PERSONAL DIGITAL CONTEXT

• US 20120108172A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bullen, Geoffrey Norman
• Application Number:
  US12/916,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20120108172A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A personal digital context may be provided. A context element may be identified and used to update a context state associated with a user. Upon determining that a context-aware device is available, the context state may be provided to the context-aware device.

Claims

1. A method for providing a personal digital context, the method comprising:

identifying a context element;

updating a context state associated with a user according to the context element;

determining whether a context-aware device is available; and

in response to determining whether the context-aware device is available, providing the context state to the context-aware device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context element comprises at least one of the following:

a location of the user, an application action requested by the user, data provided by an application, a time, a date, a presence of at least one other user, a communication made by the user, a communication received by the user, a physical activity of the user, a location change by the user, and a reminder associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the context-state on at least one of the following:

a computer associated with the user, a mobile device associated with the user, and a cloud service storage location associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the context-aware device is available comprises detecting a broadcast signal from the context-aware device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the broadcast signal comprises at least one of the following:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal, a cellular network data signal, and a wireless network data signal.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting the context state to the context-aware device automatically in response to detecting the broadcast signal.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a notification to the user comprising an identification of the context-aware device; and

requesting authorization to provide the context state to the context-aware device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a response to the authorization request from the user; and

creating a device record associated with the context device comprising the identification of the context-aware device and the response to the authorization request.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the context-aware device is available comprises receiving a request from the user to provide the context state to the context-aware device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request from the user comprises a motion of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the request from the user comprises scanning at least one of the following:

a barcode and a data-matrix code.

12. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing a personal digital context, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

identifying a context element associated with a user;

updating a context state associated with the user, wherein the context state is stored on a mobile device associated with the user;

identifying the presence of a context-aware device;

determining whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device; and

in response to determining that the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device, providing the context state to the context-aware device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein determining whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device comprises determining whether the context-aware device is authorized to receive the context by the user.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein determining whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device comprises determining whether the context-aware device is associated with a plurality of pre-authorized context-aware devices.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein determining whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device comprises determining whether the user performed an action to manually authorize providing the context state to the context-aware device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein determining whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device comprises determining whether the context-aware device is associated with a category of pre-authorized context-aware devices.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second context element from the context-aware device; and

updating the context state according to the received second context element.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying at least a summary of the context state;

receiving an edit to the context state from the user; and

updating the context state according to the edit.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the context element comprises at least one of the following:

a location of the user, an application action requested by the user, a time, a date, a presence of at least one other user, data provided by an application, a communication made by the user, a communication received by the user, a physical activity of the user, a location change by the user, and a reminder associated with the user.

20. A system for providing a personal digital context, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

identify a context element associated with a user, wherein the context element comprises at least one of the following;

a location of the user, an application action requested by the user, a time, a date, a presence of at least one other user, data provided by an application, a communication made by the user, a communication received by the user, a physical activity of the user, a location change by the user, and a reminder associated with the user,

update a context state associated with the user, wherein the context state is stored on a mobile device associated with the user,

determine whether a context-aware device is available at a current location of the user,

in response to determining that the context-aware device is available at the current location of the user, determine whether the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device,

in response to determining that the context state is to be shared with the context-aware device, provide the context state to the context-aware device,

receive at least one second context element from the context-aware device, and

update the context state according to the received at least one second element.