Responding to a status for a user based on nearby electronic devices

• US 9,584,971 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Jiaqing, Qi, Zhen, Xi, Qi, Yu, Xiao Feng, Zhao, Ya Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US15/218,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 218 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0407 based on behaviour analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/223 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for determining a status of a user of an electronic device. The method includes a computer processor determining information associated with a first user of an electronic device. The method further includes identifying a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communications to the electronic device. The method further includes defining an area monitored by the electronic device. The method further includes monitoring a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area. The method further includes calculating a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices. The method further includes determining a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.

Claims

1. A computer program product for determining a status of a user of an electronic device, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine information associated with a first user of the electronic device;

program instructions to identify a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communication to the electronic device;

program instructions to define an area monitored by the electronic device, wherein the defined area is based, at least in part, on one or more user preferences and a value corresponding to a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices;

program instructions to monitor a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area;

program instructions to calculate a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on the information associated with the first user of the electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, wherein calculating the first safe-threshold value further comprises;

program instructions to determine electronic devices included in the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area monitored by the electronic device, wherein determining occurs periodically based, at least in part, on a polling rate of the electronic device;

program instructions to determine one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the identified group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

program instructions to calculate the first safe-threshold value based on an algorithm that includes;

one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices;

an activity of the first user;

the information associated with the first user; and

a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user; and

program instructions to determine the status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device, wherein determining the status of the first user further comprises;

program instructions to determine a second safe-threshold value for the first user based, at least in part, on;

the one or more user preferences, wherein user preferences include preferences of the first user;

a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices;

the activity of the first user;

the information associated with the first user;

the degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user; and

program instructions to compare the first safe-threshold value to the second safe-threshold value; and

in response to determining that the first safe-threshold value is greater than the second safe-threshold value for the first user, program instructions to determine that the status of the first user is safe; and

in response to determining that the status of the first safe-threshold value is less than or equal to the second safe-threshold value for the first user determining that the status of the first user is not safe, program instructions to initiate, one or more responses of the electronic device based, at least in part, the one or more user preferences.