Obtaining user assistance

• US 8,704,675 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K. Y., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Malamud, Mark A., Levien, Royce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/798,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.6, 340/572.1, 340/539.13, 340/585, 340/691.6, 340/686.4, 340/568.1, 340/426.21, 340/539.22
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An apparatus, device, method, computer program product, and system that detects a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and obtains an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and

obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

detecting an operative local coupling between a first electronic device and a second electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

optically detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

querying at least one of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

querying both the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

detecting a signal indicative of a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device includes

detecting the at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the detecting an the at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes

detecting an at least substantially common characteristic emitted by a first electronic device and a second electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a first electronic device in proximity to a second electronic device includes

detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a geographic locale.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a geographic locale includes

detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a premises.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a geographic locale includes

detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a residential premises.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a geographic locale includes

detecting a first electronic device and a second electronic device within a business premises.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes

obtaining an end user assistance corresponding an at least substantially common operability of the first electronic device and the second electronic device that saves a user information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect includes

obtaining a user information corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes

obtaining a user instruction corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes

obtaining a user education corresponding to a substantially common state of the electronic device of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device

includes obtaining an operational information corresponding to a substantially common state of the electronic device of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes

obtaining an end user assistance from a portion of another end user assistance.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a) providing the end user assistance.

20. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing on a computing device a computer process, the computer process comprising:

detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and

obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, the computer process further comprises:

providing the end user assistance.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer-readable medium includes a computer-readable medium carried by a computer-readable carrier.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer program product includes a computer-readable medium.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer program product includes a communications medium.

25. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions that when executed on the computing device configure the computing device for;

detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and

obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the instruction further comprise:

providing the end user assistance.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the first electronic device includes the computing device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the computing device includes the first electronic device.

29. A device comprising:

a monitoring module operable for;

detecting a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and

an acquisition module operable for obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

30. The device of claim 29, further comprising:

a broadcast module operable to provide the end user assistance.

31. A method comprising:

obtaining GPS coordinates of a first electronic device;

obtaining GPS coordinates of a second electronic device;

obtaining an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device in response to a proximity of the first electronic device and the second electronic device determined from the GPS coordinates of the first electronic device and the GPS coordinates of the second electronic device.