Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080319975 | Exploratory Search Technique - A technique for the creation of synthesized results from multi-query searches to provide more relevant information to the user in a more useful format and to discard or reduce in relevancy information that is not so useful. It allows a user to define the boundaries of the exploratory search before it starts or retroactively define which queries belong to the search. It can imply which queries belong to the search based on parameters in the queries or results. It also provides mechanisms for supporting exploratory searches including: saving/restoring search context; search-specific query history; a “keepers” bin for storing useful results; elimination of redundant results; re-ranking of common search results; integration of searching with navigation; pivoting on search results; collaboration among multiple searchers; user-generated content; generation of hypotheses; re-executing queries and executing standing queries; multi-monitor searching and automatic preparation of search summaries. User interfaces for conducting multi-query searches are also provided. | 12-25-2008 |
20090006324 | MULTIPLE MONITOR/MULTIPLE PARTY SEARCHES - A technique for the creation of synthesized results from multi-query, multi-party and multi-monitor searches to provide more relevant information to the user in a more useful format and to discard or reduce in relevancy information that is not so useful. It also provides mechanisms for supporting exploratory searches including: saving/restoring search context; search-specific query history; a “keepers” bin for storing useful results; elimination of redundant results; re-ranking of common search results; integration of searching with navigation; pivoting on search results; collaboration among multiple searchers; user-generated content; generation of hypotheses; re-executing queries and executing standing queries; multi-monitor searching and automatic preparation of search summaries. | 01-01-2009 |
20090119385 | INTEGRATION OF A COMPUTER-BASED MESSAGE PRIORITY SYSTEM WITH MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Methods for integrating mobile electronic devices with computational methods for assigning priorities to documents are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first receives a new document such as an electronic mail message. The method assigns a priority to the document, based on a text classifier such as a Bayesian classifier or a support-vector machine classifier. The method then alerts a user on an electronic device, such as a pager or a cellular phone, based on an alert criteria that can be made sensitive to information about the location, inferred task, and focus of attention of the user. Such information can be inferred under uncertainty or can be accessed directly from online information sources. One embodiment makes use of information from an online calendar to control the criteria used to make decisions about relaying information to a mobile device. | 05-07-2009 |
20090327148 | MECHANISMS AND ARCHITECTURE FOR MOBILE OPPORTUNISTIC COMMERCE - The claimed matter provides systems and/or methods that enable sellers and buyers to take mutual advantage of the relationship of the location of seller outlets to routes that mobile buyers take to other destinations. The system can include devices that identify sellers capable of fulfilling a buyer's product or service requirements, generate value functions for the seller based on bidding functions acquired from the seller and related to the product or service requirements of the buyer, compare the value functions associated with multiple sellers to identify a successful seller, and notify the buyer of the location of the successful seller by modifying a route to a pre-established destination to include directions to the successful seller. | 12-31-2009 |
20090327169 | COMBINING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF FORGETTING, RELEVANCE, AND COST OF INTERRUPTION TO GUIDE AUTOMATED REMINDING - The claimed matter provides systems and/or techniques that develop or use predictive models of human forgetting to effectuate automated reminding. The system includes the use of predictive models that infer the probability that aspects of items will be forgotten, models that evaluate the relevance of recalling aspects of items in different settings, based on contextual information related to user attributes associated with the items, and models of the context-sensitive cost of interrupting users with reminders. The system can combine the probability of users forgetting aspects of an item with an assessed cost of forgetting those aspects to ascertain expected costs for not being reminded about events, compare expected costs for not being reminded with expected costs for interrupting users, and based on comparisons between expected costs for being reminded and expected costs for interrupting users regarding events, generate and deliver reminder notifications to users about items. | 12-31-2009 |
20090327228 | BALANCING THE COSTS OF SHARING PRIVATE DATA WITH THE UTILITY OF ENHANCED PERSONALIZATION OF ONLINE SERVICES - Described herein is a method that includes determining a utility to a user of sharing a set of attributes for use in connection with personalized searching or other online services. The method further includes determining a cost to the user of sharing the set of attributes. The method also includes outputting an indication of a net benefit to the user of sharing the set of attributes based at least in part upon the determined utility and the determined cost. | 12-31-2009 |
