Contextual management of client devices

• US 10,146,838 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Jesse, Beattie, Jr., James Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US14/501,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20160092600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context

Abstract

Centralized contextual awareness is used to resolve conflicts. When two or more client devices interact, a current context of each client device is evaluated for rule-based decisions. Conflicts in rules may be arbitrated based on policies and goals to generate a resolution.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

obtaining, by a gateway device located at a first location, information that indicates the first location;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a first client device that communicates with the gateway device, a first context associated with the first client device, wherein the first context comprises a second location at which the first client device is located;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a second client device that communicates with the gateway device, a second context associated with the second client device, wherein the second context comprises a third location at which the second client device is located and a current time;

accessing, by the gateway device, a contextual database that maps contexts to rules;

querying, by the gateway device, the contextual database for a first rule that maps to the first context and a second rule that maps to the second context;

obtaining, by the gateway device and in response to the querying, the first rule and the second rule;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, that the first rule applies based on a distance between the first location and the second location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, that the second rule applies based on the current time;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, a first change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, a second change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device, that a conflict exists between the first change and the second change;

determining, by the gateway device, a resolution of the conflict between the first change and the second change to determine a change to be made at the first location; and

activating, by the gateway device, a device located at the third location, wherein the device is activated to cause the change to be made at the first location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway device obtains a temperature at the first location, wherein the device at the first location comprises a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and wherein the change to be made comprises changing the temperature at the first location by activating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device at the first location comprises a lighting device at the first location, and wherein the change to be made comprises activating the lighting device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on a prioritization associated with the first client device and the second client device, an identity of a client device that is to be prioritized and a rule associated with the device; and

determining, based on the identity of the client device, the change to be made.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

in response to determining that an emergency condition exists, assigning priority to the first client device and defining the change as the first change.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on an identity of a user associated with the first client device, that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device; and

defining the change to be made as the first change in response to determining that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device.

7. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a gateway device located at a first location, information that indicates the first location;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a first client device that communicates with the gateway device, a first context associated with the first client device, wherein the first context comprises a second location at which the first client device is located;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a second client device that communicates with the gateway device, a second context associated with the second client device, wherein the second context comprises a third location at which the second client device is located and a current time;

accessing, by the gateway device, a contextual database that maps contexts to rules;

querying, by the gateway device, the contextual database for a first rule that maps to the first context and a second rule that maps to the second context;

obtaining, by the gateway device and in response to the querying, the first rule and the second rule;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, that the first rule applies based on a distance between the first location and the second location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, that the second rule applies based on the current time;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, a first change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, a second change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device, that a conflict exists between the first change and the second change;

determining, by the gateway device, a resolution of the conflict between the first change and the second change to determine a change to be made at the first location; and

activating, by the gateway device, a device located at the first location, wherein the device is activated to cause the change to be made at the first location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gateway device obtains a temperature at the first location, wherein the device at the first location comprises a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and wherein the change to be made comprises changing the temperature at the first location by activating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the device at the first location comprises a lighting device at the first location, and wherein the change to be made comprises activating the lighting device at the third location.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on a prioritization associated with the first client device and the second client device, an identity of a client device that is to be prioritized and a rule associated with the device; and

determining, based on the identity of the client device, the change to be made.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

in response to determining that an emergency condition exists, assigning priority to the first client device and defining the change as the first change.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on an identity of a user associated with the first client device, that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device; and

defining the change to be made as the first change in response to determining that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device.

13. A memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by a gateway device located at a first location, information that indicates the first location;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a first client device that communicates with the gateway device, a first context associated with the first client device, wherein the first context comprises a second location at which the first client device is located;

obtaining, by the gateway device and from a second client device that communicates with the gateway device, a second context associated with the second client device, wherein the second context comprises a third location at which the second client device is located and a current time;

accessing, by the gateway device, a contextual database that maps contexts to rules;

querying, by the gateway device, the contextual database for a first rule that maps to the first context and a second rule that maps to the second context;

obtaining, by the gateway device and in response to the querying, the first rule and the second rule;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, that the first rule applies based on a distance between the first location and the second location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, that the second rule applies based on the current time;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the first rule, a first change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device and based on the second rule, a second change to be made at the first location;

determining, by the gateway device, that a conflict exists between the first change and the second change;

determining, by the gateway device, a resolution of the conflict between the first change and the second change to determine a change to be made at the first location; and

activating, by the gateway device, a device located at the third location, wherein the device is activated to cause the change to be made at the first location.

14. The memory of claim 13, wherein the gateway device obtains a temperature at the first location, wherein the device at the first location comprises a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and wherein the change to be made comprises changing the temperature at the first location by activating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

15. The memory of claim 13, wherein the wherein the device at the first location comprises a lighting device at the first location, and wherein the change to be made comprises activating the lighting device at the third location.

16. The memory of claim 13, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on a prioritization associated with the first client device and the second client device, an identity of a client device that is to be prioritized and a rule associated with the device; and

determining, based on the identity of the client device, the change to be made.

17. The memory of claim 13, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

in response to determining that an emergency condition exists, assigning priority to the first client device and defining the change as the first change.

18. The memory of claim 13, wherein determining the resolution comprises:

determining, based on an identity of a user associated with the first client device, that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device; and

defining the change to be made as the first change in response to determining that the first client device is to be prioritized over the second client device.