Courier network

• US 9,232,383 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burba, Alexander, Hickmott, Andy, Hunt, Brandon T
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US14/314,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 235/462.45, 235/462.46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Example apparatus facilitate couriering (e.g., physically carrying) targeted electronic data between a provider in a first physical location and a recipient in a second physical location. An apparatus may store targeted electronic data or may store metadata concerning the targeted electronic data. The apparatus may also store requests for targeted electronic data or information from which targeted electronic data can be identified. An example apparatus may identify targeted electronic data to be provided and may then acquire the targeted electronic data from a provider. The provider may be another courier, another recipient, a source provider (e.g., database), or other source. The apparatus may provide the targeted electronic data to the recipient using a close-range communication channel that does not use the Internet. The targeted electronic data may be identified based on a state of an operating system, an application, or content at the recipient.

Claims

1. A courier apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a set of logics that control the courier apparatus to courier targeted electronic data between a provider apparatus in a first physical location and a recipient apparatus in a second physical location, where the first physical location and the second physical location are separated by a threshold distance;

a memory that stores the targeted electronic data or metadata concerning the targeted electronic data; and

an interface to connect the processor, the memory, and the set of logics;

the set of logics comprising;

a first logic that identifies the targeted electronic data based on information about the recipient apparatus;

a second logic that acquires the targeted electronic data from the provider apparatus at a first time using a first communication approach while the apparatus is located at the first physical location, and

a third logic that provides the targeted electronic data to the recipient apparatus at a second time using a second communication approach while the apparatus is located at the second physical location,

where the second communication approach does not use the Internet, and

where the first time and the second time are separated by at least a threshold amount of time.

2. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the first logic identifies the targeted electronic data based on information about the recipient apparatus that is provided by the recipient apparatus.

3. The courier apparatus of claim 2, where the information about the recipient apparatus describes a state of the recipient apparatus.

4. The courier apparatus of claim 2, where the information about the recipient apparatus is a request for specific electronic data.

5. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the first logic identifies the targeted electronic data based on information about the recipient apparatus that is provided by the provider apparatus.

6. The courier apparatus of claim 5, where the information about the recipient apparatus describes a state of the recipient apparatus.

7. The courier apparatus of claim 5, where the information about the recipient apparatus is a request for specific electronic data, a response to a request for specific electronic data, or a catalog of curated electronic data that is available at the provider apparatus for couriering to the recipient apparatus.

8. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the threshold distance is at least one mile.

9. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the threshold amount of time is at least one hour.

10. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the targeted electronic data is an operating system, an operating system update, an application, an application update, a piece of content, an update to a piece of content, or an encryption key.

11. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the targeted electronic data has an expiration time, and where the third logic will not provide the targeted electronic data after the expiration time.

12. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the first logic identifies the targeted electronic data based on information transferred in two or more request/response iterations between the recipient apparatus and the provider apparatus, where a request/response iteration involves couriering a request from the recipient apparatus to the provider apparatus and couriering a response from the provider apparatus to the recipient apparatus.

13. The courier apparatus of claim 12, where members of the two or more request/response iterations are separated by more than an hour.

14. The courier apparatus of claim 12, where the memory stores a set of requests from the recipient apparatus or a set of responses from the provider apparatus, and where the first logic identifies the targeted electronic data by replaying members of the set of requests or members of the set of responses.

15. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where identifying, acquiring, and providing the targeted electronic data involves two or more iterations of interactions between the recipient apparatus and the provider apparatus via the courier apparatus.

16. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the courier apparatus is integrated into a drone.

17. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the first logic provides an estimated fulfillment time for the targeted electronic data or an estimated fulfillment cost for the targeted electronic data.

18. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the first logic identifies the targeted electronic data based on a predictive heuristic, where the predictive heuristic compares a current state of the recipient apparatus to an output from a recommendation system.

19. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic selectively does not acquire the targeted electronic data upon detecting a request cancellation from the recipient apparatus, upon receiving a denial of the request from the provider apparatus, upon receiving a denial of the request from a service, upon evaluating a reputation status associated with the recipient apparatus, or upon evaluating an account status associated with the recipient apparatus.

20. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic acquires the targeted electronic data using a request/response model, where a request moves from the recipient apparatus to the provider apparatus via the courier apparatus and where a response moves from the provider apparatus to the recipient apparatus via the courier apparatus.

21. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic acquires the targeted electronic data using a push model, where the targeted electronic data is pushed to the courier apparatus from a content provider, from a service, from a courier device, or from a recipient apparatus.

22. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic acquires the targeted electronic data using a pull model, where the second logic pulls the targeted electronic data from a content provider, from a service, from a courier device, or from a recipient apparatus.

23. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic selects a communication channel for receiving the targeted electronic data from the provider apparatus based on cost, security, bandwidth, or speed.

24. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic acquires the targeted electronic content using a first secure communication and where the third logic provides the targeted electronic content using a second secure communication.

25. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic provides an indication to a user of the courier apparatus describing a period of time to remain in place to facilitate completing a transfer of targeted electronic content to the courier apparatus or to facilitate completing a transfer of a request from the courier apparatus.

26. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the third logic provides the targeted electronic data using a push model, where the push model pushes the targeted electronic data directly to the recipient apparatus or indirectly to another apparatus that is likely to encounter the recipient apparatus.

27. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the third logic provides the targeted electronic data using a request/response model, where the request is carried from the recipient apparatus to the courier apparatus and from the courier apparatus to the provider apparatus, and where the response is carried from the provider apparatus to the courier apparatus and from the courier apparatus to the recipient apparatus.

28. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the third logic selects a communication channel for providing the targeted electronic data to the recipient apparatus based on cost, security, bandwidth, or speed.

29. The courier apparatus of claim 1, comprising a fourth logic that provides a user interface for the courier apparatus, where the user interface displays a strength of a signal between the courier apparatus and the recipient apparatus, a reliability of a signal between the courier apparatus and the recipient apparatus, a catalog of targeted electronic data available at the provider apparatus, a catalog of targeted electronic data available at another courier apparatus, a catalog of targeted electronic data available at another recipient apparatus currently in range of the courier apparatus, a set of targeted electronic data requested by the recipient apparatus, a set of targeted electronic data requested by another recipient apparatus, a set of targeted electronic data waiting to be delivered by the courier apparatus, an expected time to deliver a piece of targeted electronic data, a popularity measure for a piece of targeted electronic data, a current pairing between the courier apparatus and the provider apparatus, a current pairing between the courier apparatus and the recipient apparatus, or a potential pairing between the courier apparatus and a potential recipient apparatus.

30. The courier apparatus of claim 1, comprising a fifth logic that pairs the recipient apparatus to the apparatus acting as a courier.

31. The courier apparatus of claim 1, where the second logic selectively deletes the targeted electronic data from the memory upon determining that the targeted electronic data has already been received by an intended recipient apparatus or upon determining that the targeted electronic data has expired.

32. A method, comprising:

identifying curated electronic data to be couriered between a data provider and a data recipient by a courier device, where the curated electronic data is identified based, at least in part, on state provided by the data recipient or state provided by the data provider,

controlling a first electronic interaction between the courier device and the data provider, where the first electronic interaction occurs at a first time using a first communication path while the courier device is located in a first location; and

controlling a second electronic interaction between the courier device and the data recipient, where the second electronic interaction occurs at a second time using a second communication path while the courier device is located in a second location,

where the first electronic interaction selectively transfers the curated electronic data from the data provider to the courier device,

where the second electronic interaction selectively transfers the curated electronic data from the courier device to the data recipient, and

where the first electronic interaction and second electronic interaction are performed independently.

33. The method of claim 32, where the first location is at least one kilometer from the second location, where the second time is at least one minute after the first time, and where the second communication path does not include the Internet.

34. The method of claim 33, where the state provided by the data recipient identifies an operating system on the data recipient, an application on the data recipient, or a piece of data on the data recipient.

35. The method of claim 34, where the state provided by the data provider identifies an operating system on the data recipient, an application on the data recipient, or a piece of data on the data recipient.

36. The method of claim 35, where identifying the curated electronic data includes identifying an update to the operating system, identifying a replacement to the operating system, identifying an update to the application, identifying a replacement for the application, identifying an update to the piece of data, or identifying derivative data based on the piece of data.

37. The method of claim 32, where the first electronic interaction includes the courier device providing a request for specific data from the data recipient, the courier device providing a request for specific data based on a prediction, or the courier device providing metadata about the data recipient.

38. The method of claim 37, where the first electronic interaction includes the courier device receiving data requested by the data recipient, the courier device receiving data selected by the data provider, or the courier device receiving metadata describing data that is available at the data provider.