Visualization of real-time social data informatics

• US 8,479,103 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Do, Lydia Mai
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/559,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Data corresponding to a current activity of a user is formatted for display. A contact list, tags of interest, and visual display mapping preferences associated with the user are received. A real time broadcast of a current activity of the user is received. A tag of interest most relevant to the current activity of the user is selected. Real time broadcasts of current activities of contacts associated with the user are received. Tags of interest most relevant to the current activities of the contacts are selected. The tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user is compared with the tags of interest selected most relevant to the current activities of the contacts. Data corresponding to the current activity of the user and the current activities of the contacts is transmitted in a format determined by the visual display mapping preferences associated with the user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for formatting a display of data corresponding to a current activity of a user on a network, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving by a server device a contact list, tags of interest, and visual indicators associated with the user from a client device via the network, wherein the user associates a visual indicator with each of the tags of interest, and wherein the visual indicator is one of a user-defined color or a user-defined shape, and wherein the visual indicator identifies data being browsed by the user and contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

receiving by the server device a real time broadcast of a current activity of the user on the network;

selecting by the server device a tag of interest associated with the user that is most relevant to the current activity of the user;

receiving by the server device real time broadcasts of current activities on the network of the contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

selecting by the server device tags of interest associated with each of the contacts in the contact list that are most relevant to the current activities of each of the contacts;

comparing by the server device the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with the tags of interest selected most relevant to the current activities of the contacts;

selecting by the server device contacts having a matching tag of interest with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user;

calculating by the server device a priority score for each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest based on a strength of relationship between the user and the contacts regarding the current activity of the user; and

transmitting by the server device the data corresponding to the current activity of the user to each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and a priority score above a priority threshold, wherein the server device combines the visual indicator associated with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with different visual indicators associated with the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold to form a single combined visual indicator providing visualization of cross-collaboration of the data being browsed by the user and each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting by the server device the data corresponding to the current activity of the user and the current activities of each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold in a format determined by visual display mapping preferences associated with the user to the client device via the network.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing by the server device the contact list, the tags of interest, and the visual indicators in a storage device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing display properties of the client device to determine how to display information associated with a tag of interest within a display device based on a visual display mapping preference corresponding to the tag of interest.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying by the client device the data corresponding to the current activity of the user and the current activities of each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold within the display device in the format defined by the visual display mapping preferences associated with the user and the display properties of the client device.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tags of interest associated with the user are defined by the user and are associated with information found on the network.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the visual display mapping preferences associated with the user are defined by the user and determine how to format the data for display in a display device.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a tag of interest is one of a topic name or one or more keywords.

9. A data processing system for formatting a display of data corresponding to a current activity of a user on a network, comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a contact list, tags of interest, and visual indicators associated with the user from a client device via the network, wherein the user associates a visual indicator with each of the tags of interest, and wherein the visual indicator is one of a user-defined color or a user-defined shape, and wherein the visual indicator identifies data being browsed by the user and contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

receive a real time broadcast of a current activity of the user on the network;

select a tag of interest associated with the user that is most relevant to the current activity of the user;

receive real time broadcasts of current activities on the network of contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

select tags of interest associated with each of the contacts in the contact list that are most relevant to the current activities of each of the contacts;

compare the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with the tags of interest selected most relevant to the current activities of the contacts;

select contacts having a matching tag of interest with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user;

calculate a priority score for each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest based on a strength of relationship between the user and the contacts regarding the current activity of the user; and

transmit the data corresponding to the current activity of the user to each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and a priority score above a priority threshold, wherein the processing unit combines the visual indicator associated with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with different visual indicators associated with the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold to form a single combined visual indicator providing visualization of cross-collaboration of the data being browsed by the user and each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold.

10. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a computer for formatting a display of data corresponding to a current activity of a user on a network, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a contact list, tags of interest, and visual indicators associated with the user from a client device via the network, wherein the user associates a visual indicator with each of the tags of interest, and wherein the visual indicator is one of a user-defined color or a user-defined shape, and wherein the visual indicator identifies data being browsed by the user and contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

computer usable program code for receiving a real time broadcast of a current activity of the user on the network;

computer usable program code for selecting a tag of interest associated with the user that is most relevant to the current activity of the user;

computer usable program code for receiving real time broadcasts of current activities on the network of contacts listed in the contact list associated with the user;

computer usable program code for selecting tags of interest associated with each of the contacts in the contact list that are most relevant to the current activities of each of the contacts;

computer usable program code for comparing the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with the tags of interest selected most relevant to the current activities of the contacts;

computer usable program code for selecting contacts having a matching tag of interest with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user;

computer usable program code for calculating a priority score for each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest based on a strength of relationship between the user and the contacts regarding the current activity of the user; and

computer usable program code for transmitting the data corresponding to the current activity of the user to each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and a priority score above a priority threshold, wherein the computer combines the visual indicator associated with the tag of interest selected most relevant to the current activity of the user with different visual indicators associated with the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold to form a single combined visual indicator providing visualization of cross-collaboration of the data being browsed by the user and each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer usable program code for transmitting the data corresponding to the current activity of the user and the current activities of each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold in a format determined by visual display mapping preferences associated with the user to the client device via the network.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer usable program code for storing the contact list, the tags of interest, and the visual indicators in a storage device.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for analyzing display properties of the client device to determine how to display information associated with a tag of interest within a display device based on a visual display mapping preference corresponding to the tag of interest.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for displaying the data corresponding to the current activity of the user and the current activities of each of the contacts having the matching tag of interest and the priority score above the priority threshold within the display device in the format defined by the visual display mapping preferences associated with the user and the display properties of the client device.