20090327478 | SELECTION OF SENSORS FOR MONITORING PHENOMENA CONSIDERING THE VALUE OF INFORMATION AND DATA SHARING PREFERENCES - A system that facilitates selecting a sensor from amongst a plurality of sensors from which to request data is described. The system includes a receiver component that receives a value of information for data that corresponds to a segment of a phenomenon model that models a phenomenon. The receiver component also receives user-defined preferences regarding sharing data from at least one sensor. The system further includes a selector component that selects the at least one sensor from amongst a plurality of sensors based at least in part upon the value of information and the preferences. The determination of the value ascribed to sensors may include considerations of the utilitarian benefit of reduction of uncertainty to a population of people. | 12-31-2009 |
20100100716 | Conserving Power Using Predictive Modelling and Signaling - Methods and systems for conserving power using predictive models and signaling are described. Parameters of a power management policy are set based on predictions based on user activity and/or signals received from a remote computer which define a user preference. In an embodiment, the power management policy involves putting the computer into a sleep state and periodically waking it up. On waking, the computer determines whether to remain awake or to return to the sleep state dependent upon the output of a predictive model or signals that encode whether a remote user has requested that computer remain awake. Before returning to the sleep state, a wake-up timer is set and this timer triggers the computer to subsequently wake-up. The length of time that the timer is set to may depend on factors such as the request from the remote user, context sensors and usage data. | 04-22-2010 |
20100332131 | ROUTING, ALERTING, AND TRANSPORTATION GUIDANCE BASED ON PREFERENCES AND LEARNED OR INFERRED RISKS AND DESIRABILITIES - Techniques and systems are disclosed that provide a risk-based assessment for a user based on user location information. Incident data is acquired for incidents that involve potential risks (e.g., to people and/or property) from a plurality of locations and contexts, considering such factors as date, time, weather, traffic, and velocity. The incident data is matched to the user's location and context directly or indirectly to provide one or more potential outcomes of interest (e.g., accidents, injuries, fatalities), and inferences regarding the likelihood of events are made available. These measures are compared to desired risk thresholds for the user. In one embodiment, routes, times, and conditions of travel may be preferred over others routes, times, and conditions. In another embodiment, users may be notified of a condition or a vehicle's maximum velocity may be reduced when the matched incident data meets/exceeds a user's risk threshold. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332281 | TASK ALLOCATION MECHANISMS AND MARKETS FOR ACQUIRING AND HARNESSING SETS OF HUMAN AND COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES FOR SENSING, EFFECTING, AND PROBLEM SOLVING - A set of projects may be defined, each project having a set of tasks to be performed. In turn, each task may be mapped to a set of task capabilities that are involved in completing the task. A set of agents and components (potentially including both human agents and automated agent, and components for sensing and effecting action in the world) may also be defined, and each agent may have a set of agent capabilities representing skills, knowledge, resources, relationships, etc., that an agent may commit to a task. The tasks of the projects may be fulfilled by identifying coalitions of agents for respective tasks, featuring a sufficient set of agent capabilities corresponding to the task capabilities. This model may be used, e.g., in a matching service, whereby projects submitted by managers may be completed through an automated matching of tasks with a set of agents subscribing to the service. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332313 | USER SELECTABLE ADVERTISING NETWORKS - The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates user selectable advertising networks. Advertising content can be formed into cohesive subsets of advertising. These subsets can be related to criteria to facilitate selection between available subsets of advertising content. A selection component can facilitate selection of the available subsets of advertising content based on these criteria. The criteria can be related to user preferences. Further the criteria can relate to explicit user preferences such as opt-in or opt-out indicia. The user can be presented with more relevant advertising content where user selection of advertising networks occurs. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332315 | GENERATION OF IMPRESSION PLANS FOR PRESENTING AND SEQUENCING ADVERTISEMENT AND SALES OPPORTUNITIES ALONG POTENTIAL ROUTES - A mobile device may present advertisements to users. However, advertisements may be ineffective or dangerous if presented when the attention of the user is unavailable (e.g., while operating a vehicle at a busy intersection.) It may also be desirable to select a sequence of advertisements that interrelate, or that relate the route of the user to an advertised product or service. Therefore, potential routes may be identified (e.g., based on user history or nearby locations of interest), and for potential routes, advertisement opportunities may be identified where the user may have an at least partial attention availability (e.g., traffic signals and fuel stops.) Advertisements may be selected for presentation at the advertisement opportunities of respective potential routes. Additionally, advertisement opportunities may be offered to advertisers in an auction model, and advertisers may specify conditions of advertisements (e.g., competitive placement exclusive of competitors' advertisements, or combinatorial placement of several advertisements.) | 12-30-2010 |
