Task completion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9378456-B2
Application number	US-201313916603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2013
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The concepts relate to task completion and specifically to aiding a user to complete an unfinished task at a subsequent time and/or on another device. One example can identify that a user is working on a task on a computing device associated with the user. In an instance when the user stops using the computing device without completing the task, the example can predict a likelihood that the user will subsequently resume the task on a second computing device associated with the user. In an instance where the likelihood exceeds a threshold, the example can attempt to aid the user in completing the task on the second computing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
identify that a user is working on a task during a first session based at least on the user submitting a first search query to a search engine using a first computing device associated with the user;
predict a likelihood that the user will subsequently resume the task on a second computing device associated with the user; and,
in an instance where the likelihood exceeds a threshold, attempt to aid the user in completing the task during a second session on the second computing device by processing a second search query with the search engine, wherein the second search query is not the first search query submitted by the user during the first session and the second search query is also associated with the task.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
predict the likelihood by detecting that the user logged-off of the first computing device without completing the task or the user stopped using the first computing device for a defined time period.

3. The system of claim 1 , embodied as a cloud server in communication with the first computing device and the second computing device.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
attempt to aid the user by processing the second search query on the cloud server after the user ceases working on the task on the first computing device and before the user resumes the task on the second computing device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing comprises refining results of the second search query prior to the user resuming the task on the second computing device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to
train a model to predict the likelihood based on past search behavior of the user.

7. The system of claim 1 , embodied as the second computing device.

8. A method, comprising:
in an instance when a user submits a first query associated with a search task to a search engine using a first computing device associated with the user, making a first prediction that the user will subsequently resume the search task on a second computing device associated with the user;
causing the search task to be automatically presented to the user on the second computing device;
making a second prediction of a predicted second query that the user will likely submit as part of the search task, wherein the second prediction is based upon user queries submitted for prior search tasks; and,
begin processing the predicted second query with the search engine before the user resumes the search task on the second computing device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the instance occurs when the user logs off of the first computing device without completing the search task or wherein the instance occurs when the search task remains unfinished for a period of time.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the search task is automatically presented by automatically populating a search box with the predicted second query.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the making a first prediction is performed only when a determination is made that the user has stopped using the first computing device without completing the search task.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
making a third prediction that the user will subsequently resume the search task on a third computing device associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
making a fourth prediction relating to further actions that the user will take on the third computing device to complete the search task.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second prediction is based upon user query actions relating to other search tasks in previous interactions with the first computing device and the second computing device.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second prediction is based upon capabilities of the first computing device and the second computing device.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the capabilities relate to display area of the first computing device and the second computing device or wherein the capabilities relate to input devices of the first computing device and the second computing device.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
beginning processing of the predicted second query with the search engine after the user ceases the search task on the first computing device and before the user begins the search task on the second computing device.

18. The method of claim 15 , performed by a server computer that is different from the first computing device and the second computing device.

19. A computing device, comprising:
memory and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory;
a display upon which a user can interact with the computing device on a search task; and,
a task prediction component configured to generate a prediction whether the user intends to resume the search task at a subsequent point in time, the task prediction component configured to communicate the prediction to a task completion service that continues refining results of a search query associated with the search task after the user stops using the computing device to work on the search task.

20. A system comprising the computing device of claim 19 and a cloud server hosting the task completion service.

Assignees

• Microsoft Corp
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• White Ryen W
• Zheng Zijian
• Yan An
• Huang Xiao
• Wang Yu

Classifications

• G06N7/01

  Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks · CPC title

• G06F16/9537

  Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries · CPC title

• G06F9/4856 Primary

  resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration (G06F9/5088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F16/24578

  using ranking · CPC title

• G06F16/9535 Primary

  Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation · CPC title