U.S. patent application number 16/567421 was filed with the patent office on 2021-03-11 for user notification based on visual trigger event.
The applicant listed for this patent is INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Paul R. Bastide, Rohit Ranchal, Xu Wang.
Application Number | 20210072885 16/567421 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004349540 |
Filed Date | 2021-03-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210072885 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ranchal; Rohit ; et
al. |
March 11, 2021 |
USER NOTIFICATION BASED ON VISUAL TRIGGER EVENT
Abstract
An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer
program product and computer system for visual trigger
notification. The method, computer system, and computer program
product may include a computing device which may receive a user
selection of a display portion of an application on a first display
unit and user input defining a visual trigger policy for the
selected display portion of the application. The visual trigger
policy may define a visual trigger and a user notification in
response to detecting the visual trigger. The computing device may
capture image data of the selected display portion of the
application on the first display unit and analyze the captured
image data to detect the visual trigger, The computing device may,
in response to detecting the visual trigger, generate the user
notification defined by the visual trigger policy.
Inventors: |
Ranchal; Rohit; (Cambridge,
MA) ; Wang; Xu; (Cambridge, MA) ; Bastide;
Paul R.; (Ashland, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004349540 |
Appl. No.: |
16/567421 |
Filed: |
September 11, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 2201/42 20130101;
G06F 3/1423 20130101; H04M 1/72409 20210101; G06F 3/0481 20130101;
H04M 1/72436 20210101; G06F 3/04847 20130101; H04M 2201/38
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0484 20060101
G06F003/0484; H04M 1/725 20060101 H04M001/725; G06F 3/14 20060101
G06F003/14; G06F 3/0481 20060101 G06F003/0481 |
Claims
1. A method for visual trigger notification, the method comprising:
receiving, by a first computing device, a user selection of a
display portion of an application on a first display unit;
receiving, by the first computing device, user input defining a
visual trigger policy for the selected display portion of the
application, the visual trigger policy defining a visual trigger
and a user notification in response to detecting the visual
trigger; capturing, by the first computing device, image data of
the selected display portion of the application on the first
display unit; analyzing, by the first computing device, the
captured image data to detect the visual trigger; and in response
to detecting the visual trigger, generating, by the first computing
device, the user notification defined by the visual trigger
policy.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the first
computing device, the user notification defined by the visual
trigger policy, further comprises: sending, by the first computer
device, the user notification to a second display unit on a second
computing device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display portion of the
application on the first display comprises at least one of the
group consisting of: a progress bar, a timer, a chat window, or a
summary window.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual trigger comprises at
least one of the group consisting of: a color change, a progress
bar percentage, a defined time interval, or a text change.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual trigger policy defines
more than one visual trigger and more than one corresponding user
notifications in response to detecting the more than one visual
triggers.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user notification comprises
at least one of the group consisting of: a pop-up notification, a
push notification, an SMS message, or an email.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user notification includes
the image data associated with the detected visual trigger.
8. A computer program product for visual trigger notification, the
computer program product comprising: a computer-readable storage
medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the
computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se,
the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the
computer to perform a method, comprising: receiving, by a first
computing device, a user selection of a display portion of an
application on a first display unit; receiving, by the first
computing device, user input defining a visual trigger policy for
the selected display portion of the application, the visual trigger
policy defining a visual trigger and a user notification in
response to detecting the visual trigger; capturing, by the first
computing device, image data of the selected display portion of the
application on the first display unit; analyzing, by the first
computing device, the captured image data to detect the visual
trigger; and in response to detecting the visual trigger,
generating, by the first computing device, the user notification
defined by the visual trigger policy.
9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein generating, by
the first computing device, the user notification defined by the
visual trigger policy, further comprises: sending, by the first
computer device, the user notification to a second display unit on
a second computing device.
10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the display
portion of the application on the first display comprises at least
one of the group consisting of: a progress bar, a timer, a chat
window, or a summary window.
11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the visual
trigger comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a color
change, a progress bar percentage, a defined time interval, or a
text change.
12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the visual
trigger policy defines more than one visual trigger and more than
one corresponding user notifications in response to detecting the
more than one visual triggers.
13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the user
notification comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a
pop-up notification, a push notification, an SMS message, or an
email.
14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the user
notification includes the image data associated with the detected
visual trigger.
