Resource availability for user activities across devices

• US 7,620,610 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Oliver, Nuria M., Czerwinski, Mary P., Murillo, Oscar E., Fernandez, Roland L., Robertson, George G., Macbeth, Steven W., Tan, Desney S., Meyers, Brian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERNANDEZ RIVAS, OMAR F
• Application Number:
  US11/426,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/14, 706/16, 706/20, 706/21, 706/45, 706/903, 706/906, 706/926, 715/700, 715/701, 715/733, 715/734, 715/737, 715/738, 715/741, 715/745, 715/965, 705/1, 705/8, 705/9, 705/11, 709/203, 709/209, 709/219, 709/227, 709/248
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system that can integrate activities across machines and/or devices is disclosed. The innovation can be used in an “asynchronous” manner that enables a user to move or direct a set of activities and/or tasks within an activity from one device to another. Further, the system can facilitate adapting user interface factors with respect to a particular device such that a user can “synchronously” utilize all devices for the given activities and/or tasks. In other words, the “synchronous” scenario enables a user to share activity information between devices when simultaneously utilizing multiple devices in accordance with a particular activity.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates activity-centric computing, comprising:

at least one processor that executes the following computer executable components stored on at least one computer readable medium;

a receiving component that accepts activity information established based on activity performed by a user on a first device;

an activity roaming component that stores the activity information, the activity information including at least one of an associated resource or a state, the activity roaming component making the activity information available to at least one activity-enabled target device different from the first device; and

an activity processing component that determines a task of an activity based upon the activity information and delegates the task to the at least one activity-enabled target device different from the first device, to continue, by the user or another user on the target device, the activity performed on the first device.

2. The system of claim 1, the activity processing component includes a task delegation component that assigns the task to a plurality of activity-enabled devices.

3. The system of claim 2, the activity processing component further comprises an activity state determination component that establishes a state of the activity, the activity processing component employs the state to assign the task to the plurality of activity-enabled devices.

4. The system of claim 2, the activity processing component further comprises a device control component that selects the at least one activity-enabled target device from a plurality of available devices.

5. The system of claim 4, the device control component further comprises a synchronization component that synchronizes the activity information between a subset of the plurality of available devices.

6. The system of claim 4, the device control component further comprises a security component that manages access to data related to the activity based at least in part upon one of a user role, a security policy and data confidentiality.

7. The system of claim 4, the device control component further comprises a functionality scaling component that at least one of limits and expands functionality of an application related to the activity with respect to the at least one activity-enabled target device.

8. The system of claim 2, the receiving component further gathers context information;

the activity processing component employs the context information to delegate the task to the at least one activity-enabled target device.

9. The system of claim 8, the context information is at least one of an activity context, an environment context, a user context, a device profile, a user profile and a group profile.

10. The system of claim 2, the task delegation component employs a learned model to delegate the task to the at least one activity-enabled target device.

11. The system of claim 10, the learned model is established via a machine learning and reasoning (MLR) mechanism.

12. The system of claim 11, the MLR mechanism employs at least one of supervised, unsupervised or semi-supervised methods to acquire the learned model.

13. A computer-implemented method of accomplishing an activity via a plurality of devices, comprising:

employing a processor to execute computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium to perform the following acts;

receiving activity information corresponding to a set of actions taken by a user on a first device;

determining a state of the activity based at least in part upon the activity information, the state identifies a plurality of tasks related to the activity;

aggregating at least one of state information or resource information associated with the activity information on an intermediate device;

determining a plurality of activity-enabled devices based on at least in part on the state of the activity;

identifying a subset of the plurality of tasks based at least in part on device availability;

delegating the subset of the plurality of tasks to a subset of the plurality of activity-enabled devices;

via the intermediate device, making aggregated information available to the subset of the plurality of activity-enabled devices; and

synchronizing the delegated tasks with the set of actions taken by the user on the first device, for continuing, by the user or another user, the activity on the subset of the plurality of activity-enabled devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising gathering context data, the act of delegating a subset of the plurality of tasks employs the context data to determine the subset of the plurality of activity-enabled devices.

15. The method of claim 14, the context data is at least one of an activity context, an environment context, a user context, a device profile, a user profile and a group profile.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising suggesting at least one of the plurality of activity-enabled devices based at least in part upon a device profile.

17. A system that facilitates collaboration among a plurality of activity-enabled devices, comprising:

at least one processor that executes the following computer executable components stored on at least one computer readable medium;

means for determining a state of an activity corresponding to a set of actions taken by a user on a first device;

means for aggregating activity information including the state of the activity on a second device; and

means for automatically transferring aggregated activity information to an activity-enabled target device different from the first device and the second device, for continuing the activity by the user or another user on the target device, based at least in part upon the aggregated activity information.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for synchronizing data associated with the activity onto a subset of the plurality of activity-enabled devices.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for suggesting the activity-enabled device based at least in part upon a device profile.

20. A method of supporting a computer-assisted activity, comprising:

employing a processor to execute computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium to perform the following acts;

receiving activity information corresponding to a set of user actions associated with a computer-assisted activity by a user on a first computing device;

logging the activity information to a data store;

transferring the logged activity information to a server for aggregating user log information; and

via the server, making resources associated with the logged activity information available to a second computing device, for continuing the computer-assisted activity by the user or another user using the second computing device.