Acquisition and particular association of data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user

• US 9,192,300 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K. Y., Leuthardt, Eric C., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US12/221,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,673 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08

Abstract

A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: acquiring data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with at least a particular item of an electronic message, and associating the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user, wherein said acquisition module includes at least;

an observation module configured to observe, at least partly via the received sensor data, the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least one of during or proximate to an action performed by the authoring user in connection with the particular item, wherein said action includes at least one of creating, modifying, relocating, substituting, or inserting of the particular item by the authoring user;

an association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item, wherein said association module includes at least;

an inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user; and

a time module configured to provide two or more times for observation, wherein the observation module is configured to observe the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least partly through the two or more times provided by the time module; and

wherein at least one of the acquisition module, the association module, or the time module is at least partly implemented in hardware.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said an acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an acquisition module configured to acquire with the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user a time stamp associated with observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire with the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user a time stamp associated with observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an acquisition module configured to acquire with the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user a time stamp associated with the observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user, the time stamp corresponding with a time stamp associated with an action performed by the authoring user and connected to the particular item.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was created by the authoring user.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was modified by the authoring user.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises at least one of;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was deleted by the authoring user;

or

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was relocated in the electronic message by the authoring user.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was extracted by the authoring user.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was forwarded by the authoring user.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was stored by the authoring user.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was activated or deactivated by the authoring user.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was tagged by the authoring user.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was associated to another item by the authoring user.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was categorized by the authoring user.

15. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was substituted by the authoring user.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire an indication of an action in connection with the particular item and performed, at least in part, by the authoring user comprises;

an acquisition module configured to acquire an indication that indicates that the particular item was inserted by the authoring user.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an inference module configured to infer a mental state of the authoring user based, at least in part, on one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user sensed by one or more sensors.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said inference module configured to infer a mental state of the authoring user based, at least in part, on one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user sensed by one or more sensors comprises:

an inference module configured to infer a mental state of the authoring user indicating that the authoring user was in at least one of a state of anger, a state of distress, or a state of pain during or proximate to an action performed by the authoring user in connection with the particular item.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said inference module configured to infer a mental state of the authoring user based, at least in part, on one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user sensed by one or more sensors comprises:

an inference module configured to infer a mental state of the authoring user indicating that the authoring user was in at least one of a state of frustration, a state of approval or disapproval, a state of trust, a state of fear, a state of happiness, a state of surprise, a state of inattention, a state of arousal, a state of impatience, a state of confusion, a state of distraction, a state of overall mental activity, a state of alertness, or a state of acuity during or proximate to an action performed by the authoring user in connection with the particular item.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user, comprises:

an inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message an indication of the action performed, at least in part, by the authoring user in connection with the particular item.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein said association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item comprises:

an association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item in response to a request by the authoring user.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item comprises:

an association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item in response to a transmission of the electronic message.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein said association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item comprises:

an association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item in response to a storing of the electronic message.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein said association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item comprises:

an association module configured to associate the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item in response to an action performed, at least in part, by the authoring user in connection with the particular item.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an action module configured to execute one or more actions in connection with the particular item.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said action module configured to execute one or more actions in connection with the particular item comprises:

an action module configured to provide an indication of an action performed in connection with the particular item.

27. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a time stamp module configured to provide a time stamp in connection with an action performed with respect to the particular item.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein said inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user comprises:

an inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message a time stamp associated with observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said inclusion module configured to include into to the electronic message a time stamp associated with observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an inclusion module configured to include into the electronic message a time stamp associated with the observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user, the time stamp corresponding with a time stamp associated with an action performed by the authoring user and connected to the particular item.

30. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises:

one or more sensors configured to sense at least one cerebral characteristic associated with the authoring user.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises:

one or more sensors configured to sense at least one cardiopulmonary characteristic associated with the authoring user.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises:

one or more sensors configured to sense at least one systemic physiological characteristic associated with the authoring user.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises at least one of:

a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device;

a functional near infrared (fNIR) device;

an electroencephalography (EEG) device;

or

a magnetoencephalography (MEG) device.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises:

at least one of a galvanic skin sensor device, a heart rate sensor device, a blood pressure sensor device, or a respiration sensor device.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein said one or more sensors configured to sense one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user in connection with at least the particular item of the electronic message comprises:

at least one of a facial expression sensor device, a skin characteristic sensor device, a voice response device, a gaze tracking device, or an iris response device.

37. The system of claim 1 wherein said time module configured to provide two or more times for observation, wherein the observation module is configured to observe the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least partly through the two or more times provided by the time module comprises:

a time module configured to provide a first point in time for observation during a start of a time window and a second point in time for observation during an end of the time window, wherein the observation module is configured to make a single observation of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least partly through the time window.

38. The system of claim 1 wherein said time module configured to provide two or more times for observation, wherein the observation module is configured to observe the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least partly through the two or more times provided by the time module comprises:

a time module configured to provide at least first and second points in time for observation, wherein the observation module is configured to make a single observation at least partly via a video of a facial expression of the authoring user with the first point in time corresponding to a beginning and the second point in time corresponding to an end of the video of the facial expression of the authoring user.

39. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user include at least one or more physical characteristics of the authoring user.

40. The system of claim 1 wherein said acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user comprises:

an acquisition module configured to acquire data indicative of an inferred mental state of the authoring user in connection with the particular item of the electronic message, based at least in part on received sensor data indicative of one or more facial expressions of the authoring user.

41. A computationally-implemented method, comprising:

acquiring data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user, including at least;

observing, at least partly via the received sensor data, the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least one of during or proximate to an action performed by the authoring user in connection with the particular item, wherein said action includes at least one of creating, modifying, relocating, substituting, or inserting of the particular item by the authoring user;

associating the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item, including at least;

including into the electronic message the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user; and

providing two or more times for observation, wherein the observing of the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user is performed at least partly through the two or more provided times; and

wherein at least one of the acquiring, the associating, or the providing is at least partly performed with one or more processing devices.

42. A system, comprising:

circuitry for acquiring data indicative of an inferred mental state of an authoring user in connection with a particular item of an electronic message, the circuitry for acquiring configured to acquire the data based, at least in part, on received sensor data indicative of one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user, including at least;

circuitry for observing, at least partly via the received sensor data, the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least one of during or proximate to an action performed by the authoring user in connection with the particular item, wherein said action includes at least one of creating, modifying, relocating, substituting, or inserting of the particular item by the authoring user;

circuitry for associating the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user with the particular item, including at least;

circuitry for including into the electronic message the data indicative of the inferred mental state of the authoring user; and

circuitry for providing two or more times for observation, wherein the circuitry for observing is configured to observe the one or more physiological characteristics of the authoring user at least partly through the two or more provided times.