Patent Publication Number: US-2010122212-A1

Title: Obtaining feedback for an accessed information item

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is based on, and claims priority from International Number PCT/EP2008/053795 filed Mar. 31, 2008 and EP 07300995.3 filed Apr. 26, 2007, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     When a user accesses an information item it is not always apparent how useful that information item is and consequently whether the user should rely upon the information item. 
     A user may access an information item because she believes it will be useful. It would be desirable to obtain feedback from the user on the usefulness of the information item. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present technology for obtaining feedback for an accessed information item, together with the description, serve to explain principles discussed below: 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a network comprising a prompting system for triggering a prompt with delay at a user apparatus, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates one of various potential implementations of the prompting system, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates one of various potential implementations of a user apparatus, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
         FIG. 4A  schematically illustrates a method for automatically generating a feedback prompt with a delay, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
         FIG. 4B  schematically illustrates a more detailed method for automatically generating a feedback prompt with a delay, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
         FIG. 5  schematically illustrates a disruptive visual prompt, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. 
     
    
    
     The drawings referred to in this description should not be understood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted. 
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present technology, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the present technology will be described in conjunction with various embodiment(s), it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present technology to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present technology is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
     Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present technology. However, embodiments of the present technology may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present embodiments. 
     Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present detailed description, discussions utilizing terms such as “associating”, “delaying”, “updating”, “assigning”, “monitoring”, “determining”, “identifying”, “using”, “detecting”, “obtaining”, or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device. The computer system or similar electronic computing device manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices. Embodiments of the present technology are also well suited to the use of other computer systems such as, for example, optical and mechanical computers. It should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the present technology may be hardware, while in another embodiment, the present technology may be hardware and firmware, while in yet another embodiment, the present technology may be hardware and software. 
     Overview 
     According to various embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: associating a user and an information item accessed by the user; and delaying provision to the user of a prompt to provide feedback on the accessed information item until a later time that is dependent upon the accessed information item. 
     According to various embodiments of the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store a data structure associating a user and an information item accessed by the user; and processing circuitry arranged to use the accessed information item to determine a later time and arranged to provide, at the later time, a prompt to provide feedback on the accessed information item. 
     According to various embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: detecting user selection of an information item; and prompting, at a later time, a user to provide feedback on the information item, wherein the later time is dependent upon the information item. 
     According to various embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: associating a user and an information item accessed by the user; and delaying provision to the user of a prompt to provide feedback on the accessed information item until a later time that is dependent upon a context of the user. 
     The prompt is provided to the user a posteriori in that it is not provided when the information item is accessed but is provided at a later time that is decoupled from that access time. The later time may be determined intelligently as a time when the user is likely to be prepared to leave feedback or leave accurate feedback. 
     Thus, embodiments of the present technology enable obtaining feedback for an accessed information item and then using the received feedback to update the trust indication for the user associated with the information item. 
     Example Architecture of a System for Obtaining Feedback for an Accessed Information Item 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a network  10  comprising a first apparatus  4 A operated by a first user A, a second apparatus  4 B operated by a second user B, a content server  6 , a prompting system  8  and a telecommunications network  2 . The network  10  may have additional users and apparatuses  4  and/or may have additional content servers  6  and/or may have additional systems  8 . It is also possible for a content server  6  and a system  8  to be integrated as a single entity. It is also possible for a system  8  and an apparatus  4  to be integrated as a single entity. 
     The telecommunications network  2  provides a suitable protocol by which the components of the network  4 ,  6 ,  8  may communicate. Different embodiments of the telecommunications network  2  may use different physical interfaces for communicating. For example, the telecommunication network may be wholly or partially wireless and/or may be wholly or partially wired. 
     The first apparatus  4 A may be a telecommunication network terminal such as, for example, a cellular mobile telephone, a WLAN access device, an Internet access device, a device capable of wireless communication using the BLUETOOTH system etc. The first user A may, for example, be a member of the public. 
     The second apparatus  4 B may also be a telecommunication network terminal such as, for example, a cellular mobile telephone, a WLAN access device, an Internet access device, a device capable of wireless communication using the BLUETOOTH system etc. The second user B may, for example, be a member of the public. 
     The content server  6  publishes a plurality of information items which are accessible to users of the network  10 . The information items may be, for example, reviews and/or comments and/or opinions etc. The content server  6  may be a web-server. 
