Context aware computing devices and methods

• US 20050080800A1
• Filed: 11/29/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal
• Granted Patent: US 7,483,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Context-aware computing systems and methods are described. In particular embodiments, location aware systems and methods are described. In at least some embodiments, hierarchical tree structures are utilized to ascertain a device context or location. The tree structures can be stored on or accessible to mobile computing devices so that the devices can determine their own particular context or location. A computing device can automatically determine its context or location by ascertaining a node on one or more of the tree structures and then traversing the tree structure to ascertain the complete context.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media comprising:

a context service module executable to receive context information from one or more context providers and process the information to determine a current device context by determining, from the context information, at least one node associated with the context information and traversing at least a portion of a hierarchical tree structure of which said at least one node comprises a part.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 embodied in a mobile computing device.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 embodied as in a desktop computing device.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the context service module is configured to automatically receive the context information from the context providers.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the context service module is configured to automatically receive the context information from the context providers and, as the context of the computing device changes, process the information to determine a new current device context.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the context service module is configured to request context information from one or more of the context providers.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the context service module is configured to provide information concerning a current device context to one or more applications.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the context service module is configured to receive a request from the one or more applications that request the current device context information.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 further comprising a context provider interface associated with the context service module, the context provider interface comprising a common interface that is capable is receiving context information from multiple different context providers.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 further comprising one or more application program interfaces (APIs) operably associated with the context service module, the one or more APIs being callable by one or more applications to acquire information concerning the current device context.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 further comprising one or more events that are configured for use by one or more applications so that the applications can register to receive information concerning a current device context responsive to the occurrence of one or more events.

12. One or more computer-readable media comprising:

a location service module executable to receive location information from one or more location providers and process the information to determine a current device location by determining, from the location information, at least one node associated with the location information and traversing at least a portion of a hierarchical tree structure of which said at least one node comprises a part.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12 embodied on a mobile computing device.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12 embodied on a desktop computing device.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the location service module is configured to automatically receive the location information from the location providers.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the location service module is configured to automatically receive the location information from the location providers and, as the location of the computing device changes, process the information to determine a new current device location.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the location service module is configured to request location information from one or more of the location providers.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the location service module is configured to provide information concerning a current device location to one or more applications.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising a location provider interface associated with the location service module, the location provider interface comprising a common interface that is capable is receiving location information from multiple different location providers.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising one or more application program interfaces (APIs) operably associated with the location service module, the one or more APIs being callable by one or more applications to acquire information concerning the current device location.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising one or more events that are configured for use by one or more applications so that the applications can register to receive information concerning a current device location responsive to the occurrence of one or more events.

22. One or more computer-readable media comprising:

a location provider interface that is configured to receive location information;

a location service module communicatively associated with the location provider interface and configured to receive the location information from the multiple different location providers and process the information to ascertain a current device location by determining, from the location information, at least one node associated with the location information and traversing at least a portion of a hierarchical tree structure of which said at least one node comprises a part; and

one or more application program interfaces (API) or events associated with the location service module and defining a mechanism through which information concerning a current device location can be provided to one or more applications that are configured to provide location-specific services.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22 embodied on a mobile computing device.

24. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22 embodied on a desktop computing device.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the location provider interface is configured to receive location information from multiple different location providers.

26. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the location provider interface is configured to receive location information from multiple different location providers, the location service module being configured to poll one or more of the location providers so that the polled location provider can provide location information to the location provider interface.

27. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22 further comprising:

a hierarchical tree structure resident on the media and comprising multiple nodes each of which represent geographical divisional of the Earth, the location service module being configured to process the information to ascertain a current device location that comprises one node on the hierarchical tree structure.

28. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27, wherein the location service module is configured to ascertain a current device location by traversing the hierarchical tree structure to a root of the tree structure.

29. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 27 further comprising one or more additional hierarchical tree structures resident on the media and comprising multiple nodes each of which represent physical or logical entities, the additional hierarchical trees each having at least one node that is linked with the first-mentioned hierarchical tree structure, the location service module being configured to ascertain a current device location by traversing at least one of the additional hierarchical trees and the first-mentioned hierarchical tree.

30. A system comprising:

means for receiving, with a computing device, information that pertains to a current context of the device;

means for processing the information on and with the device to ascertain the current context of the computing device by determining, from the information, at least one node associated with the information and traversing at least a portion of a hierarchical tree structure of which said at least one node comprises a part.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said means for receiving comprises means for receiving the information with a mobile computing device.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein said means for receiving comprises means for receiving the information with a hand-held computing device.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein said means for receiving comprises means for receiving the information with a desktop computing device.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the current context is the device location.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving information from multiple different location providers.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the information that is received from the multiple different location providers is received in different forms.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving the information through a common interface.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving information from multiple different context providers.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the information that is received from the multiple different location providers is received in different forms.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving the information through a common interface.

41. The system of claim 30 further comprising means for receiving a request from an application for information that pertains to the current context of the mobile computing device and means for returning at least some information to the application.

42. The system of claim 30 further comprising means for receiving at least one event registration from one or more applications that pertains to an event for which the application is to receive information pertaining to the current context of the computing device, and means for returning information pertaining to the current context of the computing device to the one or more applications responsive to the occurrence of an event.

43. A system comprising:

means for maintaining a hierarchical tree structure on the mobile computing device, the tree structure comprising multiple nodes each of which represent geographical divisions of the Earth;

means for receiving information from multiple different location providers that describe aspects of a current device location;

means for processing the information with the mobile device to ascertain a node on the tree structure that likely constitutes a current device location; and

means for traversing at least one other node of the tree structure to ascertain additional location information that-is associated with the current device location.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein:

the means for maintaining of the hierarchical tree structure comprises means for maintaining multiple hierarchical tree structures that are linked with one another; and

the means for traversing comprises means for traversing the multiple hierarchical tree structures to ascertain the additional location information.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein one tree structure comprises a unique representation of a physical or logical entity.

46. The system of claim 43 further comprising means for receiving a request from one or more applications for information that pertains to a current device location and means for providing the one or more applications with the information that pertains to the current device location.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the means for receiving of the request comprises means for receiving a call to an application program interface (API).

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the means for receiving of the request comprises means for receiving an event registration.

49. The system of claim 46 further comprising means for applying a security policy to the information that pertains to the current device location before providing the information to the one or more applications.

50. The system of claim 43 further comprising means for resolving conflicts that might exist between information that is received from different location providers.