Context Sensitive Framework for Providing Data From Relevant Applications

• US 20160239534A1
• Filed: 02/17/2015
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evans, Ethan Zane
• Granted Patent: US 10,684,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Functionality is disclosed herein for using a context sensitive framework to identify relevant applications to a current context and to provide data received from the relevant applications to a user. Instead of a user having to manually locate and launch an application, relevant applications determined by a contextual service may provide data in response to receiving the context data. The applications that are identified as relevant to the context determine the application data to provide to the contextual service. The contextual service selects at least a portion of the application data to provide for display within a user interface. In some configurations, the selected application data is displayed within a user interface that maintains a same look and feel regardless of the application data that is displayed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more sensors operative to provide sensor data comprising one or more of location data, movement data, activity data, biometric data, or weather data; and

one or more computing devices operative to

request the sensor data from the sensors,

create context data based, at least in part, on the sensor data,

send the context data to a network-based contextual service,

receive, from the contextual service, an identification of applications determined by the contextual service to be relevant to the context,

cause one or more of the applications to be activated,

obtain application data from the one or more applications, the application data provided by the one or more applications based, at least in part, on the context data, and

provide at least a portion of the application data for performing an action.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein cause the one or more applications to be activated comprises causing the one or more applications to be executed within a service provider network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises one or more of presenting the at least the portion of the application data on a display or changing the operation of a computing device using the at least the portion of the application data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further operative to update the context data to create updated context data in response to a change in the sensor data and to send the updated context data to the contextual service.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the applications utilize an application programming interface (API) to communicate with the contextual service.

6. A system, comprising:

one or more first computing devices operative to provide a contextual service, the one or more first computing devices operative to;

receive context data;

identify applications that are relevant to the context based, at least in part, on the context data;

send the context data to the applications that are identified to be relevant to the context;

receive application data from the applications, wherein the applications select the application data to provide based, at least in part, on the context data;

select at least a portion of the application data to provide; and

provide the at least the portion of the application data to perform an action.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the action comprises displaying the at least the portion of the application data within a user interface.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the action comprises changing an operation of one or more second computing devices based, at least in part, on the at least the portion of the application data.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising one or more second computing devices operative to execute one or more of the applications in response to a request by the contextual service.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more first computing devices are further operative to cause one or more of the applications to be installed on a remote computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more first computing devices are further operative to cause the one or more of the applications to be launched on the remote computing device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more first computing devices are further operative to receive the application data provided by the one or more of the applications launched on the remote computing device.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more computing devices are further operative to provide analytics comprising usage data and revenue data.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the applications utilize an application programming interface (API) to communicate with the contextual service.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the applications utilize the API to communicate with each other.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving context data at a contextual service;

identifying applications that are relevant to the context, the identification of the applications based, at least in part, on the context data;

activating the applications that are relevant to the context;

sending the context data to the applications;

receiving application data from the applications, wherein the applications select the application data to provide based, at least in part, on the context data;

selecting at least a portion of the application data to provide; and

providing the at least the portion of the application data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein activating the applications comprises causing one or more computing devices to execute the applications.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein activating the applications comprises causing one or more computing devices that are part of a service provider network to execute one or more of the applications.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising causing one or more of the applications to be installed on a remote computing device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the applications utilize an application programming interface (API) to communicate with the contextual service.