Context aware systems and methods utilizing hierarchical tree structures

• US 7,743,074 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Holtgrewe, Burdette J., Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal, Evans, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US09/544,253
• Time in Patent Office: 3,730 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707/802, 707/803, 707/806, 455/456.2, 455/22, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 709/246
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Context-aware computing systems and methods are described. In particular embodiments, location aware systems and methods are described. In the described embodiments, hierarchical tree structures are utilized to ascertain a device context or location. The tree structures can be stored on or accessible to mobile or stationary computing devices so that the devices can determine their own particular context or location. In one embodiment, one of the tree structures comprises a Master World tree structure that contains nodes that represent geographical divisions of the Earth. Another of the tree structures can comprise a so-called Secondary World that contains nodes that represent physical or logical entities that are organization or company specific views of the world. A computing device can automatically determine its context or location by ascertaining a node on one or more of the tree structures and then traversing the tree structure to ascertain the complete context. Once a context or location is ascertained, goods or services associated with the context or location can be accessed.

Claims

1. A system for determining context comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable media encoded with;

a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a first context, wherein the first hierarchical tree structure resides on the one or more computer-readable storage media and the first hierarchical tree structure comprises a standardized view of the Earth and a plurality of attributes, one of which comprising information that pertains to the tree with which the node is associated;

a second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a second context, wherein the second hierarchical tree structure resides on the one or more computer-readable storage media and the at least one second hierarchical tree structure comprises a plurality of attributes, one of which comprising information that pertains to the tree with which the node is associated and an organization-specific view of a portion of the Earth, the organization-specific view comprising a physical/logical entity that links into specific portions of the Earth and the organization-specific view has no context outside of the organization, wherein the second hierarchical tree structures comprise a plurality of nodes, wherein each node is assigned an organization-specific proprietary identifier; and

one node from the second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete context to be derived from the first and second contexts, individual nodes having unique IDs that serve as a basis by which attributes are assigned to goods or services, wherein attributes assigned to goods or services comprise a relative importance that identifies geographic importance relative to a region;

said multiple nodes comprising parent and children nodes, wherein some of the parent nodes and their associated children nodes having IDs that are unique for the associated node.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second contexts comprise a location context.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure comprise geographical divisions of the Earth.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the nodes of the second hierarchical tree structure comprise physical and/or logical entities.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a universal resource locator (URL).

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more goods or services associated with one or more of the nodes of the second hierarchical tree structure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage media is embodied on a mobile computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage media is embodied on a desktop device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage media is embodied a handheld mobile computing device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage media is accessible to a computing device via the Internet.

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

access first and second hierarchical tree structures, each tree structure comprising multiple nodes and a plurality of attributes, wherein a plurality comprises information that pertains to the tree with which the node is associated, the nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure being associated with a first location context, the nodes of the second hierarchical tree structure being associated with a second location context and each node of the second hierarchical tree structure being assigned an organization-specific proprietary identifier, a node of the second hierarchical tree structure being linked with a node of the first hierarchical tree structure; and

traverse a node of each tree structure to derive a location context, a node in a traversal path that leads to a root node of the second hierarchical tree structure being linked with a node of the first hierarchical tree structure, individual nodes having unique IDs that serve as a basis by which attributes are assigned to goods or services, wherein attributes assigned to goods or services comprise a relative importance that identifies geographic importance relative to a region, said multiple nodes comprising parent and children nodes, wherein some of the parent nodes and their associated children nodes having IDs that are unique for the associated node.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the computing device automatically determines the computing device location context.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a handheld computing device.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a desktop device.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a handheld computing device that automatically determines the handheld computing device location context.

17. A computer-implemented method of building context-aware data structures comprising:

receiving, by a particular computing device, input from a source that specifies information pertaining to physical and/or logical entities;

processing the information to define a hierarchical tree structure having a context, the tree structure comprising multiple nodes each of which represent a separate physical or logical entity, said multiple nodes comprising parent and children nodes, wherein some of the parent nodes and their associated children nodes having IDs that are unique for the associated node;

linking a node of the multiple nodes to a node of another tree structure having a context and multiple nodes that represent physical and/or logical entities, individual nodes comprising;

a unique ID that serve as a basis by which attributes are assigned to goods or services, wherein attributes assigned to goods or services comprise a relative importance that identifies geographic importance relative to a region; and

an organization-specific proprietary identifier;

the tree structures being configured for traversal in a manner that enables context to be derived from one or more of the nodes wherein each of the hierarchical tree structures comprise a plurality of attributes, wherein a plurality comprises information that pertains to the tree with which a node is associated.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the context that is derived comprises a location context.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement the method of claim 17.

20. A system for determining context comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media encoded with;

a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a first context, wherein the first hierarchical tree structure resides on the one or more computer-readable storage media and the first hierarchical tree structure comprises a standardized view of the Earth;

a second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a second context, wherein the second hierarchical tree structure resides on the one or more computer-readable storage media and the second hierarchical tree structure comprises an organization-specific view of a portion of the Earth, the organization-specific view comprising a physical/logical entity that links into specific portions of the Earth and the organization-specific view has no context outside of the organization, wherein the second hierarchical tree structures comprise a plurality of nodes, wherein each node is assigned an organization-specific proprietary identifier; and

a node from the second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete context to be derived from the first and second contexts, individual nodes having unique IDs that serve as a basis by which attributes are assigned to goods or services, wherein attributes assigned to goods or services comprise a relative importance that identifies geographic importance relative to a region;

said multiple nodes comprising parent and children nodes, wherein some of the parent nodes and their associated children nodes having IDs that are unique for the associated node;

wherein the nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure comprise geographical divisions of the Earth;

wherein the first and the at least one second hierarchical tree structures comprise a plurality of attributes, wherein a plurality comprises information that pertains to the tree with which the node is associated.