20100332423 | GENERALIZED ACTIVE LEARNING - Active learning is extended to decisions on information acquisition of both missing labels and missing features within one or more cases. In one example, desired (e.g., optimal) information to acquire about a case at hand and about cases in a training library during diagnostic sessions can be computed concurrently. A joint distribution of variables, comprising observed and unobserved labels and features for one or more cases, is modeled and probability distributions are determined for unobserved variables. An unobserved variable is selected from the joint distribution that has a return on information (ROI) metric having a combination of a desired uncertainty metric for a value of the unobserved variable and a desired cost for observing the value of the unobserved variable. The value of the variable is observed, and the probability distributions for the respective unobserved variables in the joint distribution are updated using the value of the identified variable. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332488 | REFERRAL-BASED SPONSORSHIP OF ACCESS TO CONTENT ITEM SETS - A content provider may provide public access to a content item set, but may be unable to achieve sufficient revenue to sustain the administrative costs and ongoing development of the content item set. Instead, the content provider may develop relationships with one or more referrers (e.g., search engines.) When a user requests a content item, the content provider may determine whether the request results from a referral by a sponsoring referrer, and based on this determination may provide either a full version or a limited version of the content item. The referrer benefits by providing its users with free access to the content item set, which may be unavailable from non-sponsoring competitors, and in exchange may share advertising revenue with the content provider. This arrangement achieves sustaining sponsorship of the content provider while extending full and free access to the content item set to users of sponsoring referrers. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332496 | IMPLICIT PRODUCT PLACEMENT LEVERAGING IDENTIFIED USER AMBITIONS - The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates accessing information content based at least in part on relevancy to a user by leveraging user ambitions. User ambitions can take the form of to-do lists, calendar items, goals, or interests. These can be leveraged with or without contextual information, historical data, user profiles, and the like to determine the relevancy of content to a specific user. This can facilitate determining what content is accessible to a user based on relevance. A threshold relevance level can be dynamically adjusted. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332513 | CACHE AND INDEX REFRESHING STRATEGIES FOR VARIABLY DYNAMIC ITEMS AND ACCESSES - Many computing scenarios involve an item cache or index, comprising items corresponding to source items that may change without notice, rendering the item in the item cache or index stale. It may not be possible to guarantee the freshness of the items, but it may be desirable to reduce staleness in an efficient manner. Therefore, the refreshing of items may be prioritized by first predicting the query frequency of respective item representing the rate at which an item is retrieved from the item cache (e.g., by monitoring queries for the item), predicting an update frequency representing the rate at which the source item is updated by the source item host (e.g., by classifying the source item type), and computing a refresh utility representing the improvement in cache freshness achieved by refreshing the item. Respective items may then be prioritized for refreshing according to the computed refresh utilities. | 12-30-2010 |
20100332648 | COMPUTATIONAL MODELS FOR SUPPORTING SITUATED INTERACTIONS IN MULTI-USER SCENARIOS - Individuals may interact with automated services as one or more parties, where such individuals may have collective (as well as individual) intents. Moreover, parties may concurrently communicate with the interface, and the interface may have to manage several concurrent interactions with different parties. Single-individual interfaces may be unable to react robustly to such dynamic and complex real-world scenarios. Instead, multi-party interfaces to service components may be devised that identify individuals within a scene, associate the individuals with parties, track a set of interactions of the parties with the service component, and direct the service component in interacting with the parties. A multi-party interface may also detect and politely handle interruptions, and may identify information items about individuals and parties based on context and history, prioritize the intents of the individuals and parties, and triage interactions accordingly. | 12-30-2010 |
20110003583 | SELECTION OF SENSORS FOR MONITORING PHENOMENA CONSIDERING THE VALUE OF INFORMATION AND DATA SHARING PREFERENCES - A method disclosed herein includes the act of computing a value of information for obtaining data from a personal sensor of a user for utilization in a utilitarian computing application, wherein a mobile computing device comprises the personal sensor of the user. The method further includes the act of requesting that the mobile computing device transmit a data packet to the computing device based at least in part upon the value of information for obtaining data from the personal sensor of the user. | 01-06-2011 |
