SUPPLYING NOTIFICATIONS RELATED TO SUPPLY AND CONSUMPTION OF USER CONTEXT DATA

• US 20070130524A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tangis Corporation
• Inventors: Newell, Dan, Freedman, Joshua, Robarts, James, Abbott, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes. In such situations, the providing further includes, without further intervention related to the request by the module, determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied, monitoring at later times after the indicating to determine whether the request can be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied if it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method in a computer for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes, the method comprising:

receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes; and

without further intervention related to the request by the module,

determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied;

after the indicating, monitoring at later times to determine whether the request can be satisfied; and

when it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied, indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied.

13. The method of claim 11 including:

receiving from the module an indication of a condition related to a value of one of the state attributes such that the module desires to know when the condition has been satisfied;

detecting changes in the value of the one state attribute to determine whether the condition is satisfied; and

when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, notifying the module that the condition is satisfied.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the condition relates to the one state attribute having a specified value.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the module is a source of values for at least one of the state attributes.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the module is a consumer of values for at least one of the state attributes.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the request is from a client module for a value of a specified state attribute such that no sources are currently available to supply values for the specified state attribute value.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a value for the specified state attribute is received.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a source indicates an ability to supply values for the specified state attribute.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the indicating to the client module that the request can be satisfied involves sending the requested value to the client module.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the request is from a client module for a value of a specified state attribute that satisfies a specified criteria, and wherein each of the sources currently available to supply values for the specified state attribute are unable to supply a value for the specified state attribute that satisfies the specified criteria.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a value for the specified state attribute is received.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the monitoring involves repeatedly requesting at least one of the sources to supply a value for the specified state attribute.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the specified criteria is that the requested value come from a specified source that is not currently available to supply state attribute values, and wherein the monitoring involves detecting that the specified source is able to supply values for the specified state attribute.

25. The method of claim 11 wherein the request is from a source module to send a supplied value of a state attribute to a specified client that is not currently available to receive state attribute values.

27. The method of claim 11 wherein the request is from a source module to send a supplied value of a specified state attribute to at least one client, the receiving of the request at a time when no clients that have an interest in receiving values for the specified state attribute are currently available to receive values for the specified state attribute.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the determining that the request can be satisfied is based on receiving an indication from a client of an interest in receiving at least one value for the specified state attribute.

12. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

29-55. -55. (canceled)

56. A computer-readable medium whose contents when executed cause a computing device to provide information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes, by:

receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple attributes; and

without further input from the module related to the request,

indicating to the module a determination that the request cannot currently be satisfied;

after the indicating, monitoring to determine whether the request can be satisfied; and

when it is determined that the request can currently be satisfied, indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 56 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device.

58. A computing device for providing information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes, comprising:

an attribute request receiver component that is capable of receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes; and

an attribute request satisfier component that is capable of, without further input from the module related to the request, indicating to the module a determination that the request cannot currently be satisfied, automatically monitoring to determine whether the request can be satisfied after the indicating, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied after it is determined that the request can currently be satisfied.

60. The computing device of claim 58 further comprising multiple sources and multiple clients executing in the memory.

59. (canceled)

61-81. -81. (canceled)