Method and Apparatus For Personal Characterization Data Collection Using Sensors

• US 20140172873A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Bidabadi, Mohammad, Concha, Paolo D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,311,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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

A processor-based personal electronic device (such as a smartphone) is programmed to automatically respond to data sent by various sensors from which the user'"'"'s activity may be inferred. A wireless communication link may be used by the device to obtain data from remote sensors which may be worn by the user. A personal “scorecard” may be generated from the raw data and from data concerning other users. Personal, raw characterization data may be computed into personal statistical data by averaging over time. Then, it may be sent (anonymously) to a server that receives such data from many (or all) users. The server may return personal statistical positioning to enable comparison of the user to other participants. In certain embodiments, the generation of a personal scorecard from the personal position in the group statistics may be performed in the user'"'"'s device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

obtain, at an electronic device, a plurality of inputs, each input corresponding to an aspect of a person, wherein at least one of the plurality of inputs comprises sensor input;

aggregate at least some of the plurality of inputs;

associate the aggregated inputs with an activity;

generate a score for the activity;

compare the score with one or more similar scores, wherein each of the similar scores corresponds to a different person; and

,

provide information, at the electronic device, to the person about at least one of the different persons based, at least in part, on the compared scores.

2. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to provide information comprise instructions to display a graphical representation of the compared scores.

3. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to provide information comprise instructions to display a numeric value related to the compared scores.

4. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 3 wherein the displayed numeric value is a percentile.

5. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to obtain a plurality of inputs comprise instructions to obtain two or more of:

sensor data corresponding to motion of a device;

sensor data corresponding to location information of the device;

sensor data corresponding to the altitude of the device;

sensor data corresponding to the person'"'"'s heart rate;

data corresponding to time;

data corresponding to date; and

,

data corresponding to personal identifying information of the person.

6. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein sensor input comprises one or more of location sensor input and motion sensor input.

7. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein sensor input comprises at least one input from a remote sensor worn by the user.

8. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the remote sensor is in wireless data communication with the electronic device.

9. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to associate comprise instructions to identify an activity based, at least in part, on the aggregated inputs.

10. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 9 wherein the instructions to associate comprise instructions to identify an activity based, at least in part, on identifying patterns in the aggregated inputs.

11. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to generate a score comprise instructions to:

average personal statistical data over a first period of time;

average personal statistical data over a second period of time; and

,

compare the averaged data for the first period to the averaged data for the second period.

12. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to generate a score comprise instructions to:

average personal statistical data over a period of time; and

,

compare the averaged personal statistical data with averaged personal statistical data concerning other persons.

13. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein the instructions to compare the averaged personal statistical data with averaged personal statistical data concerning other persons is performed in a remote, processor-based device.

14. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein the remote, processor-based device is a server.

15. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to retain at least some of the plurality of inputs in a memory.

16. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 15 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to

generate statistics based, at least in part, on some of the plurality of inputs;

and,

retain the statistics in the memory.

17. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to compare comprise instructions to obtain similar scores from one or more remote locations.

18. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions to provide information to the person comprise instructions to:

order at least some of the similar scores in accordance with a specified manner; and

,

display information about the at least some of the similar scores based, at least in part, on the ordering.

19. A non-transitory program storage device as recited in claim 1 further comprising instructions to publish, via the electronic device, information corresponding to the activity of the user through a social media service.

20. A processor-based system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with a processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing a processor to

obtain, at an electronic device, a plurality of inputs, each input corresponding to an aspect of a person, wherein at least one of the plurality of inputs comprises sensor input;

aggregate at least some of the plurality of inputs;

associate the aggregated inputs with an activity;

generate a score for the activity;

compare the score with one or more similar scores, wherein each of the similar scores corresponds to a different person; and

provide information, at the electronic device, to the person about at least one of the different persons based, at least in part, on the compared scores.

21. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to obtain a plurality of inputs comprise instructions to obtaining two or more of:

sensor data corresponding to motion of a device;

sensor data corresponding to location information of the device;

sensor data corresponding to the person'"'"'s heart rate;

data corresponding to time;

data corresponding to date; and

,

data corresponding to personal identifying information of the person.

22. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein sensor input comprises at least one input from a remote sensor worn by the user.

23. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the remote sensor is in wireless data communication with the electronic device.

24. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to generate a score comprise instructions to:

average personal statistical data over a first period of time;

average personal statistical data over a second period of time; and

compare the averaged data for the first period to the averaged data for the second period.

25. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to generate a score comprise instructions to:

average personal statistical data over a period of time; and

,

compare the averaged personal statistical data with averaged personal statistical data concerning other persons.

26. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 further comprising instructions for causing a processor to retain at least some of the plurality of inputs in a memory.

27. A processor-based system as recited in claim 20 wherein the instructions to provide information to the person comprise instructions to:

order at least some of the similar scores in accordance with a specified manner; and

,

display information about the at least some of the similar scores based, at least in part, on the ordering.

28. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine a likely activity of the user based at least in part on the sensor data; and

,

compile statistics concerning the location and duration of the user'"'"'s activities.

29. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine a likely activity of the user based at least in part on the sensor data and prior-acquired activity data; and

,

compile statistics concerning the location and duration of the user'"'"'s activities.

30. A first processor-based system comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with the processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing the processor to

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine a likely activity of the user based at least in part on the sensor data and prior-acquired activity data; and

,

transmit the determined activity together with data concerning the duration and location of the activity to a remote, second, processor-based system programmed to compile statistics concerning the location and duration of activities performed by a plurality of persons.