20110195726 | COMMERCIALLY SUBSIDIZED MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND SERVICES - Mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, may be capable of recommending to a user various providers of one or more solicited services, e.g., by identifying a user location and identifying providers near the user location that provide the services, and by initiating a call between the user and a selected provider. However, the equipment and service costs of such devices may be prohibitive, particularly for mid-range mobile communication devices that may appeal to cost-conscious users. The prohibitive costs may be diminished by redirecting part or all of the cost of providing the recommendation service from the providers, e.g., by charging the provider a service cost upon initiating a call from the user to the provider, or upon representing the provider in a provider database. In one such embodiment, all service costs may be borne by providers, providing to the user a free recommendation service via the mobile communication device. | 08-11-2011 |
20110258153 | COMBINING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF FORGETTING, RELEVANCE, AND COST OF INTERRUPTION TO GUIDE AUTOMATED REMINDING - The claimed matter provides systems and/or techniques that develop or use predictive models of human forgetting to effectuate automated reminding. The system includes the use of predictive models that infer the probability that aspects of items will be forgotten, models that evaluate the relevance of recalling aspects of items in different settings, based on contextual information related to user attributes associated with the items, and models of the context-sensitive cost of interrupting users with reminders. The system can combine the probability of users forgetting aspects of an item with an assessed cost of forgetting those aspects to ascertain expected costs for not being reminded about events, compare expected costs for not being reminded with expected costs for interrupting users, and based on comparisons between expected costs for being reminded and expected costs for interrupting users regarding events, generate and deliver reminder notifications to users about items. | 10-20-2011 |
20120004802 | MEDIATION OF TASKS BASED ON ASSESSMENTS OF COMPETING COGNITIVE LOADS AND NEEDS - Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for mediating tasks in real-time for safety-related concerns. A nature for a safety-related primary task, such as contextual elements of the task, is determined; and a nature of a secondary task that draws attention away from the primary task is also determined. A risk factor for a potential lack of cognitive resources which may be needed by the primary task is determined by applying the nature of the primary task and the nature of the secondary task to a trained risk factor model. The risk factor is applied to one or more safety-related systems in real-time, for example, to mitigate potential safety concerns. | 01-05-2012 |
20120004925 | HEALTH CARE POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION - Technology is described for developing health care policies for use in a health care facility. In one example method, a health care policy can be applied in a health care software application and stored in a health care database. A correlated feature set can be correlated to the health care policy being developed. A selection of health care cases can be obtained from the health care database for testing the health care policy. A model can predict a defined effect of the health care policy based on the correlated feature set. A cost of implementing the health care policy on a defined percentage of patients can be predicted using the defined effect by the model and a specified predictor by applying statistical analysis. The system can guide the allocation of resources in a patient-specific manner. The policies can also be applied in conjunction with user models to guide alerting. | 01-05-2012 |
20120005131 | Combining Human and Machine Intelligence to Solve Tasks With Crowd Sourcing - Methods are described for ideally joining human and machine computing resources to solve tasks, based on the construction of predictive models from case libraries of data about the abilities of people and machines and their collaboration. Predictive models include methods for folding together human contributions, such as voting, with machine computation, such as automated visual analyses, as well as the routing of tasks to people based on prior performance and interests. An optimal distribution of tasks to selected participants of the plurality of participants is determined according to a model that considers the demonstrated competencies of people based on a value of information analysis that considers the value of human computation and the ideal people for providing a contribution. | 01-05-2012 |
20120005148 | INTEGRATING SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE SOURCES INTO A GENERAL SEARCH SERVICE - Embodiments are described for a system for integrating expert sources of knowledge into a general search service. The method can include a general search engine interface to receive a search query with at least one search term from a user. An expert knowledge engine can enable retrieval of expert information and analyses. A predictive model module can be used to determine a probability that an expert knowledge engine may provide a valuable response to the query. The search query can be routed to the expert knowledge engine based on a cost-benefit analysis. A query reformulation module can reformulate a query for use by the expert knowledge engine. A display module can be employed to combine the expert search results with other search results. | 01-05-2012 |