15. A system for visual trigger notification, the system
comprising: a computer system comprising, a processor, a computer
readable storage medium, and program instructions stored on the
computer readable storage medium being executable by the processor
to cause the computer system to: receive, by a first computing
device, a user selection of a display portion of an application on
a first display unit; receive, by the first computing device, user
input defining a visual trigger policy for the selected display
portion of the application, the visual trigger policy defining a
visual trigger and a user notification in response to detecting the
visual trigger; capture, by the first computing device, image data
of the selected display portion of the application on the first
display unit; analyze, by the first computing device, the captured
image data to detect the visual trigger; and in response to
detecting the visual trigger, generating, by the first computing
device, the user notification defined by the visual trigger
policy.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein generating, by the first
computing device, the user notification defined by the visual
trigger policy, further comprises: sending, by the first computer
device, the user notification to a second display unit on a second
computing device.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein the display portion of the
application on the first display comprises at least one of the
group consisting of: a progress bar, a timer, a chat window, or a
summary window.
18. The system of claim 15, wherein the visual trigger comprises at
least one of the group consisting of: a color change, a progress
bar percentage, a defined time interval, or a text change.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein the visual trigger policy
defines more than one visual trigger and more than one
corresponding user notifications in response to detecting the more
than one visual triggers.
20. The system of claim 15, wherein the user notification comprises
at least one of the group consisting of: a pop-up notification, a
push notification, an SMS message, or an email.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a method, system,
and computer program for user event notification. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a method, system,
and computer program for user notification based on a visual
trigger event.
[0002] In the past few decades, the proliferation of computer
technology has resulted in people being more connected to each
other than ever before. This has resulted in many people having
multiple devices running multiple applications and programs, all of
which demand user attention. For example, a user may have a
computer, a cellphone, and a smartwatch all within arm's reach and
all running various applications or programs with which the user in
presently interacting with. Thus, there is a constant demand for
attention requiring user input from multiple sources.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0003] An embodiment of the invention may include a method,
computer program product and computer system for service animal
navigation. The method, computer program product and computer
system may include computing device which may receive a user
selection of a display portion of an application on a first display
unit and user input defining a visual trigger policy for the
selected display portion of the application. The visual trigger
policy may define a visual trigger and a user notification in
response to detecting the visual trigger. The computing device may
capture image data of the selected display portion of the
application on the first display unit and analyze the captured
image data to detect the visual trigger. The computing device may,
in response to detecting the visual trigger, generate the user
notification defined by the visual trigger policy and send the user
notification to a second display unit on a second computing
device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1a illustrates a system for visual trigger
notification, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0005] FIG. 1b illustrates example operating modules of the visual
trigger notification program of FIG. 1a, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0006] FIG. 1c illustrates an example of user display portion
selection, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of the
visual trigger notification system, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the hardware components
of the visual trigger notification system of FIG. 1, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a cloud computing environment, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates a set of functional abstraction layers
provided by the cloud computing environment of FIG. 4, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described
in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures.
[0012] The following description with reference to the accompanying
drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of
exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and
their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist
in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely
exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will
recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments
described herein can be made without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known
functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and
conciseness.
[0013] The terms and words used in the following description and
claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are
merely used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the
invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in
the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of
the present invention is provided for illustration purpose only and
not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the
appended claims and their equivalents.
[0014] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component
surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces unless
the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0015] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method,
computer program, and computer system for visual trigger
notification. Currently, people running multiple applications and
programs on one or more displays on one or more computers have to
manually check or be physically on the one or more computing
devices to determine when an action needs to be taken. For example,
a user may have several applications running on a computer and one
of the applications may be running a file download which the user
wants to monitor. Current technologies may require the user
constantly check the progress of the file download by physically
bringing up the application, which may be running in the background
while the user interacts with another application or program.
Further, current technologies don't allow a user to be able to
continue to monitor a specific display portion of an application
while they are away from the computing device running the
application. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method,
computer program, and computer system to enable the selection a
display portion of an application, which a user wishes to monitor
and to define a visual trigger policy for that display portion of
the application. Thus, embodiments of the present invention allow
for the monitoring of a specific portion of an application display
such as, but not limited to, a progress bar, a timer, a chat
window, a summary winder, etc. The visual trigger policy of the
present invention allows a user to define a specific event or
action displayed by an application, i.e. a visual trigger, and a
user notification (or automated user action) in response to the
detection of that specific event or action. Further, embodiments of
the present invention allow for sending a notification to a
secondary user device once the visual trigger is detected on a
first user device.
