 4 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is accessible through a calendar user interface.

6. The medium of claim 4 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is editable by the user to effect changes in the user activities represented by the tree structure.

7. The medium of claim 1 in which the user interface system includes a context association control panel that provides user-control of the determination of association between at least a pair of computer objects.

8. The medium of claim 1 in which the user interface system displays in a calendar format information relating to objects stored or activities carried out on the computer.

9. The medium of claim 8 in which the user interface system renders on a display screen an overview calendar-based user interface that includes one or more visualizations relating to user activity on the user-operated computer as determined by the system activity monitor.

10. The medium of claim 8 in which the user interface system renders on a display screen an overview calendar-based user interface that includes one or more visualizations relating to information that is automatically stored in the computer system database without user activity.

11. The medium of claim 8 in which the metadata relating to objects stored or activities carried out on the computer includes dates, the method further comprising a database query user interface for creating a database query directed to dates associated with the metadata, the dates in the database query being selectable directly from the calendar format display.

12. The medium of claim 4 in which the database query user interface includes a database query directed to metadata other than dates stored in the computer system database.

13. In a computer readable medium, context association software for providing context associations between computer objects, comprising:

software for automatically collecting information about plural computer objects that are accessed or used on a computer by different user-operated software applications;

a computer system database of metadata relating to objects that are accessed or used on the computer;

software for analyzing the metadata to determine extents of association between the computer objects; and

software for mapping the computer objects based upon the extents of association between the computer objects.

14. The medium of claim 13 further comprising software for rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen.

15. The medium of claim 14 in which the visualization of the mapping includes a sector view to show the extents of similarity between the computer objects.

16. The medium of claim 13 further comprising:

software for clustering the plural computer objects into groups according to the extents of association between them; and

software for rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen and including the groups in the visualization.

17. The medium of claim 13 further comprising software for filtering the computer objects according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain the number of them associated with each other at or below a selected threshold;

18. The medium of claim 17 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to a number of occurrences in which each computer object is identified.

19. The medium of claim 17 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to whether the computer objects are associated with a predefined time period.

20. The medium of claim 13 in which the computer objects include computer communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in communication with each other.

21. The medium of claim 20 in which the mapping of the plural computer objects includes a social mapping of the multiple contacts, the medium further comprising software for rendering a visualization of the social mapping on a computer display screen.

22. The medium of claim 13 further comprising a history manager that provides in a tree structure a representation of user activity on the computer in connection with one or more of the computer objects.

23. The medium of claim 22 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is accessible through a calendar user interface.

24. The medium of claim 22 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is editable by the user to effect changes in the user activities represented by the tree structure.

25. The medium of claim 13 in which the user interface system includes a context association control panel that provides user-control of the determination of association between at least a pair of computer objects.

26. Computer system user interface software in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a system database of metadata relating to computer objects accessed or activities carried out on a computer with different user-operated software applications;

software for analyzing the metadata to determine extents of association between the computer objects or activities of different user-operated software applications; and

software for mapping the computer objects or activities based upon the extents of association between the computer objects.

27. The medium of claim 26 further comprising software for rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen.

28. The medium of claim 26 further comprising:

software for the plural computer objects into groups according to the extents of association between them; and

software for rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen and including the groups in the visualization.

29. The medium of claim 26 further comprising software for filtering the computer objects or activities according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain the number of them associated with each other at or below a selected threshold;

30. The medium of claim 29 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to a number of occurrences in which each computer object is identified.

31. The medium of claim 29 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to whether the computer objects are associated with a predefined time period.

32. The medium of claim 26 in which the computer objects include computer communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in communication with each other.

33. The medium of claim 32in which the mapping of the plural computer objects includes a social mapping of the multiple contacts, the medium further comprising software for rendering a visualization of the social mapping on a computer display screen.

34. The medium of claim 26 in which the user interface system displays in a calendar format information relating to objects stored or activities carried out on the computer.

35. The medium of claim 26 further comprising a history manager that provides in a tree structure a representation of user activity on the computer in connection with one or more of the computer objects.

36. The medium of claim C1 in which the user interface system includes a context association control panel that provides user-control of the determination of association between at least a pair of computer objects.

37. A context association method for providing context associations between computer objects, comprising:

automatically collecting information about plural computer objects that are accessed or used on a computer by different user-operated software applications;

storing the information in a computer system database as metadata relating to the objects that are accessed or used on the computer;

analyzing the metadata to determine extents of association between the computer objects; and

mapping the computer objects based upon the extents of association between the computer objects.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen.

39. The method of claim 38 in which the visualization of the mapping includes a sector view to show the extents of similarity between the computer objects.

40. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

clustering the plural computer objects into groups according to the extents of association between them; and

rendering a visualization of the mapping on a computer display screen and including the groups in the visualization.

41. The method of claim 37 further comprising filtering the computer objects according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain the number of them associated with each other at or below a selected threshold;

42. The method of claim 41 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to a number of occurrences in which each computer object is identified.

43. The method of claim 41 in which the filtering of the computer objects includes filtering according to whether the computer objects are associated with a predefined time period.

44. The method of claim 37 in which the computer objects include computer communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in communication with each other.

45. The method of claim 44 in which the mapping of the plural computer objects includes a social mapping of the multiple contacts, the method further comprising rendering a visualization of the social mapping on a computer display screen.

46. The method of claim 37 further comprising providing in a tree structure a representation of user activity on the computer in connection with one or more of the computer objects.

47. The method of claim 46 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is accessible through a calendar user interface.

48. The method of claim 46 in which the tree structure representation of user activity on the computer is editable by the user to effect changes in the user activities represented by the tree structure.

49. The method of claim 37 in which the user interface system includes a context association control panel that provides user-control of the determination of association between at least a pair of computer objects.

50. In a computer readable medium, context association software for providing context associations between computer objects, comprising:

software for automatically collecting information about plural computer objects that are accessed or used on one or more computers by different software applications;

a computer system database of metadata relating to objects that are accessed or used on the one or more computers;

software for analyzing the metadata to determine extents of association between the computer objects; and

software for mapping the computer objects based upon the extents of association between the computer objects.

51. The medium of claim 50 in which the one or more computers are operated by plural users and the metadata relate to objects that are accessed or used on the one or more computers by the plural users.

52. The medium of claim 50 in which at least one of the one or more computers is located remotely from the others of the one or more computers.