20120010996 | RECOMMENDATIONS AND TARGETED ADVERTISING BASED UPON DIRECTIONS REQUESTS ACTIVITY AND DATA - Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing recommendations and/or advertisements based upon route query activity. A web server is configured to receive queries from an entity. The queries and contextual data associated therewith can be analyzed, and data relating to the queries can be stored by the web server as route activity logs. Adjacent routes and explicit waypoint routing can be abstracted via address directories and ontologies to higher-level goals and the route activities and goals. Such data can serve as case libraries for the construction via machine learning of models that predict interests and preferences with visits to locations and the sequencing of such visits. Training data can include correlated contextual data such as the time and day, prior route queries, and weather, to learn predictive models. Predictions about context- and destination-centric goals and interests can be harnessed to predict preferences, target advertising about waypoints and alternative destinations of potential interest, or advertisements about location-centric or location-independent products or services, all of which can drive recommendations in the present or at a future time. | 01-12-2012 |
20120011511 | METHODS FOR SUPPORTING USERS WITH TASK CONTINUITY AND COMPLETION ACROSS DEVICES AND TIME - Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing task continuity and supporting task completion across devices and time. A task management application is configured to monitor one or more interactions between a user and a device. The interactions can include the use of the device, the use of one or more applications, and/or other tasks, subtasks, or other operations. Predictive models constructed from data or logical models can be used to predict the attention resources available or allocated to a task or subtask as well as the attention and affordances available within a context for addressing the task and these inferences can be used to mark or route the task for later reminding and display. In some embodiments, the task management application is configured to remind or execute a follow-up action when a session is resumed. Embodiments include providing users with easy to use gestures and mechanisms for providing input about desired follow up on the same or other devices. | 01-12-2012 |
20120167075 | PREDICTIVE SOFTWARE STREAMING - A software streaming platform may be implemented that predictively chooses units of a program to download based on the value of downloading the unit. In one example, a program is divided into blocks. The sequence in which blocks of the program historically have been requested is analyzed in order to determine, for a given history, what block is the next most likely to be requested. Blocks then may be combined into chunks, where each chunk represents a chain of blocks that have a high likelihood of occurring in a sequence. A table is then constructed indicating, for a given chunk, the chunks that are most likely to follow the given chunk. Based on the likelihood table and various other considerations, the value of downloading particular chunks is determined, and the chunk with the highest expected value is downloaded. | 06-28-2012 |
20130006738 | SHARED ELECTRONIC INCENTIVES AND COUPONS LEVERAGING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND SHEPHERDING - Systems and methods for distributing shared electronic coupons are provided. According to one aspect, the electronic coupon may include a coupon benefit display region displaying a textual and/or graphical representation of a coupon benefit. The electronic coupon may further include a candidate display region displaying a list of one or more friends of the user who are determined to be redeemer candidates from among friends in a social network profile or address book of the user. Each redeemer candidate friend in the list has an associated selector, and selection by the user of a selector corresponding to a friend causes the client device to send a message to a coupon server to instruct the coupon server to send the electronic coupon to a client device of the selected friend. Predictive models generated through machine learning may aid in selecting the user to which coupons are distributed and the redeemer candidates. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006739 | ONLINE MARKETPLACE WITH SHIPPING INCENTIVES - A marketplace server and method for facilitating purchase transactions are provided. A marketplace server may include a routing engine configured to receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, with the order including a first delivery address of the customer. The routing engine also calculates a delivery route to the first delivery address. An offer engine is configured to create an offer for other goods. The offer includes a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer. The offer may be targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route. The offer engine sends the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, the offer engine processes a purchase transaction for the offer. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006748 | DATA SAMPLING AND USAGE POLICIES FOR LEARNING AND PERSONALIZATION WITH PRIVACY - Various embodiments are described for systems and methods for facilitating data sharing between a user of a client device and an online service. The system may include a module configured to display a graphical display of data sharing specifications on the client device. The graphical display may include one or more user-adjustable privacy setting selectors configured to receive input of user-selected privacy level selections. Each of the privacy level selections may be associated with a report of the probability that data attributes will be captured and used and/or with other measures such as the size of the set of people that are identifiable from the revelation. Data attributes may include a data type, a data use purpose, a data use timeframe, and a data storage timeframe. The graphical display may further include a consent selector configured to receive consent from the user. