Method and apparatus for management and representation of dynamic context

• US 20020116516A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichimura, Satoshi, Pedersen, Elin R., Nelson, Lester
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A technique for managing and representing dynamic context information. The system can manage local and remote activity information including sensor and computer application generated events such as calendar reminders. The technique allows users to store contextual relationship information associating an activity stream with temporary changes in the user interface that lie just outside a user'"'"'s focus of attention in dynamic stylesheets. The dynamic stylesheets can be applied across work groups or companies and provide a similar contextual work environment. The dynamic stylesheets can also be customized to the specific needs of an individual. The techniques can be expanded beyond the computer desktop focus to include a user'"'"'s complete work environment.

Claims

1. Method for managing dynamic context comprising:

storing associations between at least one activity stream, at least one representation element;

synthesizing a value of a human sensible attribute of at least one representation element based on changes in the at least one activity stream and the stored associations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a user'"'"'s focus of attention;

selecting at least one of the at least one representation elements to synthesize a display attribute based on the user'"'"'s focus of attention.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected representation element is at the periphery of the user focus of attention.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an activity stream is information from at least one of sensor information, detector information, application information, telephone information, news information and pager information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-sensible attribute is synthesized based on a selected range.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-sensible attribute is synthesized based on values outside a selected range.

7. The method of claim 1, where selecting the at least one activity stream comprises dynamically selecting the at least one activity stream based on which of the at least one activity stream has a value outside a predicted range of values.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the predicted range of values based on monitoring at least one of the at least one activity stream.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-sensible attribute is a display attribute.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the display attribute includes at least one of a text characteristic, a window characteristic, a desktop characteristic.

11. The system for managing dynamic context, comprising:

at least one synthesizer circuit, each synthesizer circuit synthesizing at least one human-sensible attribute of at least one representation element based on changes in at least one activity stream.

a memory that stores associations between the at least one activity stream, the at least one representation element and the synthesizer circuit.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a user focus of attention determining circuit wherein the at least one representation element is selected based on the determined user focus of attention.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the at least one activity stream is an input signal from at least one of sensor signal, detector signal, application signal, telephone signal, news signal and pager signal.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the at least one synthesizer circuits synthesizes the human-sensible attributes based on a selected range.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the at least one synthesizer circuits synthesizes the human-sensible attributes based on activity stream values outside a selected range.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one representation element and the at least one activity stream are dynamically associated based on which of the at least one activity stream has a value outside a predicted range of values.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predicted range of values is determined by monitoring at least one of the at least one activity stream.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the human-sensible attribute is a display attribute.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display attribute includes at least one of a text characteristic, a window characteristic, a desktop characteristic.