INTUITIVE COMPUTING METHODS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20140323142A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F., Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Application Number:
  US14/242,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20140323142A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

A smart phone senses audio, imagery, and/or other stimulus from a user'"'"'s environment, and acts autonomously to fulfill inferred or anticipated user desires. In one aspect, the detailed technology concerns phone-based cognition of a scene viewed by the phone'"'"'s camera. The image processing tasks applied to the scene can be selected from among various alternatives by reference to resource costs, resource constraints, other stimulus information (e.g., audio), task substitutability, etc. The phone can apply more or less resources to an image processing task depending on how successfully the task is proceeding, or based on the user'"'"'s apparent interest in the task. In some arrangements, data may be referred to the cloud for analysis, or for gleaning. Cognition, and identification of appropriate device response(s), can be aided by collateral information, such as context. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method comprising the acts:

receiving sensor data, the sensor data including audio data sensed using a microphone of a user'"'"'s portable device, and image data sensed using a camera of said device;

determining dynamically, based on context, a recognition-related operation to perform on the received sensor data, from among plural different recognition-related operations; and

determining dynamically, based on context, whether to make available more or less resources to said determined recognition-related operation;

wherein plural different recognition-related operations are performed on received sensor data, over time, due to different contexts; and

wherein resources made available to said determined recognition-related operation are changed, over time, due to changing context.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said changing context comprises a new operation that has become ready to run, requiring reallocation of resources.

20. The method of claim 1 that includes determining said recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on a relevance score.

21. The method of claim 20 that includes determining said recognition-related operation also based on a resource requirement.

22. The method of claim 1 that includes determining said recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on a resource requirement.

23. The method of claim 1 that includes determining to make more resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on implied user encouragement.

24. The method of claim 1 that includes determining to make more resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on a detection state assessment of said recognition-related operation.

25. The method of claim 1 that includes determining to make less resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on an output from a different recognition-related operation.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein plural different image recognition-related operations are performed on received sensor data, over time, due to different contexts.

27. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of said determining acts is based on computing context.

28. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of said determining acts is based on user context.

29. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of said determining acts is based on physical context.

30. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of said determining acts is based on temporal context.

31. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of said determining acts is based on history of context.

32. The method of claim 1 that includes determining said recognition-related operation using an N-ary tree-based planning exercise.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

5-19. -19. (canceled)

33. A portable wireless device comprising:

a battery;

a camera and a microphone, said camera and microphone providing sensor information;

a wireless interface;

a processor; and

a memory, said memory containing software instructions that configure the device to perform actions including;

determining dynamically, based on context, a recognition-related operation to perform on sensor information, from among plural different recognition-related operations; and

determining dynamically, based on context, whether to make available more or less resources to said determined recognition-related operation;

wherein said instructions are operative to cause the device to perform plural different recognition-related operations on sensor information, over time, due to different contexts; and

wherein said instructions are operative to cause resources made available to said determined recognition-related operation to change, over time, due to changing context.

34. The device of claim 33 in which said actions include determining to make more resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on implied user encouragement.

35. The device of claim 33 in which said actions include determining to make more resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on a detection state assessment of said recognition-related operation.

36. A computer readable storage medium for use with a portable device that includes a camera and a microphone for providing sensor information, said medium containing software instructions that, if executed by said device, cause the device to perform actions including:

determining dynamically, based on context, a recognition-related operation to perform on the sensor information, from among plural different recognition-related operations; and

determining dynamically, based on context, whether to make available more or less resources to said determined recognition-related operation;

wherein said instructions are operative to cause the device to perform plural different recognition-related operations on sensor information, over time, due to different contexts; and

wherein said instructions are operative to cause resources made available to said determined recognition-related operation to change, over time, due to changing context.

37. The storage medium of claim 37 in which said actions include determining to make more resources available to said determined recognition-related operation based, at least in part, on a detection state assessment of said recognition-related operation.