Managing companionship data

• US 10,296,723 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Shang Q., Isci, Canturk, Jones, Christopher P., Lenchner, Jonathan, Mazzella, Daniel A., Mukherjee, Maharaj, Rey, Rodrigo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Victoria P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moseley, Gregory D.
• Application Number:
  US14/556,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to managing companionship data. The managing of companionship data includes establishing a set of companion data. The set of companion data relates to a user. A computer establishes the set of companion data. The computer also collects a set of stimuli. The set of stimuli is associated with the user. Based on the set of stimuli, a portion of the set of companion data is determined. The portion of the set of companion data is provided to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing companionship data, comprising:

acquiring participant data from one or more participants, wherein the participant data includes one or more images of the one or more participants and one or more audio fragments corresponding to voices of the one or more participants;

receiving a first statement from a user, wherein the first statement includes a mention of a participant, wherein the participant is selected from the one or more participants, wherein the mention of the participant is a correlated designation of the participant, and wherein the mention of the participant indicates which of the one or more participants is to be simulated;

generating a simulated face of the participant using one or more images of the participant, wherein the one or more images of the participant are selected from the one or more images of the one or more participants;

generating a simulated voice of the participant using one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant, wherein the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant are selected from the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voices of the one or more participants;

establishing, by a computer, a set of companion data related to the user, wherein the set of companion data includes a first portion, and wherein the first portion includes data for presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed, in response to receiving the first statement, to replicate a first facial motion and a first phrase associatively expressed by the participant;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase;

collecting, by the computer, a first set of stimuli associated with the user in response to the user being presented with the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase, wherein the first set of stimuli is collected using motion data of the user'"'"'s face, the motion data being collected by data points associated with one or more positions of the user'"'"'s face during the presentation of the first facial motion and the first phrase;

determining, based on the first set of stimuli, a second portion of the set of companion data to provide to the user;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed to replicate a second facial motion and a second phrase associatively expressed by the participant; and

providing the second portion to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second portion to provide to the user, includes:

comparing the first set of stimuli with a set of predetermined user states which corresponds with the set of companion data;

identifying a subset of the set of predetermined user states which meets a relevance threshold, wherein identifying the subset of the set of predetermined user states which meets the relevance threshold includes;

identifying one or more facial expressions of the user,

ranking the one or more facial expressions of the user, and

determining a first facial expression is a certain facial expression; and

selecting the second portion, the second portion corresponding to the subset of the set of predetermined user states.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing a set of contentment factors corresponding to both the second portion and the subset of the set of predetermined user states; and

generating, respectively, a numeric value associated with each predetermined user state of the set of predetermined user states, wherein the respective numeric values are related to an indication of user satisfaction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the second portion to provide to the user includes using the set of contentment factors, further comprising:

detecting, in response to providing the second portion, a set of user responses of the user; and

updating the set of contentment factors based on the set of user responses.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the second portion to provide to the user using the set of contentment factors includes:

identifying a contentment factor of the set of contentment factors which meets a contentment threshold; and

selecting the second portion, the second portion corresponding to the contentment factor and the subset of the set of predetermined user states.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the set of companion data related to the user includes an operation selected from a group consisting of at least one of:

receiving, by the computer from an external source, new companion data;

or

transmitting, from the participant to the computer, the new companion data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the external source includes an entity selected from a group consisting of at least one of:

social media applications used by a set of the one or more participants, network subscriptions used by a set of the one or more participants, or network media repositories used by a set of the one or more participants.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the first set of stimuli to the participant in response to the first set of stimuli meeting a notification threshold.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising notifying, in response to updating the set of contentment factors, the participant.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user includes an entity selected from a group consisting of at least one of:

an individual meeting an age threshold, an individual meeting a cognitive threshold, or an individual in a nursing home.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the second portion to provide to the user includes:

detecting that the subset of the set of predetermined user states fails to meet the relevance threshold;

querying, in response to detecting the subset of the set of predetermined user states fails to meet the relevance threshold, the user with the set of predetermined user states;

receiving, from the user, a selection of the set of predetermined user states; and

processing the selection of the set of predetermined user states.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the selection of the set of predetermined user states includes transmitting the first set of stimuli to the participant.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting a set of data to the participant over a network to a device of the participant, wherein the set of data includes data selected from a group consisting of at least one of:

