Responding to a status for a user based on nearby electronic devices

• US 9,913,089 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Jiaqing, Qi, Zhen, Xi, Qi, Yu, Xiao Feng, Zhao, Ya Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/834,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 340 35, 340 91, 340 421, 340 55, 340902, 340 911, 4554351, 4554563, 455457, 4554561, 4554041, 455434, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0407 based on behaviour analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/223 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for determining a status of a user of an electronic device. The method includes a computer processor determining information associated with a first user of an electronic device. The method further includes identifying a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communications to the electronic device. The method further includes defining an area monitored by the electronic device. The method further includes monitoring a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area. The method further includes calculating a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices. The method further includes determining a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for, determining a status of a user of an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more computer processors, information associated with a first user of an electronic device;

identifying, by the one or more computer processors, a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communication to the electronic device;

defining, by the one or more computer processors, an area monitored by the electronic device;

monitoring, by the one or more computer processors, a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area, wherein the defined area is based, at least in part, on one or more user preferences and a value corresponding to a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices;

calculating, by the one or more computer processors, a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

determining, by the one or more computer processors, a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the first safe-threshold value further comprises:

determining, by the one or more computer processors, electronic devices included in the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area monitored by the electronic device, wherein determining occurs periodically based, at least in part, on a polling rate of the electronic device;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the identified group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

calculating, by the one or more computer processors, the first safe-threshold value based on an algorithm that includes at least one of;

one or more user preferences, one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the first user further comprises:

determining, by the one or more computer processors, a second safe-threshold value for the first user based, at least in part, on at least one of;

one or more user preferences, a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user;

comparing, by the one or more computer processors, the first safe-threshold value to the second safe-threshold value;

in response to determining that the first safe-threshold value is less than or equal to the second safe-threshold value for the first user, determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether the status of the first user is safe; and

in response to determining that the status of a user is not safe, initiating, by the one or more computer processors, one or more responses of the electronic device based, at least in part, one or more user preferences.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more responses include at least one of:

communicating one or more notifications to the user of the electronic device, one or more actions of the electronic device, one or more notifications to one or more users of the plurality of identified electronic devices, one or more actions by one or more electronic devices of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, a change to a polling rate of the electronic device, and one or more actions of an electronic device external to the defined area.

5. The method of claim 3:

wherein the second safe-threshold value includes two or more safe-threshold values;

wherein each of the two or more safe-threshold values are associated with at least one corresponding response of the electronic device; and

wherein the at least one corresponding response of the electronic device initiates based on at least one of;

one or more logical operations, a hierarchical organizations, and one or more user preferences.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes at least one of:

a computing device, a mobile device, a smartphone, a beacon, a smart object, a wireless device, and a radio-frequency identification device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user of the electronic device includes at least one of:

one or more persons, the electronic device, one or more vehicles, one or more animals, one or more objects that includes the electronic device, one or more computer systems that include the device.

8. A computer program product for determining a status of a user of an electronic device, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions readable/executable by one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine information associated with a first user of an electronic device;

program instructions to identify a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communications to the electronic device;

program instructions to define an area monitored by the electronic device;

program instructions to monitor a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area, wherein the defined area is based, at least in part, on one or more user preferences and a value corresponding to a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices;

program instructions to calculate a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

program instructions to determine a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein calculating the first safe-threshold value further comprises:

program instructions to determine electronic devices included in the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area monitored by the electronic device, wherein determining occurs periodically based, at least in part, on a polling rate of the electronic device;

program instructions to determine one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the identified group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

program instructions to calculate the first safe-threshold value based on an algorithm that includes at least one of;

one or more user preferences, one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein determining the status of the first user further comprises:

program instructions to determine a second safe-threshold value for the first user based, at least in part, on at least one of;

one or more user preferences, a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user;

program instructions to compare the first safe-threshold value to the second safe-threshold value;

responsive to determining that the first safe-threshold value is less than or equal to the second safe-threshold value for the first user, program instructions to determine whether the status of the first user is safe; and

responsive to determining that the status of a user is not safe, program instructions to initiate one or more responses of the electronic device based, at least in part, one or more user preferences.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the one or more responses include at least one of:

communicating one or more notifications to the user of the electronic device, one or more actions of the electronic device, one or more notifications to one or more users of the plurality of identified electronic devices, one or more actions by one or more electronic devices of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, a change to a polling rate of the electronic device, and one or more actions of an electronic device external to the defined area.

12. The computer program product of claim 10:

wherein the second safe-threshold value includes two or more safe-threshold values;

wherein each of the two or more safe-threshold values is associated with at least one corresponding response of the electronic device; and

wherein the at least one corresponding response of the electronic device initiates based on at least one of;

one or more logical operations, a hierarchical organization, and one or more user preferences.

13. A computer system for determining a status of a user of an electronic device, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media and executed by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine information associated with a first user of an electronic device;

program instructions to identify a plurality of electronic devices that are within a range of wireless communications to the electronic device;

program instructions to define an area monitored by the electronic device;

program instructions to monitor a group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area, wherein the defined area is based, at least in part, on one or more user preferences and a value corresponding to a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices;

program instructions to calculate a first safe-threshold value for the electronic device based on information associated with a first user of an electronic device and monitored information from the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

program instructions to determine a status for the first user based, at least in part, on the calculated first safe-threshold value for the electronic device.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein calculating the first safe-threshold value further comprises:

program instructions to determine electronic devices included in the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices that are within the defined area monitored by the electronic device, wherein determining occurs periodically based, at least in part, on a polling rate of the electronic device;

program instructions to determine one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the identified group of the identified plurality of electronic devices; and

program instructions to calculate the first safe-threshold value based on an algorithm that includes at least one of;

one or more user preferences, one or more weighting factors respectively associated with each determined electronic device of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein determining the status of the first user further comprises:

program instructions to determine a second safe-threshold value for the first user based, at least in part, on at least one of;

one or more user preferences, a number of electronic devices within the identified plurality of electronic devices, one or more external inputs, an activity of the first user, information associated with the first user, and a degree of familiarity for the activity by the first user;

program instructions to compare the first safe-threshold value to the second safe-threshold value;

responsive to determining that the first safe-threshold value is less than or equal to the second safe-threshold value for the first user, program instructions to determine whether the status of the first user is safe; and

responsive to determining that the status of a user is not safe, program instructions to initiate one or more responses of the electronic device based, at least in part, one or more user preferences.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the one or more responses include at least one of:

communicating one or more notifications to the user of the electronic device, one or more actions of the electronic device, one or more notifications to one or more users of the plurality of identified electronic devices, one or more actions by one or more electronic devices of the group of the identified plurality of electronic devices, a change to a polling rate of the electronic device, and one or more actions of an electronic device external to the defined area.

17. The computer system of claim 15:

wherein the second safe-threshold value includes two or more safe-threshold values;

wherein each of the two or more safe-threshold values is associated with at least one corresponding response of the electronic device; and

wherein the at least one corresponding response of the electronic device initiates based on at least one of;

one or more logical operations, a hierarchical organization, and one or more user preferences.