Sensory communication sessions over a network

• US 10,477,261 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• 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: Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa, Wolter, David R., Majmundar, Milap Vrashank
• Primary Examiner(s): Naji, Younes
• Application Number:
  US13/655,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,580 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709204, 715764, 345632
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A method and system for enhanced human to human and human to machine interactions employs a sensory communication session that spans from end user device to end user device across a network. The sensory communication session includes remote sensory application programming interfaces that provide standardized access to applications executing on user communication devices. The sensory communication session enables enhanced interactions with a deeper quality of experience and enables each communicating user to better discern feelings, situation, and other environmental and personal context associated with the other user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a sync server of a network, a sensory communication session between a first mobile device associated with a first user and a second mobile device associated with a second user, wherein the sensory communication session comprises a first connection between the sync server and the first mobile device and a second connection between the sync server and the second mobile device, and wherein the first user is associated with a first personal user environment comprising the first mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device, and wherein the second user is associated with a second personal user environment comprising the second mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the second mobile device;

discovering, by the sync server, the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

configuring, by the sync server, the sensory communication session to support the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

receiving, by the sync server, via the first connection of the sensory communication session between the sync server and the first mobile device, sensory information from the first mobile device, wherein the sensory information comprises data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

generating, by the sync server, remote information, wherein the remote information is generated by the sync server using the sensory information received from the first mobile device, historical sensory data associated with the first user, and data from a user sensory profile associated with the first user, wherein the remote information comprises at least a portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, wherein the remote information further comprises an avatar display generated by the sync server and an avatar environment generated by the sync server, and wherein the avatar display represents the first user and the avatar environment represents the first personal user environment associated with the first user; and

providing, by the sync server, via the second connection of the sensory communication session between the sync server and the second mobile device without the first mobile device and the second mobile device directly interfacing with one another, the remote information comprising at least the portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, the avatar display generated by the sync server, and the avatar environment generated by the sync server to the second mobile device for presentation by the second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device comprises environmental information indicative of a current ambient condition at a location of the first mobile device, a lighting condition associated with the location of the first mobile device, and an ambient noise level associated with the location of the first mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating a current state of the first user based, at least in part, upon the historical sensory data associated with the first user, wherein the historical sensory data associated with the first user is identified based, at least in part, upon the sensory information received from the first mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensory information further comprises communication device information associated with the first mobile device and user information associated with the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensory information comprises at least one of a sensor value associated with the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device or a sensor type associated with the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing, by the sync server, the user sensory profile associated with the first user with the sensory information received from the first mobile device, wherein the remote information provided by the sync server to the second mobile device is used to determine whether to terminate a telecommunication session with the first mobile device before the first mobile device enters into the telecommunication session.

7. A sync server of a network comprising:

a processor; and

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

establishing a sensory communication session between a first mobile device associated with a first user and a second mobile device associated with a second user, wherein the sensory communication session comprises a first connection between the sync server and the first mobile device and a second connection between the sync server and the second mobile device, and wherein the first user is associated with a first personal user environment comprising the first mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device, and wherein the second user is associated with a second personal user environment comprising the second mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the second mobile device,

discovering the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device,

configuring the sensory communication session to support the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device,

receiving, via the first connection of the sensory communication session between the sync server and the first mobile device, sensory information from the first mobile device, wherein the sensory information comprises data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device,

generating, using the sensory information received from the first mobile device, historical sensory data associated with the first user, and data from a user sensory profile associated with the first user, remote information, wherein the remote information comprises at least a portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, wherein the remote information further comprises an avatar display generated by the sync server and an avatar environment generated by the sync server, and wherein the avatar display represents the first user and the avatar environment represents the first personal user environment associated with the first user, and

providing, via the second connection of the sensory communication session between the sync server and the second mobile device without the first mobile device and the second mobile device directly interfacing with one another, the remote information comprising at least the portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, the avatar display generated by the sync server, and the avatar environment generated by the sync server to the second mobile device for presentation by the second mobile device.

8. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the first mobile device uses a remote sensory application programming interface to provide the sensory information to the sync server.

9. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device comprises location information indicative of at least one of a speed, a direction, or an estimated travel time associated with the first mobile device.

10. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the sensory information includes tag values comprising time-stamped values determined by the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device.

11. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

synchronizing the user sensory profile associated with the first user with the sensory information received from the first mobile device; and

recording the sensory information to the historical sensory data associated with the first user.

12. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise estimating a current state of the first user based, at least in part, upon the historical sensory data associated with the first user, wherein the historical sensory data associated with the first user is identified based, at least in part, upon the sensory information received from the first mobile device.

13. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the remote information provided to the second mobile device is used to determine whether to terminate a telecommunication session with the first mobile device before the first mobile device enters into the telecommunication session.

14. The sync server of claim 7, wherein the data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device comprises environmental information indicative of a current ambient condition at a location of the first mobile device, wherein the current ambient condition at the location of the first user comprises at least one of lighting conditions, temperature, pressure, or noise levels.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a sync server, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a sensory communication session between a first mobile device associated with a first user and a second mobile device associated with a second user, wherein the sensory communication session comprises a first connection between the sync server and the first mobile device and a second connection between the sync server and the second mobile device, and wherein the first user is associated with a first personal user environment comprising the first mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device, and wherein the second user is associated with a second personal user environment comprising the second mobile device and at least one sensor networked with the second mobile device;

discovering the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

configuring the sensory communication session to support the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

receiving, via the first connection of the sensory communication session between the sync server and the first mobile device, sensory information from the first mobile device, wherein the sensory information comprises data received from the at least one sensor networked with the first mobile device;

generating, using the sensory information received from the first mobile device, historical sensory data associated with the first user, and data from a user sensory profile associated with the first user, remote information, wherein the remote information comprises at least a portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, wherein the remote information further comprises an avatar display generated by the sync server and an avatar environment generated by the sync server, and wherein the avatar display represents the first user and the avatar environment represents the first personal user environment associated with the first user; and

providing, via the second connection of the sensory communication session, between the sync server and the second mobile device without the first mobile device and the second mobile device directly interfacing with one another, the remote information comprising at least the portion of the sensory information received from the first mobile device, the avatar display generated by the sync server, and the avatar environment generated by the sync server to the second mobile device for presentation by the second mobile device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

synchronizing the user sensory profile associated with the first user with the sensory information received from the first mobile device; and

recording the sensory information received from the first mobile device to the historical sensory data associated with the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the remote information provided to the second mobile device is used to determine whether to terminate a telecommunication session with the first mobile device before the first mobile device enters into the telecommunication session.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise estimating future sensory information for the first mobile device.