Electronic butler for providing application services to a user

• US 20060041445A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

An electronic butler interface application service providing module is provided in a framework for providing computing device executed application services to a user using a plurality of application service providing modules, each of which provides a subset of the application services to the user. The electronic butler has an associated personality and is configured to respond to inquiries relating to the user, provide information to the user regarding inquiries relating to the user, provide reminders of events to the user, request additional information from a user, provide security for transactions for the user, conduct scheduled actions for the user and/or communicate with different ones of the application service providing modules to provide for determined needs for a user.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic butler for providing application services to a user, comprising:

determining a context for the electronic butler;

receiving an input;

obtaining data associated with the received input from a database associated with the butler;

determining a need based on the obtained data and the context;

initiating provisioning of the determined need; and

providing output to the user based on the input and/or provisioning of the determined need.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating provisioning is followed by:

obtaining additional input from the user;

determining a further need based on the additional input, the obtained data and/or the context; and

initiating provisioning of the determined further need.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein obtaining additional input is preceded by associating one of a plurality of available personalities with the electronic butler and wherein providing output comprises providing the output based on the associated one of the available personalities.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the associated one of the available personalities defines at least one of an accent, a communication syntax, a vocabulary, a sense of urgency, a speed of communication, a timing pattern of communication, a level of detail of communication and/or a preciseness of communication by the electronic butler to the user.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the determined context includes at least one of a security level, a user operating mode, a user operating status, a household operating mode, a household operating status, a business operating mode, a business operating status, an urgency level and/or an identification of actions currently underway.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the household operating mode comprises awake, working, playing and/or sleeping.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the user operating mode comprises awake, working, playing and/or sleeping.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the urgency level comprises a low level corresponding to receiving the input a first time and an elevated level corresponding to receiving the input an additional time before obtaining additional input from the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the urgency level comprises an escalation level and wherein, when the urgency level is an escalation level, determining a further need is preceded by obtaining additional input from a designated user different from the user.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving an input comprises obtaining information regarding a scheduled future event and wherein initiating provisioning of the determined need comprises initiating provision of the determined need at a time based on the obtained information regarding the scheduled future event.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving an input comprises obtaining information regarding a scheduled future event and wherein at least one of providing output to the user and obtaining additional input from the user and/or initiating provision of the determined further need is executed at a time based on the obtained information regarding the scheduled future event.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein initiating provision of a determined need and/or initiating provision of a determined future need includes:

determining a personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user of provision of the determined need and/or determined further need; and

limiting provision of the determined need and/or determined further need based on the determined personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein limiting provision comprises:

notifying the user of the determined personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user; and

obtaining authorization from the user before initiating provision of the determined need and/or determined further need.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein the electronic butler responds to inquiries relating to the user, provides information to the user regarding inquiries relating to the user, provides reminders of events to the user, requests additional information from a user, provides security for transactions for the user, conducts scheduled actions for the user and/or communicates with different application service providing modules to provide for determined needs for a user.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the input comprises ringing of a doorbell or electronic sensing of a visitor'"'"'s presence at the user'"'"'s residence and wherein the context comprises a household operating mode and wherein the obtained data comprises a preference/policy associated with the user and wherein the need comprises notifying the user and wherein the output comprises announcing the presence of a visitor at a location associated with the ringing of the doorbell or electronic presence sensing.

16. A method for providing an electronic butler interface application service providing module in a framework for providing computing device executed application services to a user using a plurality of application service providing modules, each of which provides a subset of the application services to the user, the method comprising:

receiving an input from an input/output device communicatively coupled to the framework;

translating the received input to at least one need to be satisfied;

identifying at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules required for satisfying the at least one need; and

requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need; and

providing output to the user based on the input and/or execution of the actions.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a plurality of preference/policies are associated with the user and wherein translating the received input to at least one need to be satisfied comprises translating the received input to at least one need to be satisfied based on the preference/policies associated with the user.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein a plurality of personality profiles are provided and wherein the electronic butler interface application service providing module is configured to incorporate a selected one of the plurality of personality profiles to provide an interface to the user having characteristics defined by the selected one of the personality profiles and wherein the method further comprises selecting one of the personality profiles responsive to a request from the user.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of application service providing modules are each associated with a dynamic context, the dynamic context for an application service providing module being dependent on a condition of another of the application service providing modules that is not determinable based only on communications resulting from execution of the actions and wherein requesting execution of actions by the identified application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need comprises scheduling execution of actions by the identified application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need based on a current condition of the dynamic context associated with the identified application service providing modules.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need comprises requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need based on dynamic context associated with at least one of the application service providing modules, dynamic context associated with interface modules of the framework coupling the application service providing modules and/or dynamic context associated with infrastructure modules of the framework.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein a security module is communicatively coupled to the electronic butler interface application service providing module and wherein requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need comprises:

obtaining security context information from the security module; and

requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need based on the obtained security context information from the security module.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need includes:

determining a personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user of satisfying the at least one need; and

requesting execution of the actions based on the determined personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence.

23. A computer program product configured to carry out the method of claim 16.

24. An electronic butler interface application service providing module comprising:

means for receiving an input from an input/output device communicatively coupled to the framework;

means for translating the received input to at least one need to be satisfied;

means for identifying at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules required for satisfying the at least one need;

means for requesting execution of actions by the identified at least one of the plurality of application service providing modules to satisfy the at least one need; and

means for providing output to the user based on the input and/or execution of the actions.

25. An electronic butler interface application service providing module in a framework for providing computing device executed application services to a user using a plurality of application service providing modules, each of which provides a subset of the application services to the user, the electronic butler having an associated personality and being configured to respond to inquiries relating to the user, provide information to the user regarding inquiries relating to the user, provide reminders of events to the user, request additional information from a user, provide security for transactions for the user, conduct scheduled actions for the user and/or communicate with different ones of the application service providing modules to provide for determined needs for a user.

26. The electronic butler interface application service providing module of claim 25 wherein the associated personality is selectable from a plurality of available personalities, each of which defines at least one of an accent, a communication syntax, a vocabulary, a sense of urgency, a speed of communication, a timing pattern of communication, a level of detail of communication and/or a preciseness of communication by the electronic butler to the user.