Automated response to computer user's context

• US 7,346,663 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robarts, James O., Newell, Dan, Abbott, Kenneth H., Freedman, Joshua M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US11/567,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/223, 709/225, 719/318, 719/319
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes. In some situations the providing includes receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state, receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state, and, in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source, determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value and supplying the received value to the first client.

Claims

1. A method in a computer for providing information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes, comprising:

receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state; and

in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source,

determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value; and

supplying the received value to the first client, wherein the receiving of the value for the one attribute from the first source includes receiving descriptive information about the received value, the descriptive information includes a confidence factor indicating a likelihood of accuracy of the received value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the descriptive information includes a time at which the received value is most accurate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client includes supplying the descriptive information to the first client.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client includes supplying an indication of the first source.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the received indication from the first client additionally includes an indication of a source for the values of the one attribute, and wherein the supplying of the received value to the first client occurs only if the first source is the indicated source.

6. The method of claim 1 including supplying the received value to the first client only if the received value satisfies a criteria for values supplied to the first client.

7. The method of claim 1 including storing values for attributes that are received from sources so that the stored values can be later supplied to clients.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about a user of the computer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the represented information reflects a modeled mental state of the user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about the computer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about a physical environment.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents information about a cyber-environment of a user of the computer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the one attribute represents a current prediction about a future state.

14. The method of claim 1 including receiving from the first source a registration message before receiving the value for the one attribute, the registration message indicating an ability to supply values for the one attribute.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the received indications from the first and second clients are registration messages.

16. The method of claim 1 including, after receiving an indication from the first client for a value of a second indicated attribute and receiving a value from a source for the second attribute, supplying to the first client the received value for the second attribute.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the received value for the second attribute is from the first source.

18. The method of claim 1 including, after receiving a value for the one attribute from a second source, supplying the received value to the first client.

19. The method of claim 1 including, after receiving a value for the another attribute from a source, supplying the received value to the second client.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the received value is supplied by the first source in response to receiving by the first source of input information related to the one attribute.

21. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving from the first client an indication of a condition;

and when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, notifying the first client.

22. The method of claim 21 including determining after the receiving of the value for the one attribute whether the received value satisfies the condition.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the condition relates to a specified one of the state attributes having a specified value.

24. The method of claim 21 including monitoring the condition to determine when it is satisfied.

25. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving from a client a request for a current value of a specified state attribute; and

in response, supplying the requested value to the client by,

requesting at least one source to supply a value for the indicated state attribute; and

sending to the client a value for the indicated state attribute received in response to the requesting.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source includes a group of instructions to be executed to produce a value for the one attribute, and including loading and executing the group of instructions in response to the receiving of the indication from the first client for a value of the one attribute, the loading and executing so that the first source can produce the first value.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the first client includes a group of instructions to be executed to receive a value for the one attribute, and including loading and executing the group of instructions in response to receiving of a value for the one attribute from a source, the loading and executing before the receiving of the indication from the first client.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein security information must be received for a source before any values of state attributes are accepted from the source.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein security information must be received for a client before any values of state attributes are supplied to the client.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the state attributes are part of a predefined taxonomy of attributes.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the state attributes are dynamically defined by sources who indicate an ability to supply values for the defined attributes.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the state attributes are dynamically defined by clients who indicate an interest in receiving values for the defined attributes.

33. The method of claim 1 including supplying to the first client a mediated value for the one attribute that is based on multiple received values for the one attribute.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving of the supplied value by the first client prompts the first client to present information to a user of the first client.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the information about the modeled current state is performed by an operating system of the computer.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the information about the modeled current state is performed by a software module, and including, upon commencement of execution of the software module, commencing execution of multiple sources that are each to supply values for at least one of the state attributes.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the multiple sources that are to be executed are determined based on previous received indications of ability to supply values for at least one state attribute.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the information about the modeled current state is performed by a software module, and including, upon commencement of execution of the software module, commencing execution of multiple client that are each to receive values for at least one of the state attributes.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the multiple clients that are to be executed are determined based on previous received indications of an indication of an interest in receiving values for at least one state attribute.

40. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing device to provide information about a current state that is modeled with multiple state attributes, by performing a method comprising:

receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the state attributes of the modeled current state;

receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the state attributes of the modeled current state; and

in response to receiving a value for the indicated one attribute from a first source,

determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value; and

supplying the received value to the first client, wherein the receiving of the value for the one attribute from the first source includes receiving descriptive information about the received value, the descriptive information includes a confidence factor indicating a likelihood of accuracy of the received value.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the computing device.

42. A computing device for providing information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes, comprising:

an attribute mapping module that is capable of receiving from a first client an indication of an interest in receiving values for an indicated one of the attributes of the current state and of receiving from a second client an indication of an interest in receiving values for another of the attributes of the current state;

an attribute value receiver module that is capable of receiving a value for the one attribute from a first source; and

an attribute value supplier module that is capable of, in response to the receiving of the value for the one attribute, determining that the first client has an interest in receiving the received value and supplying the received value to the first client, wherein the receiving of the value for the one attribute from the first source includes receiving descriptive information about the received value, the descriptive information includes a confidence factor indicating a likelihood of accuracy of the received value.

43. The computing device of claim 42 wherein the attribute mapping module, the attribute value receiver module, and the attribute value supplier module are components of an intermediary module executing in memory.

44. The computing device of claim 42 further comprising multiple sources and multiple clients executing in memory.