Method and system for recalling details regarding past events

• US 20040078372A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Huuskonen, Pertti
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Techniques for recalling details regarding past events include identifying information from encountered remote devices, and storing the received identifying information in a proximity log database. An entry (e.g., a phonebook or calendar entry) stored by a personal information management application is accessed, and a query is generated from parameters provided by a personal information management application. Based on this query, the method searches the proximity log database; and receives a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query. The result identifies a past remote device encounter. Heuristics may be employed to infer data from the result.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device for retrieving information related to past events, comprising:

an encounter management module configured to receive identifying information from encountered remote devices;

a proximity log database configured to store the identifying information received by the encounter management module;

a personal information management application configured to provide one or more parameters for a query that is related to a past event; and

a recall module configured to search said proximity log database according to the query, and to receive a result from said proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies information associated with a past remote device encounter.

2. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said personal information management application is a phonebook application.

3. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said personal information management application is a calendar application.

4. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said encounter management module includes a heuristics engine configured to infer information from the result.

5. The wireless communications device of claim 4, wherein said heuristics engine searches records in said proximity log database that correspond to events occurring within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

6. The wireless communications device of claim 4, wherein the heuristics engine interacts with a calendar application configured to determine a topical context for the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

7. The wireless communications device of claim 6, wherein the heuristics engine determines the topical context by indicating a topic of an appointment scheduled within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

8. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said encounter management module is configured to receive a unique remote device identifier through a link level connection and additional information through a higher layer protocol session.

9. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein the link level connection is a Bluetooth connection.

10. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein the higher protocol layer session is an application level session.

11. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a vCard.

12. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said encounter management module searches information related to encounters involving higher layer protocol sessions before searching information related to encounters involving only link level connections.

13. A method of retrieving information related to past events from a wireless communications device, comprising:

receiving identifying information from encountered remote devices;

storing the received identifying information in a proximity log database;

accessing an entry stored by a personal information management application;

generating a query that is related to a past event from one or more query parameters provided by the personal information management application;

searching the proximity log database according to the query; and

obtaining a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies information associated with a past remote device encounter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of inferring information from the result through the application of one or more heuristics.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said inferring step comprises searching records in the proximity log database that correspond to events occurring within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said inferring step comprises determining a topical context of the past remote device encounter by indicating a topic of an appointment within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving step comprises receiving a unique remote device identifier through a link level connection and additional information through a higher layer protocol session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the link level connection is a Bluetooth connection.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the higher protocol layer session is an application level session.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the additional information includes a vCard.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein said searching step comprises searching information related to encounters involving higher layer protocol sessions before searching information related to encounters involving only link level connections.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the personal information management application is a phonebook application.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the personal information management application is a calendar application.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a wireless communications device to retrieve information related to past events, the computer program logic comprising:

program code for enabling the processor to receive identifying information from encountered remote devices;

program code for enabling the processor to store the received identifying information in a proximity log database;

program code for enabling the processor to access an entry stored by a personal information management application;

program code for enabling the processor to generate a query that is related to a past event from one or more query parameters provided by a personal information management application;

program code for enabling the processor to search the proximity log database according to the query; and

program code for enabling the processor to receive a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies a past remote device encounter.