Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a responsive online system that monitors a customer&#39;s biometric information to measure satisfaction levels. Preferably, the system automatically communicates information about a customer to the online system, without requiring explicit user action. The biometric information measured may be the electrical resistance of the customer&#39;s skin, finger pressure, pulse rate, audio or visual images, or other information. Because the system measures the customer&#39;s biometric information as the customer uses the online system, the system can respond dynamically and quickly to the user&#39;s stress levels.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207986-1), entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EVALUATING PERFORMANCE OF A WEBSITE USING A CUSTOMER SEGMENT AGENT TO INTERACT WITH THE WEBSITE ACCORDING TO A BEHAVIOR MODEL” to Cipriano SANTOS, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207987-1), entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CUSTOMIZED CONFIGURATION OF AN APPEARANCE OF A WEBSITE FOR A USER” to Evan KIRSHENBAUM, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207991-1), entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THEOREM CERTIFICATION WITHOUT DISCLOSING DOCUMENTS THAT LEAD TO THE THEOREM” to Mathias SALLE; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207993-1), entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELLING AN ITEM OVER A COMPUTER NETWORK” to Evan KIRSHENBAUM, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207994-1), entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM ENABLING THE TRADING OF A RIGHT TO PURCHASE GOODS OR SERVICES” to Robert C. VACANTE, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200207996-1), entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING USER FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM A USER OF A WEBSITE” to Mathias SALLE, et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/______, (Attorney Docket No. 200309361-1), entitled “A METHOD AND SYSTEM ENABLING THE TRADING OF A FUTURES CONTRACT FOR THE PURCHASE OF GOODS OR SERVICES” to Robert C. VACANTE, et al., all of which are concurrently herewith being filed under separate covers, the subject matters of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to the field of online systems management, and more particularly to automated feedback from a user to an online system using biometrics.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0003]    Online systems are becoming increasingly useful for businesses. Systems can be used for transactions, e.g., buying or selling merchandise, for internal process maintenance and diagnostics, as general or specific information centers, or for other uses. Typically, an online system is housed on a server and accessed by users or customers using the Internet. The user can access the online system using an internet-enabled device, such as a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular phone, or other device.  
           [0004]    In an online system, users can communicate their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the format, usability, information or other aspects of the system. This communication may be in the form of a response to a presented survey with questions or it may be a user-initiated communication directed to an email address or telephone number provided by the system.  
           [0005]    This method of communication requires the user to perform an explicit action, such as completing survey questions, writing an email message, dialing a telephone, or writing and mailing a letter. However, when a user is dissatisfied with an online system, the user may not wish to perform these actions, or may have forgotten the incident after their session. The online system may not receive any feedback if the method of communication requires explicit action from the user, so the system will not become optimally configured for maximum user satisfaction.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0006]    The present invention is directed to a responsive online system that monitors a customer&#39;s biometric information to measure satisfaction levels. Preferably, the system automatically communicates information about a customer to the online system, without requiring explicit user action. The biometric information measured may be the electrical resistance of the customer&#39;s skin, finger pressure, pulse rate, audio or visual images, or other information. Because the system measures the customer&#39;s biometric information as the customer uses the online system, the system can respond dynamically and quickly to the user&#39;s stress levels. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 depicts a system configuration of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 depicts an alternate system configuration of another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart detailing the operation of the system configuration of FIG. 1; and  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart detailing the operation of the system configuration of FIG. 2. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]    The present invention uses biometric information from a user to communicate with a remote, online system. The biometric information relays the user&#39;s stress levels, indicating if the user becomes dissatisfied with the online system, and thus allowing the online system to respond to the user&#39;s dissatisfaction by taking action to alleviate the problem causing the dissatisfaction.  
         [0013]    With reference now to FIG. 1 of the Drawings, there is illustrated therein a system configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a web site  105 , a PC  110 , a customer  115 , a model of a normal range of values  120 , a monitor  125 , which uses a model and sensor data to determine a stress level, and a sensor  130 , which may be a galvanometer, a pressure-sensitive keyboard, a pressure-sensitive mouse, a stethoscope, a microphone or camera, a blood pressure monitor, a thermometer, etc., which directly contacts the customer  115  to send measurements to the monitor  125 .  
