Cloud-based broker service for digital assistants

• US 9,842,316 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Caldwell, Gary L., Geffner, Steven Paul, Coplen, C. Joe, Pratley, Christopher Hugh, Ammerlaan, Michael H., Zaske, Steven Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Baotran N
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US14/949,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 726 7, 713155, 709202, 709206
• 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 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A cloud-based broker service may be provided for computing devices in a distributed computing environment. The broker service may aggregate user accounts and user account credentials utilized for accessing online services by the computing devices. The broker service may monitor a context of the computing devices associated with the user accounts. The broker service may then utilize the context, data associated with the user accounts and data associated with the user account credentials to automate tasks and/or provide alerts associated with the data.

Claims

1. A method for providing a broker service to computing devices in a distributed computing environment, comprising:

aggregating, in the distributed computing environment, a plurality of account data including first calendar data for a first account type of a first user, a first different calendar data for a second account type of the first user, second calendar data for the first account type of a second user, and a second different calendar data for the second account type of the second user;

aggregating, in the distributed computing environment, a plurality of account credentials utilized for accessing online services related to the first calendar data for the first user and the second calendar data for the second user;

receiving a request to schedule a new calendar appointment, the new calendar appointment having a specified time and invitees including the first and second users and a new appointment priority;

determining the new calendar appointment is for the first account type;

based on the determination that the new calendar appointment is for the first account type, determining a priority associated with a conflicting calendar event based on the first calendar data for the first account type of the first user and the second calendar data for the first account type of the second user;

determining the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment;

upon determining that the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment, automatically rearranging the conflicting calendar event for the first and second users; and

sending an alert based on rearranging the conflicting calendar event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of account credentials include user credentials for accessing one or more of the following:

a calendar service, an e-mail service and a web service.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising monitoring signals received by a mobile computing device of the first user, the signals corresponding to a current physical location of the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing an e-mail service to send a message regarding the scheduling of the new appointment to other user accounts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is sent to a mobile computing device of the first user and is based on a current physical location of the mobile computing device, the alert comprising one or more of the following:

an estimated travel time to the rearranged conflicting appointment, a traffic alert, and routing guidance to the rearranged conflicting appointment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating, in the distributed computing environment, a plurality of account data comprises aggregating a plurality of restricted access accounts and a plurality of restricted access credentials for accessing federation online services.

7. A computer-readable hardware device comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method for providing a broker service, the method comprising:

aggregating a plurality of accounts and a plurality of account credentials utilized for accessing online services, the plurality of account credentials comprising credentials for accessing a calendar service, first calendar data for a first account type of a first user, a first different calendar data for a second account type of the first user, second calendar data for the first account type of a second user, and a second different calendar data for the second account type of the second user;

receiving a request to schedule a new calendar appointment, the new calendar appointment having invitees including the first and second users and a new appointment priority;

determining the new calendar appointment is for the first account type;

based on the determination that the new calendar appointment is for the first account type, determining a priority associated with a conflicting calendar event based on the first calendar data for the first account type of the first user and the second calendar data for the first account type of the second user;

determining the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment;

upon determining that the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment, automatically rearranging the conflicting calendar event for the first and second users; and

sending an alert based on rearranging the conflicting calendar event.

8. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 7, wherein sending the alert is based on a current physical location of a mobile computing device of the first user, the alert comprising an estimated travel time to the new scheduled appointment, a traffic alert and routing guidance to the new appointment.

9. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 7, wherein aggregating a plurality of accounts and a plurality of account credentials utilized for accessing online services comprises aggregating a plurality of restricted access accounts and a plurality of restricted access credentials for accessing a federation calendar service, a federation e-mail service and a federation web service.

10. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 7, wherein the alert further comprises an option to alert another user that first user will be running late to the new appointment.

11. The computer-readable hardware device of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises receiving an indication that the first user will be late to the new appointment, and based on the received indication, sending an alert to the second user notifying the second user that the first user will be late.

12. A system for controlling calendar appointments in a distributed computing environment, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least on processor, perform a set of operations comprising;

aggregating a plurality of account data including account credentials utilized for accessing online services, first calendar data for a first account type of a first user, a first different calendar data for a second account type of the first user, second calendar data for the first account type of a second user, and a second different calendar data for the second account type of the second user;

receiving a request to schedule a new calendar appointment, the new calendar appointment having invitees including the first and second users and a new appointment priority;

determining the new calendar appointment is for the first account type;

based on the determination that the new calendar event is for the first account type, determining a priority associated with a conflicting calendar event based on the first calendar data for the first account type of the first user and the second calendar data for the first account type of the second user;

determining whether the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment; and

upon determining that the priority associated with the conflicting calendar event is lower than the new appointment priority associated with the new calendar appointment, automatically rearranging the conflicting calendar event for the first and second users; and

sending an alert based on rearranging the conflicting calendar event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise scheduling the new appointment for the first user and the second user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise accessing a location of a mobile device of the first user based on location data from the second account type of the first user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, based on the tracked location and a location for the new appointment, alerting the first user via the mobile device of the new appointment.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein alerting the first user includes providing a travel time to the location of the new appointment.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein alerting the first user includes providing an option to indicate the first user will be late to the new appointment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an indication that the first user will be late to the new appointment, and in response to receiving the indication, alerting the second user that the first user will be late.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the aggregating account credentials includes aggregating credentials for the first user and the second user.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the first account type is an enterprise account and the second account type is a personal account.