[0016] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of
the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to
like elements throughout. Embodiments of the invention are
generally directed to a system for visual trigger notification.
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a visual trigger notification system 100,
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In an example
embodiment, visual trigger notification system 100 may include user
device 110, server 120, and application server 130, interconnected
via network 140.
[0018] In general, the network 140 can be any combination of
connections and protocols that will support communications between
the user device 110, the server 120, and the application server
130. The network 140 may include, for example, wired, wireless or
fiber optic connections. In an example embodiment, the network 140
may be a wired or wireless personal area network (PAN). In another
example embodiment, the network 140 may be the Internet,
representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways to
support communications between devices connected to the Internet.
In other embodiments, the network 140 may be implemented as an
intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network
(WAN).
[0019] The user device 110 may include the user interface 112, the
display unit 114, and the application 116. In the example
embodiment, the computer device 110 may be any computing device
such as, but not limited to, a cellphone, a desktop computer, a
notebook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a thin client, or
any electronic device or computing system capable of storing
compiling and organizing audio, visual, or textual content and
receiving and sending that content to and from other computing
devices, such as the server 120, and the application server 130 via
the network 140. While only a single user device 110 is
illustrated, it can be appreciated that any number of user devices
110 may be part of the visual trigger notification system 100.
Further, while the user device 110 is illustrated separate from the
server 120, it can be appreciated that the user device 110 and the
server 120 may be single device. The user device 110 is described
in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.
[0020] The user interface 112 includes components used to receive
input from a user on the user device 110 and transmit the input to
the visual trigger notification program 122, or conversely to
receive information from the visual trigger notification program
122 and display the information to the user on the user device 110.
The user interface 112 may include components that receive and/or
transmit audio, visual, and/or textual content, such as a
microphone, a speaker, or a headset having a microphone and a
speaker, a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a touchscreen, etc.
Further, the user interface 112 may receive input, such as audio,
visual, and/or textual input received from a physical input device,
such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, etc. In an
example embodiment, the user interface 112 uses a combination of
technologies and devices, such as device drivers, to provide a
platform to enable users of user device 110 to interact with the
visual trigger notification program 122.
[0021] The display unit 114 may be any visual display component
capable of displaying visual content to a user of the user device
110. The display unit 114 may be a desktop computer display, a
notebook display, a laptop computer display, a tablet computer
display, a thin client display, a virtual display, a logical
display, or any other electronic device display or computing system
display capable of displaying or rendering audio, visual, or
textual content and receiving and sending that content to and from
other computing devices, such as the server 120, and the
application server 130 via the network 140. While only a single
display unit 114 is illustrated, it can be appreciated that any
number of display units 114 may be part of the user device 110.
Further, while the display unit 114 is illustrated as being
resident within the user device 110, it can be appreciated that the
display unit 114 may be separate from associated with the user
device 110. For example, the display unit 114 may be a stand-alone
computer monitor connected to the user device 110 via the network
140 or via a hardwire connection, such as, but not limited to, an
HDMI cable, a VGA cable, USB cable, etc. The display unit 114 is
described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.
[0022] The application 116 may be any application, software, online
social network, online messaging application, and/or collaboration
service such as, but not limited to, video conferencing
application, social media applications, email applications, and
messaging applications, etc. For example, the application 116 may
be, but is not limited to, Webex.RTM., Skype.RTM., Twitter.RTM.,
Instagram.RTM., Facebook.RTM., IBM.RTM. Connections, Jive.RTM.,
Yammer.RTM., Microsoft Outlook.RTM., Gmail.RTM., Lotus Notes.RTM.,
etc. In an example embodiment of the invention, the application 116
may be an application with asynchronous communication, asynchronous
updates, and/or asynchronous refreshes such as, but not limited to,
messaging applications or video conferencing applications. As
described in the example above, the application 116 may be a social
media platform such as Twitter.RTM.. In an embodiment, the
application 116 may be a software management, deployment,
installation, update, activation, or de-installation application,
either for an individual computer or for a plurality of computers
deployed in an enterprise. Thus, the visual trigger notification
program 122 may use data, i.e. the application data 134a, 134b,
134c, associated with the application 116. The data associated with
the application 116, i.e. the application data 134, may be stored
on the application server 130. While only a single application 116
is illustrated, it can be appreciated that any number of
applications 116 may reside on the user device 110. For example, a
user on user device 110 may have Twitter.RTM., Facebook.RTM.,
Instagram.RTM., and Gmail.RTM. accounts and the data, i.e. the
application data 134, associated with each would be stored on the
Twitter.RTM., Facebook.RTM., Instagram.RTM., and Gmail.RTM.
servers, i.e. the application server 130.