         [0014]    With reference again to FIG. 1, the customer  115  and the sensor  130  are directly connected. It should be understood that “directly connected” may mean physically connected, intangibly connected, e.g., by video, infrared, or chemical detection, or transiently physically connected, e.g., by a pressure-sensitive device. The sensor  130  sends information to the monitor  125 , such as the electrical resistance of the customer&#39;s skin, finger pressure, pulse rate, audio or visual images, or other information. The monitor  125  is connected to the customer&#39;s computer  110 , which has a model  120  of a normal range of responses in memory. The model  120  could be obtained through a variety of techniques known in the art, e.g., the model may be hand-coded by experts, or the model may be found as a result of supervised learning in which people are both monitored and asked to report their stress levels. The data would be used as input to any of several prior art techniques to regress to a model that accurately predicts stress level given the current and historical information. The computer  110  may be any device that the customer  115  can use to access the web site  105 , such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, or a dedicated Internet kiosk. The computer  110  compares the information received from the monitor  125  to the model  120 . The physiological information received from the monitor  125  and compared to the model  120  determines the dissatisfaction level of the user. Although the terms dissatisfaction level and stress level are used interchangeably herein, it should be understood that some physiological information correlates to dissatisfaction only and not to stress, and vice versa. After the computer  110  has determined the dissatisfaction or stress level of the user  115 , the computer  110  sends the out-of-range physiological information to the web site  105 . The web site  105  may be an Internet site, an intranet site, or another remote site.  
         [0015]    In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, there is illustrated an alternate system configuration of the present invention. The system includes a web site  205 , a PC  210 , a customer  215 , a model  220 , a monitor  225 , and a sensor  230 . As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the sensor  230  may be a galvanometer, a pressure-sensitive keyboard, a pressure-sensitive mouse, a stethoscope, a microphone or camera, a blood pressure monitor, a thermometer, etc. Also as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the computer  210  may be any device that the customer  215  can use to access the web site  205 , such as a PDA, a mobile phone, or a dedicated Internet kiosk.  
         [0016]    With reference again to FIG. 2, the customer  215  and the sensor  230  are directly connected. The sensor  230  sends information to the monitor  225 , such as the electrical resistance of the customer&#39;s skin, finger pressure, pulse rate, audio or visual images, or other information. The monitor  225  has a model  220  of a range of normal responses stored in memory, and the monitor  225  compares the information received from the sensor  230  to the model  220 . As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the model may be determined from any known technique. If the information from the sensor  230  is out of the normal range of the model  220 , the monitor  225 , which is connected to the customer&#39;s computer  210 , sends a signal to the computer  210 , which sends a signal to the web site  205 . As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the web site  205  may be an Internet site, an intranet site, or another remote site.  
         [0017]    With reference now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated therein a flowchart showing the operation of the system configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Initially, the user identifies him or herself to the local network (step  305 ). This step is optional, and is more useful in a large network environment than when using a single home computer. At the same time, the user may need to connect to the biometric sensor or position him or herself in order to contact the biometric sensor. Next, the system locates an existing stress model or creates a new model (step  310 ). The stress model may be located on the user&#39;s computer or on a remote computer. Also, as noted hereinabove, it should be understood that the stress model includes a range of normal physiological values and may be used to determine both the user&#39;s stress level and dissatisfaction level. The user will then interact with the web site (step  315 ). As the user interacts with the web site, the biometric sensor obtains measurements from the user (step  320 ). The monitor relays the biometric data to the computer (step  325 ). The computer compares the biometric data and the model to determine the stress and/or dissatisfaction level of the user (step  330 ). If the stress and/or dissatisfaction level increases beyond a threshold, the computer will communicate that information to the web site (step  335 ). It should be understood that the model may be a simple model with a threshold value or may be a more sophisticated model with several rules for triggering an indication of dissatisfaction. For example, the model may include requiring different lengths of time above various threshold values, recognizing particular stress level curves, or noting the frequency of spikes in the stress level. Possibly, in addition to communicating with the web site or as an alternative to communicating with the web site, the computer may adjust the stress model, or the computer may communicate with the user, indicating to the user that the user is experiencing stress or dissatisfaction, or modifying some part of the user&#39;s environment, possibly by adjusting audio music and/or volume, etc. Finally, the web site may adjust to alleviate the stressful situation experienced by the user (step  340 ). In addition to adjusting to alleviate stress, or as an alternative to adjusting to alleviate stress, the web site may mark the particular action or page that induced stress in the user, so that the web site may be altered later.  