     The prompting system  8  uses an information item accessed by a user of an apparatus  4 A,  4 B . . . to determine when a prompt, for that user to provide feedback on the information item, should be triggered at the apparatus  4 A,  4 B . . . . The prompt is triggered with a delay relative to the access to the information item. 
       FIG. 2  schematically illustrates one of various potential implementations of the system  8 . The illustrated system  8  comprises processing circuitry  12 ; an input/output interface  16  and a memory  14  configured to store a computer program  18 , one or more data structures  19  associating one or more users and one or more information items and one or more user profiles. 
     The processing circuitry  12  may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware, firmware and software. In the example illustrated, the processing circuitry is one or more processors of a computer that reads a computer program  18  from the memory  14 . In other implementations, the processing circuitry  12  may be provided by hardware, for example, an application specific integrated circuit. 
     The memory  14  although illustrated as a single block may include one or more distinct memory devices. The memory stores the computer program  18 . The processing circuitry  22  is configured to read from and write to the memory  25 . 
     The input/output interface  16  is configured to interface with the telecommunications network  2 . The input/output interface may, for example, comprise a modem, a radio transceiver, a network adapter etc. The processing circuitry  12  provides data to the input/output interface  16  and receives data from the input/output interface  16 . 
     The computer program  18  controls the operation of the system  8  when loaded into the processing circuitry  12 . The computer program  18  has computer readable instructions that provide the logic and routines that enable the system  8  to perform the methods illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . 
     The computer program  18  may arrive at the system  8  via an electromagnetic carrier signal or be copied from a physical entity  20  such as a computer program product, a memory device or a record medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD. 
       FIG. 3  schematically illustrates one of various potential implementations of an apparatus  4 A,  4 B etc. The apparatus  4  comprises processing circuitry  22 ; a memory  24 ; a user input interface  21 ; a user output interface  23  and an input/output interface  26 . 
     The processing circuitry  22  may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware, firm ware and software. In the example illustrated, the processing circuitry is one or more processors of a computer that reads a computer program  25  from the memory  24 . In other implementations, the processing circuitry may be provided by hardware, for example, an application specific integrated circuit. 
     The memory  25  although illustrated as a single block may include one or more distinct memory devices. The memory stores the computer program  25 . 
     The processing circuitry  22  is configured to read from and write to the memory  25 . 
     The user input interface  21  enables user input to the apparatus. User input may be, for example, via speech and/or touch using, for example, a microphone and/or a keypad, touch screen, joystick, cursor control device etc. The user input interface  21  provides commands to the processing circuitry  22 . 
     The user output interface  23  enables the presentation of information to a user. The presentation may be via audio output and/or visual output and/or tactile output. A loudspeaker or audio-out jack may be provided for audio output and a display may be provided for visual output. The processing circuitry  22  provides commands to the user output interface  23 . 
     The input/output interface  26  is configured to interface with the telecommunications network  2 . The input/output interface may, for example, comprise a modem, a radio transceiver, a network adapter etc. The processing circuitry  22  provides data to the input/output interface  26  and receives data from the input/output interface  26 . 
     The apparatus  4  is configured to operate as a first apparatus  4 A by a computer program. The computer program enables the first user A to operate the first apparatus  4 A to publish an information item on the content server  6 . It may also enable the first user A to author the information item using the first apparatus  4 A. 
     An apparatus  4  is configured to operate as a second apparatus  4 B by the computer program  25 . The computer program  25  enables the second user B to operate the second apparatus  4 B to access the information item published on the content server  6 . The computer program  25  also provides for the intelligent generation of a prompt to the second user B at a time that is dependent upon the accessed information item. The prompt is triggered by the prompting system  8 . 
     The computer program  25  controls the operation of the second apparatus  4 B when loaded into the processing circuitry  22 . The computer program has computer readable instructions that provide the logic and routines that enable the second apparatus  4 B to perform the methods illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     The computer program  25  may arrive at the apparatus  4 B via an electromagnetic carrier signal or be copied from a physical entity  20  such as a computer program product, a memory device or a record medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD. The electromagnet signal may propagate or transmit the computer program as a computer data signal. 
