Method and apparatus for collaboration and media access using mobile communications devices

• US 7,844,254 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Arnold, James Frederick, Mark, William S., Bercow, Douglas A., Winarsky, Norman D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US10/867,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/433, 445410-4143, 4454561-4563
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

In one embodiment, a new method enables an individual to selectively preserve the integrity of potentially private data such as identity, current location and the like while using a mobile communications device (e.g., a cell phone) for media access. In one embodiment, the method receives a request for media content from the user in the form of a verbal command. The method then determines whether execution of the command would require the revelation of any potentially private user information. If execution would require such a revelation, the method prompts the user to either permit revelation of the information or to reformulate the request in a way that would not require the information to be revealed. Once data integrity has been resolved, the method searches for and retrieves the requested content.

Claims

1. A method for accessing media content using a mobile communications device, said method comprising steps of:

receiving, by the mobile communications device, a first user request from a user for media content;

analyzing, by the mobile communications device, the first user request for private information; and

prompting, by the mobile communications device, the user for feedback if an execution of the first user request requires a revelation of said private information, wherein the private information includes an output of one or more sensors coupled to the mobile communications device, and wherein the step of prompting the user for feedback comprises;

identifying one or more terms in the first user request that contain said private information;

alerting the user to a fact that said execution of the first user request will require the revelation of said one or more terms that contain said private information;

soliciting a user permission to execute the first user request;

generating, by the mobile communications device, one or more new terms that correspond to the one or more terms, where the one or more new terms contain less private information relative to the one or more terms, if said user permission is not granted; and

reformulating, by the mobile communications device, the first user request, prior to submitting said first user request for execution, as a second user request that uses said one or more new terms.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensors is a global positioning system receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

searching for the requested media content based on the second user request; and

delivering the requested media content to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reformulating the first user request comprises:

prompting the user for permission to execute the second user request, subsequent to the reformulating.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the second user request without soliciting a user permission to execute the second user request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the user with an option to avoid receiving requests for said user permission; and

receiving a user selection in response to said option.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user request is a natural language query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said private information also includes any information stored in a local knowledge base of the mobile communications device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the private information also pertains to personal information of the user or to one or more of previous requests of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a content of the private information relates to the media content.

11. A computer readable storage medium containing an executable program for accessing media content using a mobile communications device, where the program performs the steps of:

receiving, by the mobile communications device, a first user request from a user for media content;

analyzing, by the mobile communications device, the first user request for private information; and

prompting, by the mobile communications device, the user for feedback if an execution of the first user request requires a revelation of said private information, wherein the private information includes an output of one or more sensors coupled to the mobile communications device, and wherein the step of prompting the user for feedback comprises;

identifying one or more terms in the first user request that contain said private information;

alerting the user to a fact that said execution of the first user request will require the revelation of said one or more terms that contain said private information;

soliciting a user permission to execute the first user request;

generating, by the mobile communications device, one or more new terms that correspond to the one or more terms, where the one or more new terms contain less private information relative to the one or more terms, if said user permission is not granted; and

reformulating, by the mobile communications device, the first user request, prior to submitting said first user request for execution, as a second user request that uses said one or more new terms.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said one or more sensors is a global positioning system receiver.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

searching for the requested media content based on the second user request; and

delivering the requested media content to the user.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the step of reformulating the first user request comprises:

prompting the user for permission to execute the second user request, subsequent to the reformulating.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

executing the second user request without soliciting a user permission to execute the second user request.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

providing the user with an option to avoid receiving requests for said user permission; and

receiving a user selection in response to said option.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first user request is a natural language query.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said private information also includes any information stored in a local knowledge base of the mobile communications device.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the private information also pertains to personal information of the user or to one or more of previous requests of the user.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a content of the private information relates to the media content.

21. Apparatus for remotely accessing media content, comprising:

means for receiving a first user request from a user for media content;

means for analyzing the first user request for private information; and

means for prompting the user for feedback if an execution of the first user request requires a revelation of said private information, wherein the private information includes an output of one or more sensors coupled to the mobile communications device, and wherein the means for prompting the user for feedback comprises;

means for identifying one or more terms in the first user request that contain said private information;

means for alerting the user to a fact that said execution of the first user request will require the revelation of said one or more terms that contain said private information;

means for soliciting a user permission to execute the first user request;

means for generating one or more new terms that correspond to the one or more terms, where the one or more new terms contain less private information relative to the one or more terms, if said user permission is not granted; and

means for reformulating the first user request, prior to submitting said first user request for execution, as a second user request that uses said one or more new terms, wherein said apparatus comprises a mobile communications device.