Cognitively determining a time of an alarm

• US 10,803,730 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2017
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Coria, Eduardo M., Badenes, Hernan, Masini, Diego A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kunwar, Binod J
• Application Number:
  US15/826,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20190164409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• 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: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

An approach is provided for determining a time of an alarm. Natural language processing determines a meaning of user input which specifies the alarm, an event, an action, and an amount of time. The alarm notifies the user about the action the user is to take prior to the event, which will occur at an indefinite time. The alarm is triggered at a time that precedes an estimated time of the event by the amount of time. Information is retrieved that describes movements and usage of a mobile device of the user, profile information, historical user behavior, calendar appointments, messages sent and received by the user of the user, and social network contacts and user-generated content. The estimated time of the event is generated. The time of the alarm is determined as a time that precedes the estimated time of the event by the amount of time.

Claims

1. A method of determining a time of an alarm, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer determining a meaning of natural language input provided by a user by using natural language processing, the meaning of the natural language input specifying (i) the alarm, (ii) an event which will occur at a time that is indefinite and unscheduled, (iii) an action to be taken by the user, and (iv) an amount of time, wherein the alarm notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event and the alarm is triggered at a time that precedes an estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time;

the computer retrieving information that includes data describing movements of a mobile device of the user, data describing usage of the mobile device, profile information about the user, historical behavior of the user, appointments in a calendar application used by the user, messages sent and received by the user, content generated by the user on a social networking service, and social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service;

prior to the event and based on the data describing movements of the mobile device of the user, the data describing the usage of the mobile device, the profile information about the user, the historical behavior of the user, the appointments in the calendar application used by the user, the messages sent and received by the user, the content generated by the user on the social networking service, and the social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service, the computer generating the estimated starting time of the event; and

the computer determining the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time specified by the meaning of the natural language input determined by using the natural language processing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

the computer determining whether a current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm; and

if the current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm, the computer triggering the alarm, which notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event, or if the current time is prior to the time of the alarm, the computer determining that the information was updated subsequent to the step of retrieving the information, and in response and without triggering the alarm, the computer (i) retrieving an update of the information and based on the retrieved update of the information, (ii) generating an update of the estimated starting time of the event and (iii) determining an update of the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the update of the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of based at least in part on the event, the computer identifying one or more sources of the information on which the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving the information from the identified one or more sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving a geolocation of the mobile device by using a Global Positioning System navigation device, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved geolocation of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving data from devices in an Internet of Things network, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved data from the devices in the Internet of Things network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

the computer determining that the user is in a first location and the event indicates that the user will leave the first location and travel to a second location which is different from the first location;

the computer generating an initial estimated starting time of the event based on the retrieved information, which does not include data describing a movement of the user away from the first location and toward the second location, wherein the step of generating the initial estimated starting time of the event is performed prior to the user leaving the first location to travel to the second location; and

the computer determining an initial time of the alarm as a time that precedes the initial estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving historical data describing (1) movements or usage of the mobile device that occur within a specified period of time prior to the user leaving a location that matches the first location, (2) an amount of time the user spends at one or more other locations before arriving at a location that matches the second location, and (3) an amount of time other users spend at the one or more other locations, and wherein the step of generating the initial estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the historical data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer readable program code in the computer, the program code being executed by a processor of the computer to implement the steps of determining the meaning of the natural language input, retrieving the information, generating the estimated starting time of the event, and determining the time of the alarm.

9. A computer program product for determining a time of an alarm, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code stored on the computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the computer readable program code being executed by a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system to cause the computer system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

the computer system determining a meaning of natural language input provided by a user by using natural language processing, the meaning of the natural language input specifying (i) the alarm, (ii) an event which will occur at a time that is indefinite and unscheduled, (iii) an action to be taken by the user, and (iv) an amount of time, wherein the alarm notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event and the alarm is triggered at a time that precedes an estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time;

the computer system retrieving information that includes data describing movements of a mobile device of the user, data describing usage of the mobile device, profile information about the user, historical behavior of the user, appointments in a calendar application used by the user, messages sent and received by the user, content generated by the user on a social networking service, and social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service;

