Supplying notifications related to supply and consumption of user context data

• US 7,739,607 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robarts, James O., Newell, Dan, Abbott, Kenneth H., Freedman, Joshua M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US11/559,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 715734-747, 706 45- 61, 719/318
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations, the providing includes receiving from a module a request related to the modeling of the current state with the multiple state attributes. In such situations, the providing further includes, without further intervention related to the request by the module, determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request cannot currently be satisfied, monitoring at later times after the indicating to determine whether the request can be satisfied, and indicating to the module that the request can be satisfied if it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing information about a current activity of a user that is modeled with multiple state attributes, the method comprising:

employing a processor executing computer executable instructions to implement the following acts;

receiving, by a mediator module, from a consumer module a request related to the modeling of the current activity of the user with at least one attribute of user activity of the multiple state attributes, wherein the consumer module registers with the mediator module to receive the at least one attribute of the user activity when the at least one attribute becomes available;

without further intervention related to the request by the consumer module,

determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied by at least one server that provides at least one value related to a physical environment of the user, wherein the at least one value is used by the mediator module to derive the at least one attribute of the user activity to model the current activity of the user, and notifying the consumer module that the request cannot currently be satisfied;

after the notifying, monitoring, by the consumer module, values related to the physical environment of the user provided by the at least one server at later times to determine whether the request can be satisfied; and

when it is determined at one of the later times that the request can currently be satisfied,

selecting, by the mediator module, a value of the at least one value related to the physical environment of the user to derive the at least one attribute of the user activity to satisfy the request, and

notifying the consumer module that the request can be satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving from the consumer module an indication of a condition related to a value of the at least one attribute of the multistate attributes such that the consumer module desires to know when the condition has been satisfied;

detecting changes in the value of the at least one attribute to determine whether the condition is satisfied; and

when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, notifying the consumer module that the condition is satisfied.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the condition relates to the at least one attribute having a specified value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one server is a source of values for the at least one attribute of the multistate attributes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the consumer module is a consumer of values for the at least one attribute of the multistate attributes.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the consumer module comprises a client module, and the request is from the client module for a value of a specified state attribute such that no sources are currently available to supply values for the specified state attribute value.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a value for the specified state attribute is received.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a source indicates an ability to supply values for the specified state attribute.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the indicating to the client module that the request can be satisfied involves sending the requested value to the client module.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the consumer module comprises a client module, the request is from the client module for a value of a specified state attribute of the multistate attributes that satisfies a specified criteria, and wherein each of sources comprising the at least one server currently available to supply values for the specified state attribute are unable to supply a value for the specified state attribute that satisfies the specified criteria.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the monitoring involves detecting when a value for the specified state attribute is received.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the monitoring involves repeatedly requesting at least one of the sources to supply a value for the specified state attribute.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the specified criteria is that the requested value come from a specified source that is not currently available to supply state attribute values, and wherein the monitoring involves detecting that the specified source is able to supply values for the specified state attribute.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one server registers with the mediator module to send a supplied value of of the at least one value related to the physical environment of the user, via the mediator module, to the consumer module comprising a specified client that is not currently available to receive the at least one attribute of user activity.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one server registers with the mediator module and sends a request to send the at least one value related to the physical environment of the user, via the mediator module, to the consumer module comprising at least one client, and wherein the registering is at a time when no clients of the at least one client that have an interest in receiving values for the at least one attribute of user activity are currently available to receive the values for the at least one attribute.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein determining that the request from the at least one server to send the at least one value related to the physical environment of the user can be satisfied is based on receiving an indication from a client of the at least one client of an interest in receiving at least one value for the at least one attribute.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing a method of providing information about a current activity of a user that is represented with multiple attributes, the method comprising:

receiving, by a mediator module, from a consumer module a request related to the modeling of the current activity of the user with at least one attribute of user activity of the multiple attributes, wherein the consumer module registers with the mediator module to receive the at least one attribute of the user activity when the at least one attribute becomes available;

without further input from the consumer module related to the request, indicating to the consumer module a determination that the request cannot currently be satisfied, wherein the request cannot currently be satisfied by at least one sensor that provides at least one value related to a physical environment of the user, and wherein the at least one value is used by the mediator module to derive the at least one attribute of the user activity to model the current activity of the use;

after the indicating, monitoring, by the consumer module, values related to the physical environment of the user provided by the at least one sensor to determine whether the request can be satisfied; and

when it is determined that the request can currently be satisfied,

selecting, by the mediator module, a value of the at least one value related to the physical environment of the user to derive the at least one attribute of the user activity to satisfy the request, and

indicating to the consumer module that the request can be satisfied.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the consumer module comprises at least one of consumes of context information about a current state of a user of a wearable computer.

18. A computing device for providing information about a current activity of a user that is represented with multiple attributes, comprising:

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

an attribute request receiver component that is capable of receiving from a client module a request related to the modeling of the current activity of the user with at least one higher level of abstraction attribute of user activity the multiple state attributes, wherein the client module registers with the attribute request receiver component to receive the at least one higher level of abstraction attribute of the user activity when the at least one higher level of abstraction attribute becomes available; and

an attribute request satisfier component that is capable of, without further input from the client module related to the request;

determining that the request cannot currently be satisfied by the attribute request satisfier that provides at least one value for at least one lower level of abstraction attribute related to a physical environment of the user, wherein the at least one value is used by the attribute request receiver to derive the at least one higher level of abstraction attribute to model the current activity of the user,

indicating to the client module the determination that the request cannot currently be satisfied,

automatically monitoring, by the an attribute request receiver, values for the at least one lower level of abstraction attribute provided by the attribute request satisfier to determine whether the request can be satisfied after the indicating, and

indicating to the client module that the request can be satisfied after it is determined that the request can currently be satisfied.

19. The computing device of claim 18 further comprising multiple sources and multiple clients executing in memory.