Techniques for determining communication state using accelerometer data

• US 7,764,641 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelton, Gregory, Moon, Billy
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US11/052,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,998 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 4554561-457, 455/404.2, 455/41.2, 370/310, 370/328, 370331-332, 370/338, 340/539.13, 340/539.23, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Techniques for communicating with a user on a network include receiving acceleration data that indicates acceleration of a mobile network node associated with a user of a network. The user is a living user of the network or a vehicular user of the network. A communication state for the user is determined based at least in part on the acceleration data. The communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user. Network communications with the user are based on the communication state. Among other uses, such techniques allow a network communicating with a human through a mobile node carried by the human to infer from stopped or unusual motions when the human'"'"'s ability to receive or act on communications is impaired or otherwise affected.

Claims

1. A method for communicating over a network, comprising:

receiving, at a first network node, acceleration data that indicates acceleration of a different mobile network node associated with at least one of a user of the network and a vehicular user of the network, wherein the acceleration data includes a measured acceleration of the different mobile network node;

electronically identifying a particular one of multiple different user activities according to the acceleration data;

electronically determining a communication state based at least in part on the identified particular one of the different user activities, wherein the communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the mobile network node; and

electronically causing a particular type of network communications with the mobile network node based on the communication state.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying a particular type of communication state of the user based on the identified particular one of the different user activities and conducting the particular type of network communications with the mobile network node based on the identified particular type of communication state of the user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying the particular one of the different user activities by comparing an acceleration pattern in the acceleration data with stored acceleration patterns.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein causing the network communications further comprises configuring a second network node to support the particular type of network communications suitable for communicating with the mobile network node.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing the network communications further comprises:

determining a particular network policy among a plurality of network policies based on the communication state; and

causing network communications based on the particular network policy.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein configuring the second network node further comprises:

determining an appropriate maximum transmission unit (MTU) size for data packets to be communicated to the mobile network node; and

configuring the second network node to use the appropriate MTU.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein configuring the second network node further comprises;

determining whether the communication state indicates a persistently motionless user; and

if it is determined that the communication state indicates a persistently motionless user, then causing reduced services to the mobile network node.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein causing reduced services to the mobile network node further comprises causing only unclassified material to be presented at the mobile network node.

9. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein configuring the second network node further comprises:

determining whether the communication state indicates an abnormally moving user; and

if it is determined that the communication state indicates an abnormally moving user, then causing diagnostic services to be requested from the mobile network node.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining a communication state further comprises:

determining a particular characteristic of the acceleration data;

matching the particular characteristic to a particular stored acceleration data characteristic of a plurality of stored acceleration data characteristics that are associated with a corresponding plurality of user activities; and

determining the communication state based at least in part on a type of network communication suitable for communicating with a user engaging in a particular user activity associated with the particular stored acceleration data characteristic.

11. A method for communicating over a network, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile network node, acceleration data that indicates acceleration of the mobile network node associated with at least one of a vehicular and non-vehicular acceleration;

sending, to a first network node different from the mobile network node, first data based on the acceleration data; and

performing network communications with a second network node different from the mobile network node based on the first data;

determining a particular characteristic of the acceleration data;

matching the particular characteristic to a particular stored acceleration data characteristic of a plurality of stored acceleration data characteristics that are associated with a corresponding plurality of user activities; and

determining a communication state based at least in part on a type of network communication suitable for communicating with a user engaging in a particular user activity associated with the particular stored acceleration data characteristic.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising communicating with the mobile network node based on the first data.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sending first data further comprises sending raw data received from an accelerometer associated with the mobile network node.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sending first data further comprises processing raw data received from an accelerometer associated with the mobile network node to form the first data.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the mobile network node and further comprises including the communication state in the first data.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein performing network communications further comprises configuring the mobile network node to support the indicated type of suitable network communication.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the second network node is the same as the first network node.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the second network node is different from the first network node.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein performing network communications further comprises:

determining a particular network policy among a plurality of network policies based on the communication state; and

performing network communications based on the particular network policy.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein performing network communications further comprises receiving reduced network services from the second network node based on the first data.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein receiving reduced network services further comprises receiving only unclassified material from the second network node.

22. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein performing network communications further comprises receiving from the second network node a request for diagnostic services based on the first data.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

a network interface that is coupled to a network for communicating one or more packet flows therewith;

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable media; and

one or more sequences of instructions carried by the computer-readable media, which, when executed by the one or more processors, comprise;

receiving acceleration data that indicates acceleration of a mobile network node associated with at least one of a vehicular acceleration and user acceleration;

determining a particular characteristic of the acceleration data;

matching the particular characteristic to a particular stored acceleration data characteristic;

determining a communication state based at least in part on a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the mobile network node and the particular stored acceleration data characteristic; and

causing communications with the mobile network node to be based on the communication state.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 23, further comprising configuring a particular network node to support the type of network communication suitable for communicating with the mobile network node.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular network node is the same as the apparatus.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular network node is different from the apparatus.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein causing communications further comprises:

determining a particular network policy among a plurality of network policies based on the communication state; and

causing communications to be based on the particular network policy.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein configuring the particular network node further comprises:

determining an appropriate maximum transmission unit (MTU) size for data packets to be communicated to the mobile network node; and

configuring the particular network node to use the appropriate MTU.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein configuring the particular network node further comprises:

determining whether the communication state indicates a persistently motionless mobile network node; and

if it is determined that the communication state indicates a persistently motionless mobile network node, then causing reduced services to be provided to the mobile network node.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein causing reduced services to the mobile network node further comprises causing only unclassified material to be presented at the mobile network node.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein configuring the particular network node further comprises:

determining whether the communication state indicates an abnormally moving mobile network node; and

if it is determined that the communication state indicates an abnormally moving mobile network node, then causing diagnostic services to be requested from the mobile network node.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors;

an accelerometer configured to measure acceleration of the apparatus and send raw accelerometer data to the one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable media; and

one or more sequences of instructions carried by the computer-readable media, which, when executed by the one or more processors, comprise;

receiving the raw accelerometer data;

sending, to a first network node, first data based on the accelerometer data;

performing network communications with a second network node based on the first data; and

communicating through the network interface with the second network node based on the first data.

33. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further comprise:

determining whether sensitive data carried on the computer-readable media should be deleted based at least in part on the first data; and

if it is determined that sensitive data carried on the computer-readable media should be deleted, then deleting the sensitive data from the computer-readable media.

34. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions further comprise receiving communication state data from the first network node, wherein the communication state data indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the second network node.

35. The apparatus as recited in claim 34, wherein communicating through the network interface further comprises configuring the network interface to support the type of network communication suitable for communicating with the second network node.

36. The apparatus as recited in claim 34, wherein communicating through the network interface further comprises:

determining a particular network policy among a plurality of network policies based on the communication state; and

communicating through the network interface based on the particular network policy.

37. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, further comprising communicating with a user based on the first data.

38. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein sending first data further comprises sending raw data received from the accelerometer.

39. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein sending first data further comprises processing raw data received from the accelerometer to form the first data.

40. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein sending first data further comprises:

determining a communication state for a user based at least in part on the acceleration data, wherein the communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user; and

including the communication state in the first data.

41. The apparatus as recited in claim 40, wherein performing network communications further comprises configuring the second network node to support the type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user.

42. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein the second network node is the same as the first network node.

43. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein the second network node is different from the first network node.

44. The apparatus as recited in claim 40, wherein performing network communications further comprises:

determining a particular network policy among a plurality of network policies based on the communication state; and

performing network communications based on the particular network policy.

45. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein performing network communications further comprises receiving reduced network services from the second network node based on the first data.

46. The apparatus as recited in claim 45, wherein receiving reduced network services further comprises receiving only unclassified material from the second network node.

47. The apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein performing network communications further comprises receiving from the second network node a request for user diagnostic services based on the first data.

48. The apparatus as recited in claim 40, wherein determining a communication state for the user further comprises:

determining a particular characteristic of the acceleration data; and

matching the particular characteristic to a particular stored acceleration data characteristic of a plurality of stored acceleration data characteristics that are associated with a corresponding plurality of user activities; and

determining the communication state based at least in part on the type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user engaging in a particular user activity associated with the particular stored acceleration data characteristic.

49. An apparatus for communicating on a network, comprising:

means for receiving acceleration data that indicates a measured acceleration of a mobile network node associated with at least one of a user of the network and a vehicular user of the network;

means for matching a particular characteristic in the acceleration data with a particular stored acceleration data characteristic of a plurality of stored acceleration data characteristics that are associated with a corresponding plurality of user activities;

means for determining a communication state for the user based at least in part on a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user engaging in a particular user activity associated with the particular stored acceleration data characteristic, wherein the communication state indicates the type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user; and

means for performing network communications with the mobile network node based on the communication state.