Administering devices with dynamic action lists

• US 20040249825A1
• Filed: 06/05/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watson, Thomas J., Schumacher, Daniel Mark, Burkhart, Michael John, Bodin, William Kress, Eisenhauer, Daniel G.
• Application Number:
  US10/455,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249825A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

Methods for administering devices, including creating a user metric vector including a plurality of disparate user metrics, creating a user metric space including a plurality of metric ranges, determining whether the user metric vector is outside the user metric space, creating, in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list, if the user metric vector is outside a user metric space, identifying at least one action in the dynamic action list, and executing the action.

Claims

1. A method for administering devices, the method comprising:

creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics;

creating a user metric space comprising a plurality of metric ranges;

determining whether the user metric vector is outside the user metric space;

if the user metric vector is outside a user metric space, creating in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list;

identifying at least one action in the dynamic action list; and

executing the action.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics comprises associating at least one metric action list with each disparate user metric.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein creating, in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list comprises:

identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space;

retrieving at least one action ID from each identified metric action list; and

identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a degree to which the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a direction that the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises comparing the action IDs of the metric action lists.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises retrieving an action ID from a dynamic action table in dependence upon at least one action ID of the metric action lists.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises omitting repetitious actions.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises omitting conflicting actions.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises omitting superseded actions.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises identifying an action ID that is not included in the plurality of metric action lists.

12. A system for administering devices, the system comprising:

means for creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics;

means for creating a user metric space comprising a plurality of metric ranges;

means for determining whether the user metric vector is outside the user metric space;

if the user metric vector is outside a user metric space, means for creating in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list;

means for identifying at least one action in the dynamic action list; and

means for executing the action.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein means for creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics comprises means for associating at least one metric action list with each disparate user metric.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein means for creating, in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list comprises:

means for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space;

means for retrieving at least one action ID from each identified metric action list; and

means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises means for identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a degree to which the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises means for identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a direction that the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for comparing the action IDs of the metric action lists.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for retrieving an action ID from a dynamic action table in dependence upon at least one action ID of the metric action lists.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for omitting repetitious actions.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for omitting conflicting actions.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for omitting superseded actions.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein means for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means for identifying an action ID that is not included in the plurality of metric action lists.

23. A computer program product for administering devices, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a user metric space comprising a plurality of metric ranges;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether the user metric vector is outside the user metric space;

if the user metric vector is outside a user metric space, means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating, in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action in the dynamic action list; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for executing the action.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a user metric vector comprising a plurality of disparate user metrics comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for associating at least one metric action list with each disparate user metric.

25. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating, in dependence upon the user metric vector, a dynamic action list comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving at least one action ID from each identified metric action list; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a degree to which the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

27. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a metric action list for each user metric of the user metric vector having a value that is outside a metric range of the user metric space comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a metric action list in dependence upon a direction that the value of each user metric of the user metric vector is outside a metric range of the user metric space.

28. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for comparing the action IDs of the metric action lists.

29. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving an action ID from a dynamic action table in dependence upon at least one action ID of the metric action lists.

30. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for omitting repetitious actions.

31. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for omitting conflicting actions.

32. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for omitting superseded actions.

33. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying at least one action ID for inclusion in the dynamic action list in dependence upon the action IDs retrieved from the metric action lists comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying an action ID that is not included in the plurality of metric action lists.