System, method and computer program product for determining a rate at which an entity is polled

• US 8,589,540 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Fischer, Ronald F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHINGLES, KRISTIE D
• Application Number:
  US13/102,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for determining a rate at which an entity is polled. These mechanisms and methods for determining a rate at which an entity is polled can enable decreased overall server load, improved efficiency, an increased perception of responsiveness, etc.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for determining a rate at which an entity is polled, the method comprising:

monitoring one or more actions associated with a user within a system;

determining a level of usage for the user within the system, based on the monitoring, where the level of usage is determined from a plurality of levels of usage each having an associated multiplier value, and where the plurality of levels of usage include a plurality of levels of active system usage and a plurality of levels of inactivity; and

determining a rate at which an entity is polled, based on the determined level of usage and its associated multiplier value, where the determining includes applying one or more heuristic algorithms to the determined level of usage.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the system includes a personal computer.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the system is in communication with another service-providing system.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the user is a member of an organization found within the service-providing system.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the actions of the user are monitored within a runtime environment of the system.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the actions of the user are monitored using a software program installed on the system.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions associated with the user that are monitored include physical input from the user to the system.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions associated with the user include an interaction of the user with one or more software programs installed on the system.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions associated with the user include one or more of the user'"'"'s selection of and interaction with one or more features of a social communication program of the system.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions include one or more of the user requesting data from a server utilizing a software program, updating a status within the software program, and sending data utilizing the software program.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions associated with the user include the receipt, of data by the user within the system.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions associated with the user include the user altering a state of a software program within the system.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the one or more actions include one or more of the user minimizing the software program within the system, maximizing the software program within the system, and closing the software program within the system.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of usage indicates that the user is currently not using the system.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of usage indicates that the user is currently using the system but is not using a particular software program installed within the system.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of usage indicates that the user is currently using the system and is using a particular software program installed within the system, hut is not performing a particular action within the software program.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of usage indicates that the user is using a particular software program installed within the system and is also performing a particular action within the software program.

21. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the level of usage indicates that the user has selected an option within a graphical user interface of the system that closes a main screen of a software program on the system but keeps the software program running on the system.

18. A method, comprising:

monitoring one or more actions associated with a user within a system;

determining a level of usage for the user within the system, based on the monitoring, where the level of usage is determined from a plurality of levels of usage each having an associated multiplier value, and where the plurality of levels of usage include a plurality of levels of active system usage and a plurality of levels of inactivity; and

determining a rate at which an entity is polled, based on the determined level of usage and its associated multiplier value, where the determining includes applying one or more heuristic algorithms to the determined level of usage.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for;

monitoring one or more actions associated with a user within a system;

determining a level of usage for the user within the system, based on the monitoring, where the level of usage is determined from a plurality of levels of usage each having an associated multiplier value, and where the plurality of levels of usage include a plurality of levels of active system usage and a plurality of levels of inactivity; and

determining a rate at which an entity is polled, based on the determined level of usage and its associated multiplier value, where the determining includes applying one or more heuristic algorithms to the determined level of usage.

20. A method for transmitting code for use in a multi-tenant database system on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code for monitoring one or more actions associated with a user within a system, utilizing a processor;

transmitting code for determining a level of usage for the user within the system, based on the monitoring, where the level of usage is determined from a plurality of levels of usage each having an associated multiplier value, and where the plurality of levels of usage include a plurality of levels of active system usage and a plurality of levels of inactivity; and

transmitting code for determining a rate at which an entity is polled, based on the determined level of usage and its associated multiplier value, where the determining includes applying one or more heuristic algorithms to the determined level of usage.