[0023] The server 120 may include the visual trigger notification
program 122 and program datastore 124. In the example embodiment,
the server 120 may be a desktop computer, a notebook, a laptop
computer, a tablet computer, a thin client, or any other electronic
device or computing system capable of storing compiling and
organizing audio, visual, or textual content and receiving and
sending that content to and from other devices, such as the user
device 110, and the application server 130, via the network 140. In
some embodiments, the server 120 includes a collection of devices,
or data sources, in order to collect the program data 126. While
only a single server 120 is illustrated, it can be appreciated that
any number of servers 120 may be part of the visual trigger
notification system 100. Further, while the server 120 is
illustrated separate from the user device 110, it can be
appreciated that the server 120 and the user device 110 may be
single device. The server 120 is described in more detail with
reference to FIG. 3.
[0024] The visual trigger notification program 122 is a program
capable of receiving a visual trigger policy for a portion of a
display, monitoring the portion of the display for the visual
trigger defined by the visual trigger policy and notifying a user
in response to detecting the defined visual trigger in accordance
with the defined visual trigger policy. The visual trigger
notification program 122 is described in more detail below with
reference to FIG. 1b. In various embodiments, all or part of the
visual trigger notification program 122 may be installed and run on
the user device 120.
[0025] The program datastore 124 may include program data 126 and
image data 128. The program datastore 124 may be any storage media
capable of storing and managing data, such as, but not limited to,
storage media resident in the server 120 and/or removeable storage
media. For example, the program datastore 124 may be, but is not
limited to, a hard drive, a solid stated drive, a USB drive, or a
memory card, etc. The program data 126 may include, but is not
limited to, audio, visual, and textual data. The program data 126
may be a collection of data collected and/or created by the visual
trigger notification program 122 including, but no limited to,
display data from the user device 110, visual policies, and the
application data 134 collected from the application server 130. The
image data 128 may include, but is not limited to audio, visual,
and textual data. The image data 128 may be a collection of data
collected and/or created by the visual trigger notification program
122 including, but no limited to, video collected from the user
device 110, and images collected from the user device 110. The
program datastore 124 located on the server 120 may be accessed
through the network 140. In various embodiments, all or part of the
program datastore 124 may be installed and run on the user device
120. The program datastore 124 is described in more detail with
reference to FIG. 3.
[0026] The application server 130 may include the application
datastore 132. While only a single application server 130 is
illustrated, it can be appreciated that any number of application
servers 130 may be part of the visual trigger notification system
100. In the example embodiment, the application server 130 may be a
desktop computer, a notebook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer,
a thin client, or any other electronic device or computing system
capable of storing compiling and organizing audio, visual, or
textual content and receiving and sending that content to and from
other computing devices, such as the user device 110, and the
server 120, via the network 140. In some embodiments, the
application server 130 may include a collection of devices or data
sources. The application server 130 is described in more detail
with reference to FIG. 3.
[0027] The application datastore 132 may include the application
data 134 associated with the application 116 including, but not
limited to, audio, visual, and textual files. For example, the
application data 134 may include social media feeds, online
messages, emails, tweets, and software program data, etc. The
application datastore 132 may be any storage media capable of
storing data capable of storing data, such as, but not limited to,
storage media resident in the application datastore 132 and/or
removeable storage media. For example, the application datastore
132 may be, but is not limited to, a hard drive, a solid stated
drive, a USB drive, or a memory card, etc. The application
datastore 132 located on the application server 130 may be accessed
through the network 140. The application datastore 132 is described
in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 1b, example modules of the visual trigger
notification program 122 are illustrated. In an example embodiment,
the visual trigger notification program 122 may include five
modules: the display selection module 150, the visual policy
definition module 152, the display monitoring module 154, the
visual policy evaluation module 156, and the notification module
158.
[0029] The display selection module 150 allows a user to select a
portion of the display of the application 116 on the display unit
114 which the user wishes to monitor. For example, a user may have
the application 116 open on the user device 110 and the application
116 may be running a software deployment job which takes a
significant amount of time to complete (e.g., an hour or more) and
the user may want to leave the computer device 110 for a period of
time and wish to monitor the progress of the deployment while away.
