Method and apparatus for personal attribute selection and management using prediction

• US 5,814,798 A
• Filed: 05/23/1997
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zancho, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gross, Anita Pellman
• Assistant Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US08/862,660
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 379/58, 379/62, 379/357
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

An application device (401) is connectable with a donor device (541) such as a portable memory card (560) or widely accessible central database (550). The donor device (541) stores and provides preferences to the application device (401). The donor device (541) contains a reference preference memory capable of storing preferences for a particular user. A controller (450) accesses the donor device to obtain preferences that pertain to the particular user under certain conditions and stores preferences obtained from the donor device in the session preference memory (490) of the application device (401) for use in a session by the particular user.

Claims

1. An application device comprising:

a port for coupling with a donor device having preferences;

a session preference memory;

a user interface device;

a controller operatively coupled to said user interface device, said port and said session preference memory to access the donor device via the port to provide to the donor device access information for access of the donor device, to receive preferences from the donor device in response to the access information, to obtain predicted preferences using a prediction procedure in at least one of the application device and the donor device, to store both the specific preferences and the predicted preferences in said session preference memory, to refine the predicted preferences through user interaction with said user interface device to produce refined user preferences, and to transmit the refined preferences to the donor device to update a reference preference set in the donor device.

2. An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs a prediction procedure in the application device to determine the predicted preferences based on information from the donor device and then stores at least the predicted preferences in at least said session preference memory.

3. An application device according to claim 2, wherein said controller is operatively connected to said session preference memory to perform the prediction procedure by access to next best preferences stored in adjacent memory locations of the preference memory.

4. An application device according to claim 2, wherein said session preference memory comprises a neural network for performing the prediction procedure based on previously stored preferences represented as weights and based on the access information.

5. An application device according to claim 1,

wherein said donor device performs the prediction procedure and sends the predicted preferences to the application device;

and

wherein said controller receives the predicted preferences from the donor device via the port.

6. An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller refines the predicted preferences through user selection from a list of choices determined based on user historical data received from the donor device.

7. An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller defers refinement of the predicted preferences until subsequently desired by the user.

8. An application device according to claim 1, wherein the port couples to said donor device by a wireless connection.

9. An application device according to claim 8, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including an optical link.

10. An application device according to claim 8, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including a radio link.

11. An application device according to claim 1, wherein the port couples to said donor device over a network.

12. An application device according to claim 1, wherein said donor device comprises a card unique to the user.

13. A donor device for setting-up preferences for an application device, said donor device comprising:

a port for coupling to an application device to receive access information from the application device;

a reference preference memory having preferences stored therein; and

a controller operatively coupled to said port and said reference preference memory to perform a prediction procedure in the donor device, to send predicted preferences via said port to an application device when said reference preference memory has unavailable preferences for the access information, to receive refined preferences from the application device and to store the refined preferences in the reference preference memory to update a reference preference set.

14. A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said controller is operatively connected to said reference preference memory to perform the prediction procedure by access to next best preferences stored in adjacent memory locations of said reference preference memory.

15. A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said reference preference memory comprises a neural network to perform the prediction procedure based on previously stored preferences represented as weights and based on the access information.

16. A donor device according to claim 13,

wherein said reference preference memory has preferences stored therein for a plurality of users;

and

wherein said port couples with the application device to receive both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device and to provide from said reference preference memory in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a specified user.

17. A donor device according to claim 16, wherein the port couples to said application device by a wireless connection.

18. A donor device according to claim 17, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including an optical link.

19. A donor device according to claim 17, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including a radio link.

20. A donor device according to claim 16, wherein the port couples to said application device over a network.

21. A donor device according to claim 13,

wherein said reference preference memory has preferences stored therein for at least one user;

and

wherein said port couples with the application device to receive access information for access of the donor device for a user and to provide from said reference preference memory in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the the access information for the user.

