Methods and architecture for cross-device activity monitoring, reasoning, and visualization for providing status and forecasts of a users' presence and availability

A computer executable system to facilitate communications and collaboration between entities, comprising:

• computer implemented means for learning activity patterns from one or more user events to build a model, the model is adjusted on an interruption workbench operable on a computer;
• computer implemented means for employing a video camera to record a users activities and overall office context;
• computer implemented means for providing a first phase of model building relating to event and context capture;
• and
• computer implemented means for generating predictions relating to future user states based upon the model and a query from an automated application.

A graphical user interface for employment with a computer implemented communications and collaboration system, comprising the following computer implemented components:

• one or more display objects associated with a graphical user interface that indicate predicted presences status of one or more users;
• a form that displays appointments in order of their occurrence, and displaying an attendance field containing forecasts about attendance of the one or more users;
• and
• at least one input to query the predicted presence status.

A computer implemented system to facilitate communications and collaboration between entities, comprising the following computer executable components:

• a tool that constructs models according to activity patterns of one or more users, the models are adjusted on an interruption workbench operable on a computer;
• a video camera that is employed to record a subject's activities and overall office context;
• a component providing a first phase of model building relating to event and context capture;
• and
• a forecasting component that employs the models to generate predictions relating to states of the one or more users.

A computer implemented system to facilitate communications and collaboration between entities, comprising the following computer executable components:

• a data collection component that collects information about a user's presence and absence at different locations and/or changes over time relating to a user's access to different devices and/or communication channels;
• a learning component that is trained and build models according to activity patterns of one or more users, the models are adjusted on an interruption workbench operable on a computer,
• a video camera that is employed to record a subject's activities and overall office context;
• a component providing a first phase of model building relating to event and context capture;
• and
• a forecasting component that employs the learning component and models to generate predictions relating to states of the one or more users for specific queries and/or situations about a user's current or future availability and presence.