US 6,801,223 B1 · Managing interactions between computer users' context models

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.

Claims89

Dependent claims

A method in a wearable computer for an executing user characterization system to provide information about a current state of a user of the 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, state client modules (SCMs) to process values for the state attributes, and an intermediary module to facilitate exchange of state attribute values, comprising:

under control of each SSM, generating values for at least one of the state attributes and sending the generated values to the intermediary module;
under control of each SCM, receiving values for at least one state attribute from the intermediary module and performing processing based on the received values;
under control of the intermediary module, facilitating exchange of values by,
receiving values for the state attributes from SSMs and from a first of multiple other characterization systems, each of the other characterization systems executing on another computer to model a current state related to the another computer;
for each state attribute, storing the received values for the attribute;
and
receiving requests for values of indicated state attributes from SCMs and from a second of the other characterization systems, and sending stored values of the indicated state attributes to the SCMs and the second other characterization system;
and
modeling an aspect of a current state using distributed state information by,
identifying multiple portions of the distributed state information needed for the modeling of the aspect, and identifying multiple of the other characterization systems each having access to one of the identified multiple portions;
gathering the identified portions of the distributed state information from the identified other characterization systems;
and
generating at least one value for the modeled aspect based on the gathered portions of the distributed state information, so that the user characterization system can interact with other characterization systems in order to exchange and use distributed state information of interest.

10 more elements

A method in a first computer for providing information about a current state that is represented with multiple attributes, the method comprising:

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;
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, the gathering including obtaining from each of at least one of the determined characterization modules a first value for a specified first state attribute to be used as part of generating a value for the indicated one attribute, the first state attribute distinct from the one attribute;
after the gathering of the information from the determined characterization modules, receiving an indication of an ability to supply values for the first state attribute from another of the multiple characterization modules that is not one of the determined characterization modules;
and
as part of subsequent gathering of information related to the indicated one attribute, obtaining from the another characterization module another value for the first state attribute.

4 more elements

A method in a portable computer for providing information about a context that is modeled with multiple context attributes, the method comprising:

receiving from each of multiple sources an indication of an ability to supply values for at least one of the context attributes or the modeled context;
and
for each of multiple clients,
receiving an indication of a desire to receive information of interest, the desired information including at least a first value for an indicated first context attribute;
when at least one source is determined to have the ability to supply the indicated information, retrieving the indicated information from at least one of those sources and sending the retrieved information to the client;
and
when none of the sources have the ability to supply the indicated information,
determining one or more executing characterization modules from which the indicated information can be obtained;
obtaining the indicated information from the determined characterization modules;
and
sending the obtained indicated information to the client;
and
after the sending to the client of the retrieved information or the obtained indicated information, the sending including sending the first value,
receiving from the client an indication of a second context attribute and an indication that a source for a value for the second context attribute is to be a same source as for the first value for the first context attribute;
and
sending to the client a value for the second context attribute that is received from the same source.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Managing interactions between computer users' context models

Life of this patent

Managing interactions between computer users' context models

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims89