Managing interactions between computer users' context models

• US 9,372,555 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Abbott, Kenneth H., Newell, Dan, Robarts, James O., Freedman, Joshua M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao, Ranodhi
• Application Number:
  US09/894,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,473 Days
• Field of Search: 345/740, 345/619, 701/207, 701/300, 704/275, 710/38, 706/21, 715/740, 368/251, 707/10, 709/200, 702/00
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes. In some situations, the providing includes a first computer receiving indications of multiple characterization modules, each characterization module executing on a computer to model an aspect of a current state related to that computer; receiving an indication of one of the multiple attributes of the represented current state; determining multiple of the characterization modules whose modeled aspects are related to the indicated one attribute; and gathering information about the modeled aspects related to the indicated one attribute from the determined characterization modules so that a value for the indicated one attribute can be generated based on the gathered information.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user characterization system, which executes on a computer separate from a remote user wearing a thin client wearable computer, to provide information about a current state of the remote user of the thin client wearable computer, the user characterization system modeling the current state with multiple state attributes and including state server modules (SSMs) to supply values for the state attributes and an intermediary module that comprises at least one Application Programming Interface (API) to facilitate exchange of state attribute values with one or more state client modules (SCMs) that process values for the state attributes, the method comprising:

under control of each of at least one of the SSMs of the user characterization system, gathering information about the current state of the remote user wirelessly from the thin client wearable computer, generating values for at least one of the state attributes based on the gathered information, and sending the generated values to the intermediary module;

under control of the intermediary module of the user characterization system, facilitating exchange of values by,

receiving the sent values for the state attributes from the SSMs; and

automatically, with at least one processor, computing values of other state attributes based at least in part on the sent values of the state attributes, the computing generating a value characterizing a physical activity engaged in by the user from the sent values of the state attributes, the physical activity being at a higher level of abstraction and the sent values being at a lower level of abstraction;

sending at least some of the received state attribute values and at least some of the modeled other state attribute values through the at least one API to an SCM of the at least one SCMs; and

from the characterization system, interacting with the thin client wearable computer, the interacting comprising;

providing a value for at least one of the computed other state attributes to the thin client wearable computer, said value indicating the physical activity engaged in by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the thin client wearable computer includes an output device, and wherein the interacting with the thin client wearable computer includes sending information about the current state for presentation to the remote user on the output device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the thin client wearable computer lacks resources accessible to the computer executing the user characterization system, and wherein the interacting with the thin client wearable computer includes receiving a request to access at least one of the resources on behalf of the thin client wearable computer and accessing those resources in response.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one resources include processing capabilities of the computer executing the user characterization system, wherein the accessing of those resources includes using the processing capabilities on behalf of the thin client wearable computer, and including sending an indication of results to the thin client wearable computer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one resources include a computer-readable storage medium of the computer executing the user characterization system, and wherein the accessing of those resources includes storing information received from the thin client wearable computer on the computer-readable storage medium.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the computer executing the user characterization system has a sensor receiving information about the remote user of the thin client wearable computer, and wherein the gathering of the information about the current state of the remote user by at least one of the SSMs includes obtaining information from the sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the gathering of the information about the current state of the user by at least one of the SSMs includes obtaining information from at least one sensor that is part of the thin client wearable computer.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing based on the received values, by at least one of the SCMs, the processing including supplying information to at least one output device that is part of the thin client wearable computer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the SSMs are available to supply values for additional state attributes of a current state other than for the user, and wherein the intermediary module additionally sends values for the additional state attributes to SCMs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the state attributes comprise a geographic location and speed,

generating values under control of each of the at least one of the SSMs comprises generating values for the state attributes of geographic location and speed,

the computing to generate the value characterizing the physical activity engaged in by the user includes in part deriving values from the sent values of the state attributes for the geographic location and the speed, and

interacting with the thin client wearable computer comprises wirelessly transmitting the derived value characterizing the physical activity engaged in by the user to the thin client wearable computer from the user characterization system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the computing to generate the value characterizing the physical activity engaged in by the user comprises characterizing or inferring from the sent values of the state attributes that the user'"'"'s current activity comprises talking.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the value characterizing the physical activity engaged in by the user is derived in part from sent values of the state attributes based in part on ambient environmental information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical activity engaged in by the user is the activity of exercising.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical activity engaged in by the user is the activity of talking.

15. A system that communicates wirelessly with a mobile computer at a remote location to provide at least a portion of a current state to the remote, mobile computer, the current state modeled with multiple state attributes, the system comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter;

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for performing a process of;

obtaining from state server modules (SSMs) first values for at least one of the state attributes based on sensor data wirelessly received from the mobile computer through the receiver;

modeling a second value of a second state attribute based at least in part on the first values, the second value modeled by selecting a value characterizing a user activity from a set comprising driving and walking; and

providing at least a portion of the current state from the system, the at least a portion of the current state including the second value indicating the user activity.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the current state is the current state of a remote user of the mobile computer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the abstracted user activity is an activity of the remote user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the providing at least a portion of the current state comprises wirelessly transmitting the portion of the current state through the transmitter from the system to the mobile computer, and

the remote mobile computer is a thin client computer that is wearable by the remote user and has an output device for presenting the information about the current state of the remote user received from the system.

19. A system that communicates wirelessly with a mobile computer at a remote location to provide at least a portion of a current state to the remote, mobile computer, and multiple state attributes, the system comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver;

at least one processor implementing a user characterization system to model the current state with multiple state attributes, the user characterization comprising;

state server modules (SSMs) to supply values for the state attributes,

state client modules (SCMs) to process values for the state attributes, and

an intermediary module to facilitate exchange of state attribute values,

wherein;

at least one of the SSMs of the user characterization system gathers information about the current state of the user wirelessly through the receiver from the mobile computer, generates values for at least one of the state attributes based on the gathered information, and sends through the transmitter the generated values to the intermediary module;

at least one of the SCMs of the user characterization system, receives values for at least one state attribute from the intermediary module and performs processing based on the received values;

the intermediary module of the user characterization system facilitates exchange of values by,

receiving the sent values for the state attributes from the SSMs; and

automatically modeling values of other state attributes based at least in part on the sent values of the state attributes by computing a value characterizing an activity of the user from the sent values of the state attributes of a lower level of abstraction;

the intermediary module sends at least some of the received state attribute values and at least some of the modeled other state attribute values to the at least one of the SCMs; and

the intermediary module interacts with the mobile computer, the interacting comprising;

providing a value for at least one of the modeled other state attributes to the mobile computer, said value indicating the activity of the user, and

receiving information about the current state of the remote user from the mobile computer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the mobile computer includes an output device, and

interacting with the thin client wearable computer includes sending information about the current state for presentation to the remote user on the output device.