INTELLIGENT AGENT FOR DISTRIBUTED SERVICES FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20080249969A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tuen Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Cheng, Roger Shu Kwan, Murch, Ross David, Lau, Vincent Kin Nang, Mow, Wai Ho, Tsui, Chi Ying
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Mobile devices, mobile device systems and methods applying to mobile devices are provided that employ intelligent agents in combination with a wide array of remote utilities and information sources to facilitate improving a mobile device user'"'"'s experience. By collecting contextual information from numerous information sources related to the mobile device user'"'"'s context, more accurate and optimized determinations and/or inferences are formed relating to which remote utilities to make available to the mobile device user. This facilitates less confusion for the user in selecting desired mobile device content, services, and/or applications. The devices, systems, and methodologies also provide for an improved user experience in an open remote utility provider model.

Claims

1. A mobile device system comprising:

at least one mobile device;

at least one remote utility component, wherein the remote utility component includes at least one information component, content component, service component, application component, or combination thereof;

at least one information source component that provides contextual information to the at least one mobile device, wherein the information source component includes at least one sensory data component, information look up component, user interface component, or combination thereof; and

wherein the at least one mobile device determines at least a subset of the remote utility components to make available to a user of the at least one mobile device based at least in part on the contextual information provided to the at least one mobile device.

2. The mobile device system of claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile device further comprises an intelligent agent to at least facilitate determining the at least a subset of the remote utility components to make available to the user of the at least one mobile device.

3. The mobile device system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent agent functions as an inference engine, such that at least one inference can be formed to facilitate determining the at least a subset of the remote utility components to make available to the user of the at least one mobile device.

4. The mobile device system of claim 3, wherein the at least one inference can facilitate pre-fetching of information, content, services, applications, or combinations thereof.

5. The mobile device system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregator component, wherein the aggregator component aggregates at least a subset of available remote utilities.

6. A mobile device comprising:

at least one input for receiving input data relating to a current context of the mobile device communicatively coupled to the mobile device;

a usage store that logs usage data representing usage of the mobile device by a user; and

an intelligent agent component that processes the input data for the current context of the mobile device and based on at least one pattern determined from the usage store, predictively determines one or more actions that the user is likely to take next, wherein the intelligent agent initiates one or more processes that facilitate performance of the one or more actions.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the input data relating to a current context of the mobile device is generated by one or more information source components, wherein the information source components include sensory data components, information look up components, user interface components, or combinations thereof

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the one or more initiated processes includes selecting a subset of remote utility components available to the user through the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the remote utility components available to the user through the mobile device include service components, application components, content components, or combinations thereof.

10. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the mobile device can pre-fetch information, content, services, applications, or combinations thereof.

11. The mobile device of claim 6, further comprising an information store wherein the mobile device can store pre-fetched information, content, services, applications, or combinations thereof.

12. A method for use in connection with a mobile device, comprising:

receiving information relating to a current context of the mobile device from at least one input included in or otherwise communicatively coupled to the mobile device;

receiving information relating to at least one available remote utility for the mobile device from at least one input communicatively coupled to the mobile device; and

automatically determining at least a first subset of available remote utilities to make available to a user of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining includes automatically determining the at least the first subset of available remote utilities based at least in part on the information received relating to the current context of the mobile device, the at least one available remote utility, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming at least an inference related to facilitating future user actions, wherein the inference is based at least in part on the information received relating to the current context of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining includes automatically determining at least the first subset of available remote utilities based at least in part on the formed inference, the at least one available remote utility, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming includes generating the at least one inference by an intelligent agent for the user of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

logging usage data in a usage store representing usage of the mobile device by a user;

determining at least one pattern of mobile device user behavior based at least in part on the logged data in the usage store;

based on the at least one pattern determined from the usage store, predictively determining, by an intelligent agent, one or more actions that the user is likely to take next; and

initiating one or more processes by the intelligent agent that facilitate performance of the one or more actions.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

aggregating information relating to the at least one available remote utility in an aggregation component; and

communicating the information relating to the at least one available remote utility for the mobile device,

wherein the determining includes automatically selecting at least the first subset from the remote utilities related to the information aggregated by the aggregating.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising communicating the information relating to the current context of the mobile device to at least the first subset of available remote utilities.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining includes automatically determining at least a second subset of available remote utilities based on at least one need of the mobile device user as related to the dynamically changing current context of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of automatically determining the first subset of available remote utilities to make available to the user of the mobile device further comprises negotiating between the mobile device and a provider of the available remote utilities forming the subset to allow for horizontal and vertical shifts among available remote utilities in the subset.