Prioritization of choices based on context and user history

• US 8,490,018 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carter, Marc Stanley, Clark, David J., Klinger, Doina, Partridge, Lucas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan S
• Application Number:
  US12/620,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 715/825, 715/810, 715/744, 715/812, 368/10, 705/14, 702/182, 707/5
• US Class Current: 715/812
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A method comprises identifying, by a computing device, a current context of a computer program; identifying, by the computing device, any related contexts of the computer program that are related to the current context; determining, by the computing device, association relationships between the current context and the related contexts; determining, by the computing device, a user history of menu choice selection with respect to the current context; updating, by the computing device, the user history based on a user menu choice selection and the association relationships; determining, by the computing device, weighted menu choices for a second context of the computer program based on the user history; and presenting, by the graphic user interface, the weighted menu choices for selection by the user in the second context.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices for selection by a user, said method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a current context of a computer program;

determining, by said computing device, at least one related context that forms a hierarchical relationship with said current context;

determining, by said computing device, whether there are any contexts that forms an association relationship with said current context, where each association relationship is a predetermined relationship established between contexts that is independent from the hierarchical relationship;

determining, by said computing device, a user history of weighted menu choice selections with respect to said current context, each selection having a weight corresponding to a relative likelihood of the associated menu choice selection being selected by a user;

receiving an indication that a user has made a menu choice selection based upon said menu choice selections of said user history associated with said current context;

updating, by said computing device, said user history of said current context by updating the weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection;

updating, by said computing device, an associated user history of related contexts within said hierarchical relationship in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists, by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history by a predetermined value, wherein the value is based upon a distance from said current context within said hierarchical relationship; and

updating, by said computing device, an associated user history of each related context that forms an association relationship with said current context in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history;

identifying, by a computing device, a second context of said computer program where the second context is set to the current context;

determining, by said computing device, weighted menu choices in an associated user history of said second context of said computer program; and

creating for presentation, a list of said weighted-menu choices for selection by said user in said second context.

2. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 1, further comprising filtering said weighted menu choices to select a smaller number of weighted menu choices for the list of said weighted menu choices.

3. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 1, further comprising sorting said weighted menu choices to order most likely choices at a top of the list of said weighted menu choices.

4. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 1, wherein said current context comprises one of a logical context, a personal context and an environmental context,

wherein said logical context corresponds to one of an application perspective, view and item,

wherein said personal context corresponds to one of a user preference, a level of experience, and a user physical trait, and

wherein said environmental context corresponds to one of a day of the week, a user location, a user work environment and hardware said user is utilizing.

5. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 1 further comprising presenting, by a graphic user interface, the list of said weighted menu choices.

6. A computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices for selection by a user, said method comprising:

identifying a current context of said first computer program using said computer, wherein said current context comprises one of a logical context, a personal context, and an environmental context;

identifying at least one related context that forms a hierarchical relationship with said current context;

identifying whether there are any related contexts that forms an association relationship with said current context, where the association relationship is a predetermined relationship established between contexts that is independent from the hierarchical relationship;

determining a first user history of menu choice selections with respect to said current context, each selection having a weight corresponding to the relative likelihood of the associated menu choice selection being selected;

determining, by said computing device, additional user histories of menu choice selections with respect to said related contexts, each selection having a weight;

receiving an indication that a user has made a menu choice selection based upon said weighted menu choice selections of said first user history associated with said current context;

updating, by said computer device, said first user history by updating the weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection;

updating, by said computing device, ones of said additional user histories of related contexts within said hierarchical relationship in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists, by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history by a predetermined value, wherein the value is based upon a distance from said current context within said hierarchical relationship;

updating, by said computing device, ones of said additional user histories of each related context that forms an association relationship with said current context in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history;

identifying, by a computing device, a second context of said computer program where the second context is set to the current context;

determining weighted menu choices in an associated user history of said second context and

outputting said weighted menu choices of said second context.

7. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 6, wherein said identifying of said current context is based on one of user identification, application identification and a specific time.

8. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 6, wherein said determining said user history of menu choice selection further comprises providing information on one of said current context of said first computer program, a choice that has been selected, a time of selection, and an identity of said user.

9. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 8, wherein said identifying of said user comprises obtaining information on one of an operating system of said computer, an authenticated application user identification, and a web site user registration.

10. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 6, said logical context corresponding to one of an application perspective, view and item;

said personal context corresponding to one of a user preference, a level of experience, and a user physical trait; and

said environmental context corresponding to one of a day of the week, a user location, a user work environment and hardware said user is utilizing.

11. A computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices for selection by a user, said method comprising:

identifying a current context of a computer program using a computer, wherein said current context comprises one of a logical context, a personal context, and an environmental context;

determining at least one related context that forms a hierarchical relationship with said current context;

determining whether there are any contexts that form an association relationship with said current context, where the association relationship is a predetermined relationship established between contexts that is independent from the hierarchical relationship;

using said computer;

determining a user choice associated with said current context using said computer;

incrementing, using said computer, a value for said user choice by a fixed value;

incrementing, using said computer, a value for said user choice in identified related contexts within said hierarchical relationship in which the selected user choice also exists, by an amount based on distances from said current context to said identified related contexts within said hierarchical relationship;

incrementing, using said computer, a value for said user choice by a fixed value for each related context that forms an association relationship with said current context in which the user choice also exists;

determining weighted menu choices for said computer program using said computer based on said cumulative user history; and

outputting said weighted menu choices using said computer for selection to said user in said computer program.

12. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 11, further comprising filtering said weighted menu choices to select a smaller number of weighted menu choices to present for selection to said user.

13. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 11, further comprising sorting said weighted menu choices to order most likely choices at a top of a list to present for selection to said user.

14. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim

11, further comprising graphically displaying said weighted menu choices and differentiating said weighted menu choices by changing at least one of a text size, a text color, a font and a text style of said weighted menu choices.

15. The computer-implemented method of prioritizing choices according to claim 11,

said logical context corresponding to one of said application perspective, view and item;

said personal context corresponding to one of a user preference, a level of experience, and a user physical trait; and

said environmental context corresponding to one of a day of the week, a user location, a user work environment and hardware said user is utilizing.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program for prioritizing choices for selection by a user stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform:

identifying a current context of a computer program;

determining at least one related context that forms a hierarchical relationship with said current context;

determining whether there are related contexts that form an association relationship with said current context, where the association relationship is a predetermined relationship established between contexts that is independent from the hierarchical relationship;

determining a user history of weighted menu choice selections with respect to said current context, each weight corresponding to the relative likelihood of the associated menu choice selection being selected by a user;

receiving an indication that a user has made a menu choice selection based upon said weighted menu choice selections of said user history associated with said current context;

updating said user history of said current context by updating said weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection;

updating an associated user history of related contexts within said hierarchical relationship in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists, by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history by a predetermined value, wherein the value is based upon a distance from said current context within said hierarchical relationship;

updating an associated user history of each related context that forms an association relationship with said current context in which the selected user'"'"'s menu choice also exists by updating a weight associated with said user'"'"'s menu choice selection in that user history;

identifying, by a computing device, a second context of said computer program where the second context is set to the current context;

determining weighted menu choices for said second context of said computer program based on said user history; and

creating for presentation, a list of said weighted menu choices for selection by said user in said second context.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform filtering said weighted menu choices to select a smaller number of weighted menu choices for the list of said weighted menu choices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform sorting said weighted menu choices to order most likely choices at a top of the list of said weighted menu choices.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein said current context comprises one of a logical context, a personal context and an environmental context,

wherein said logical context corresponds to one of an application perspective, view and item,

wherein said personal context corresponds to one of a user preference, a level of experience, and a user physical trait, and

wherein said environmental context corresponds to one of a day of the week, a user location, a user work environment and hardware said user is utilizing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform presenting, by a graphic user interface, the list of said weighted menu choices.