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006754 | MULTI-STEP IMPRESSION CAMPAIGNS - Various embodiments are described for computerized advertising systems and methods. The system may include an ad server that includes an impression campaign engine configured to associate a target user profile with a plurality of computing devices. The ad server is also configured to receive a multi-step impression plan including a plurality of triggers from an advertiser. Each trigger is associated with a different advertisement to be served to at least one of the plurality of devices. The system also includes an ad serving engine configured to serve a first advertisement to a first device in response to making an inference from sensors or detecting a first trigger, and a second advertisement to a second device in response to a second inference or detecting a second trigger, according to the impression plan. A predictive model developed from machine learning may be used to develop a learning-based multi-step impression plan. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006794 | ONLINE MARKETPLACE WITH OFFER/BID POOLING - Systems and methods for facilitating purchase transactions through real-time dynamic marketplace sessions are provided. A method may include pooling offers for goods/services to form a pooled offer, and pooling bids to form a pooled bid. The pooled offer and the pooled bid may be matched to form a pooled offer/bid pair. Methods for inducing and using predictive models for successful configuration of properties and participants with machine learning procedures that operate on data about successful and unsuccessful offers may be employed. A real-time dynamic marketplace session may be established between offer agents associated with the pooled offers and bid agents associated with the pooled bids. Upon a successful conclusion to the negotiation, a purchase transaction for the pooled offer/bid pair may be processed. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006904 | PERSONAL LONG-TERM AGENT FOR PROVIDING MULTIPLE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES - A long-term personal agent program, executable as network service and/or on one or more user computing devices and related method for identifying opportunities and making recommendations on behalf of one or more users, are disclosed herein. In one example, the personal agent program includes a monitoring engine configured to monitor and interpret a user's activities over time with a plurality of sensing and logging methodologies according to user authorization, the use of statistical methods for learning to understand a user's goals and behavioral patterns from data, and the use of procedures for computing the expected value of information guiding sensing and logging in different contexts. The personal agent further may include a recommendation methodology configured to make suggestions and to take actions on behalf of the user, in the present moment as well as for future times, based on inferences about user goals and opportunities in the world. | 01-03-2013 |
20130082978 | OMNI-SPATIAL GESTURE INPUT - Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer storage media for detecting user input in an extended interaction space of a device, such as a handheld device. The method and system allow for utilizing a first sensor of the device sensing in a positive z-axis space of the device to detect a first input, such as a user's non-device-contacting gesture. The method and system also contemplate utilizing a second sensor of the device sensing in a negative z-axis space of the device to detect a second input. Additionally, the method and system contemplate updating a user interface presented on a display in response to detecting the first input by the first sensor in the positive z-axis space and detecting the second input by the second sensor in the negative z-axis space. | 04-04-2013 |
20130086674 | Multi-frame depth image information identification - Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer storage media for identifying, authenticating, and authorizing a user to a device. A dynamic image, such as a video captured by a depth camera, is received. The dynamic image provides data from which geometric information of a portion of a user may be identified as well as motion information of a portion of the user may be identified. Consequently, a geometric attribute is identified from the geometric information. A motion attribute may also be identified from the motion information. The geometric attribute is compared to one or more geometric attributes associated with authorized users. Additionally, the motion attribute may be compared to one or more motion attributes associated with the authorized users. A determination may be made that the user is an authorized user. As such the user is authorized to utilize functions of the device. | 04-04-2013 |
20130097022 | COMMERCIALLY SUBSIDIZED MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND SERVICES - Mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, may be capable of recommending to a user various providers of one or more solicited services, e.g., by identifying a user location and identifying providers near the user location that provide the services, and by initiating a call between the user and a selected provider. However, the equipment and service costs of such devices may be prohibitive, particularly for mid-range mobile communication devices that may appeal to cost-conscious users. The prohibitive costs may be diminished by redirecting part or all of the cost of providing the recommendation service from the providers, e.g., by charging the provider a service cost upon initiating a call from the user to the provider, or upon representing the provider in a provider database. In one such embodiment, all service costs may be borne by providers, providing to the user a free recommendation service via the mobile communication device. | 04-18-2013 |
