Resource aggregation in an opportunistic network

• US 8,285,259 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Hodges, Stephen Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US11/754,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20080299951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/260, 455/414.1, 455/502
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A wireless opportunistic network that can facilitate resource aggregation by way of interconnected devices is disclosed. In accordance with this opportunistic network, a mobile device can effectively ‘dock’ into the network thereby enabling resources to be shared between devices within the network. In this manner, the docked mobile device can leverage resources available in each of the individual devices of the network. This functionality can be used in many scenarios related to health, from monitoring patients and analyzing basic diagnostic data to identifying bioterrorism by way of collaborating resources between devices within the network.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a resource aggregation component in a mobile device configured to establish a link from the mobile device to at least one of available support devices comprising a particular available disparate support device, wherein a resource from the particular available disparate support device is configured to be shared within an opportunistic network; and

a profile management component in the mobile device configured to identify a plurality of parameters configured to manage the resource via the support device wherein one of the plurality of parameters is an activity in a calendar associated with the mobile device, and to define at least one rule to allocate available disparate support devices according to respective disparate data-type processing capabilities of the disparate support devices, wherein the at least one rule comprises concurrently allocating a video stream of a call to the mobile device to the particular available disparate support device configured to process video, wherein identification of the available disparate support devices dynamically changes at least in part as a function of a context associated with the mobile device, the context comprising a geographical location of the mobile device in a room, wherein the room houses the particular disparate support device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a determination of the particular available disparate support device with which to establish the link with the mobile device is determined based upon at least one of an acuteness or a severity of a health-related situation.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network analysis component in the mobile device configured to identify the available support devices within the opportunistic network; and

a connection management component configured to select a subset of the available support devices based upon resources available in the subset of the available support devices, wherein the particular available disparate support device is one of the subset of the available support devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the connection management component is further configured to determine the subset of the available support devices as a function of policy criteria.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a device discovery component in the mobile device configured to locate the available support devices within the opportunistic network; and

a device analysis component configured to analyze the available support devices, wherein the resource aggregation component is further configured to employ analysis of the available support devices to select the particular available disparate support device.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a context analysis component configured to identify the context associated with the mobile device, wherein selection of the particular available disparate support device is based upon the context.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising a device selection component in the mobile device configured to analyze the context and use the context to select the particular available disparate support device.

8. The system of claim 3, further comprising a device connection component configured to route data to and from the resources.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device criteria component configured to maintain information related to a available support devices within the opportunistic network, wherein selection of the support device from the available support devices is based upon a subset of the information related to the plurality of available support devices.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application criteria component configured to maintain information related to a plurality of applications, wherein the information related to the plurality of applications is configured to be employed to render data by way of the particular available support device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a machine learning and reasoning component configured to automatically select the particular available support device based upon at least one of a probabilistic analysis or a statistical-based analysis.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule further comprises allocating an audio stream of the call to a second disparate support device configured to process audio.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the parameters is an expense acceptable by the mobile device for the resource, and wherein the identification of the support device further dynamically changes at least as a function of an expense of the resource provided via the support device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the parameters is an activity in a calendar associated with the mobile device and an identified support device is a support device associated with participation in the activity.

12. A computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal, the computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising a mobile device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

establishing an opportunistic networking infrastructure by at least one of occasional or periodic interconnection of a plurality of static devices;

analyzing the mobile device within the opportunistic networking infrastructure;

inferring a subset of the plurality of the static devices at least as a function of a context of the mobile device, wherein the subset of the plurality of the static devices are capable of rendering image data;

accessing at least one resource in the subset of the plurality of the static devices;

aggregating at least one functionality of the at least one of the resource and at least one functionality of the mobile device, the at least one functionality of the at least one of the resource disparate from the at least one functionality of the mobile device;

establishing a connection of the mobile device with the opportunistic network infrastructure;

employing a sensory mechanism to sense at least one of location or motion of the mobile device to establish the context; and

based, at least, on the context and at least one rule defining an allocation of resources according to data processing capabilities, selecting two or more static devices from the subset of the plurality of devices to link to the mobile device.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

establishing an opportunistic networking infrastructure by at least one of occasional or periodic interconnection of a plurality of static devices;

analyzing a mobile device within the opportunistic networking infrastructure;

inferring a subset of the plurality of the static devices at least as a function of a context of the mobile device, wherein the subset of the plurality of the static devices are capable of rending image data;

accessing at least one resource in the subset of the plurality of the static devices;

aggregating at least one functionality of the at least one of the resource and at least one functionality of the mobile device, the at least one functionality of the at least one of the resource disparate from the at least one functionality of the mobile device; and

establishing a connection of the mobile device with the opportunistic network infrastructure;

employing a sensory mechanism to sense at least one of location or motion of the mobile device to establish the context; and

based, at least, on the context and at least one rule defining an allocation of resources according to data processing capabilities, selecting two or more static devices from the subset of the plurality of devices to link to the mobile device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein employing a sensory mechanism to sense at least one of location or motion of the mobile device to establish the context comprises determining the location of the mobile device and whether the mobile device is in motion to a target location.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein selecting two or more static devices from the subset of the plurality of devices to link to the mobile device is further based on at least one of operating expense, availability, priority, and access rights.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein establishing an opportunistic networking infrastructure by at least one of occasional or periodic interconnection of a plurality of static devices comprises dynamically monitoring activity and availability of static devices proximate to the mobile device.