Method and system for determining states of tasks based on activities associated with the tasks over a predetermined period of time

Abstract

For a given user, a task database system associated with the user is queried to identify a list of tasks associated with the user. For each of the tasks, an email system associated with the user is queried to obtain one or more emails and calendar events associated with the task. An IM system associated with the user is queried to obtain IM messages of an IM channel of which the user is a member. The IM channel has been specifically created to exchange messages concerning the task amongst the members of the IM channel. The task is then determined whether it satisfies a predetermined state (e.g., inactive, lack of future meetings) in view of emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules. If the task is determined to satisfy the predetermined state, a notification message is transmitted to a preconfigured destination.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for determining states of tasks based on activities associated with the tasks, the method comprising:
 querying a task database system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user; and   for each of the tasks associated with the user,
 querying an email server associated with the user to obtain one or more emails and one or more calendar events that are associated with the task, 
 querying an instant messaging (IM) server associated with the user to obtain IM messages of an IM channel of which the user is a member, wherein the IM channel was specifically created to exchange messages concerning the task amongst members, 
 determining based on a set of rules whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task, and 
 in response to determining that the task satisfies the predetermined state, transmitting a notification to a predetermined destination regarding a state of the task. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein querying a task database system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user comprises:
 selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an owner of the task; and   selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an earliest member of an IM channel associated with the task and the user is active, and an owner of the task is not a member of the IM channel.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether a number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than a first predetermined threshold;   determining whether a number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than the first predetermined threshold and the number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than the second predetermined threshold   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 determining whether the task expects to be completed within a predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a third predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the task expects to be completed within the predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the third predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising determining whether the IM channel associated with the task includes a member other than an owner of the task, wherein the task is categorized as inactive if the IM channel includes a member other than an owner of the task. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in a part predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than a first predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in the part predetermined period of time and the number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than the first predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 determining whether there is a meeting that has been scheduled in a future predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there is no meeting scheduled in the future predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the second predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of determining a state of tasks, the operations comprising:
 querying a task database system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user; and   for each of the tasks associated with the user,
 querying an email server associated with the user to obtain one or more emails and one or more calendar events that are associated with the task, 
 querying an instant messaging (IM) server associated with the user to obtain IM messages of an IM channel of which the user is a member, wherein the IM channel was specifically created to exchange messages concerning the task amongst members, 
 determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules, and 
 in response to determining that the task satisfies the predetermined state, transmitting a notification to a predetermined destination regarding status of the task. 
   
     
     
         9 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein querying an CRM system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user comprises:
 selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an owner of the task; and   selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an earliest member of an IM channel associated with the task and the user is active, and an owner of the task is not a member of the IM channel.   
     
     
         10 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether a number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than a first predetermined threshold;   determining whether a number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than the first predetermined threshold and the number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than the second predetermined threshold   
     
     
         11 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether the task expects to be completed within a predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a third predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the task expects to be completed within the predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the third predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         12 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the IM channel associated with the task includes a member other than an owner of the task, wherein the task is categorized as inactive if the IM channel includes a member other than an owner of the task. 
     
     
         13 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in a part predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than a first predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in the part predetermined period of time and the number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than the first predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         14 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether there is a meeting that has been scheduled in a future predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there is no meeting scheduled in the future predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the second predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         15 . A data processing system, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations including
 querying a task database system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user; and 
 for each of the tasks associated with the user,
 querying an email server associated with the user to obtain one or more emails and one or more calendar events that are associated with the task, 
 querying an instant messaging (IM) server associated with the user to obtain IM messages of an IM channel of which the user is a member, wherein the IM channel was specifically created to exchange messages concerning the task amongst members, 
 determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules, and 
 in response to determining that the task satisfies the predetermined state, transmitting a notification to a predetermined destination regarding status of the task. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein querying an CRM system associated with a user to identify a list of one or more tasks associated with the user comprises:
 selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an owner of the task; and   selecting a task to be relevant to the user if the user is an earliest member of an IM channel associated with the task and the user is active, and an owner of the task is not a member of the IM channel.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether a number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than a first predetermined threshold;   determining whether a number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the number of days since last time the task was updated is greater than the first predetermined threshold and the number of days since a last message was posted in an IM channel associated with the task is greater than the second predetermined threshold   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether the task expects to be completed within a predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a third predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as inactive, if the task expects to be completed within the predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the third predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the IM channel associated with the task includes a member other than an owner of the task, wherein the task is categorized as inactive if the IM channel includes a member other than an owner of the task. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein determining whether the task satisfies a predetermined state in view of the emails, calendar events, and IM messages associated with the task based on a set of rules comprises:
 determining whether there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in a part predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than a first predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there was a meeting associated with the task conducted in the part predetermined period of time and the number of days since a last meeting of the task was conducted is greater than the first predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether there is a meeting that has been scheduled in a future predetermined period of time;   determining whether a number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than a second predetermined threshold; and   indicating that the task satisfies the predetermined state as lack of future meetings, if there is no meeting scheduled in the future predetermined period of time and the number of days since last time the task satisfied the predetermined state is greater than the second predetermined threshold.