     The computer program configures the second apparatus  4 B to detect  34  user selection of an information item I and to prompt  46 , at a later time, the user B to provide feedback on the information item I. The prompt is provided automatically in response to a received trigger and the trigger is generated by the prompting system  8  with a delay that is dependent upon the information item. 
     Example Operation of a System for Securing Sensitive Information 
       FIG. 4A  schematically illustrates a method  30  for automatically generating a feedback prompt for the user B with a delay. 
     An information item I is published  32  on the content server  6 . 
     The second user B accesses the published information item I. An association is formed  36  between the user B and the information item I accessed by the user B. This association enables a trigger generated using the information item Ito be used to provide a prompt to the user B. 
     The method  30  delays  44  the generation of the trigger. The delay results in the prompt for feedback on the accessed information item being provided  46  to the user B at a later time that is dependent upon the accessed information item. The delay may be determined so that the user is more likely to leave feedback on the accessed information item at that later time. 
       FIG. 4B  schematically illustrates a more detailed method  30 ′ for automatically generating a feedback prompt for the user B with a delay. 
     The method includes, at the second device  4 B, detecting  34  user selection of an information item I and prompting  46 , at a later time, the user B to provide feedback on the information item I, where the later time is dependent upon the information item I. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4B , the first user A operates the first apparatus  4 A to provide  31  an information item Ito the content server  6  for publication. The first user A may have authored the information item I, for example, using the first apparatus  4 A. 
     The content server publishes  32  the information item I. It additionally publishes  32  a trust indication  33  received from the system  8  in association with the published information item I. Typically the trust indication  33  is published along with the information item I or a link is provided to access the trust indication  33  from the information item I. The trust indication  33  may, for example, give an indication of the trustworthiness of the user A and, therefore by implication, the trustworthiness of the information item I. The trust indication  33  may be updated dynamically as described in more detail below. 
     The second user B operates the second apparatus  4 B to access the information item I published on the content server  6  and also the trust indication  33  associated with that information item. 
     The second apparatus  4 B detects  34  when a user selects the information item I for use. The selection may be explicit in the sense that a user performs a positive action that explicitly selects the information item I for use or it may be implicit in that it is inferred from the user&#39;s actions that a selection has been made. 
     The system  8  is informed of the selection and obtains data identifying the selected information item I, the user B who has selected the information item I and the user A who published the information item I. Some or all of the data may be provided by the second apparatus and/or the content server  6 . For example, in one embodiment, the second apparatus  4 B informs  37  the system  8  of the selection typically identifying the selected information item I, and the user B who has selected the information item I and the content server  6  identifies, to the system  8 , the user A who published the information item I. In another embodiment, the second apparatus  4 B informs  37  the system  8  of the selection typically identifying the selected information item I, the user B who has selected the information item I and the user A who published the information item I. 
     The system  8  associates the selected information item I and the user B. This will enable, as described below, a trigger  41  to be generated based on the information item I that is used to provide  46  a prompt to the user B. 
     A context is generated and assigned to the information item I. For example, the information item I may be processed  38  by processing circuitry  12  to generate at least a part of a context that is assigned to the information item. The identity of the author of the information item I may be used to generate at least a part of the context that is assigned to the information item. 
     A context at a particular time is the values of a set of parameters at that particular time. It may be considered to be a point or volume in a N-dimensional vector space that is spanned by N parameter vectors. The parameters typically specify aspects of an environment of the user B (including dynamic aspects) at that time such as location, presence, type of apparatus  4 B, time of day and aspects describing what the user B is doing at that time such as communication status, communication type, nature of content being accessed etc. 
     The processing circuitry  12  when processing  38  the information item I may extract metadata relating to the information item. This metadata may be included as data fields within the information item or may be generated by the processing circuitry  22  by analysing the content of the information item. The processing circuitry  12  may then use the extracted metadata to define a volume in the N-dimensional vector space i.e. a dynamic context that is assigned to the information item. 
     The prompting system  2  may also receive dynamic data from the telecommunications network  2  that is used to define the current dynamic context. 
     As described below, a trigger  41  is generated when a current dynamic context matches the assigned context. 
     Matching may occur when a current context corresponds with the assigned context. In the N-dimensional space or some dynamically chosen sub-space of N-m parameters, a match typically occurs when the volume of overlap between a monitored current context and the context assigned to the accessed information item exceeds a threshold value. 
