Identity-based context aware computing systems and methods

• US 6,750,883 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal, Evans, Stephen S., Goertzel, Mario C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/543,053
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310, 709/312, 709/322, 709/328, 709/332, 709/229, 709/219, 345/762, 345/763, 345/768, 345/853
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

Context-aware computing systems and methods are described. In some embodiments the context of a computing device is determined by assigning privacy levels to one or more applications that are configured to call a context service module on the computing device to obtain context information from the context service module. A device context is determined with the context service module using context information that is provided by multiple different context providers. A query is received from an application that requests context information pertaining to the context of the computing device and a privacy level associated with the application from which the query was received is determined. Device context information is then selected in accordance with the privacy level of the application from which the query was received. The selected device context information is then returned to the application from which the query was received.

Claims

1. A method of determining the context of a computing device comprising:

assigning privacy levels to one or more applications that are configured to call a context service module on the computing device to obtain context information from the context service module;

determining a device context with the context service module using context information that is provided by multiple different context providers;

receiving a query from an application that requests context information pertaining to the context of the computing device;

determining a privacy level associated with the application from which the query was received;

selecting device context information in accordance with the privacy level of the application from which the query was received; and

returning the selected device context information to the application from which the query was received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a handheld computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the device context comprises traversing a hierarchical tree structure comprising multiple nodes, each node comprising a portion of the device'"'"'s context, the traversing defining a complete context for the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the selecting of the device context information comprises traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the nodes each comprise geographical divisions of the Earth, and the device context comprises a device location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the selecting of the device context information comprises traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the nodes each comprise physical or logical representations, and the device context comprises a device location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the selecting of the device context information comprises traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

assign privacy levels to one or more applications that are configured to call a context service module on the computing device to obtain context information from the context service module;

determine a device context with the context service module using context information that is provided by multiple different context providers, the device context being determined by traversing a hierarchical tree structure comprising multiple nodes, each node comprising a portion of the device'"'"'s context and having a privacy level associated therewith, the traversing defining a complete context for the device;

receive a query from an application that requests context information pertaining to the context of the computing device;

determine a privacy level associated with the application from which the query was received;

select device context information in accordance with the privacy level of the application from which the query was received by traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches or is less than the privacy level of the application from which the query was received; and

return the selected device context information to the application from which the query was received.

11. A mobile computing device embodying the one or more computer-readable media of claim 10.

12. A handheld mobile computing device embodying the one or more computer-readable media of claim 10.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the device context comprises a device location.

14. A method of determining the context of a computing device comprising configuring a computing device with software code that:

determines the device'"'"'s current context;

receives context queries from one or more applications;

determines the source of the queries; and

modulates information that is returned to the application as a function of the application'"'"'s identity and a privacy level assigned thereto.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing device comprises a handheld computing device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the context is determined by using a hierarchical tree structure that is maintained on the device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the context is determined by using a hierarchical tree structure that is maintained on the device, the context being determined by traversing multiple nodes of the tree structure where each node has different context information.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the context is determined by using a hierarchical tree structure that is maintained on the device, the context being determined by traversing multiple nodes of the tree structure where each node has different context information, the context information that is returned to the application being returned from a node that is not an end point of the traversal.

20. A computing device having a processor that is configured to:

determine the device'"'"'s current context;

receive context queries from one or more applications;

determine the source of the queries; and

modulate information that is returned to the application as a function of the application'"'"'s identity and a privacy level assigned thereto.

21. The computing device of claim 20 embodied as a mobile computing device.

22. The computing device of claim 20 embodied as a handheld computing device.

23. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the device'"'"'s current context comprises the device'"'"'s current location.

24. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to determine the device'"'"'s current context by using a hierarchical tree structure that is stored on the device.

25. A computing device comprising:

a computer-readable medium;

a location service module on the computer-readable medium and configured to process information from multiple different location providers to determine the current location of the device, the location service module being configured to receive queries from one or more applications for location information, the applications having individual privacy levels associated therewith; and

a privacy manager module on the device that is configured to;

determine the privacy level that is associated with a particular application from which a query is received;

select location information as a function of the application'"'"'s privacy level; and

return selected location information to the application.

26. The computing device of claim 25 embodied as a mobile computing device.

27. The computing device of claim 25 embodied as a handheld computing device.

28. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the location service module is configured to determine the device location by traversing a hierarchical tree structure comprising multiple nodes, each node comprising a portion of the device'"'"'s location, the traversing defining a complete location for the device.

29. The computing device of claim 28, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the privacy manager module is configured to select the device location information by traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches or is less than the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

30. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the nodes each comprise geographical divisions of the Earth.

31. The computing device of claim 30, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the selecting of the device location information comprises traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

32. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the nodes each comprise physical or logical representations.

33. The computing device of claim 32, wherein each node has a privacy level associated with it, and the selecting of the device context information comprises traversing the hierarchical tree structure to find a node that has a privacy level that matches or is less than the privacy level of the application from which the query was received.

34. A system for determining the context of a computing device comprising:

one or more computing devices;

a location service module on each device and configured to process information from multiple different location providers to determine the current location of the device, the location service module being configured to receive queries from one or more applications for location information, the applications having individual privacy levels associated therewith; and

a privacy manager module operably associated with each device and configured to;

determine the privacy level that is associated with a particular application from which a query is received;

select location information as a function of the application'"'"'s privacy level; and

return selected location information to the application.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the computing device comprises a handheld computing device.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the privacy manager module is located on each device.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the privacy manager module is not located on each device.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the privacy manager module is proxied by a trusted entity.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein a privacy policy for an application can be selected by a user of the device.

41. The system of claim 34, wherein one or more privacy policies for one or more respective applications can be selected by a central administrative authority.