20130182892 | GESTURE IDENTIFICATION USING AN AD-HOC MULTIDEVICE NETWORK - Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for establishing an ad hoc network of devices that can be used to interpret gestures. Embodiments of the invention use a network of sensors with an ad hoc spatial configuration to observe physical objects in a performance area. The performance area may be a room or other area within range of the sensors. Initially, devices within the performance area, or with a view of the performance area, are indentified. Once identified, the sensors go through a discovery phase to locate devices within an area. Once the discovery phase is complete and the devices within the ad hoc network are located, the combined signals received from the devices may be used to interpret gestures made within the performance area. | 07-18-2013 |
20130262888 | CONSERVING POWER USING PREDICTIVE MODELLING AND SIGNALING - Methods and systems for conserving power using predictive models and signaling are described. Parameters of a power management policy are set based on predictions based on user activity and/or signals received from a remote computer which define a user preference. In an embodiment, the power management policy involves putting the computer into a sleep state and periodically waking it up. On waking, the computer determines whether to remain awake or to return to the sleep state dependent upon the output of a predictive model or signals that encode whether a remote user has requested that computer remain awake. Before returning to the sleep state, a wake-up timer is set and this timer triggers the computer to subsequently wake-up. The length of time that the timer is set to may depend on factors such as the request from the remote user, context sensors and usage data. | 10-03-2013 |
20130275983 | Methods for Supporting Users with Task Continuity and Completion Across Devices and Time - Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing task continuity and supporting task completion across devices and time. A task management application is configured to monitor one or more interactions between a user and a device. The interactions can include the use of the device, the use of one or more applications, and/or other tasks, subtasks, or other operations. Predictive models constructed from data or logical models can be used to predict the attention resources available or allocated to a task or subtask as well as the attention and affordances available within a context for addressing the task and these inferences can be used to mark or route the task for later reminding and display. In some embodiments, the task management application is configured to remind or execute a follow-up action when a session is resumed. Embodiments include providing users with easy to use gestures and mechanisms for providing input about desired follow up on the same or other devices. | 10-17-2013 |
20130287317 | SWARM IMAGING - A method and apparatus is provided for collecting data and generating synthesized data from the collected data. For example, a request for an image may be received from a requestor and at least one data capture device may be identified as capable of providing at least a portion of the requested image. A request may be sent to identified data capture devices to obtain an image corresponding to the requested image. Multiple images may be received from the data capture devices and may further be connected or stitched together to provide a panoramic, 3-dimensional image of requested subject matter. | 10-31-2013 |
20140160432 | Self-Aligning Unobtrusive Active Eye Interrogation - Methods and system for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The gaze direction of the eye of the subject is determined and an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor are moved into alignment with the eye using an actuator to facilitate detection of the signal from the eye of the subject. | 06-12-2014 |
20140160433 | Unobtrusive Active Eye Interrogation - Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The physiological parameter is determined from a signal sensed from the eye of a subject when the eye of the subject is properly aligned with regard to an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor. | 06-12-2014 |
20140160434 | Time-Based Unobtrusive Active Eye Interrogation - Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The physiological parameter is determined from a signal sensed from the eye of a subject according to a schedule, under the control of a scheduling controller. | 06-12-2014 |
20140163329 | Unobtrusive Active Eye Interrogation with Gaze Attractor - Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The system includes a gaze attractor for attracting the gaze of the subject to cause an eye of the subject to move into alignment with regard to an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor to facilitate detection of a signal from the eye of the subject. | 06-12-2014 |
20140192722 | SELECTION OF SENSORS FOR MONITORING PHENOMENA CONSIDERING THE VALUE OF INFORMATION AND DATA SHARING PREFERENCES - A method disclosed herein includes the act of computing a value of information for obtaining data from a personal sensor of a user for utilization in a utilitarian computing application, wherein a mobile computing device comprises the personal sensor of the user. The method further includes the act of requesting that the mobile computing device transmit a data packet to the computing device based at least in part upon the value of information for obtaining data from the personal sensor of the user. | 07-10-2014 |
