MANAGING INFORMATION ABOUT DOCUMENT-RELATED ACTIVITIES

• US 20180165284A1
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mullins, Christopher Lee, Cowhig, Joshua Allen, Standefer, III, Robert Earl
• Granted Patent: US 10,740,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

A facility for managing information about document-related activities is described. In some cases, the facility uses particular kinds of structures to represent, in a document graph, document-related activities performed by particular users. In some cases, the facility uses these structures to enable one user to subscribe to the document-related activities performed by another user. In some cases, the facility uses these structures to aggregate document-related activities performed by users in a group of users, such as by aggregating topics that are addressed by documents that are the subject of these document-related activities. In some cases, the facility uses particular kinds of structures to represent, in a document graph, tasks that certain users either can help with or need help with. In some cases, the facility uses these structures to match users that can help with a task with users that need help with a task.

Claims

1. One or more instances of computer-readable media collectively storing a document graph data structure, the data structure comprising:

a first node of a first type containing identity information about a first user;

a second node of a second type containing information about the status of the first user'"'"'s interaction with documents; and

an edge of a third type connecting the second node to the first node, the edge of the third type connoting that the second node contains information about the status of the interaction with documents by the user whose identifying information is contained by the first node,

such that the data structure is usable to (a) enable a second user to subscribe to information about the status of the first user'"'"'s interaction with documents by accessing the first node and (b) enable servicing of the subscription by following the first edge from the first node to the second node, identifying edges connecting to the second node that connote interactions with documents, and reporting on the interactions with documents connected by the identified edges.

2. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the second node contains information specifying at least one interaction with a document by the first user that is not to be included among interactions reported on as part of servicing any subscription.

3. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the second node contains information specifying permission criteria for including at least one interaction with a document by the first user when servicing subscriptions.

4. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the information contained in the second node is adequate to identify a document being interacted with.

5. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the information contained in the second node is adequate to identify a document being interacted with, and also adequate to enable display the identified document when the second user selects a displayed visual indication of the identified document.

6. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the information contained in the second node is adequate to identify a document portion being interacted with.

7. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the information contained in the second node is adequate to identify a document being interacted with, and also adequate to enable display the identified document portion when the second user selects a displayed visual indication of the identified document portion.

8. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the information contained in the second node is adequate to identify a document interaction action performed by the first user.

9. A method in a computing system for reporting on user activity, the method comprising:

receiving a request identifying a group of users;

for each user of the group, accessing a document-interaction presence entity for the user to identify documents recently interacted with by the user;

for each of the identified documents, determining a set of topics to which the document is addressed;

determining, for each of the determined set of topics, the number of users of the group who interacted with a document addressed to the topic; and

generating a report reflecting, for at least a portion of the determined set of topics, the determined number of users of the group who interacted with a document addressed to the topic.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein determining a set of topics to which the document is addressed comprises applying automatic natural language understanding techniques to identify a set of topics to which the document is addressed.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the generated report.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing the generated report to be displayed.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving first user input selecting a visual indication of a distinguished topic included in the displayed report;

in response to receiving the first user input, causing to be displayed visual indications of one or more documents addressed to the distinguished topic.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving second user input selecting a displayed visual indication of a distinguished document; and

in response to receiving the second user input, causing to be displayed at least a portion of the contents of the distinguished document.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the received request identifies a group of users by specifying a group name, specifying user attributes required for membership in the group, or specifying a user-selected region of an organizational chart.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the received request further identifies a time range,

and wherein the accessing identifies documents interacted with by the user during the identified time range.

17. One or more instances of computer-readable media collectively having contents configured to cause a computing system to perform a method for matching providers and consumers of a document-related services, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a first user that the first user needs a service of a first service type performed;

in response to receiving the indication,

selecting user nodes in a document graph each representing a user that (1) are each connected to a task node representing a task type by an edge of a first type, each edge of the first type connoting that the user represented by the user node connected by the edge of the first type is available to perform tasks of the type represented by the task node connected by the edge of the first type, where (2) the task type represented by the task node matches the first service type; and

identifying the users represented by the selected user nodes as candidates to perform a service of the first service type for the first user.

18. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to receiving the indication;

adding to the document graph a task node representing the service of a first service type indicated by the indication received from the first user; and

adding to the document graph an edge of a second type connecting a user node representing the first user to the added task node, the edge of the second type connoting that the user represented by the user node connected by the edge of the second type needs performance of a service of the type represented by the task node connected by the edge of the second performed.

19. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting one of the identified users;

in response to the selection of one of the identified users;

replacing the added edge of the second type with an edge of a third type, the edge of the third type connoting that the user represented by the user node connected by the edge of the third type has assigned the task represented by the task node connected by the edge of the third type; and

adding to the document graph an edge of a fourth type connecting the user node representing the selected user to the added task node, the edge of the fourth type connoting that the user represented by the user node connected by the edge of the fourth type is working on the task represented by the task node connected by the edge of the fourth type.

20. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 17 wherein the indication received from the first user specifies one or more qualifications that is to be possessed by the person who performs the service of the first service type, the method further comprising:

selecting one of the identified users, wherein the user node representing the selected user is connected by one or more edges of a second type to one or more qualifications nodes, each edge of the second type connoting that the user represented by the user node connected by the edge of the second type has a qualification represented by the qualification node connected by the edge of the second type, the one or more qualifications nodes collectively representing qualifications satisfying the qualifications specified by the indication received from the first user.