System and method for performing activities based on proximity

• US 8,150,792 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Culler, David E, Hui, Jonathan W
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Paulinho E
• Application Number:
  US12/290,830
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

A system and method applies events to a set of rules, and such rules can produce still other events that can be provided to the same or different set of rules. Rules may have attributes, and all rules or only those with attributes corresponding to an object may be stored for use with a device that has been added to, or is part of, the device.

Claims

1. A method of responding to at least one event, comprising:

wirelessly receiving in a mobile device a first set of rules, at least one of the first set of rules comprising a condition describing a first event corresponding to proximity between two wireless devices and at least one rule comprising a condition not describing a second event corresponding to a proximity between two wireless devices;

detecting a change in proximity between a mobile device and at least one other device;

providing a proximity event responsive to the change detected;

receiving the proximity event provided;

identifying at a first time, a first rule in the first set of rules as the active rule of the first set of rules;

determining whether the condition to the active rule identified is met responsive to the proximity event;

responsive to the condition not being met, continuing to identify the first rule as the active rule of the first set of rules; and

responsive to the condition being met, producing a first outcome specified by the first active rule, and changing the active rule in the first set of rules to a next logical rule in the first set of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

receiving a non proximity event describing an event occurring at an object corresponding to the mobile device;

identifying at a second time the next logical rule as the active rule of the first set of rules;

determining whether the condition corresponding to the next logical rule is met responsive to the proximity event;

responsive to said condition not being met, retaining said next logical rule as the active rule of the first set of rules; and

responsive to said condition being met, producing a second outcome specified by the second active rule and changing the active rule of the first set of rules to a subsequent logical rule.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the non proximity event comprises a detection of a physical event.

4. The method of claim 1:

additionally comprising receiving at least one attribute of at least one object; and

wherein;

the first set of rules comprises at least one attribute; and

the wirelessly receiving step is responsive to at the least one attribute of the first set of rules and the at least one attribute of the at least one object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the change in proximity is responsive to wireless communications between the mobile device and the other device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises an event to be applied to at least one set of at least one rule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one set of at least one rule comprises the first set of rules.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one set of at least one rule comprises a set of at least one rule different from the first set of rules.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises providing a wireless output.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises performing an action.

22. The computer program product of claim 1, additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to:

receive a non proximity event describing an event occurring at an object corresponding to the mobile device;

identify at a second time the next logical rule as the active rule of the first set of rules;

determine whether the condition corresponding to the next logical rule is met responsive to the proximity event;

responsive to said condition not being met, retain said next logical rule as the active rule of the first set of rules; and

responsive to said condition being met, produce a second outcome specified by the second active rule and changing the active rule in the first set of rules to a subsequent logical rule.

23. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises an event to be applied to at least one set of at least one rule.

24. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises providing a wireless output.

25. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the outcome comprises performing an action.

11. A system for responding to at least one event, comprising:

a rule receiver having an input coupled to a radio for wirelessly receiving in a mobile device a first set of rules, at least one rule in the first set of rules comprising a condition describing a first event corresponding to proximity between two wireless devices and at least one rule comprising a condition not describing a second event corresponding to a proximity between two wireless devices, the rule receiver for providing the rule set at an output;

a proximity change detection manager having an input coupled to the radio for receiving wirelessly broadcast proximity information, the proximity change detection manager for detecting a change in proximity between a mobile device and at least one other device and for providing at an output a proximity event responsive to the change detected; and

an event applier having a first input coupled to the proximity change detection manager output for receiving the proximity event provided and a second input coupled to the rule receiver output for receiving the rule set, the event applier for identifying at a first time, a first rule in the first set of rules as active rule in the first set of rules at the event applier second input and for determining whether the condition to the active rule identified is met responsive to the proximity event, and for, responsive to the condition not being met, continuing to identify the first rule as the active rule for the first set of rules, and for, responsive to the condition being met, changing the active rule in the first set of rules to a next logical rule in the first set of rules, and providing at an output an indication that a first outcome should be provided.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the event applier is additionally for receiving at a third input a non proximity event describing an event occurring at an object corresponding to the mobile device, determining whether the condition to the next logical rule is met responsive to the proximity event, responsive to said condition not being met, retaining the state, and responsive to said condition being met, changing the active rule in the first set of rules to a next logical rule, and providing at the event applier output an indication of a second outcome.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non proximity event comprises a detection of a physical event.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the first set of rules comprises at least one attribute; and

the rule receiver additionally comprises an attribute input for receiving at least one attribute of at least one object;

the rule receiver wirelessly receives responsive to at least one attribute of the least one rule and the at least one attribute of the at least one object.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the proximity change detection manager detects the change in proximity responsive to wireless communications between the mobile device and the other device.

16. The system of claim 11, additionally comprising a synthetic event manager having an input coupled to the event applier output, the synthetic event applier for providing at an output an event to be applied to at least one set of at least one rule responsive to the indication received at the synthetic event manager input.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one set of at least one rule comprises the first set of rules.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one set of at least one rule comprises a set of at least one rule different from the first set of rules.

19. The system of claim 11, additionally comprising an output provider manager having an input coupled to the event applier output for receiving the indication, the output provider manager for providing a wireless output responsive to the indication received at the output provider manager input.

20. The system of claim 11, additionally comprising an action performance manager having an input coupled to the event applier output for receiving the indication, the action performance manager for performing an action responsive to the indication received at the action performance manager input.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for responding to at least one event, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer system to:

wirelessly receive in a mobile device a first set of rules, at least one of the first set of rules comprising a condition describing a first event corresponding to proximity between two wireless devices and at least one rule comprising a condition not describing a second event corresponding to a proximity between two wireless devices;

detect a change in proximity between a mobile device and at least one other device;

provide a proximity event responsive to the change detected;

receive the proximity event provided;

identify at a first time, a first rule in the first set of rules as the active rule of the first set of rules;

determine whether the condition to the active rule identified is met responsive to the proximity event;

responsive to the condition not being met, continue to identify the first rule as the active rule of the first set of rules; and

responsive to the condition being met, produce a first outcome specified by the first active rule, and changing the active rule of the first set of rules to a next logical rule in the first set of rules.