External evironment sensitive predictive application and memory initiation

• US 8,694,690 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fried, Eric P., Huber, Willaim B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Ilwoo
• Application Number:
  US13/453,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

An input tracker learns relationships between end user inputs made at a computer and external environment conditions sensed at the computer by external environment sensors integrated in the computer, such as a camera, microphone, hard disk drive motion detector, display ambient light sensor and display orientation accelerometer. An input predictor interfaced with the input tracker applies current external environment conditions sensed by the external environment sensors to the relationships defined by the input tracker to predict future user input and initiates actions by the computer responsive to the predicted future user input before the input is detected to have results responsive to the input prepared for the user upon detection of the input.

Claims

1. A method for predicting end user inputs at a computer, the method comprising:

sensing one or more external environment conditions with one or more sensors integrated in the computer;

identifying one or more relationships between the one or more external environment conditions and one or more inputs made to an I/O device of the computer; and

in response to the predicting, performing a process at the computer in preparation for responding to the predicted input, the process including at least executing an application before detecting the predicted input, the application generating visual information for presentation at a display of the computer; and

withholding presentation of the visual information at the display as a visual image until detection of the predicted input,

wherein the sensed external environment condition comprises a sound of keys unlocking a door detected by a microphone at a predetermined time period and the process comprises prefetching memory pages for presenting emails at the computer.

2. A method for predicting end user inputs at a computer, the method comprising:

sensing one or more external environment conditions with one or more sensors integrated in the computer;

identifying one or more relationships between the one or more external environment conditions and one or more inputs made to an I/O device of the computer;

predicting an input to an I/O device of the computer based upon one or more sensed external environment conditions having the one or more identified relationships, the sensed external environment condition including at least a sound of keys unlocking a door by a microphone at a predetermined time period; and

in response to the predicting, performing a process at the computer in preparation for responding to the predicted input.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the process comprises prefetching memory pages for presenting emails at the computer.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the sensed external environment condition further includes detection by an ambient light sensor of ambient light indicative of an office light turned from off to on.

5. A method for predicting end user inputs at a computer, the method comprising:

sensing one or more external environment conditions with one or more sensors integrated in the computer;

identifying one or more relationships between the one or more external environment conditions and one or more inputs made to an I/O device of the computer;

predicting an input to an I/O device of the computer based upon one or more sensed external environment conditions having the one or more identified relationships, the predicted input including at least initiation of an application;

in response to the predicting, initiating the application associated with the predicted input to execute on the computer before detecting the predicted input at the computer, the application generating information for presentation at a display of the computer system; and

withholding presentation of the information at the display until detection of the predicted input,

wherein the sensed external environment condition comprises a sound of keys unlocking a door.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the sensed external environment condition further comprises a predetermined time period.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the sensed external environment condition further comprises an ambient light change.