Bounded-deferral policies for guiding the timing of alerting, interaction and communications using local sensory information

A system that facilitates communications, comprising:

• a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to act as:
• means for obtaining a notification message that contains information of value to a user;
• means for sensing a contextual situation of the user;
• means for processing a value of notifying the user of the message and a cost of notifying the user of the message based upon the sensed contextual situation;
• means for determining an expected utility of notifying the user of the message based upon the value and cost;
• means for employing the expected utility, the value and the cost in a decision model;
• means for inferring an attentional state of the user based the decision model;
• means for assigning an urgency to the notification message based upon considerations of message sender, message type or message content;
• means for determining a bounded deferral period based at least in part on the assigned urgency, the bounded deferral period relates to a maximum time that conveyance of the notification message can be deferred, the deferral period is bounded between a time when the notification message is obtained and the maximum time;
• and
• means for conveying the notification message to the user in accordance with the bounded deferral period and the inferred attentional state such that the message is conveyed within the bounded deferral period.

A computer-implemented method that facilitates conveying notifications, comprising:

• using at least one device to infer information regarding an attentional state and/or location of a user, the inference is based at least in part on a temporal decision model;
• determining a bounded deferral period that represents a time period from receipt of a message to a deadline for making a user aware of a message containing information of value to the user, the bounded deferral period is dependent on the urgency of the information of value, the urgency is inferred from considerations of at least one of a message sender, a message type or content;
• employing a decision model, the decision model includes processing at least one of a value of actions or a cost of actions, the processing determines an expected utility with conveying the notification to the user, the value of actions or cost of actions determined at least in part on considerations of attentional focus and workload of the user, attentional focus represents the task or item occupying the attention of the user, the attentional focus and workload determined based at least in part on at least one of perceptual sensors, device interactions, a calendar, a current day or a current time;
• employing the bounded deferral period, the inferred information and the decision model in connection with decision-making regarding conveying a notification to the user of the message, the decision-making determines if a suitable time exists to convey the notification within the bounded deferral period and before the deadline;
• and
• conveying the notification to the user within the bounded deferral period and by at least the deadline specified by the bounded deferral period.