Multiattribute specification of preferences about people, priorities, and privacy for guiding messaging and communications

• US 7,831,529 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Kadie, Carl M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks; Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): COUGHLAN, PETER D
• Application Number:
  US12/180,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/10 using kernel methods, e.g. support vector machines [SVM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and methodology to facilitate multiattribute adjustments and control associated with messages and other communications and informational items that are directed to a user via automated systems. An interface, specification language, and controls are provided for defining a plurality of variously configured groups that may attempt to communicate respective items. Controls include the specification of priorities and preferences as well as the modification of priorities and preferences that have been learned from training sets via machine learning methods. The system provides both a means for assessing parameters used in the control of messaging and communications and for the inspection and modification of parameters that have been learned autonomously.

Claims

1. An automated communications system, comprising:

a notification manager that receives one or more items and processes the one or more items via learning algorithms to direct the one or more items to a user;

a language component that provides at least one user interface that receives one or more user inputs to at least one of control, adjust and tune at least one value of at least one attribute of the one or more items representing user preferences regarding computing a priority score for directing the one or more items to the user, wherein the at least one user interface facilitates a plurality of definitions, selections and controls that provide indications of the user preferences, wherein the at least one user interface allows the user to adjust a value of the priority score based on adjusting the at least one value of the at least one attribute; and

a preference component that receives the user preferences as output from the language component to influence automated learning processes that direct delivery of the one or more items to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, the one or more items include at least one selected from the group consisting of a message, a notification, a voice message, web information, an e-mail, pager information, an image, an audio file, a video, an alert, and content provided from a web service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the language component cooperates with a multiattribute preference (MAP) tool to influence automated decision-making processes according to one or more user preferences specified in the preference component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the learning algorithms analyze the at least one attribute of the one or more items and include at least one classifier that analyzes the at least one attribute and automatically determines at least one of urgency and priority of the one or more items.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one classifier further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a Naive Bayes model, a Bayes network model, a decision tree model, a similarity-based model, and a vector-based model.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated learning processes employ decision-theoretic analysis to determine at least one of when, where, and if to direct the one or more items to the user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a context input component that analyzes one or more context inputs to determine the user'"'"'s present context state in order to direct the one or more items in accordance with determined urgency of the one or more items and the user'"'"'s present context.

8. The system of claim 7, the one or more context inputs include evidence of at least one selected from the group consisting of keyboard activities, mouse movements, microphone inputs, camera inputs, time inputs and electronic calendar information relating to the user'"'"'s activity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the language component comprises policy controls to influence at least one of basic and decision-theoretic policies for at least one of routing, alerting, and communications within the system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the basic policies include a bounded-deferral policy adjustable by the user on how long to wait in order to find a suitable time to alert the user about the one or more items.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy controls are based on at least one of the user'"'"'s context and on the determined priority value associated with an item.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy controls specify curves that can be reasoned about in a decision-theoretic manner by the system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the language component comprises privacy and authorization controls to at least one of assess and control preferences about thresholds of authorization for at least one of different groups of people and for different dimensions of life.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controls include a specification of requirements to have third-parties confirm a desire to access information associated with the user.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a feedback component that receives automatically determined values from the notification manager representing weights that have been assigned to one or more attributes.

16. A method to facilitate communications in an automated communications system, comprising:

receiving one or more items and processing the one or more items via learning algorithms to direct the one or more items to a user;

receiving, via at least one user interface, one or more user inputs to at least one of control, adjust and tune values of a plurality of attributes associated with the one or more items representing user preferences regarding computing a priority score for directing the one or more items to the user, wherein the at least one user interface allows the user to adjust a value of the priority score based on adjusting the values of the plurality of attributes; and

directing delivery of the one or more items to the user based on the priority score.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing the plurality of attributes of the one or more items for automatically determining characteristics relating to at least one of an urgency and the priority of the one or more items.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising analyzing one or more context inputs to determine the user'"'"'s present context state in order to direct the one or more items in accordance with the determined urgency of the item and the user'"'"'s present context.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of defining static groups, defining dynamic groups, defining groups by a relationship within an organizational structure, defining groups by communications history, defining groups by past associations, defining groups by frequency of contact, defining groups by meetings and appointments, and defining groups by projects.

20. An automated communications system, comprising:

means for receiving at least one item and processing the at least one item via learning algorithms to direct the at least one item to a user;

means for deriving one or more user preferences regarding computing a priority and an urgency of the at least one item by receiving, via at least one user interface, one or more first user inputs regarding a plurality of attributes associated with the at least one item and a plurality of values associated with the plurality of attributes;

means for providing feedback on deriving the one or more user preferences by;

displaying to the user, via the at least one user interface, the at least one item, the plurality of attributes and the plurality of values used to compute the priority and the urgency of the at least one item, and

receiving, via the at least one user interface, one or more second user inputs to modify at least one value of the plurality of values;

means for analyzing the feedback to, in response to the one or more second user inputs, automatically determine and display a modified value of at least one of the urgency and the priority of the at least one item; and

means for directing delivery of the at least one item to the user.