Method and system for recalling details regarding past events

• US 7,472,135 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Huuskonen, Pertti
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Miranda
• Application Number:
  US10/273,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707200-201, 707/104.1, 709/201, 709217-224, 709/203, 379/411, 379/210.01, 455/461, 455/433, 717/137, 717/141, 705/1, 705/9, D11/125, D11/127, D11/131, D11/134, D11/157, D11/158, D21576-661, 428 13- 16, 428/39, 428/542.2, 428/542.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Techniques for recalling details regarding past events include identifying information from encountered remote devices, and storing the received identifying information in a proximity log database. An entry (e.g., a phonebook or calendar entry) stored by a personal information management application is accessed, and a query is generated from parameters provided by a personal information management application. Based on this query, the method searches the proximity log database; and receives a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query. The result identifies a past remote device encounter. Heuristics may be employed to infer data from the result.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device for retrieving information related to past events, comprising:

a processor;

an encounter management module including a heuristic engine configured to receive in communication sessions from encountered remote devices identifying information of the encountered remote devices and infer data related to past events from the information;

a proximity log database configured to receive and store automatically entries of the identifying information of prior communication sessions received by the encounter management module for past encountered events between the wireless communication device and the encountered remote device, wherein said heuristics engine is configured to (1) search records in said proximity log database that correspond to events occurring within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result, (2) interact with a calendar application configured to determine a topical context for the past remote device encounters identified by the result, and (3) infer data from entries of past events in the proximity log data base using deductive reasoning and identifies patterns, relationships, and/or interdependencies between entries in the proximity log database;

a personal information management application configured to provide one or more parameters for a query that is related to a past event of encountering devices; and

a recall module configured to search said proximity log database of events according to the query, and to receive a result from said proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies information in the form of details associated with a past remote device encounter event refined by the inferences made by the heuristics engine.

2. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said personal information management application is a phonebook application.

3. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said personal information management application is a calendar application.

4. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the heuristics engine determines the topical context by indicating a topic of an appointment scheduled within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result.

5. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said encounter management module is configured to receive a unique remote device identifier through a link level connection and additional information through a higher layer protocol session.

6. The wireless communications device of claim 5, wherein the link level connection is a Bluetooth connection.

7. The wireless communications device of claim 5, wherein the higher protocol layer session is an application level session.

8. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a vCard.

9. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein said encounter management module searches information related to encounters involving higher layer protocol sessions before searching information related to encounters involving only link level connections.

10. The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the identifying information received from the encountered remote devices includes a device identifier for each encountered remote device.

11. The wireless communications device of claim 10, wherein the device identifier for each encountered remote device is received across a short-range wireless communications link with the corresponding encountered remote device.

12. A method of retrieving information related to past events from a wireless communications device, comprising:

receiving from encountered remote devices including a heuristics engine configured to receive in communication sessions from encountered remote devices identifying information of past events of the encountered remote devices and infer data of event details from the information and supplementary data, wherein said inferring step comprises (1) searching records in the proximity log database that correspond to events occurring within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result, and (2) determining a topical context of the past remote device encounter by indicating a tonic of an appointment within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result;

receiving and storing automatically the received identifying information in a proximity log database configured to store automatically entries of the identifying information of prior communication sessions received by an encounter management module for past encountered events between the wireless communication device and the encountered remote device, wherein the heuristics engine infers data of event details from entries in the proximity log data base using deductive reasoning and identifies patterns, relationships, and/or interdependencies between entries in the proximity log database;

accessing an entry of past events of encountering devices stored in the proximity database by a personal information management application; and

generating a query that is related to a past event from one or more query parameters of encountering devices provided by the personal information management application;

searching the proximity log database according to the query; and

obtaining a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies information of details associated with a past remote device encounter refined by inferences made by the heuristics engine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said receiving step comprises receiving a unique remote device identifier through a link level connection and additional information through a higher layer protocol session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the link level connection is a Bluetooth connection.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the higher protocol layer session is an application level session.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional information includes a vCard.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said searching step comprises searching information related to encounters involving higher layer protocol sessions before searching information related to encounters involving only link level connections.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the personal information management application is a phonebook application.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the personal information management application is a calendar application.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the identifying information from the encountered remote devices includes receiving a device identifier for each encountered remote device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the device identifier for each encountered remote device is received across a short-range wireless communications link with the corresponding encountered remote device.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein said storing step comprises storing the received identifying information in a remote server.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a wireless communications device to retrieve information related to past events, the computer program logic comprising:

program code for enabling the processor to receive from encountered remote devices identifying information of the encountered remote devices, and a heuristics engine configured to receive in communication sessions from the encountered remote devices identifying information of past events of the encountered remote devices and infer data of event details from the information;

program code for enabling the processor to store automatically in a proximity database entries of the identifying information of prior communication sessions received by an encounter management module for past encountered events between the wireless communication device and the encountered remote device, wherein the heuristics engine (1) searches records in said proximity log database that correspond to events occurring within a predetermined time interval of the past remote device encounter identified by the result, (2) interacts with a calendar application configured to determine a topical context for the past remote device encounters identified by the result, and (3) infers data from entries in the proximity log data base using deductive reasoning and identifies patterns, relationships, and/or interdependencies between entries in the proximity log database;

program code for enabling the processor to access an entry of past events of encountering devices stored in the proximity log data base by a personal information management application;

program code for enabling the processor to generate a query that is related to a past event from one or more query parameters of encountering devices provided by a personal information management application;

program code for enabling the processor to search the proximity log database according to the query; and

program code for enabling the processor to receive a result from the proximity log database as a response to the query, wherein the result identifies information of details associated with a past remote device encounter, refined by inferences made by the heuristics engine.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the identifying information received from the encountered remote devices includes a device identifier for each encountered remote device.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the device identifier for each encountered remote device is received across a short-range wireless communications link with the corresponding encountered remote device.