Remote prompting infrastructure

• US 9,436,931 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Welles, Devon, Gough, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrahamson, Amanda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US11/529,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,630 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/14, 705/14.49, 705/14.64
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• 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: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for sending and receiving prompts to end-users inside and outside the home. A prompt, for example, a message, image, or sound is presented to the end user in order to notify them of a health event, serve as a simple reminder, helps them through their daily activities. The invention includes, for example, the following components: a remote prompting client which runs on the end-user'"'"'s home network and is typically associated with a physical display device. This entity has the ability to receive a prompt request from a remote prompting host, and display the prompt to the end-user; and a remote prompting host which runs on the end-user'"'"'s home network and has the ability to scan the network and discover all existing remote prompting clients.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor;

a remote prompting host;

first and second remote prompting clients;

a first network configured to communicate with;

the sensor configured to collect data related to an event associated with a user, wherein the sensor is configured to support a first wireless protocol operational in sub-gigahertz frequency range providing a data rate of upto 100 kbps;

a bridge device to bridge wireless communication based at least on the first wireless protocol at the sensor and wireless communication based at least on an Ethernet protocol at the remote prompting host; and

the remote prompting host comprising one or more hardware modules configured to;

receive, from the sensor via the bridge device, the data collected by the sensor;

and

based on the event identified based on the received data and a predefined rule, generate and transmit a prompt related to the identified event, wherein the prompt includes information about the identified event and an action responsive to the identified event; and

a second network configured to communicate with;

the first remote prompting client arranged in communication with the remote prompting host operating on the first network and configured to receive the prompt from the remote prompting host and present the received prompt to the user via a physical device associated with the first remote prompting client; and

the second remote prompting client arranged in communication with the remote prompting host and configured to receive a notification from the remote prompting host and present the notification to another user, the notification indicating at least that the user has received the prompt associated with the identified event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is located within the first network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first remote prompting client, the second remote prompting client, or both are associated with at least one of a network display device, television, phone, cell phone, picture frame display, and mirror on the first network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the prompt is at least one of a message, image and sound.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein an advertisement is paired with the prompt.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the advertisement is loaded to the remote prompting host.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the remote prompting host is configured to:

determine if the advertisement is paired and sent with the prompt based on the event,

send the advertisement with the prompt, and

notify a central server responsible for the advertisement that the advertisement was sent and displayed at the first network of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge device includes a Transducer Access Point (TAP) device configured to bridge wireless communication between the sensor and the remote prompting host, wherein the TAP device is configured to support wireless communication based on a plurality of communication protocols including short-range communication protocols and Ethernet.

9. A method comprising:

collecting data related to an event associated with a user by a sensor operable on a first network, wherein the sensor is configured to support a first wireless protocol operational in sub-gigahertz frequency range providing a data rate of upto 100 kbps;

bridging wireless communication based at least on the first protocol at the sensor and wireless communication based at least on an Ethernet protocol at a remote prompting host;

receiving, from the sensor at the remote prompting host, the data collected by the sensor, wherein the remote prompting host is operable on a second network and includes one or more hardware modules;

processing, by the one or more hardware modules, the data collected by the sensor based on a probabilistic model to identify the event;

based on the event identified based on the received data and a predefined rule, generating and transmitting, by the one or more hardware modules, a prompt related to the identified event, wherein at least first and second prompts, the first and second prompts each including information about the identified event and an action responsive to the identified event;

receiving the first prompt from the remote prompting host;

presenting the first prompt to the user via a physical device associated with a remote prompting client operable on the first network; and

receiving a second prompt from the remote prompting host notifying another user that the user has received the prompt associated with the identified event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor is located within the first network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the remote prompting client is associated with at least one of a television, phone, cell phone, picture frame display, and mirror on the first network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the prompt is at least one of a message, image and sound.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein an advertisement is paired with the prompt.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the advertisement is loaded to the remote prompting host.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote prompting host is configured to:

determine if the advertisement is paired and sent with the prompt based on the event,

send the advertisement with the prompt, and

notify a central server responsible for the advertisement that the advertisement was sent and displayed at the first network associated with the user.

16. A system comprising:

a sensor arranged in a first network and configured to collect data related to an event that occurs in the system, wherein the sensor is configured to support a first wireless protocol operational in sub-gigahertz frequency range providing a data rate of upto 100 kbps;

a computing device operable on a second network and comprising one or more hardware modules configured to;

receive, from the sensor, the data collected by the sensor;

and

based on the event based on the received data and a predefined rule, generate and transmit a prompt related to the identified event, wherein the prompt includes information about the identified event and an action responsive to the identified event;

a first prompting device arranged on the first network and configured to receive the prompt from the computing device and display the prompt to a user via a physical device associated with the first prompting device;

a second prompting device arranged on the second network and configured to receive a notification from the remote prompting host and present the notification to another user, the notification indicating at least that the user has received the prompt associated with the identified event; and

a gateway operable on the first network and the second network and configured to bridge wireless communication based at least on the first protocol at the sensor arranged in the first network with wireless communication based at least on an Ethernet protocol at the computing device in the second network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the gateway is configured to bridge wireless communication between the sensor and the computing device, wherein the gateway is configured to support wireless communication based on a plurality of communication protocols including short-range communication protocols and Ethernet.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is configured to collect at least physiological data, biological data and/or environmental data related to the user.