Patent ID: 7673088

Claim:
A multi-tasking interference system, comprising: a processing unit configured by computer-executable instructions to implement the multi-tasking interference system; a gatekeeper that receives a primary input comprising a media presentation and a secondary input comprising a detectable event, the gatekeeper comprising a data store and implemented as at least a part of the multi-tasking interference system; a quantifier that ascertains an attention value associated with the primary input, and an interruption value associated with the secondary input, wherein the attention value is ascertained based at least on an attribute associated with the primary input, wherein the attribute comprises at least one of: a category, a description, or a user preference score related to a user affinity for the primary input or a user distaste for interruptions; and the gatekeeper determines whether to interrupt the primary input with the secondary input based at least upon: a comparison between the attention value and the interruption value, wherein the attention value fluctuates with fluctuations in the user preference score; and user preferences.