GOAL-BASED CONTENT SELECTION AND DELIVERY

• US 20140157171A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TheraTec, Inc. (Dynatronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Salus Medical, LLC
• Inventors: Brust, Thomas Edwin, Kennedy, Phil, Khan, Jamal, Johnson, Jay W., Waddell, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 9,171,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• 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: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing and performing goal-based workflows to assist a human user with achieving a goal or set of goals are described. In one example, a goal-based workflow includes operations for obtaining information from the human user relevant to a goal, performing a psychological and psychological assessment of the human user, selecting and providing goal-based content to the human user, and obtaining and processing a response to the goal-based content from the human user. The operations may be conducted in connection with a subscription or membership to an information service. In further examples, the information service may integrate the content delivery with a social network of “supporter” human users, used to provide encouragement and motivation to the human user for achieving the goal. In other further examples, rewards and adjustments may be provided to the human user based on previous responses to the goal-based content.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating selection of goal-based content from an information system, comprising:

obtaining contextual user information maintained in an information system relevant to a health goal for a human user;

presenting an assessment prompt to the human user, by using a graphical user interface to the information system;

performing an ongoing assessment of behavior of the human user to measure progress of the human user to achieving the health goal, by using input from the human user provided in the assessment prompt;

selecting content maintained in the information system relevant to activity for achieving the health goal, by using the contextual user information and the measured progress of the human user; and

presenting the content relevant to achieving the health goal to the human user, by using the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining contextual user information from the human user includes performing a psychological and physiological assessment of the human user, by using an assessment questionnaire presented to the human user with the graphical user interface;

and

wherein performing an ongoing assessment of behavior of the human user includes querying the human user in the assessment prompt about one or more activities relevant to the health goal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content relevant to achieving the health goal is tagged according to one or more behavior change attributes of behavior by the human user, and wherein selecting the content relevant to achieving the health goal includes use of the one or more behavior change attributes to select the content relevant to achieving the health goal, the one or more behavior change attributes determined from the ongoing assessment of behavior.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information system links the human user with one or more supporter human users in a social network;

and

wherein the content relevant to achieving the health goal is delivered to the human user at least in part through communications from the one or more supporter human users.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the content relevant to achieving the health goal is generated at least in part by the one or more supporter human users;

and

wherein the one or more supporter human users are provided with measurements of the progress of the human user to achieving the health goal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing a response, from the human user, to the content relevant to achieving the health goal; and

changing the content relevant to achieving the health goal in response to the captured response and the ongoing assessment of behavior.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

presenting a reward for the human user for the response to the content relevant to achieving the health goal, based on the response being an indication of completion of an activity related to the health goal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a reward for a user based on a determination of completion of an activity related to the health goal, wherein the reward for the human user is one or more of;

a reward for redemption with a charitable organization, a reward for redemption in a virtual game, or a reward for redemption of an object related to achievement of the health goal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the health goal is related to a medical condition of the human user, and wherein the content relevant to achieving the health goal includes one or more activities for performance by the human user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is presented by one or more of a website or a software application, wherein the information system is a subscription-based information system used to deliver information related to the health goal, and wherein the contextual user information is provided by the human user during establishment of a subscription with the subscription-based information system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an ongoing assessment of behavior of the human user to measure progress of the human user to achieving the health goal, further includes using data from a monitoring device.

12. An information system, comprising:

a user information database storing behavior and assessment information for a human subject;

a content database storing context-sensitive content items available to be provided to the human subject, the context-sensitive content items being relevant to attainment of an overall goal by the human subject;

a content suggestion module implemented using a processor, the content suggestion module configured for selection of suggested content from the context-sensitive content items in the content database; and

a content delivery module implemented using the processor, the content delivery module configured to electronically provide the suggested content to the human subject at a determined timing and to modify the suggested content to increase relevance to the human subject;

wherein the suggested content includes a suggested action for performance by the human subject, the suggested action being relevant to the attainment of the overall goal by the human subject.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a monitoring module implemented using the processor, the monitoring module configured to electronically monitor progress of the human subject towards the overall goal and the performance of the suggested action by the human subject.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a feedback module implemented using the processor, the feedback module configured to electronically receive feedback from the human subject related to the performance of the suggested action by the human subject, and feedback from the human subject related to the progress of the human subject towards the overall goal.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a supporter module implemented using the processor, the supporter module configured to;

electronically communicate with one or more human supporters connected to the human subject in a social network;

receive one or more proposed suggestions from the information system;

enable a selection of the suggested action from the one or more proposed suggestions; and

communicate to the supporter the progress of the human subject towards the goal and achievement of the suggested action by the human subject.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a rules database configured to store rules related to selection of the context-sensitive content items and achievement of the suggested action by the human subject, wherein the rules are used by the content suggestion module to determine relevancy to the attainment of the overall goal by the human subject; and

a conditions module implemented using the processor, the conditions module configured to control selection of the context-sensitive content items to match one or more data conditions specified by the human subject.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a suggested action database configured to store suggested actions including the suggested action and additional suggested actions for performance by the human subject;

a tagging database configured to associate tags with the suggested actions for performance by the human subject; and

a playlist database configured to store a playlist of the suggested actions for performance by the human subject;

wherein the content suggestion module is configured to interface with the suggested action database, the tagging database, and the playlist database, to provide the suggested actions within a playlist to the human subject, based on characteristics associated with the human subject matching the tags associated with the suggested actions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the content suggestion module applies one or more filters and one or more weights to prioritize the suggested action in the playlist of the suggested actions.

19. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, in response to being executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to:

generate a client content service interface for display within a graphical user interface accessible by a client user to;

capture an assessment of the client user;

measure progress of the client user towards a health goal using results of the assessment;

receive an interaction from a supporter user related to the health goal; and

provide suggested content related to the health goal to encourage progress of the client user towards the health goal, the suggested content obtained from an information system;

generate a supporter content service interface for display within a graphical user interface accessible by the supporter user to;

indicate the progress of the client user towards the health goal;

establish the interaction between the supporter user and the client user related to the health goal; and

provide additional suggested content for inclusion with the suggested content related to the health goal.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the client content service interface is provided by a first plurality of user interface components in a first internet-accessible application coupled to the information system, and wherein the supporter content service interface is provided by a second plurality of user interface components in a second internet-accessible application coupled to the information system.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, the instructions further configured to cause the computing device to:

facilitate a communication interface between the client content service interface and the supporter content service interface, the communication interface used to collect communications related to the goal from the supporter user and used to deliver the communications related to the goal to the client user, the communications occurring according to one or more communication preferences of the client user;

wherein the client user and the supporter user are connected via a social network, and wherein the communication interface is used to exchange the communications via the social network.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the suggested content is selected based on relevancy to the health goal and one or more behaviors of the client user, and wherein the suggested content is selected from the information system from a match of one or more behavior change tags associated with the user to content associated with the behavior change tags.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the client content service interface and the supporter content service interface are coupled to the information system through an exchange of one or more messages, and wherein the client content service interface and the supporter content service interface are provided with an internet-connected server used to generate and transmit the content to the client user and the supporter user respectively.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the supporter content service interface for display within a graphical user interface accessible by the supporter user is further generated to:

receive a selection of the suggested content related to the health goal to be provided to the client user, the suggested content being selected from a set of available suggested content items.