Mobile wireless device adaptation based on abstracted contectual situation of user using near-field communications and information collectors

• US 7,729,689 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chandra, Sunil, Krishnamurthy, Sudha, Mittal, Sumit, Chakraborty, Dipanjan, Kankar, Pankaj, Verma, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US11/457,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20080014966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/456.4, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile wireless device, such as a mobile wireless phone, is adapted based on a user'"'"'s current abstracted contextual situation, where the context of a user is determined using devices enabled with near-field communication technology. Dynamic information of a user of a mobile device, such as the identity of his or her current environment, is determined using near-field communication, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. Static information regarding the user is also determined, where such static information can include the user'"'"'s preferences regarding how the mobile device should adapt to certain environments. An abstracted contextual situation of the user is synthesized based on this dynamic and static information. One or more adaptation directives for the mobile device of the user are determined based on the user'"'"'s abstracted contextual situation. The adaptation directives are implemented for the mobile device, without user interaction, or by instructing the user to appropriately configure the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining dynamic information regarding a user of a mobile wireless device using near-field communication;

determining static information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device;

synthesizing an abstracted contextual situation of the user of the mobile wireless device based on the dynamic information and the static information;

determining one or more adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device based on the abstracted contextual situation of the user; and

,

implementing the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device for the abstracted contextual situation of the user of the mobile wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless device is a mobile wireless phone of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the dynamic information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device using near-field communication comprises detecting and reading one or more radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags within an environment in which the user of the mobile wireless device is currently located.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting and reading the RFID tags within the environment in which the user of the mobile wireless device is currently located comprises reading at least one of:

an identity of the environment in which the user is currently located and activities scheduled to take place within the environment in which the user is currently located, from the RFID tags within the environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the dynamic information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device using near-field communication comprises detecting and reading one or more radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags affixed to the mobile wireless device of the user, via an RFID tag reader within an environment in which the user of the mobile wireless device is currently located.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting and reading the RFID tags affixed to the mobile wireless device of the user comprises reading at least one of:

a user-specific identity of the user of the mobile wireless device and a schedule of the user of the mobile wireless device, from the RFID tags affixed to the mobile wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the static information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device comprises retrieving the static information from a computing device other than the mobile wireless device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the static information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device comprises determining user preferences regarding the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the static information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device comprises retrieving the static information from the mobile wireless device of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device for the abstracted contextual situation of the user comprises configuring the mobile wireless device in accordance with the adaptation directives without user involvement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device for the abstracted contextual situation of the user comprises instructing the user to configure the mobile wireless device in accordance with the adaptation directives.

12. A computerized system comprising:

a dynamic information collecting module to collect dynamic information regarding a user of a mobile wireless device, using near-field communication;

a static information collecting module to collect static information regarding the user of the mobile wireless device;

a synthesizing module to synthesize an abstracted contextual situation of the user of the mobile wireless device based on the dynamic information and the static information collected and to determine one or more adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device based on the abstraction situation of the user,

wherein the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device for the abstracted contextual situation of the user of the mobile wireless device are implemented for the mobile wireless device.

13. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the mobile wireless device is a mobile wireless phone of the user.

14. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the dynamic information collecting module comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader to detect and read one or more RFID tags affixed to the mobile wireless device of the user and storing at least one of:

a user-specific identity of the user of the mobile wireless device and a schedule of the user of the mobile wireless device.

15. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the dynamic information collecting module comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader disposed at the mobile wireless device to detect and read one or more RFID tags located within an environment in which the user of the mobile wireless device is currently located and storing at least one of:

an identity of the environment in which the user is currently located and activities scheduled to take place within the environment in which the user is currently located.

16. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the static information collecting module is disposed at a server computing device and is to retrieve the static information from a computing device other than the mobile wireless device, the static information comprising user preferences regarding the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device of the user.

17. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the static information collecting module is disposed at a server computing device and is to retrieve the static information from the mobile wireless device, the static information comprising user preferences regarding the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device of the user.

18. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the synthesizing module is to implement the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device by configuring the mobile wireless device in accordance with the adaptation directives without user involvement, and is disposed at one or more of:

a server computing device, a web site of a telecommunications service provider, the mobile wireless device itself, and an RFID tag reader.

19. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the synthesizing module is disposed at a server computing device and is to implement the adaptation directives for the mobile wireless device by instructing the user to configure the mobile wireless device in accordance with the adaptation directives.