System and method of implementing user action monitoring to automatically populate object launchers

• US 7,184,939 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, Nathaniel Dourif, Trowbridge, Jon Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEN XUAN
• Application Number:
  US11/195,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20070032992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 702/193, 700/17, 700/83, 700/11, 700/56, 700/86, 382/181, 382/190, 382/209, 715/764, 715/810, 715840-841, 707 4- 7
• US Class Current: 702/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The invention is directed to a system and method of observing actions performed on a computer and inferring relationships between objects based on information corresponding to the observed actions. Relationships between the objects may be determined based on usage information and a usage pattern may be generated if the usage information recurs a selected number of times in a predetermined period of time. When a usage pattern is generated, objects may be automatically launched, icons may be automatically presented to users, and/or menu bars may be automatically configured based on established profiles.

Claims

1. A method of generating usage patterns to automatically perform functions associated with objects, comprising:

analyzing usage information associated with the objects, wherein the usage information includes user initiated action information or computer initiated action information;

identifying patterns for objects based on the usage information;

determining a number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over a predetermined period of time, wherein the selected parameters recur in the usage information a plurality of times over the predetermined period of time;

obtaining a usage pattern threshold value;

comparing the usage pattern threshold value to the number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over the predetermined period of time;

generating a usage pattern when the number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over the predetermined period of time exceed the usage pattern threshold value;

presenting the usage pattern; and

enabling the usage pattern to be adjusted.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user initiated action information or the computer initiated action information are associated with corresponding user initiated actions or computer initiated actions and wherein the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are organized in a chronological timeline.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the usage information includes (i) a time of day the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, (ii) locations where the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, or a combination of (i) and (ii).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined period of time includes days, hours, minutes, or seconds.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the objects include (i) applications, (ii) documents, (iii) files, (iv) electronic mail messages, (v) chat sessions, (vi) web sites, (vii) address book entries, (viii) calendar entries or any combination of (i) to (viii).

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising (i) automatically launching the objects according to the usage pattern, (ii) automatically presenting icons associated with the objects, (iii) automatically customizing menu bars associated with the objects, or any combination of (i) to (iii).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the menu bars are customized according to (i) a user profile, (ii) a client profile, (iii) an object profile, or any combination of (i) to (iii).

8. A system for generating usage patterns to automatically perform functions associated with objects, comprising:

usage information analyzer that analyzes usage information associated with the objects, wherein the usage information includes user initiated action information or computer initiated action information;

pattern identifier that identifies patterns for objects based on the usage information;

a processor that determines a number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over a predetermined period of time and obtains a usage pattern threshold value, wherein the selected parameters recur in the usage information a plurality of times over the predetermined period of time;

a comparator that compares the usage pattern threshold value to the number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over the predetermined period of time;

usage pattern generator that generates a usage pattern when the number of times selected parameters in the usage information of objects recur over the predetermined period of time exceed the usage pattern threshold value; and

an interface that displays the usage pattern and enables the usage pattern to be adjusted.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the user initiated action information or the computer initiated action information are associated with corresponding user initiated actions or computer initiated actions and wherein the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are organized in a chronological timeline.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the usage information includes (i) a time of day the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, (ii) locations where the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, or a combination of (i) and (ii).

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined period of time includes days, hours, minutes, or seconds.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the objects include (i) applications, (ii) documents, (iii) files, (iv) electronic mail messages, (v) chat sessions, (vi) web sites, (vii) address book entries, (viii) calendar entries or any combination of (i) to (viii).

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising an object launching system that (i) automatically launches the objects according to the usage pattern, (ii) automatically presents icons associated with the objects, (iii) automatically customizes menu bars associated with the objects, or any combination of (i) to (iii).

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the menu bars are customized according to (i) a user profile, (ii) a client profile, (iii) an object profile, or any combination of (i) to (iii).

15. A method of inferring relationships between objects of a client terminal, comprising:

analyzing information associated with the objects, wherein the information includes user initiated action information or computer initiated action information;

inferring relationships between the objects based on the analyzed information;

obtaining a threshold value;

determining a strength of the inferred relationships based on a relevance ranking value that is associated with the inferred relationships;

comparing the threshold value and relevance ranking value;

identifying the inferred relationship when the relevance ranking value exceeds the threshold value; and

performing a client terminal function in response to the identified inferred relationship.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the objects include (i) applications, (ii) documents, (iii) files, (iv) electronic mail messages, (v) chat sessions, (vi) web sites, (vii) address book entries, (viii) calendar entries or any combination of (i) to (viii).

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the user initiated action information or the computer initiated action information are associated with corresponding user initiated actions or computer initiated actions and wherein the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are organized in a chronological timeline.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the information includes (i) a time of day the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, (ii) locations where the user initiated actions or the computer initiated actions are performed, or a combination of (i) and (ii).

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the strength of the inferred relationships is determined based on (i) a frequency of the user initiated actions, (ii) simultaneous occurrence of user initiated actions;

(iii) sequential occurrence of user initiated actions, (iv) duration of user initiated actions, (v) overall chronological proximity of user initiated actions, or any combination of (i) to (v).

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein analyzing information associated with the objects includes content-based searching.