the first set of stimuli; and

the set of contentment factors.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlated designation of the participant includes the computer associating one or more words with the participant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computer associates one or more words with the participant by determining that the user synonymously refers to the participant as the one or more words.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining that the user synonymously refers to the participant as the one or more words comprises:

identifying that the user selects a user state from a set of predetermined user states, wherein the user state includes the correlated designation of the participant when the computer collects a stimulus that includes a relative expression.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, in response to being provided the second portion, a second statement from the user;

presenting a third portion to the user, wherein the third portion includes the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed, in response to receiving the second statement, to replicate a third facial motion and a third phrase associatively expressed by the participant;

collecting, by the computer, a second set of stimuli associated with the user in response to being presented with the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the third facial motion and the third phrase, wherein the second set of stimuli is collected using motion data of the user'"'"'s face, the motion data collected by data points associated with one or more positions of the user'"'"'s face during the presentation of the third facial motion and the third phrase;

determining, based on the second set of stimuli, a fourth portion of the set of companion data to provide to the user;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed to replicate a fourth facial motion and a fourth phrase associatively expressed by the participant; and

providing the fourth portion to the user.

14. A system for managing companionship data, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor being configured to perform operations comprising;

acquiring participant data from one or more participants, wherein the participant data includes one or more images of the one or more participants and one or more audio fragments corresponding to voices of the one or more participants;

receiving a first statement from a user, wherein the first statement includes a mention of a participant, wherein the participant is selected from the one or more participants, wherein the mention of the participant is a correlated designation of the participant, and wherein the mention of the participant indicates which of the one or more participants is to be simulated;

generating a simulated face of the participant using one or more images of the participant, wherein the one or more images of the participant are selected from the one or more images of the one or more participants;

generating a simulated voice of the participant using one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant, wherein the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant are selected from the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voices of the one or more participants;

establishing, by a computer, a set of companion data related to the user, wherein the set of companion data includes a first portion, and wherein the first portion includes data for presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed, in response to receiving the first statement, to replicate a first facial motion and a first phrase associatively expressed by the participant;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase;

collecting, by the computer, a first set of stimuli associated with the user in response to the user being presented with the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase, wherein the first set of stimuli is collected using motion data of the user'"'"'s face, the motion data being collected by data points associated with one or more positions of the user'"'"'s face during the presentation of the first facial motion and the first phrase;

determining, based on the first set of stimuli, a second portion of the set of companion data to provide to the user;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed to replicate a second facial motion and a second phrase associatively expressed by the participant; and

providing the second portion to the user.

15. A computer program product for managing companionship data, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a computer processor of a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

acquire participant data from one or more participants, wherein the participant data includes one or more images of the one or more participants and one or more audio fragments corresponding to voices of the one or more participants;

receive a first statement from a user, wherein the first statement includes a mention of a participant, wherein the participant is selected from the one or more participants, wherein the mention of the participant is a correlated designation of the participant, and wherein the mention of the participant indicates which of the one or more participants is to be simulated;

generate a simulated face of the participant using one or more images of the participant, wherein the one or more images of the participant are selected from the one or more images of the one or more participants;

generate a simulated voice of the participant using one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant, wherein the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voice of the participant are selected from the one or more audio fragments corresponding to the voices of the one or more participants;

establish, by a computer, a set of companion data related to the user, wherein the set of companion data includes a first portion, and wherein the first portion includes data for presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed, in response to receiving the first statement, to replicate a first facial motion and a first phrase associatively expressed by the participant;

presenting the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase;

collect, by the computer, a first set of stimuli associated with the user in response to the user being presented with the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant replicating the first facial motion and the first phrase, wherein the first set of stimuli is collected using motion data of the user'"'"'s face, the motion data being collected by data points associated with one or more positions of the user'"'"'s face during the presentation of the first facial motion and the first phrase;

determine, based on the first set of stimuli, a second portion of the set of companion data to provide to the user;

present the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant to the user, the simulated face and simulated voice of the participant constructed to replicate a second facial motion and a second phrase associatively expressed by the participant; and

provide the second portion to the user.