# 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.

- **Patent:** US 7685160
- **Original title:** System and methods for constructing personalized context-sensitive portal pages or views by analyzing patterns of users' information access activities
- **Owner:** Microsoft Corp
- **Granted:** 2010
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 5
- **Field:** software, ai_ml, ecommerce

## What it does

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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Real-world examples

1. Enterprise intranet dashboards
2. Microsoft SharePoint personalized landing pages
3. Internal company knowledge management portals

## Why it matters

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.

## 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.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7685160/ntfs-file-system

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US7685160

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._