Method and apparatus for adjusting device persona

• US 9,313,646 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Wesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Richard
• Application Number:
  US14/056,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may obtain presence information associated with a plurality of communication devices of a user, obtain operational capability information and usage profiles for the plurality of communication devices, obtain state information for each of the plurality of communication devices, and adjust a first device persona of a first communication device based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the usage profiles, and the state information. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a first communication device including a processor, presence information associated with a plurality of communication devices, wherein the first communication device and the plurality of communication devices are associated with a user;

obtaining, by the first communication device, operational capability information for the plurality of communication devices;

generating, by the first communication device, a first usage profile for the first communication device based on monitoring first activity at the first communication device, wherein the first activity being monitored includes first media consumption and first communication sessions, and wherein the monitoring of the first activity includes identifying time and location data for the first activity;

obtaining, by the first communication device, other usage profiles for the plurality of communication devices, wherein each respective other usage profile is generated by a corresponding one communication device of the plurality of communication devices based on monitoring other activity at the corresponding one communication device, wherein the other activity being monitored includes other media consumption and other communication sessions, and wherein the monitoring of the other activity includes identifying time and location data for the other activity;

obtaining, by the first communication device, state information for each of the plurality of communication devices;

adjusting, by the first communication device, a first device persona of the first communication device based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the other usage profiles, and the state information, wherein the first device persona controls functions performed by the first communication device; and

transmitting the first usage profile from the first communication device to the plurality of communication devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational capability information includes media service capabilities and formatting capabilities, and wherein the state information includes current power information, current storage capacity information, active communication session information and current signal strength.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting of the first usage profile to the plurality of communication devices enables each of the plurality of communication devices to adjust a corresponding device persona, wherein each of the corresponding device persona controls functions performed by one of the plurality of communication devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the functions controlled by the first device persona include being selected as a preferred device for presentation of first media services, wherein the plurality of devices is not selected as the preferred device.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating, by the first communication device, a second device persona based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the other usage profiles, and the state information, wherein the second device persona controls functions performed by a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices; and

transmitting the second device persona from the first communication device to the second communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the functions controlled by the second device persona include being selected as a preferred device for presentation of second media services, wherein the first communication device is not selected as the preferred device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the presence information associated with the plurality of communication devices comprises:

capturing, by the first communication device, an image;

analyzing, by the first communication device, the image utilizing pattern recognition to identify a second communication device; and

determining that the second communication device is among the plurality of communication devices associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, by the first communication device, updated state information from a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the updated state information is received in response to a forced shutdown at the second communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying, by the first communication device, a conflicting function in the first device persona and in a second device persona of a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the second device persona is generated by the second communication device based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the other usage profiles, and the state information; and

communicating between the first and second communication devices to resolve the conflicting function between the first and second device persona so that one of the first or second communication devices is designated to perform the conflicting function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device persona and the corresponding device persona collectively provide a prioritized list of preferred devices for providing media services to the user.

11. A communication device comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

obtaining other usage profiles for each of a plurality of communication devices, wherein the communication device and the plurality of communication devices are among a group of devices associated with a user, wherein each respective other usage profile is generated by a corresponding one communication device of the plurality of communication devices based on monitoring other activity at the corresponding one communication device, wherein the other activity being monitored includes other media consumption and other communication sessions, and wherein the monitoring of the other activity includes identifying time and location data for the other activity;

obtaining state information for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the state information includes current power information and active communication session information;

adjusting a device preference among the group of devices for presenting media services based on the other usage profiles and the state information;

obtaining presence information and operational capability information for the plurality of communication devices;

generating a device persona based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the other usage profiles, and the state information, wherein the device persona is utilized by a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices to adjust functions performed by the second communication device; and

transmitting the device persona from the communication device to the second communication device.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the operational capability information includes media service capabilities, wherein the device persona is utilized by the communication device to control functions performed by the communication device.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a first usage profile for the communication device based on monitoring first activity at the communication device, wherein the first activity being monitored includes first media consumption and first communication sessions, and wherein the monitoring of the first activity includes identifying time and location data for the first activity; and

transmitting the first usage profile from the communication device to a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices to enable the second communication device to adjust a device persona for the second communication device, wherein the device persona controls functions performed by the second communication device.

14. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the operational capability information includes formatting capabilities.

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the functions controlled by the device persona include being selected as a preferred device for presentation of second media services, wherein the communication device is not selected as the preferred device.

16. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the state information includes at least one of current storage capacity information, current signal strength, or inactive connections.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a first communication device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining operational capability information and presence information for a plurality of communication devices, wherein the first communication device and the plurality of communication devices are associated with a user, wherein the operational capability information includes media service capabilities and formatting capabilities;

obtaining usage profiles for the plurality of communication devices, wherein each respective usage profile is generated by a corresponding one communication device of the plurality of communication devices based on monitoring activity at the corresponding one communication device, wherein the activity being monitored includes media consumption and communication sessions;

adjusting a first device persona of the first communication device based on the operational capability information and the usage profiles, wherein the first device persona controls functions performed by the first communication device, wherein the adjusting of the first device persona of the first communication device is based on the presence information;

generating a first usage profile for the first communication device based on monitoring activity at the first communication device, wherein the activity being monitored includes media consumption and communication sessions; and

transmitting the first usage profile from the first communication device to a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices to enable the second communication device to adjust a second device persona for the second communication device, wherein the second device persona controls functions performed by the second communication device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operational capability information includes media service capabilities and formatting capabilities.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining state information for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the state information includes current power information;

generating a second device persona based on the operational capability information, the usage profiles, and the state information, wherein the second device persona controls functions performed by a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices; and

transmitting the second device persona from the first communication device to the second communication device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining state information for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the state information includes current power information, wherein the monitoring of the activity includes identifying time and location data for the activity, and wherein the state information includes at least one of active communication session information, current storage capacity information, current signal strength, or inactive connections.