Integration of location logs, GPS signals, and spatial resources for identifying user activities, goals, and context

• US 8,539,380 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krumm, John C., Horvitz, Eric J., Hariharan, Ramaswamy
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Jr., Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta, Soumya
• Application Number:
  US13/040,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 715/855, 715/851, 715/857, 715/862, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/855
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Described are methods that utilize a geographic location technology (e.g., GPS) to determine user location data, and existing network-based websites (e.g., Internet websites) for searching and accessing data related to the location data such that the user context can be developed and stored. A location component is provided that determines location data of a wireless communications device of a user. A context component is provided that accesses context data based on the location data to define a context in which the device is located. Activities, goals, and overall context of a user can be inferred through statistical fusion of multiple sources of evidence. The context data is presented to the user via the wireless device such that the user can make decisions as to where to go, for example. User preferences can be accessed and applied to filter context data according to what the user desires to see and access.

Claims

1. A method of operating a GPS-enabled wireless device, the method comprising:

computing location coordinates of a user using the GPS-enabled wireless device;

predicting a future activity of the user based on user context at the location coordinates;

determining a direction in which the wireless device is pointed by the user and a field of view to query;

searching websites disposed on a network using a search query to identify businesses within the field of view related to the predicted future activity, the search query being based at least on the location coordinates and coordinates for the field of view;

retrieving a list of links to websites of businesses that satisfy the search query;

querying the websites on the list of links to find information associated with the businesses;

inferring business information obtained from the querying of the websites that is of interest to the user based upon historical data associated with the user and user preferences; and

presenting the inferred business information to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of querying a shadow log to determine if the wireless device has or is about to enter a communications shadow.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of determining a user identity of the user and storing business information of the business in association with the user identity as at least a portion of the historical data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of applying user preferences to filter an amount of information of the inferred business information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a direction includes:

computing a direction of travel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data comprises a time since an activity of the same type as the predicted future activity was carried out.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the context data comprises at least one environmental parameter relating to surroundings of the user, the at least one environmental parameter comprising at least one of ambient lighting, time of day, day of year and season.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the inferred business information includes information regarding a business located inside or behind a structure situated in the direction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein inferring the business information includes:

employing a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to infer a situation or an action that the user desires to be automatically performed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein inferring the business information includes:

employing a Bayesian network that processes temporally at least one environmental data, the location data, velocity data, communications shadow data, and a time since a prior activity was confirmed or inferred as occurring.

11. A GPS-enabled wireless device, comprising:

a memory and a processor that are respectively adapted to store and execute instructions that implement operations, the operations comprising;

computing location coordinates of a user using the GPS-enabled wireless device;

predicting a future activity of the user based on user context at the location coordinates;

determining a direction in which the wireless device is pointed by the user and a field of view to query;

searching websites disposed on a network using a search query to identify businesses within the field of view related to the predicted future activity, the search query being based at least on the location coordinates and coordinates for the field of view;

retrieving a list of links to websites of businesses that satisfy the search query;

querying the websites on the list of links to find information associated with the businesses;

inferring business information obtained from the querying of the websites that is of interest to the user based upon historical data associated with the user and user preferences; and

presenting the inferred business information to the user.

12. The GPS-enabled wireless device of claim 11, wherein determining a direction includes:

computing a direction of travel.

13. The GPS-enabled wireless device of claim 11, wherein the context data comprises a time since an activity of the same type as the predicted future activity was carried out.

14. The GPS-enabled wireless device of claim 11, wherein the context data comprises at least one environmental parameter relating to surroundings of the user, the at least one environmental parameter comprising at least one of ambient lighting, time of day, day of year and season.

15. The GPS-enabled wireless device of claim 11, wherein the inferred business information includes information regarding a business located inside or behind a structure situated in the direction.

16. The GPS-enabled wireless device of claim 11, wherein inferring the business information includes:

employing a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to infer a situation or an action that the user desires to be automatically performed.

17. A computer-readable storage memory having instructions stored therein for performing operations, the operations comprising:

computing location coordinates of a user using the GPS-enabled wireless device;

predicting a future activity of the user based on user context at the location coordinates;

determining a direction in which the wireless device is pointed by the user and a field of view to query;

searching websites disposed on a network using a search query to identify businesses within the field of view related to the predicted future activity, the search query being based at least on the location coordinates and coordinates for the field of view;

retrieving a list of links to websites of businesses that satisfy the search query;

querying the websites on the list of links to find information associated with the businesses;

inferring business information obtained from the querying of the websites that is of interest to the user based upon historical data associated with the user and user preferences; and

presenting the inferred business information to the user.

18. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 17, wherein the context data comprises at least one environmental parameter relating to surroundings of the user, the at least one environmental parameter comprising at least one of ambient lighting, time of day, day of year and season.

19. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 17, wherein the inferred business information includes information regarding a business located inside or behind a structure situated in the direction.

20. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 17, wherein inferring the business information includes:

employing a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to infer a situation or an action that the user desires to be automatically performed.