20140195319 | ONLINE MARKETPLACE WITH SHIPPING INCENTIVES - A marketplace server and method for facilitating purchase transactions are provided. A marketplace server may include a routing engine configured to receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, with the order including a first delivery address of the customer. The routing engine also calculates a delivery route to the first delivery address. An offer engine is configured to create an offer for other goods. The offer includes a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer. The offer may be targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route. The offer engine sends the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, the offer engine processes a purchase transaction for the offer. | 07-10-2014 |
20140279996 | PROVIDING CROWDSOURCED ANSWERS TO INFORMATION NEEDS PRESENTED BY SEARCH ENGINE AND SOCIAL NETWORKING APPLICATION USERS - Technologies pertaining to generating crowd-sourced answers are described herein. A text string is received, and the text string is parsed to determine if the text string represents an information need that is desirably answered by a collective of crowd workers. When it is determined that the information need is desirably answered by the collective of crowd workers, a query or question that represents the information need is provided to a first plurality of crowd workers, who generate proposed answers for the information need. The proposed answers are provided to a second plurality of crowd workers, who vote on the proposed answers. An answer to the information need is output based upon responses of the crowd workers. | 09-18-2014 |
20140372356 | PREDICTIVE PRE-LAUNCH FOR APPLICATIONS - Systems and methods of pre-launching applications in a computer system, said applications being likely to be activated by a user from a terminated and/or suspended process state, are disclosed. The pre-launching of an application may be based on the assessed probability of the application being activated—as well as the level of availability of system resources to affect such pre-launching. Applications may be pre-launched based on these and other conditions/considerations, designed to improve the user's experience of a quick launch of applications in the background. Several prediction models are presented to provide a good estimate of the likelihood of an application being activated by a user. Such prediction models may comprise an adaptive predictor (based on past application usage situations) and/or a switch rate predictor (based on historic data of an application being switched and, possibly, having a decay rate applied to such switch rate measure). | 12-18-2014 |
20150050911 | COMMERCIALLY SUBSIDIZED MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND SERVICES - Mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, may be capable of recommending to a user various providers of one or more solicited services, e.g., by identifying a user location and identifying providers near the user location that provide the services, and by initiating a call between the user and a selected provider. However, the equipment and service costs of such devices may be prohibitive, particularly for mid-range mobile communication devices that may appeal to cost-conscious users. The prohibitive costs may be diminished by redirecting part or all of the cost of providing the recommendation service from the providers, e.g., by charging the provider a service cost upon initiating a call from the user to the provider, or upon representing the provider in a provider database. In one such embodiment, all service costs may be borne by providers, providing to the user a free recommendation service via the mobile communication device. | 02-19-2015 |
20150067768 | ZONE POLICY ADMINISTRATION FOR ENTITY TRACKING AND PRIVACY ASSURANCE - The present invention includes entity tracking, privacy assurance, and zone policy administration technologies allowing for the creation of zone policies, including the definition of zones and managed entities, the zone policies including rules that apply to the managed entities within or in relation to the zones, and privacy policies assuring privacy of sensitive data. The technologies also provide for the definition of sensors, rule event objects, and default event objects, and for the establishment of associations between rules and managed entities, sensors, and rule event objects so as to create zone policies. Event objects may generate zone policy events or actions upon compliance with or violation of various rules of zone policy. Managed entities are defined as entities associated with mobile devices capable of location tracking and communication with zone policy servers. Entities may be persons, vehicles, animals, or any other object for which tracking and zone policy administration is of value. Zone policy may include privacy policy that may restrict access to or set access conditions for data or information. Privacy policies may be used to ensure individual managed entities and their data remain anonymous to a desired degree and that sensitive data is appropriately protected. | 03-05-2015 |
20150070652 | UNOBTRUSIVE ACTIVE EYE INTERROGATION - Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The physiological parameter is determined from a signal sensed from the eye of a subject when the eye of the subject is properly aligned with regard to an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor. | 03-12-2015 |
20150070653 | UNOBTRUSIVE ACTIVE EYE INTERROGATION - Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The physiological parameter is determined from a signal sensed from the eye of a subject when the eye of the subject is properly aligned with regard to an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor. | 03-12-2015 |
20150070654 | SELF-ALIGNING UNOBTRUSIVE ACTIVE EYE INTERROGATION - Methods and system for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The gaze direction of the eye of the subject is determined and an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor are moved into alignment with the eye using an actuator to facilitate detection of the signal from the eye of the subject. | 03-12-2015 |