Context conflict resolution and automatic context source maintenance

• US 7,487,234 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sundstrom, Robert J., Kovales, Renee M., Doss, J. Smith, Pozefsky, Diane P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh
• Application Number:
  US10/245,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/228, 709/220, 709/223, 709/217, 709/227, 707/10, 703/27, 703/26, 345/357, 713/201, 370/412
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for detecting and resolving conflicts in context information from various sources. That information may be used to automatically update one or more context sources and/or to validate or invalidate (until further notice or for a period of time) input from one or more context sources. Or, the updates can be made in response to the user'"'"'s instructions. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to dictate the conflict resolution approach for individual users. Updating the context source is particularly useful when the source is an electronic calendar. Updates that may be made to the calendar include adding, deleting, or changing scheduled events and/or working hours. Invalidating data from a context source is particularly useful for lost, forgotten, misplaced, or loaned devices. Marking data from a context source as valid is preferably done when harmony among several context sources is detected. Context suppliers may be notified of errors or discrepancies in their context data.

Claims

1. A method of resolving conflicts in context information, comprising steps of:

gathering context information for a user from a plurality of context sources;

determining whether a conflict exists in the gathered context information; and

if a conflict is determined to exist, resolving the determined conflict, further comprising the steps of;

evaluating a set o fuser-customizable conflict-resolution rules to select at least one rule that is usable for resolving the determined conflict; and

performing each of at least one conflict-resolution actions specified by each of the selected rules, wherein at least one of the conflict-resolution actions updates one of the context sources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gathering step is triggered by detecting a context change pertaining to the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of ignoring, by the gathering step, any context information from any of the context sources which are marked as invalid.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of ignoring, by the determining step, any context information from any of the context sources marked as invalid.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updated context source is the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the update comprises at least one of adding, deleting, or changing at least one event on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the update comprises at least one of adding, deleting, or changing working hours on the user'"'"'s electronic calendar.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conflict-resolution actions comprises marking one of the context sources as invalid.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the marking of the context source as invalid is effective until an ending time.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the marking of the context source as invalid is effective for a duration of time.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the marking of the context source as invalid is effective until further notice.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of marking a particular one of the context sources as valid, wherein the particular one was previously marked as invalid, upon detecting harmony among the context sources.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conflict-resolution actions comprises notifying a context supplier of the determined conflict.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises the step of using location data gathered from two or more of the context sources to determine whether the conflict exists.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conflict-resolution actions comprises requesting the user to select from among a plurality of conflict-resolution actions specified by one of the selected rules.