Computing and harnessing inferences about the timing, duration, and nature of motion and cessation of motion with applications to mobile computing and communications

• US 7,617,042 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Subramani, Murugesan S., Apacible, Johnson T.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/428,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/200, 701/213, 701/214, 701/208, 340/907, 340/995.13, 340/565, 340/573.1, 340/901, 340/902, 340/905, 707/3
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

An information delivery system comprises a receiver component that receives information about the movement, velocity, acceleration, and/or locations over time of a user. A computation component using a predictive model generates a probability distribution relating to one or more of when the user will next be stopped, how long the user will be stopped, how long a pattern of motion, such as walking, driving in stop and go traffic, and smooth highway motion will last, based at least in part upon signals about motion over time. The system can further comprise an alerting component that determines when to provide the user with information based at least in part upon the probability distribution over some aspect of motion or cessation of motion, and optionally the content, or tagged or inferred urgency or importance, of a message or communication.

Claims

1. An information delivery system comprising:

at least one processor executing the following computer-executable components;

a receiver component that receives information about movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of a user over time;

a computation component that generates a probability distribution relating to when the user will be stopped and how long the user will be stopped based at least in part upon the received information about movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of a user over time, wherein the computation component receives an amount of time that the user has been stopped and a determination is made regarding whether to provide the user with information based at least in part upon the received amount of time; and

an alerting component that determines when to provide the user with information based at least in part upon the probability distribution over an aspect of motion and cessation of motion, and wherein the alerting component additionally analyzes at least one of, content of the information, source of the information, device that the information is directed towards, priority of the information, sender of the information, or time the information was initially sent, in connection with determining when to provide the information to the user, wherein the alerting component comprises a valuation component that determines a measure of value for the information, the alerting component determines when to provide the user with the information based at least in part upon the measure of value.

2. The system of claim 1, the receiver component receives an indication that the user is stopped from a sensor, the computation component generates a probability distribution relating to how long the user will remain stopped based at least in part upon the information about movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of the user over time.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an alerting component that determines whether to provide the user with information, the determination is based at least in part upon the probability distribution relating to how long the user will remain stopped.

4. The system of claim 1, the at least one of information about movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of a user over time is obtained from one or more of a car speedometer, an accelerometer, or a GPS system.

5. The system of claim 1, the receiver component receives an indication that the user is moving from a sensor, the computation component generates a probability distribution relating to when the user will become stopped and length of the stop based at least in part upon the information about movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of the user over time.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising an alerting component that determines when to provide information to the user based at least in part upon the probability distribution relating to when the user will become stopped and length of the stop.

7. The system of claim 1, the computation component comprises a transition component that determines at least one of when the user will transition between traffic patterns or length of time the user will reside within a particular traffic pattern.

8. The system of claim 1, the alerting component determines when to provide the user with information based at least in part upon one or more predefined rules.

9. The system of claim 1, the valuation component comprises a content analysis component that analyzes content of the information, the measure of value of the information is based at least in part upon the analysis.

10. The system of claim 1, the alerting component comprises a deferral component that determines a measure of cost associated with deferring provision of the information to the user, the alerting component determines when to provide the user with the information based at least in part upon the measure of cost.

11. A methodology for determining when to provide a user with information comprising the following computer-executable acts:

employing a processor to execute computer executable instructions stored in memory to perform the following acts;

receiving data that is indicative of a state of a user within a system and state of the system, the received data comprising movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of the user over time;

determining a probability distribution relating to when the user will be stopped and how long the user will be stopped, the determination is based at least in part upon the received data;

receiving information that is intended for the user;

determining when to provide the information to the user based at least in part upon the determined probability distribution;

analyzing at least one of, content of the information, source of the information, device that the information is directed towards, priority of the information, sender of the information, or time the information was initially sent, in connection with determining when to provide the information to the user;

determining a measure of value with respect to providing the information to the user; and

determining when to provide the information to the user based at least in part upon the measure of value.

12. The methodology of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing changes in stability of a signal associated with the user; and

determining a probability distribution relating to at least one of when the user will be stopped or how long the user will be stopped, the determination is based at least in part upon the analyzed changes in stability.

13. The methodology of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a measure of cost with respect to deferring the information as time progresses; and

determining when to provide the information to the user based at least in part upon the measure of cost.

14. The methodology of claim 11, further comprising:

determining an amount of time needed to review the received information; and

determining when to provide the information to the user based at least in part upon the amount of time.

15. A notification system, comprising:

computer-implemented means for receiving data indicating a current state of the user comprising at least movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of a user over time;

computer-implemented means for storing the data comprising movement, velocity, acceleration, and location of the user over time;

computer-implemented means for making a real-time inference relating to availability of the user upon receipt of the data indicating current state of the user, the real-time inference regarding the availability of the user is based at least upon a probability distribution relating to when the user will be stopped and how long the user will be stopped, the probability distribution is determined based at least in part upon the received data;

computer-implemented means for determining when to provide the user with information intended for the user based at least in part upon the real-time inference, the determined probability distribution, and upon analyzing at least one of, content of the information, source of the information, device that the information is directed towards, or parameters of the information;

computer-implemented means for determining a measure of value with respect to providing the information to the user; and

computer-implemented means for determining when to provide the information to the user based at least in part upon the measure of value.