22. A donor device according to claim 21, wherein the application device comprises a card unique to the user.

23. A method of setting-up preferences, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling an application device requiring a preference set-up and a donor device having preferences;

(b) accessing the donor device having preferences stored therein;

(c) providing to the donor device access information for access of the donor device;

(d) storing in a preference memory of the application device preferences in response to the donor device and obtaining predicted preferences using a prediction procedure in at least one of the application device and the donor device;

(e) refining the predicted preferences through user interaction with a user interface device to produce refined preferences; and

(f) transmitting the refined preferences to the donor device to update in the donor device a user'"'"'s reference preference set.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (d) comprises the substep of (d1) predicting preferences in the application device based on preferences received from a donor device using a prediction procedure.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said substep (d1) of predicting comprises the substep of predicting by access to next best preferences received from the donor device.

26. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (d) comprises the substep of (d1) predicting preferences in the donor device and sending the predicted preferences to the application device.

27. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (e) of refining comprises the substep of (e1) refining the predicted preferences through user selection from a list of choices determined based on user historical data received from the donor device.

28. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (e) of refining comprises the substep of (e1) deferring refinement until subsequently desired by the user.

29. A method device according to claim 24,

wherein said method further comprises the steps of

(h) determining if a donor device is available when new preferences need to be set-up;

and

(i) performing a prediction procedure to temporarily assign predicted preferences when the donor device is unavailable when the new preferences need to be set up;

wherein said step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling an application device and a donor device when the donor device is available; and

wherein said step (g) of transmitting the refined preferences to the donor device comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and a donor device when the donor device is available.

30. A method according to claim 23,

wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for a plurality of users;

wherein said step (c) of providing comprises the substep of (c1) providing the donor device both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device; and

wherein said step (d) of receiving comprises the substep of (d1) receiving from the donor device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a user.

31. A method according to claim 23, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device over a network.

32. A method according to claim 23, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device by a wireless connection.

33. A method according to claim 23

wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for at least one user;

wherein said step (c) of providing comprises the substep of (c1) providing the donor device information for access of the donor device; and

wherein said step (d) of receiving comprises the substep of (d1) receiving from the donor device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information provided for a user.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device to a donor device comprising a card unique to the user.

35. A method of setting-up preferences, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling an application device requiring a preference set-up and a donor device having preferences;

(b) accessing the application device;

(c) receiving from the application device access information for access of a donor device;

(d) performing a prediction procedure in the donor device and transmitting predicted preferences to an application device when said donor device has unavailable preferences for the information for access;

(e) receiving refined preferences from the application device for substitution for the predicted preferences; and

(f) storing the refined preferences in a reference preference memory of the donor device for the user.

36. A method according to claim 35,

wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for a plurality of users;

wherein said step (c) of receiving comprises the substep of (c1) receiving from the application device both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device; and

wherein said step (d) of performing a prediction procedure and transmitting comprises the substep of (d1) transmitting to the application device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for the user.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device over a network.

38. A method according to claim 36, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device by a wireless connection.

39. A method according to claim 35,

wherein said step (c) of receiving comprises the substep of (c1) receiving from the application device information for access of the donor device for at least one user;

and

wherein said step (d) of performing a prediction procedure and transmitting comprises the substep of (d1) transmitting to the application device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a user.

40. A method according to claim 39, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device to a donor device comprising a card unique to the user.

41. An application device comprising:

a port for coupling with a donor device;

a session preference memory capable of storing preferences for a particular user;

a user interface device; and

a controller operatively coupled to said user interface device, said session preference memory and said port to access the donor device via the port, wherein said controller determines if a donor device is available when new preferences need to be set-up, wherein said controller connects to the donor device when said controller determines the donor device is available when the new preferences need to be set up to obtain and store preferences from the donor device in said session preference memory by providing to the donor device access information for a particular user for access of the donor device and by receiving from the donor device in response to the donor device preferences that pertain to the user, and wherein said controller of the application device performs a prediction procedure upon data in the session preference memory when said controller determines the donor device is unavailable when the new preferences need to be set up, stores the predicted preferences in said session preference memory, refines the predicted preferences through user interaction with said user interface device to produce refined user preferences, and transmits the refined preferences to the donor device when later available to update a user'"'"'s reference preference set in the donor device.