In addition, in some embodiments, the user may want to define
certain actions to be automatically taken in response to a
deployment progress update such as, but not limited to, ending a
download, re-starting a download, re-starting the user device 110,
terminating an application, re-starting an application, etc.
Continuing with the previous example, the user may select, for
example, but not limited to, a portion of the display unit 114 on
the user device 110 that indicates the progress and/or status of
the software deployment job of the application 116. For example, as
shown in FIG. 1c, the user may select a portion of the application
116 on the display unit 114 such as, but not limited to, a progress
bar, a countdown clock, and/or a status box, etc. The user may
select the display portion of the application 116 using an external
device, such as, but not limited to, a mouse, a digital pen, etc.
The user may also use gestures to select the display portion of the
application 116 such as, but not limited to, a pinch-zoom, or
finger swipe, etc. when the display unit is a touchscreen. In
embodiments of the invention, a user may select more than one
portion of the display unit 114 as shown in FIG. 1c. For example,
but not limited to, the application 116 may display multiple
columns and rows, e.g. a spreadsheet, and the user may select
various columns, rows, and/or cells to be monitored. Further,
depending on the application 116, the user may select a display
portion of the application 116 on the display unit 114 based on
shape, such as, but not limited to, a 2-dimensional area/object or
3-dimensional area/object. In an example embodiment of the
invention, a user may have multiple applications 116 open at the
same time on the user device 110 and wish to monitor activity on
one of the applications 116, which may be minimized, pushed behind
one or more active windows of or more other applications, or run in
the background while the user may use another of the applications
116. Thus, while one of applications 116 is currently displayed, a
user may select the portion of the display unit 114 corresponding
to a particular display area of one of the applications,
designating it to be monitored by the visual trigger notification
program 122. If the application 116, is subsequently resized, the
display selection module 150 may adjust the user selected portion
of the display unit 114 in proportion to the resizing of the
application 116.
[0030] The visual policy definition module 152 defines a visual
trigger policy for a selected display portion of the application
116 on the display unit 114 of the user device 110. The visual
trigger policy may include a visual trigger to be detected on the
selected display portion of the application 116 on the display unit
114 and a user notification to be generated in response to
detecting the visual trigger. The visual trigger may be for
example, but not limited to, a color change, e.g. from red to
green, a set run time threshold, e.g. 1 hour, progress bar
percentage, e.g. 100%, text change, e.g. "in progress" to
"complete," or a view change, e.g. video of a conference host to a
displayed presentation, etc. In an example embodiment of the
invention, the visual trigger is an asynchronous trigger, i.e. a
trigger that happens randomly or intermittently and not at a
scheduled time or pace. For example, a user on the user device 110
may be downloading a file and wish to monitor the progress of the
download, which could take a varying amount of time depending on
the file size and network speed; thus, the user may select the
progress bar from the download window on the display unit 114 and
set a visual trigger policy where the visual trigger is the
progress bar reaching 100%. As another example, a user may be
attending a video conference and wish to be notified when the
scheduled meeting begins so that the user may remain engaged; thus,
the user may select the display window of the video conferencing
application and set a visual trigger policy where the visual
trigger is when video feed for the meeting begins, e.g. goes from a
blank screen to an active video feed. It may be appreciated that
the user may define one or more visual triggers for the same
selected portion of the display in the visual trigger policy. For
example, the user may want to be notified if the download has
stalled, exceeded a time threshold, and/or completed, etc. The user
notification may be for example, but not limited to, a text message
to another user device 110, a pop-up notification on the user
device 110, an e-mail notification, an audio notification on the
user device 110, e.g. an alarm, etc. Further, the user notification
may be defined to include for example, but not limited to, a
summary of the monitored activity or a visual replay of the
activity, e.g. a screenshot or a video clip, etc. The visual
trigger policy, as described above, may be defined as a triplet
such as, but not limited to, <area, change, action>. For
example, a user may wish to monitor three different selected areas
of the application 116, e.g. Box1, Box2, and Box3, on the display
unit 114 and the visual trigger policy triplet may be defined as
follows: <Box1, if (color==red), generate notification>;
<Box2, if (time>01:30:00), generate notification>; and
<Box3, if (color==red or color==grey), generate
notification>.