     The generated/assigned context may be used to identify  40  a suitable sponsor for feedback. Certain sponsors may indicate that they would like to be associated with prompts activated by certain contexts. The sponsors may provide or sponsor a reward for a user who responds to the prompt. 
     The processing circuitry  12  monitors  39  a current context of the user B and on an on-going basis compares the monitored current context with the assigned context of the information item to detect  44  a match. 
     When a match is detected  44 , a trigger  41  is generated and sent to the user apparatus  4 B via the telecommunications network  2 . The access method used for communications from the prompting system  8  to the user apparatus  4 B may be different from the access method used by the user apparatus  4 B to access the content server  6 . 
     The time at which the trigger  41  is generated is later than the time at which the user selected the information item, possibly considerably later. The time separation or delay will probably arise at least in part because of a delay in obtaining a match between a current context and the assigned context. It may also arise in part because a delay  42  may be introduced before the monitoring  39  is initiated. 
     The delay  42  introduces a minimum delay between the time at which the trigger  41  is generated and the time at which the user selected the information item. The delay  42  may be specified to provide enough time for the user to act upon the information item accessed. This increases the likelihood that any feedback left by the user in response to a prompt is based upon the actual usefulness of the accessed information item rather than its apparent usefulness. The delay  42  may be dependent upon the information item accessed. 
     The delay  42  may be such that association  36  of the user B and the information item I occurs during a first session but the prompt trigger  41  is provided in a second, later session. 
     When the second apparatus  4 B receives the trigger  41  it automatically produces a prompt using the user output interface  23 . Receipt of the trigger  41  may force the second apparatus  4 B to provide a prompt immediately or with a delay until a convenient interval. 
     One example of a prompt  62  is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . This prompt  62  is a visual prompt. This particular visual prompt  62  is disruptive in that it demands user attention. It appears in front of content  60  displayed in a display of the user output interface  23  and therefore interrupts whatever the user B is doing. 
     The user may either choose to respond or not respond to the prompt  62  with feedback  43 . If the user decides to provide feedback  43 , it is entered via the second apparatus  4 B using the user input interface  21  and sent to the system  8  via the input/output interface  26 . 
     If feedback  43  is received at the system  8  before a timeout period, the processing circuitry  12  uses the received feedback to update  48  the trust indication  33  for the user A associated with the information item. The effect of the feedback from user B on the trustworthiness of the user A may be weighted by a value that depends upon the identity of the user B. 
     The updated trust indication  45  for user A may then be sent to the content server  6  where it is republished  52  replacing the original trust indication  33 . 
     Then processing circuitry  12  may update a user profile for user B that records information about that user&#39;s preferences. It may, for example, record that a user is more likely to respond when the user is in certain contexts and less likely to respond when the user is in other contexts. For example, the user may only respond to prompts in the evening. The user profile therefore compiles historical information about the user B and that user&#39;s preferences. The user profile may be used in the generation  38  of a context for the information item I so that a context is chosen that maximises the likelihood that the user B will respond to a prompt. 
     The user B may also be rewarded  54  for leaving feedback and the reward may be presented as a part of the prompt. The reward system may be any suitable system. It may for example be an increase in a trust indication for that user or it may be a monetary reward provided by, for example, a sponsor. 
     If feedback is not received, then the method moves to block  50  for user profile update. 
     As previously described the network  10  may comprise multiple apparatuses  4  with respective users and one or more content servers  6 . 
     Multiple different information items I n  may be published  32  on the one or more content servers  6  by one or more users (e.g. user A). When one of many users (e.g. user B) accesses a published information item I n  on a content server, an association is formed, by the prompting system  8 , between user B and the accessed information item I n . This association enables a trigger generated using the information item I n  to be used to provide a prompt to user B. 
     When feedback is received from user B in response to the prompt, the trust evaluation may aggregate that feedback on user A from user B with all previous feedbacks received on user A to calculate an updated trust indication for user A. The previous feedbacks may be from user B or from other users. The feedbacks may be in relation to one information item I n  or different information items I n  published on one or more content servers  6 . The updated trust indication may then be made available to multiple users, for example, via multiple content servers  6 . 
     Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed. 
     The illustration of a particular order to the blocks in a method does not necessarily imply that there is a required or preferred order for the blocks and the order and arrangement of the block may be varied. 
     Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described. 
     Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.