Techniques using captured information

• US 8,082,276 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reyes, August de los, Henderson, Paul E., Panabaker, Ruston
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US11/650,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/912 Applications of a database

Abstract

Techniques are provided utilizing captured information. The captured information includes at least one of audio and image information. In response to connecting a capture device including the captured information to another device, the captured information is downloaded to the other device, a text portion is formed corresponding to the captured information, and at least a portion of the captured information and text portion is stored. A selected action is automatically performed using at least one of the text portion and the captured information.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing captured information, executed via a processing unit on a computing device comprising a memory whereon computer-executable instructions comprising the method are stored, comprising:

in response to connecting a first device to a second device, the first device is a capture device comprising captured information, the captured information comprising one or more of audio information and image information, converting at least a portion of the captured information to text-based information;

the second device recognizing a text pattern of the text-based information and selecting a desired action to be performed by the second device using an inference engine to compare at least some of the text pattern against a list of enabled actions based at least in part on at least one rule specification defining a data pattern, the data pattern applicable to at least a first instance of text and a second instance of text, the first instance of text different than and not a repeat of the second instance of text; and

automatically performing the selected desired action using at least some of the captured information, performing the selected desired action comprising;

determining if at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number;

if a determination is made that at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number, determining if the name corresponds to an existing name in an address book; and

if a determination is made that the name corresponds to the existing name in the address book, adding the phone number to an address book entry associated with the existing name.

2. The method of claim 1, the at least some of the recognized text pattern comprising query terms and the desired action comprising performing a search query.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising capturing the captured information while the first device is connected to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising recognizing the text pattern based at least in part on a syntactic rule.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

enabling an automated action selection mode that causes an automated selection of the desired action based on at least one inference from the at least some recognized text pattern, the automated action selection mode configured to be selectively disabled.

6. The method of claim 5, the at least one inference determined using one or more of:

text-based syntax rules; and

text-based formatting.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising copying the captured information from the first device to the second device, the converting at least a portion of the captured information into text-based information performed automatically in response to connecting the first device to the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, performing the selected desired action comprising:

specifying user account information for a website location; and

posting at least a portion of the recognized text pattern to the website location.

9. The method of claim 1, performing the selected desired action comprising invoking an application on the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, performing the selected desired action comprising transmitting at least a portion of the recognized text pattern to one or more of:

an email application;

an electronic calendar application; and

a search engine.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising recognizing the text pattern based at least in part a contextual rule.

12. The method of claim 1, the captured information comprising one or more portions of the audio information, respective portions of the audio information used in connection with performing separate actions.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising storing resulting information on the capture device from performing the desired action.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed at least in part via a processing unit on a computer perform acts, comprising:

in response to connecting a first device to a second device, the first device is a capture device comprising captured information, the captured information comprising one or more of audio information and image information, converting at least a portion of the captured information to text-based information;

the second device recognizing a text pattern of the text-based information and selecting a desired action to be performed by the second device using an inference engine to compare at least some of the text pattern against a list of enabled actions based at least in part on at least one rule specification defining a data pattern, the data pattern applicable to at least a first instance of text and a second instance of text, the first instance of text different than and not a repeat of the second instance of text; and

automatically performing the selected desired action using at least some of the captured information, performing the selected desired action comprising;

determining if at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number;

if a determination is made that at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number, determining if the name corresponds to an existing name in an address book; and

if a determination is made that the name corresponds to the existing name in the address book, adding the phone number to an address book entry associated with the existing name.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising capturing the captured information while the first device is connected to the second device.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising recognizing the text pattern based at least in part on a syntactic rule.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising recognizing the text pattern based at least in part on a contextual rule.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the captured information comprising one or more portions of the audio information, respective portions of the audio information used in connection with performing separate actions.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising storing resulting information on the capture device from performing the desired action.

20. A system for utilizing captured information, comprising:

one or more computer based components configured to;

in response to connecting a first device to a second device, the first device is a capture device comprising captured information, the captured information comprising one or more of audio information and image information, convert at least a portion of the captured information to text-based information;

recognize a text pattern of the text-based information and select a desired action to be performed by the second device using an inference engine to compare at least some of the text pattern against a list of enabled actions based at least in part on at least one rule specification defining a data pattern, the data pattern applicable to at least a first instance of text and a second instance of text, the first instance of text different than and not a repeat of the second instance of text; and

automatically perform the selected desired action using at least some of the captured information, performing the selected desired action comprising;

determining if at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number;

if a determination is made that at least one of the first instance of text and the second instant of text comprises characters corresponding to a name and numbers corresponding to a phone number, determining if the name corresponds to an existing name in an address book; and

if a determination is made that the name corresponds to the existing name in the address book, adding the phone number to an address book entry associated with the existing name.