[0031] The display monitoring module 154 captures the image data
128 from the selected display portion of the application 116 on the
display unit 114. The display monitoring module 154 may capture the
image data 128 by, for example, but not limited to, capturing
continuous screenshots of the selected display portion, capturing
screenshot of the selected display portion at pre-determined
intervals (e.g. every second, every 30 seconds, every minute, etc.)
or continuously recording the selected display portion, etc. The
display monitoring module 154 may utilize application specific
application programming interfaces (APIs) or various known screen
recording applications/technologies to capture the image data 128.
In an embodiment of the invention, the application 116 being
monitored by the visual trigger notification program 122 may be
minimized or running in the background of the display unit 114 and
the display monitoring module 154 may flip the active screen(s) on
the display unit 114 to the background in order to capture the
image data 128, i.e. the selected display portion of the
application 116. The display monitoring module 154 may flip the
active display to the background for example, but not limited to,
at pre-defined time intervals, when the user's eyes are not focused
on the display unit 114 based on video analysis, etc. Further,
display monitoring module 154 may bring the application 116 to the
foreground on a secondary display unit 114 such as, but not limited
to, a secondary monitor connected to the user device 110. In
further embodiments of the invention, the display monitoring module
154 may monitor the display portion of the application 116 on a
display unit 114 that is out-of-view of the user such as, but not
limited to, a virtual display, or a logical display.
[0032] The visual policy evaluation module 156 analyzes the image
data 128 to determine if the visual trigger defined in the visual
trigger policy has occurred. The visual policy evaluation module
156 may utilize various known visual recognition technologies and
natural language processing technologies such as, but not limited
to, IBM Watson.TM. Visual Recognition service, or IBM Watson.TM.
Natural Language Understanding service in order to determine if the
visual trigger defined in the visual trigger policy has occurred.
The IBM Watson.TM. Visual Recognition service uses deep learning
algorithms to identify scenes, objects, and faces in images in
order to identify specific user defined objects. For example, the
visual policy evaluation module 156 may analyze the image data 128
captured from the display unit 114 for the application 116 to
determine if the progress bar for a download has reached 100%. The
IBM Watson.TM. Natural Language Understanding service analyzes
various features of text content at scale to extract meaning from
the text. For example, the visual policy evaluation module 156 may
analyze the image data 128 captured from the display unit 114 for
the application 116 to determine if there is a text change, e.g. a
download status changing from "in progress" to "complete."
[0033] The notification module 158 generates the user notification
defined in the visual trigger policy in response to detecting the
visual trigger defined in the visual trigger policy. The user
notification, as described above, may be for example, but not
limited to, a short message service (SMS) message, i.e. a text
message, a pop-up notification on the user device 110, a push
notification, an e-mail notification, an audio notification, e.g.
an alarm, etc. The user notification module 158 may send the
generated user notification to the user device 110 (a first
computing device) running the application 116 or to another user
device 110 (a second computing device). For example, the user may
define a visual trigger policy for an application running on a home
computer and define a user notification to be sent to their
cellphone. The user notification module 158 may generate the user
notification utilizing APIs or known notification/alerting services
and technologies such as, but not limited to, IBM.RTM. Cloud Email
Delivery, IBM.RTM. Push Notifications, and Slack.RTM., etc.
Further, the user notification may include for example, but not
limited to, a summary of the monitored activity or a visual replay
of the activity, e.g. a screenshot or a video clip, etc. For
example, the user notification may include the screenshot from the
image data 128 containing the defined visual trigger, or a video
clip showing the visual trigger happening, a re-playable summary
thumbnail, etc.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 2, a method 200 for visual trigger
notification is depicted, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0035] Referring to block 210, the visual trigger notification
program 122 receives a user selection of a display portion of the
application 116 on the display unit 114. Display portion selection
is described in more detail above with reference to the display
selection module 150.
[0036] Referring to block 212, the visual trigger notification
program 122 receives a user defined visual trigger policy for a
selected display portion of the application 116 on the display unit
114 of the user device 110. The visual trigger policy may include a
visual trigger to be detected on the selected portion of the
display unit 114 and a user notification to be generated in
response to detecting the visual trigger. Visual trigger policy
definition is described in more detail above with reference to the
visual trigger policy definition module 152.
[0037] Referring to block 214, the visual trigger notification
program 122 captures the image data 128 from the selected display
portion of the application 116 on the display unit 114. Image data
capture is described in more detail above with reference to the
display monitoring module 154.
[0038] Referring to block 216, the visual trigger notification
program 122 analyzes the image data 128 to determine if the visual
trigger defined in the visual trigger policy has occurred. Image
data analyzation is described in more detail above with reference
to the visual policy evaluation module 156.
