AUTOMATED RESPONSE TO COMPUTER USERS CONTEXT

• US 20100257235A1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robarts, James O., Newell, Dan, Abbott, Kenneth H., Freedman, Joshua M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

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 first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state, receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state, and, in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source, determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value and supplying the received value to the first client.

Claims

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

receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source, determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value; and

supplying the received value to the first client.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the value for the one attribute from the first source includes receiving descriptive information about the received value.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the descriptive information includes a time at which the received value is most accurate.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the descriptive information includes a confidence factor indicating a likelihood of accuracy of the received value.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client includes supplying the descriptive information to the first client.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client includes supplying an indication of the first source.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the received indication from the first client additionally includes an indication of a source for the values of the one attribute, and wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client occurs only if the first source is the indicated source.

8. The method of claim 1 including supplying the received value to the first client only if the received value satisfies a criteria for values supplied to the first client.

9. The method of claim 1 including storing values for attributes that are received from sources so that the stored values can be later supplied to clients.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about a user of the computer.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the represented information reflects a modeled mental state of the user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about the computer.

13. A computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a wearable computer system perform a method comprising:

receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source, determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value; and

supplying the received value to the first client.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the receiving of the value for the one attribute from the first source includes receiving descriptive information about the received value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client includes supplying an indication of the first source.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the received indication from the first client additionally includes an indication of a source for the values of the one attribute, and wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client occurs only if the first source is the indicated source.

17. A wearable computer system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

receive from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source, determine that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value; and

supply the received value to the first client.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

supply the received value to the first client only if the received value satisfies a criteria for values supplied to the first client.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one storage device;

wherein the processor is further configured to;

store, on the at least one storage device, values for attributes that are received from sources so that the stored values can be later supplied to clients.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the indicated one attribute represents information about a user of the computer.