Method and apparatus for presentation of intelligent, adaptive alarms, icons and other information

• US 8,578,439 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Mathias, Keith E., Trovato, Karen I., Schaffer, J. David
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US09/493,961
• Time in Patent Office: 5,030 Days
• Field of Search: 725 46- 48, 725/39, 725/141, 725/58, 348/734
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4662 characterized by learning algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

System actions such as presentation of information to a user via a remote control device are carried out in accordance with user preferences based on, e.g., observed user behavior over time. The preferences may be learned by observation of user actions and corresponding system state information, and the preferences may be verified by the user. Particular actions may then be repeated under the control of the system, when appropriate conditions are met. Repetition may be automatic, semi-automatic or user initiated. In an illustrative embodiment, information is presented to a user via a remote control device based at least in part on the determined preference. The information presented to the user via the remote control device may include, e.g., an alarm signal associated with a particular parameter specified by the user, a visible icon presented to the user on a display of the remote control device, or other types of information presented via other types of interfaces, such as audio, speech or tactile interfaces.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in controlling the presentation of information to a user of a system, the apparatus comprising:

a processor-based device operative to automatically determine at least one preference of the user with regard to one or more system actions based on (i) previous user actions in an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system and (ii) corresponding system-detectable state information in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system, and to initiate subsequent execution of at least a subset of the system actions based on the determined preference,

wherein the one or more system actions comprises presentation to the user via a remote control device of alarms and icons representing a particular type of information available from a particular information source that intelligently and adaptively reflect the previous user actions in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior within the system, and

further wherein the processor-based device performs;

(I) detecting via an adaptive engine when (i) an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior in connection with a current system action conflicts with (ii) another event chain of context-sensitive user behavior in connection with a previous system action, and to query the user upon such detection to determine what additional system-detectable state information available to the system can be specified to delineate the two conflicting event chains from one another, resulting in specialized rules in connection with rule chain trigger event resolution of conflicts that arise in response to (a) a rule being entered into a filter/rules database of the system and (b) a trigger event chain being overridden by the user via context-sensitive user behavior within the system and (II) resolving, via a rule chain trigger event resolution element of the adaptive engine, (a) similar or conflicting rules in the filter/rules database such that the specialized rules that delineate two conflicting event chains from one another, are differentiated from general rules, and (b) conflicting rules, if any, are differentiated from each other using the determined additional system-detectable state information;

wherein a particular set of one or more system actions are repeated under the control of the processor-based device when a corresponding set of one or more conditions are met.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the preference of the user is verified by the user prior to directing the presentation of information to the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the user actions are at least temporarily stored in at least one other system device and subsequently communicated from the other system device to the processor-based device over a transmission medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the other system device comprises a remote control device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the repetition of the one or more system actions is implemented automatically without further input from the user.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the repetition of the one or more system actions is implemented semi-automatically upon receipt of an appropriate input from the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the repetition of the one or more system actions is implemented in a user-initiated manner in which execution of each of at least a subset of the set of actions occurs only upon receipt of an appropriate input from a user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information source comprises at least one of a network connection, a telephone connection, and a computer connection.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information source comprises an information source associated with at least one of a security system, a satellite system, a terrestrial broadcast system, a cable system, and an information storage system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the particular information comprises a designated event.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor-based device determines if the event comprises at least one of a record event, a trigger event, and a filter event each having particular system state information associated therewith.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information presented to the user comprises an alarm signal associated with a particular event specified by the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information presented to the user comprises a visible icon.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information presented to the user comprises audio information.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information presented to the user comprises speech information.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information presented to the user comprises tactile information.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor-based device is further operative to automatically provide control of at least one additional device based at least in part on the determined preference.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user actions comprises data converted from a recognition system.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the system state information comprises data converted from a recognition system.

20. A method for use in controlling the presentation of information to a user of a system, the method comprising the steps of:

automatically determining, by a processor-based device, at least one preference of the user with regard to one or more system actions based on (i) previous user actions in an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system and (ii) corresponding system-detectable state information in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system; and

initiating subsequent execution of at least a subset of the system actions based on the determined preference,

wherein the step of initiating subsequent execution of at least a subset of the system actions comprises presenting to the user, via a remote control device, alarms and icons representing a particular type of information available from a particular information source that intelligently and adaptively reflect the previous user actions in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior within the system, and

further comprising the step of detecting via an adaptive engine when (i) an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior in connection with a current system action conflicts with (ii) another event chain of context sensitive user behavior in connection with a previous system action, and

querying the user upon such detection to determine what additional system-detectable state information available to the system can be specified to delineate the two conflicting event chains from one another, resulting in specialized rules in connection with rule chain trigger event resolution of conflicts that arise in response to (a) a rule being entered into a filter/rules database of the system and (b) a trigger event chain being overridden by the user via context-sensitive user-behavior within the system, and

resolving (a) similar or conflicting rules in the filter/rules database such that the specialized rules, that delineate two conflicting event chains from one another, are differentiated from general rules, and (b) conflicting rules, if any, are differentiated from each other using the determined additional system-detectable state information;

wherein a particular set of one or more system actions are repeated under the control of the processor-based device when a corresponding set of one or more conditions are met.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containing one or more software programs for use in controlling presentation of information to a user of a system, wherein the programs when executed implement the steps of:

automatically determining, by a processor-based device, at least one preference of the user with regard to one or more system actions based on (i) previous user actions in an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system and (ii) corresponding system-detectable state information in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior that takes place within the system;

detecting via an adaptive engine when (i) an event chain of context-sensitive user behavior in connection with a current system action conflicts with (ii) another event chain of context-sensitive user behavior in connection with a previous system action;

querying the user upon a detection of conflict in said detecting step to determine what additional system-detectable state information available to the system can be specified to delineate the two conflicting event chains from one another, resulting in specialized rules in connection with rule chain trigger event resolution of conflicts that arise in response to (a) a rule being entered into a filter/rules database of the system and (b) a trigger event chain being overridden by the user via context-sensitive user behavior within the system;

resolving (a) similar or conflicting rules in the filter/rules database such that the specialized rules, that delineate two conflicting event chains from one another, are differentiated from general rules, and (b) conflicting rules, if any, are differentiated from each other using the determined additional system-detectable state information; and

initiating subsequent execution of at least a subset of the system actions based on the determined preference,

wherein the step of initiating subsequent execution of at least a subset of the system actions comprises presenting to the user, via a remote control device, alarms and icons representing a particular type of information available from a particular information source that intelligently and adaptively reflect the previous user actions in the event chain of context-sensitive user behavior within the system;

wherein a particular set of one or more system actions are repeated under the control of the processor-based device when a corresponding set of one or more conditions are met.