[0039] Referring to block 218, the visual trigger notification
program 122 determines if the visual trigger defined in the visual
trigger policy has occurred. If the visual trigger has not been
detected, the visual trigger notification program 122 may repeat
blocks 214-216 until the visual trigger is detected. If the visual
trigger is detected, the visual trigger notification program 122
may proceed to block 220. Visual trigger detection is described in
more detail above with reference to the visual policy evaluation
module 156.
[0040] Referring to block 220, the visual trigger notification
program 122 generates the user notification defined in the visual
trigger policy in response to detecting the visual trigger defined
in the visual trigger policy. User notification is described in
more detail above with reference to the notification module
158.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, a system 1000 includes a computer
system or computer 1010 shown in the form of a generic computing
device. The method 200, for example, may be embodied in a
program(s) 1060 (FIG. 3) embodied on a computer readable storage
device, for example, generally referred to as memory 1030 and more
specifically, computer readable storage medium 1050 as shown in
FIG. 3. For example, memory 1030 can include storage media 1034
such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory), and
cache memory 1038. The program 1060 is executable by the processing
unit or processor 1020 of the computer system 1010 (to execute
program steps, code, or program code). Additional data storage may
also be embodied as a database 1110 which can include data 1114.
The computer system 1010 and the program 1060 shown in FIG. 3 are
generic representations of a computer and program that may be local
to a user, or provided as a remote service (for example, as a cloud
based service), and may be provided in further examples, using a
website accessible using the communications network 1200 (e.g.,
interacting with a network, the Internet, or cloud services). It is
understood that the computer system 1010 also generically
represents herein a computer device or a computer included in a
device, such as a laptop or desktop computer, etc., or one or more
servers, alone or as part of a datacenter. The computer system can
include a network adapter/interface 1026, and an input/output (I/O)
interface(s) 1022. The I/O interface 1022 allows for input and
output of data with an external device 1074 that may be connected
to the computer system. The network adapter/interface 1026 may
provide communications between the computer system a network
generically shown as the communications network 1200.
[0042] The computer 1010 may be described in the general context of
computer system-executable instructions, such as program modules,
being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may
include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data
structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. The method steps and system
components and techniques may be embodied in modules of the program
1060 for performing the tasks of each of the steps of the method
and system. The modules are generically represented in FIG. 3 as
program modules 1064. The program 1060 and program modules 1064 can
execute specific steps, routines, sub-routines, instructions or
code, of the program.
[0043] The method of the present disclosure can be run locally on a
device such as a mobile device, or can be run a service, for
instance, on the server 1100 which may be remote and can be
accessed using the communications network 1200. The program or
executable instructions may also be offered as a service by a
provider. The computer 1010 may be practiced in a distributed cloud
computing environment where tasks are performed by remote
processing devices that are linked through a communications network
1200. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules
may be located in both local and remote computer system storage
media including memory storage devices.
[0044] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the system 1000
includes the computer system 1010 shown in the form of a
general-purpose computing device with illustrative periphery
devices. The components of the computer system 1010 may include,
but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units
1020, a system memory 1030, and a bus 1014 that couples various
system components including system memory 1030 to processor
1020.
[0045] The bus 1014 represents one or more of any of several types
of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or
local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component
Interconnects (PCI) bus.
[0046] The computer 1010 can include a variety of computer readable
media. Such media may be any available media that is accessible by
the computer 1010 (e.g., computer system, or server), and can
include both volatile and non-volatile media, as well as, removable
and non-removable media. Computer memory 1030 can include
additional computer readable media 1034 in the form of volatile
memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and/or cache memory
1038. The computer 1010 may further include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage
media, in one example, portable computer readable storage media
1072. In one embodiment, the computer readable storage medium 1050
can be provided for reading from and writing to a non-removable,
non-volatile magnetic media. The computer readable storage medium
1050 can be embodied, for example, as a hard drive. Additional
memory and data storage can be provided, for example, as the
storage system 1110 (e.g., a database) for storing data 1114 and
communicating with the processing unit 1020. The database can be
stored on or be part of a server 1100. Although not shown, a
magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,
non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical
disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile
optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can
be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to bus 1014
by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depicted
and described below, memory 1030 may include at least one program
product which can include one or more program modules that are
configured to carry out the functions of embodiments of the present
invention.
