How Software Predicts What You Need Based on Your Coworkers
A system that uses the browsing history and work habits of your colleagues to automatically build a personalized dashboard of links and content you are likely to need next.
Original patent title: “System and methods for constructing personalized context-sensitive portal pages or views by analyzing patterns of users' information access activities”
A system that uses the browsing history and work habits of your colleagues to automatically build a personalized dashboard of links and content you are likely to need next. Granted to Microsoft Corp in 2010 with 12 claims and 5 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This system tracks how people in an organization access data, such as which websites they visit or what files they open. It uses this information to build a predictive model that anticipates what a new or existing user needs to see based on their current context, like the time of day or their specific project. It then generates a montage, which is a single page displaying relevant clippings or links, effectively acting as a personalized portal. For example, if you join a project team, the system analyzes the habits of your teammates—based on their tenure and expertise—to automatically suggest the documents and tools you will likely need to start your work.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems that rely solely on an individual's own history without comparing it to a broader group of users.
- Does not cover manual customization where a user must select their own links or dashboard widgets.
- Does not cover general search engines that do not use collaborative filtering based on organizational roles or expertise levels.
- Does not cover systems that lack a context-aware component, such as time, date, or project-specific triggers.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system doesn't just look at what you do; it segments users by their expertise and tenure, then uses that specific subset of 'peers' to predict your needs, rather than just averaging everyone's behavior.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Enterprise intranet dashboards
Microsoft SharePoint personalized landing pages
Internal company knowledge management portals
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent reflects the early 2000s push by Microsoft to move beyond static intranets toward intelligent, adaptive workspaces. It represents a foundational approach to enterprise search and productivity, attempting to solve the information overload problem by using the collective intelligence of a workforce to guide individual productivity.
Filed
July 27, 2005
Granted
March 23, 2010
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Microsoft continues to build on these concepts within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, particularly with tools like Microsoft Graph and Delve. These technologies use similar logic to surface relevant documents and people based on organizational signals.
Market impact
This patent helped formalize the shift toward 'context-aware' computing in the enterprise. It influenced the development of intelligent intranets that prioritize relevant information over static directory structures, a standard feature in modern digital workplace platforms.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This system tracks how people in an organization access data, such as which websites they visit or what files they open. It uses this information to build a predictive model that anticipates what a new or existing user needs to see based on their current context, like the time of day or their specific project. It then generates a montage, which is a single page displaying relevant clippings or links, effectively acting as a personalized portal. For example, if you join a project team, the system analyzes the habits of your teammates—based on their tenure and expertise—to automatically suggest the documents and tools you will likely need to start your work.
The clever bit
The system doesn't just look at what you do; it segments users by their expertise and tenure, then uses that specific subset of 'peers' to predict your needs, rather than just averaging everyone's behavior.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems that rely solely on an individual's own history without comparing it to a broader group of users.
- Does not cover manual customization where a user must select their own links or dashboard widgets.
- Does not cover general search engines that do not use collaborative filtering based on organizational roles or expertise levels.
- Does not cover systems that lack a context-aware component, such as time, date, or project-specific triggers.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
16/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
8/20
Moderate scope
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$9K – $29K
Midpoint $18K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
12 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Anderson, C. R., & Horvitz, E. (2010). How Software Predicts What You Need Based on Your Coworkers (U.S. Patent No. 7,685,160). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7685160/ntfs-file-system
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Software Predicts What You Need Based on Your Coworkers cover?
A system that uses the browsing history and work habits of your colleagues to automatically build a personalized dashboard of links and content you are likely to need next.
Who owns patent US 7685160?
Microsoft Corp owns this patent, granted in 2010.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 23, 2030, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 7685160 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 5 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent reflects the early 2000s push by Microsoft to move beyond static intranets toward intelligent, adaptive workspaces. It represents a foundational approach to enterprise search and productivity, attempting to solve the information overload problem by using the collective intelligence of a workforce to guide individual productivity.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems that rely solely on an individual's own history without comparing it to a broader group of users.
Same assignee
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