Programming techniques for distributed multi-party networks

• US 8,185,599 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kansal, Aman, Zhao, Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US11/787,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/211, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/211
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Architecture for programming in a distributed computing environment where different components of a system are owned or controlled by different entities and heterogeneous in terms of resource availability and a willingness to share. Multiple devices can be programmed when a task requires human intervention. Method are described for using a tolerance level provided by the application developer to control the execution of the application instructions at multiple devices with varying resources, and for using an involvement level provided by the sensor or computing device owner for the purpose of automatically adapting the execution of application code at multiple devices to suit the individual owner'"'"'s willingness to share resources, and the capabilities of resources available with that owner. Code distribution allows an application developed by one entity to be distributed to multiple devices owned by multiple entities, where each of the entities has varying connectivity, resource availability, and sharing willingness.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a network-based sensing component for accessing sensors of a multi-party network based on willingness of sensor owners to allow sensor data of the sensors to be accessed and shared at specific points in time, the multi-party network comprising a network that uses at least sensing and computational resources of multiple mobile devices owned by different sensor owners, the willingness of the sensor owner to share the data and the resources further comprises capacity of the sensors to provide the data and availability of device resources, the willingness and the capacity based on involvement level data as a set of numbers that quantify a degree of participation of at least one of the sensor owner or sensors of the owner to provide sensor data and resources;

a task component for selecting the sensors of the multi-party network via the sensing component to access in accordance with execution of a task;

a programming component for generating the task, the task including command parameters for execution by the task component against the sensors; and

a processor that executes computer-executable instructions associated with at least one of the sensing component, task component, or programming component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile devices of the multi-party network include at least one of cell phones having one or more phone sensors or in-situ sensor systems having one or more system sensors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the programming component is part of a centralized programming environment via which a consumer can access and develop a program for execution of the command parameters against the sensors.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is associated with a client via which the command parameters are executed to obtain sensor data, and via which the sensor owner can control access to the sensor data from the task component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing component includes a sensor proxy via which sensor data is made available when the sensors are inaccessible.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the task includes a parameter related to a tolerance level for controlling execution of the task based on hardware and software capabilities of a device or system on which the sensor is associated.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the programming component includes a consumer that employs a declarative command interface for issuing commands to a device or systems in which the sensors reside.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a centralized network infrastructure via which the programming component downloads an application, the functionality of which is based on the willingness of the sensor owner to allow the sensors to be exploited.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the willingness of a sensor owner is based on at least one of inherent software and hardware capabilities of a sensor device, connection limitations of related to interacting with the sensors, amount of human invention requested to interact with the sensors, or impact on normal processes required of the sensors independent of the willingness.

10. A computer-implemented method of obtaining data, comprising acts of:

providing a multi-party network of sensors by using at least sensing and computational resources of multiple mobile devices owned by different sensor owners;

interfacing to the multi-party network of sensors via a network infrastructure, and from which sensor data can be obtained;

generating a task object for execution by a consumer program via the network infrastructure, the task object defines one or more command parameters for receiving sensor data from the sensors;

selecting a subset of the sensors from which to receive the sensor data;

executing the program via the network infrastructure to receive the sensor data from the subset of sensors, the data received based on at least one of a willingness of sensor owners to allow sensor data of the sensors to be accessed and shared at specific points in time or capacity of owners of the sensors to allow the sensor data to be obtained, the willingness of the sensor owner to share the data and the resources further comprises capacity of the sensors to provide the data and availability of device resources, the willingness and the capacity based on involvement level data as a set of numbers that quantify a degree of participation of at least one of the sensor owner or sensors of the owner to provide sensor data and resources; and

utilizing a processor that executes instructions stored in memory to perform at least one of the acts of providing, interfacing, generating, selecting, or executing.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising including tolerance data in the task object associated with a level of tolerance related to a sensor command that a programmer of the task desires to execute on the multi-party network.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing a participation profile of a sensor owner that includes involvement data, the involvement data quantifies a degree of the willingness that the owner will participate and allow an owner sensor to be utilized for generating and receiving the sensor data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the involvement data is input by the owner via the cell phone.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting the sensors of the multi-party network that meet involvement criteria related to at least one of what, where, when, tolerance level, or involvement level.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling access to the sensors via a declarative programming interface that is accessible only by an authenticated consumer.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising pushing the one or more command parameters into a device of the sensors for execution.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising distributing the one or more command parameters to the sensors based on an asynchronous request by a sensor device to receive the task object.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising interfacing to in-situ sensor systems and executing program task objects against the in-situ sensor systems for processing in combination with the sensor data.

19. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

computer-implemented means for providing a multi-party network of sensors by using at least sensing and computational resources of multiple cell phones owned by different owners;

computer-implemented means for interfacing to the multi-party network of cell phones via a network infrastructure, and from which phone sensor data can be obtained;

computer-implemented means for generating a task object for execution by a consumer program via the network infrastructure, the task object defines one or more command parameters for receiving sensor data from the cell phones;

computer-implemented means for selecting a subset of the cell phones from which to receive the sensor data;

computer-implemented means for executing the program via the network infrastructure to receive the sensor data from the subset of cell phones, the data received based on a willingness of an owner of the cell phone to allow the sensor data to be obtained, the willingness of the sensor owner to share the data and the resources further comprises capacity of the sensors to provide the data and availability of device resources, the willingness and the capacity based on involvement level data as a set of numbers that quantify a degree of participation of at least one of the sensor owner or sensors of the owner to provide sensor data and resources; and

processor means that executes computer-executable instructions associated with at least one of the means for providing, interfacing, generating, selecting, or executing.