System and method for flexibly taking actions in response to detected activities

• US 8,341,534 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bier, Eric Allan, Lunt, Teresa F., Brdiczka, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/718,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111, 370/229
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method for flexibly taking actions in response to detected activities is provided. A trigger in a computing environment is defined and includes at least one of specifying one or more documents, persons, key words, times, and projects associable with the activities of at least one user, and defining one or more actions associable with the activities of at least one such user. At least one of activities, events, and stimuli occurring within the computing environment is monitored in relation to the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects, and to the activities. Action is taken within the computing environment upon activation of the trigger by the at least one activity, event, and stimuli.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for flexibly taking actions in response to detected activities, comprising:

a storage device in a computing environment storing a trigger comprising at least one of;

one or more documents, persons, key words, times, and projects associable with the activities of at least one user; and

one or more actions associable with the activities of the at least one user; and

a message delivery platform, comprising;

a monitor module monitoring at least one of activities, events, and stimuli occurring within the computing environment in relation to the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects, and to the activities;

an execution module taking action within the computing environment upon activation of the trigger by the at least one activity, event, and stimulus; and

a criteria module defining the stimuli as a criteria comprising at least one of one or more of applications used by the at least one user and connections between the documents and at least one of people, other documents, projects, times, and places within the computing environment,

wherein the storage device stores connections between the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects within the computing environment in a graph, and the trigger is conditioned on the contents of the graph.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the action comprises delivering a message.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the execution module further comprises:

a message delivery module and comprising at least one of;

a visual display providing a window on the screen of the computer of at least one such recipient within which the message is displayed; and

a message display inserting the message into a communication stream of the at least one such recipient via the computer.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the window that displays the message is positioned near another window on the screen of the computer of the at least one such recipient.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein the communication stream comprises at least one of an email inbox, instant message queue, or social networking feed.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein the message is delivered each time the trigger is activated.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the message delivery platform further comprises:

a definition module defining the stimuli as a criteria comprising topics mentioned in the documents with which at least one recipient is interacting; and

an action module identifying a set of the actions that can be performed in response to the activation of the trigger.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the action comprises delivering a message, further comprising establishing a contextual relationship between at least one of a document and an application in use by at least one recipient and the at least one such activity, event, and stimulus comprising a change to an attribute of an item of interest;

and establishing a contextual relationship between at least one of a document and application in use by at least one recipient and the at least one such activity, event, and stimulus comprising use of data within the computing environment.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the action comprises delivering a message, further comprising at least one of delivering the message without deferring delivery;

and deferring delivery of the message under a control of pre-set rules.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the deferred delivery of the message further comprises at least one of setting rules to control the deferred delivery based on criteria specified by a sender of the message;

and setting rules to control the deferred delivery based on criteria specified by at least one recipient of the message, the criteria comprising one or more of disabling the activation of one or more triggers, receiving the message more often than specified in the trigger, and specifying a broader class of documents, items, key words, or topics that will activate the trigger.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the action comprises at least one of moving an email message to a specific message set;

copying a document into one of a shared and private folder in a repository;

adding a task entry into a private task list;

adding a calendar entry into one of a shared and private calendar;

creating a new document, based on an appropriate template, for a recipient of a message to edit;

copying a document to a device in use by a recipient of a message;

delivering a message, further comprising controlling delivery through constraints selected by at least one of a sender of the message and at least one recipient of the message from the set comprising selecting triggers that activate, trigger activation frequency, message delivery priority, message delivery precedence, and conditional criteria applicable to the message; and

sending a questionnaire, comprising controlling delivery by constraints selected from conditional criteria; and

adapting content of the questionnaire content based on the trigger.

12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising identifying a recipient of a message or an action by a separate action within the computing environment that forms a relationship between the recipient with one or more pre-specified documents, persons, key words, times, projects, and topics, wherein the relationship is one of direct when the action is taken directly on at least one of the pre-specified documents, persons, key words, times, projects, and topics, and indirect when the action is taken on an entity connected by a path comprising at least one connected edge of a graph of context with the pre-specified documents, persons, key words, times, projects, and topics.

13. A computer-implemented method for flexibly taking actions in response to detected activities, comprising:

defining a trigger maintained in a storage device of a computing environment comprising at least one of;

specifying one or more documents, persons, key words, times, and projects associable with the activities of at least one user; and

defining one or more actions associable with the activities of activities of the at least one user;

monitoring with a processor at least one of activities, events, and stimuli occurring within the computing environment in relation to the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects, and to the activities;

taking action within the computing environment upon activation of the trigger by the at least one activity, event, and stimulus;

defining the stimuli as a criteria comprising at least one of;

identifying one or more of applications used by the at least one user; and

identifying connections between the documents and at least one of people, other documents, projects, times, and places within the computing environment;

representing connections between the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects within the computing environment in a graph; and

conditioning the trigger on the contents of the graph.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the action comprises delivering a message.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of;

displaying the message in a window on the screen of the computer of at least one such recipient; and

inserting the message into a communication stream of the at least one such recipient via the computer.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the window that displays the message is positioned near another window on the screen of the computer of the at least one such recipient.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the communication stream comprises at least one of an email inbox, instant message queue, or social networking feed.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the message is delivered each time the trigger is activated.

19. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

defining the stimuli as a criteria comprising

identifying topics mentioned in the documents with which at least one recipient is interacting; and

identifying a set of the actions that can be performed in response to the activation of the trigger.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein the action comprises delivering a message, further comprising:

establishing a contextual relationship between at least one of a document and an application in use by at least one recipient and the at least one such activity, event, and stimulus comprising a change to an attribute of an item of interest; and

establishing a contextual relationship between at least one of a document and application in use by at least one recipient and the at least one such activity, event, and stimulus comprising use of data within the computing environment.

21. A method according to claim 13, wherein the action comprises delivering a message, further comprising at least one of:

delivering the message without deferring delivery; and

deferring delivery of the message under a control of pre-set rules.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the deferred delivery of the message further comprises at least one of:

setting rules to control the deferred delivery based on criteria specified by a sender of the message; and

setting rules to control the deferred delivery based on criteria specified by at least one recipient of the message, the criteria comprising one or more of disabling the activation of one or more triggers, receiving the message more often than specified in the trigger, and specifying a broader class of documents, items, key words, or topics that will activate the trigger.

23. A method according to claim 13, wherein the action comprises at least one of:

moving an email message to a specific message set;

copying a document into one of a shared and private folder in a repository;

adding a task entry into a private task list;

adding a calendar entry into one of a shared and private calendar;

creating a new document, based on an appropriate template, for a recipient of a message to edit;

copying a document to a device in use by a recipient of a message;

delivering a message, further comprising;

controlling delivery through constraints selected by at least one of a sender of the message and at least one recipient of the message from the set comprising selecting triggers that activate, trigger activation frequency, message delivery priority, message delivery precedence, and conditional criteria applicable to the message; and

sending a questionnaire, comprising;

controlling delivery by constraints selected from conditional criteria; and

adapting content of the questionnaire content based on the trigger.

24. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

identifying a recipient of a message or an action by a separate action within the computing environment that forms a relationship between the recipient with one or more pre-specified documents, persons, key words, times, projects, and topics,

wherein the relationship is one of direct when the action is taken directly on at least one of the pre-specified documents, persons, key words, times, projects, and topics, and indirect when the action is taken on an entity connected by a path comprising at least one connected edge of a graph of context with the pre-specified documents, persons.