prior to the event and based on the data describing movements of the mobile device of the user, the data describing the usage of the mobile device, the profile information about the user, the historical behavior of the user, the appointments in the calendar application used by the user, the messages sent and received by the user, the content generated by the user on the social networking service, and the social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service, the computer system generating the estimated starting time of the event; and

the computer system determining the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time specified by the meaning of the natural language input determined by using the natural language processing.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

the computer system determining whether a current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm; and

if the current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm, the computer system triggering the alarm, which notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event, or if the current time is prior to the time of the alarm, the computer system determining that the information was updated subsequent to the step of retrieving the information, and in response and without triggering the alarm, the computer system (i) retrieving an update of the information and based on the retrieved update of the information, (ii) generating an update of the estimated starting time of the event and (iii) determining an update of the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the update of the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the step of based at least in part on the event, the computer system identifying one or more sources of the information on which the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving the information from the identified one or more sources.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving a geolocation of the mobile device by using a Global Positioning System navigation device, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved geolocation of the mobile device.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving data from devices in an Internet of Things network, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved data from the devices in the Internet of Things network.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

the computer system determining that the user is in a first location and the event indicates that the user will leave the first location and travel to a second location which is different from the first location;

the computer system generating an initial estimated starting time of the event based on the retrieved information, which does not include data describing a movement of the user away from the first location and toward the second location, wherein the step of generating the initial estimated starting time of the event is performed prior to the user leaving the first location to travel to the second location; and

the computer system determining an initial time of the alarm as a time that precedes the initial estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.

15. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory coupled to the CPU; and

a computer readable storage device coupled to the CPU, the computer readable storage device containing instructions that are executed by the CPU via the memory to implement a method of determining a time of an alarm, the method comprising the steps of;

the computer system determining a meaning of natural language input provided by a user by using natural language processing, the meaning of the natural language input specifying (i) the alarm, (ii) an event which will occur at a time that is indefinite and unscheduled, (iii) an action to be taken by the user, and (iv) an amount of time, wherein the alarm notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event and the alarm is triggered at a time that precedes an estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time;

the computer system retrieving information that includes data describing movements of a mobile device of the user, data describing usage of the mobile device, profile information about the user, historical behavior of the user, appointments in a calendar application used by the user, messages sent and received by the user, content generated by the user on a social networking service, and social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service;

prior to the event and based on the data describing movements of the mobile device of the user, the data describing the usage of the mobile device, the profile information about the user, the historical behavior of the user, the appointments in the calendar application used by the user, the messages sent and received by the user, the content generated by the user on the social networking service, and the social networks of the user which are managed by the social networking service, the computer system generating the estimated starting time of the event; and

the computer system determining the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time specified by the meaning of the natural language input determined by using the natural language processing.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

the computer system determining whether a current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm; and

if the current time is equal to or subsequent to the time of the alarm, the computer system triggering the alarm, which notifies the user about the action to be taken prior to the event, or if the current time is prior to the time of the alarm, the computer system determining that the information was updated subsequent to the step of retrieving the information, and in response and without triggering the alarm, the computer system (i) retrieving an update of the information and based on the retrieved update of the information, (ii) generating an update of the estimated starting time of the event and (iii) determining an update of the time of the alarm as a time that precedes the update of the estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the step of based at least in part on the event, the computer system identifying one or more sources of the information on which the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving the information from the identified one or more sources.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving a geolocation of the mobile device by using a Global Positioning System navigation device, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved geolocation of the mobile device.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the step of retrieving the information includes retrieving data from devices in an Internet of Things network, and wherein the step of generating the estimated starting time of the event is based in part on the retrieved data from the devices in the Internet of Things network.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

the computer system determining that the user is in a first location and the event indicates that the user will leave the first location and travel to a second location which is different from the first location;

the computer system generating an initial estimated starting time of the event based on the retrieved information, which does not include data describing a movement of the user away from the first location and toward the second location, wherein the step of generating the initial estimated starting time of the event is performed prior to the user leaving the first location to travel to the second location; and

the computer system determining an initial time of the alarm as a time that precedes the initial estimated starting time of the event by the amount of time.