[0047] The method 200 (FIG. 2), for example, may be embodied in one
or more computer programs, generically referred to as a program(s)
1060 and can be stored in memory 1030 in the computer readable
storage medium 1050. For example, the program 1060 can include the
modules 150-158 described above with reference to FIG. 1b. The
program modules 1064 can generally carry out functions and/or
methodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.
The one or more programs 1060 are stored in memory 1030 and are
executable by the processing unit 1020. By way of example, the
memory 1030 may store an operating system 1052, one or more
application programs 1054, other program modules, and program data
on the computer readable storage medium 1050. It is understood that
the program 1060, and the operating system 1052 and the application
program(s) 1054 stored on the computer readable storage medium 1050
are similarly executable by the processing unit 1020.
[0048] The computer 1010 may also communicate with one or more
external devices 1074 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a
display 1080, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to
interact with the computer 1010; and/or any devices (e.g., network
card, modem, etc.) that enables the computer 1010 to communicate
with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can
occur via the Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 1022. Still yet, the
computer 1010 can communicate with one or more networks 1200 such
as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN),
and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network
adapter/interface 1026. As depicted, network adapter 1026
communicates with the other components of the computer 1010 via bus
1014. It should be understood that although not shown, other
hardware and/or software components could be used in conjunction
with the computer 1010. Examples, include, but are not limited to:
microcode, device drivers 1024, redundant processing units,
external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data
archival storage systems, etc.
[0049] It is understood that a computer or a program running on the
computer 1010 may communicate with a server, embodied as the server
1100, via one or more communications networks, embodied as the
communications network 1200. The communications network 1200 may
include transmission media and network links which include, for
example, wireless, wired, or optical fiber, and routers, firewalls,
switches, and gateway computers. The communications network may
include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or
fiber optic cables. A communications network may represent a
worldwide collection of networks and gateways, such as the
Internet, that use various protocols to communicate with one
another, such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP),
Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext
Transport Protocol (HTTP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP),
etc. A network may also include a number of different types of
networks, such as, for example, an intranet, a local area network
(LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).
[0050] In one example, a computer can use a network which may
access a website on the Web (World Wide Web) using the Internet. In
one embodiment, a computer 1010, including a mobile device, can use
a communications system or network 1200 which can include the
Internet, or a public switched telephone network (PSTN) for
example, a cellular network. The PSTN may include telephone lines,
fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular
networks, and communications satellites. The Internet may
facilitate numerous searching and texting techniques, for example,
using a cell phone or laptop computer to send queries to search
engines via text messages (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
(related to SMS), email, or a web browser. The search engine can
retrieve search results, that is, links to websites, documents, or
other downloadable data that correspond to the query, and
similarly, provide the search results to the user via the device
as, for example, a web page of search results.
[0051] It is to be understood that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0052] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network
bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications,
virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0053] Characteristics are as follows:
[0054] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0055] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0056] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0057] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0058] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0059] Service Models are as follows:
[0060] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0061] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0062] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0063] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0064] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0065] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0066] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0067] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0068] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.
[0069] Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 includes one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0070] Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 4) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 5 are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0071] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include:
mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65;
and networks and networking components 66. In some embodiments,
software components include network application server software 67
and database software 68.
[0072] Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73,
including virtual private networks; virtual applications and
operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
[0073] In one example, management layer 80 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides
dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that
are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing
environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as
resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and
billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one
example, these resources may include application software licenses.
Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and
tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User
portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for
consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84
provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such
that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA)
planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and
procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future
requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
[0074] Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and
lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93;
data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and visual
trigger notification 96.
[0075] The programs described herein are identified based upon the
application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment
of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any
particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use
solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by
such nomenclature.
[0076] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more
executable instructions for implementing the specified logical
function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative
implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of
the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted
that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart
illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special
purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions
or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer
instructions.
[0077] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0078] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0079] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0080] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated
circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one or more programming languages, including an
object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the
like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instructions by utilizing state information of the computer
readable program instructions to personalize the electronic
circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present
invention.
[0081] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0082] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0083] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0084] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0085] While steps of the disclosed method and components of the
disclosed systems and environments have been sequentially or
serially identified using numbers and letters, such numbering or
lettering is not an indication that such steps must be performed in
the order recited, and is merely provided to facilitate clear
referencing of the method's steps. Furthermore, steps of the method
may be performed in parallel to perform their described
functionality.
* * * * *