Identifying and Generating Olfactory Cohorts Based on Olfactory Sensor Input

• US 20100131206A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraemer, James R., Angell, Robert Lee, Friedlander, Robert R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/23
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/26 Accessories or devices or components used for biocidal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating olfactory cohorts. Olfactory data is received from a set of chemical sensors. The olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns for an air sample. The olfactory data is processed to identify attributes of particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data. The digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing the attributes of the particles in the air sample to form digital olfactory data. A set of olfactory cohorts is generated using the attributes in the digital olfactory data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of generating olfactory cohorts, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving olfactory data from a set of chemical sensors, wherein the olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns associated with particles in an air sample;

processing the olfactory data, by an olfactory analysis engine, to identify attributes of the particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data, wherein the digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing attributes of the particles in the air sample; and

generating a set of olfactory cohorts using the attributes in the digital olfactory data.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a concentration of an odor causing substance in the air sample.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a chemical composition of the particles in the air sample occurring over time.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of a concentration of an odor causing substance in the air sample.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of a chemical composition of the particles in the air sample.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the olfactory data is a first set of olfactory data describing a first set of olfactory patterns for a first air sample taken at a first time interval, and further comprising:

receiving a second set of olfactory data describing a second set of olfactory patterns for a second air sample taken at a second time interval; and

processing the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data to identify the attributes of the particles in the air sample, wherein the digital olfactory data describing the attributes of the particles in the air sample is generated based on the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data, and wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of chemical composition of the particles over time.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises an identification of an odor and an origin of the odor.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of olfactory cohorts using the digital olfactory data further comprises:

analyzing the digital olfactory data using cohort criteria, by a cohort generation engine, to identify the set of olfactory cohorts; and

processing the set of olfactory cohorts by an inference engine, wherein the inference engine uses the set of olfactory cohorts to generate a set of inferences.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of olfactory cohorts using the digital olfactory data further comprises:

analyzing the digital olfactory data in a set of cohort generation data models, by a cohort generation engine, to identify the set of olfactory cohorts.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of chemical sensors is an array of olfactory sensors, and wherein an olfactory sensor in the array of olfactory sensors is activated when the olfactory sensor is exposed to a given aroma in a set of aromas.

11. A computer program product for generating olfactory cohorts, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to receive olfactory data from a set of chemical sensors, wherein the olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns associated with particles in an air sample;

computer usable program code configured to process the olfactory data to identify attributes of the particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data, wherein the digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing attributes of the particles in the air sample; and

computer usable program code configured to generate a set of olfactory cohort groups using the attributes in the digital olfactory data

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a concentration of an odor causing substance in the air sample.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of a chemical composition of the particles in the air sample occurring over time.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of a concentration of an odor causing substance in the air sample.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a chemical composition of the particles in the air sample.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the olfactory data is a first set of olfactory data describing a first set of olfactory patterns for a first air sample taken at a first time interval, and further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to receive a second set of olfactory data describing a second set of olfactory patterns for a second air sample taken at a second time interval; and

computer usable program code configured to process the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data to identify the attributes of the particles in the air sample, wherein the digital olfactory data describing the attributes of the particles in the air sample is generated based on the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data, and wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of chemical composition of the particles over time.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises an identification of an odor and an origin of the odor.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system coupled to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit coupled to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive olfactory data from a set of chemical sensors, wherein the olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns associated with particles in an air sample;

process the olfactory data to identify attributes of the particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data, wherein the digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing attributes of the particles in the air sample; and

generate a set of olfactory cohort groups using the digital olfactory data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the olfactory data is a first set of olfactory data describing a first set of olfactory patterns for a first air sample taken at a first time interval, and wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to receive a second set of olfactory data describing a second set of olfactory patterns for a second air sample taken at a second time interval;

and process the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data to identify the attributes of the particles in the air sample, wherein the digital olfactory data describing the attributes of the particles in the air sample is generated based on the first olfactory data and the second olfactory data, and wherein the attributes of the particles in the air sample comprises a rate of change of chemical composition of the particles over time.

20. An olfactory cohort generation system comprising:

a set of chemical sensors, wherein the set of chemical sensors generates olfactory data from an air sample;

a data processing system, wherein the data processing system comprises;

an olfactory pattern analysis engine, wherein the olfactory pattern analysis engine receives the olfactory data from the set of chemical sensors, wherein the olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns associated with particles in an air sample; and

processes the olfactory data to identify attributes of the particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data, wherein the digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing attributes of the particles in the air sample; and

a cohort generation engine, wherein the cohort generation engine generates a set of olfactory cohort groups using the digital olfactory data and cohort criteria.