         [0018]    With reference now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated therein a flowchart showing the operation of the system configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. Initially, as in FIG. 3, the user identifies him or herself to the local system (step  405 ). This step is more useful in a large network environment than when using a single home computer, and may be omitted. After the user has identified him or herself to the network, the network identifies the user to the monitoring device (step  410 ). Next, the monitoring device locates an existing stress model or creates a new model (step  415 ). As in the embodiment described in connection with FIG. 3, the stress model may be located on the user&#39;s local computer or may be located on a remote computer. Also, the stress model may be a simple model or may be a more sophisticated model with multiple parameters. The user may need to connect to the monitoring device or position him or herself in order to contact the monitoring device. The user then interacts with the web site (step  420 ). As the user interacts with the web site, the biometric sensor obtains measurements from the user (step  425 ). The monitor compares the biometric data and the model to determine the stress and/or dissatisfaction level of the user (step  430 ). If the stress and/or dissatisfaction level increases beyond a threshold, the monitoring device will communicate that information to the computer (step  435 ). Then the computer will communicate with the web site (step  440 ). Possibly, in addition to communicating with the web site or as an alternative to communicating with the web site, the computer may communicate with the user, indicating to the user that the user is experiencing stress, or modifying some part of the user&#39;s environment, possibly by adjusting audio music and/or volume, etc. Finally, the web site may adjust to alleviate the stressful situation experienced by the user (step  440 ). In addition to adjusting to alleviate stress, or as an alternative to adjusting to alleviate stress, the web site may mark the particular action or page that induced stress in the user, so that the web site may be altered later.  
         [0019]    The main traditional biometric sensors are pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, galvanomic skin response, and breathing rate. More advanced sensors might be brainwave measurements or composition of exhalation gasses or detecting glandular secretions. If there is a camera pointed at the face, there is also the possibility of recognizing stressful facial expressions and changes in skin color, as well as reading information from the dilation of the pupils. A keyboard could note typing pressure and a mouse could sense hand tremor and could note click pressure. Another input device could be a specialized “whomp button”, or punchable monitor, which measures the force of a user&#39;s impact and incidentally serves as a stress relief device.  
         [0020]    In addition, the system may monitor the environment around the user, especially the light and/or sound levels, to attempt to correctly attribute stress. That is, when an elevated stress level has been detected while a task is being performed, the system may decide whether that stress is due to the task or due to some local stressor. If the latter, then the information would not be sent to the web site, as the web site would not be responsible.  
         [0021]    The system may further have some means of controlling the local environment, and may take action to reduce a detected elevated stress level. This may be in addition to or, in lieu of, communicating with the remote site. Such modifications might include the selection of music or control of volume level, change in light level, direction, or type, change in temperature, change in atmospheric gas mixture, or change in seat adjustment. More specifically, modifying the interaction might take the form of, for example, altering the complexity of presentation, changing the color scheme or linguistic register, reducing the amount of animation, or becoming more proactive about suggesting what the user is to do next.  
         [0022]    The web site server might be able to modify the interaction or allocate more resources if it can discover what the problem is. Or it might simply log the information that the interaction was stressful for later off-line, perhaps manual, modification.  
         [0023]    Also, the system may display a dialog box that says, for example, “You seem to be getting a bit stressed. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a break.” The system may use a dialog box in order to calibrate the stress model. For example, the user may be able to respond to the dialog box affirmatively or negatively, in order to morel finely tune the model. The system may also or alternatively display a continuous stress level to the user. The continuous stress level display may also be used for calibration, allowing the user to designate particular stress levels as satisfied and dissatisfied, or normal and stressed.  
         [0024]    The foregoing description of the present invention provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise one disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible consistent with the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. Thus, it is noted that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.