Communicating information in computing systems

• US 8,935,656 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dandia, Hanif M., Murphy, Thomas E. Jr., Robyck, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US12/555,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20110061044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A system is provided and includes a first computing device operable to execute an application, and a second computing device, remotely and continuously communicable with the first device, by which a non-distractive description of updated information of the application is automatically issuable to a user substantially immediately following an occurrence of the update, wherein a form of the non-distractive description is defined in accordance with an activity currently performed by the user.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first computing device operable to execute an application; and

a second computing device, capable of remotely and continuously communicating with the first computing device, by which a non-distractive description of updated information of the application is automatically issuable to a user immediately following an occurrence of an update,

wherein a form of the non-distractive description is defined in accordance with an activity currently performed by the user and the updated information is filtered from a set of changes to the application in accordance with predefined filter rules and number of non-distractive descriptions issued can be reduced or increased in accordance with an authorized user preference, and a preference configuration screen is provided to allow the authorized user to achieve a desired configuration.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a component of an enterprise computing system.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second computing device is a mobile computing device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein an input to the application is receivable via at least one of the first and second computing devices.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information of the application is accessible via at least one of the first and second computing devices.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the application comprises at least one of a calendar, a scheduling and/or an email application.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the non-distractive description comprises an audible summary calendar entry.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the non-distractive description comprises a recorded audible message.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the non-distractive description and the updated information are requestable via at least one of the first and second computing devices.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a text-to-speech unit to generate the non-distractive description based on the updated information.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the text-to-speech unit communicates with at least one of the first and second computing devices.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second computing device is operable in a hands-free mode.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second computing device is capable of communicating with a wireless network.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second computing device is operable to issue at least one of an audible, a tactile and a textual alert of the updated information.

15. A system, comprising:

a first computing device operable to execute an application, to monitor the application for an update to information thereof and to transmit data reflective of the update; and

a second computing device, capable of remotely and continuously communicating with the first computing device to be receptive of the transmitted data, by which a non-distractive description of updated information of the application is automatically issuable to a user immediately following an occurrence of the update,

wherein a form of the non-distractive description is defined in accordance with an activity currently performed by the user and the updated information is filtered from a set of changes to the application in accordance with predefined filter rules and number of non-distractive descriptions issued can be reduced or increased in accordance with an authorized user preference, and a preference configuration screen is provided to allow the authorized user to achieve a desired configuration.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a text-to-speech unit to generate the non-distractive description based on the updated information.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the text-to-speech unit is disposable in signal communication with at least one of the first and second computing devices.

18. A method for operating a system, the method comprising:

executing an application at a first computing device;

monitoring the application for an update to information thereof;

transmitting data reflective of the update;

identifying an activity currently performed by a user; and

automatically issuing to the user a non-distractive description of updated information of the application in a form defined in accordance with the activity currently performed by the user immediately following an occurrence of the update at a second computing device, which is capable of remotely and continuously communicating with the first computing device to be receptive of the transmitted data;

wherein the updated information is filtered from a set of changes to the application in accordance with predefined filter rules and number of non-distractive descriptions issued can be reduced or increased in accordance with an authorized user preference and a preference configuration screen is provided to allow the authorized user to achieve a desired configuration.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the application comprises a calendar application and the issuing comprises:

converting an updated calendar entry of the calendar application into a speech file; and

audibly issuing the speech file.

20. A system, comprising:

a first computing device operable to execute at least one of a calendar, a scheduling and an email application; and

a second computing device, capable of remotely and continuously communicating with the first computing device, by which a non-distractive description of updated information of the at least one of the calendar, the scheduling and the email application is automatically issuable to a user immediately following an occurrence of an update by which the updated information is provided to the at least one of the calendar, the scheduling and the email application,

wherein the second computing device is configured to identify that an activity currently performed by the user is driving and provides the non-distractive description in a form of a recorded audible message in accordance with the driving;

wherein the updated information is filtered from a set of changes to at least one of the calendar, the scheduling and the email application in accordance with predefined filter rules and number of non-distractive descriptions issued can be reduced or increased in accordance with an authorized user preference and a preference configuration screen is provided to allow the authorized user to achieve a desired configuration.