Automatic Detection and Notification of Proximity of Persons of Interest

• US 20070167136A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Groth, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A computing device is configured to monitor a local vicinity around a user and detect identification devices located in the vicinity. When an identification device is detected, data is read from the device and a person associated with the device is identified. One or more user applications are searched to determine if the identified person is listed in a user application. If so, a notification is provided to the user that the identified person is in the vicinity. In one implementation, a user calendar is searched to determine if the identified person is scheduled to attend an upcoming event with the user (e.g. a meeting). If so, the user is notified that the identified person is in the area and that the person is scheduled to attend an upcoming event—which is particularly identified—with the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting identification means located within an area;

identifying a person associated with the identification means;

determining if the person is a person of interest;

notifying a user that the person of interest is located in the area; and

wherein a person of interest further comprises a person with whom the user is scheduled to attend a future event or a person in a contact list associated with the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification means further comprises a self-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a person associated with the identification means further comprises:

accessing a remote directory;

locating a record in the remote directory that is associated with the identification means; and

reading identification data that identifies the person from the record in the remote directory.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the person is a person of interest further comprises:

accessing a user calendar; and

determining that the person is a person of interest if the person is listed in the user calendar as being scheduled to attend an upcoming event that is scheduled on the user calendar.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the person is a person of interest further comprises:

accessing a user contact list; and

determining that the person is a person of interest if the person is listed in the user contact list.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the area further comprises an area implicitly defined by range within which the detection means is able to detect the identification means.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the area further comprises an area within fifty (50) feet of the user.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the area further comprises a same building in which the user is located.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing a web site associated with the person if the person is a person of interest, the web site including one or more of the following:

personal information related to the person of interest;

information related to the work of the person of interest;

documents related to the person of interest.

10. One or more computer-readable media having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, implement the following steps:

receiving a signal from a device associated with a person indicating that the device is located within a certain range of a user;

identifying the person with whom the device is associated;

determining if the person is scheduled to attend a future event with the user; and

providing a user notification that the person is located within the certain range of the user.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the certain range further comprises fifty (50) feet.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the certain range further comprises a same room in which the user is situated.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the certain range further comprises a same building in which the user is situated.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the device further comprises one of the following devices:

a powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag;

a Bluetooth-compatible electronic device;

an electronic device configured to transmit infrared (IR) signals.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the determining if the person is scheduled to attend a future event with the user further comprises accessing a user calendar to determine if the person is scheduled to attend an event listed on the user calendar.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the identifying the person with whom the device is associated further comprises:

obtaining a device identifier from the device;

providing the device identifier to a remote a directory that stores information that relates persons with devices; and

determining the person that is associated with the device having the device identifier.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, further comprising providing an approximate position of the person of interest relative to the user.

18. A system, comprising:

detection means configured to detect a remote identification device;

identification means configured to identify a person associated with the remote identification device;

means to determine whether the person is a person of interest; and

notification means configured to notify a user when the person of interest is in proximity to the user.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein:

a person of interest further comprises a person scheduled to attend an upcoming event with the user; and

the means to determine whether a person is a person of interest further comprises a user calendar that identifies upcoming events scheduled for the user and attendees scheduled to attend the upcoming events.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the identification means further comprises the person'"'"'s name stored on the remote identification device.