U.S. patent application number 15/837150 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-12 for cloud-based broker service for digital assistants.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. Invention is credited to Michael H. Ammerlaan, Gary L. Caldwell, C. Joe Coplen, Steven Paul Geffner, Christopher Hugh Pratley, Steven Todd Zaske.
Application Number | 20180101822 15/837150 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47615241 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180101822 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Caldwell; Gary L. ; et
al. |
April 12, 2018 |
CLOUD-BASED BROKER SERVICE FOR DIGITAL ASSISTANTS
Abstract
A cloud-based broker service may be provided for computing
devices in a distributed computing environment. The broker service
may aggregate user accounts and user account credentials utilized
for accessing online services by the computing devices. The broker
service may monitor a context of the computing devices associated
with the user accounts. The broker service may then utilize the
context, data associated with the user accounts and data associated
with the user account credentials to automate tasks and/or provide
alerts associated with the data.
Inventors: |
Caldwell; Gary L.; (Redmond,
WA) ; Geffner; Steven Paul; (Bothell, WA) ;
Coplen; C. Joe; (Kirkland, WA) ; Pratley; Christopher
Hugh; (Seattle, WA) ; Ammerlaan; Michael H.;
(Sammamish, WA) ; Zaske; Steven Todd; (Seattle,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Technology Licensing,
LLC
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
47615241 |
Appl. No.: |
15/837150 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14949123 |
Nov 23, 2015 |
9842316 |
|
|
15837150 |
|
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|
13229042 |
Sep 9, 2011 |
9195968 |
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14949123 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/1095 20130101;
H04W 12/08 20130101; G06Q 10/10 20130101; H04L 67/18 20130101; H04L
67/10 20130101; G06Q 10/107 20130101; H04L 63/0815 20130101; G06Q
10/109 20130101; H04L 67/2809 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20120101
G06Q010/10; H04W 12/08 20090101 H04W012/08; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; H04L 29/06 20060101 H04L029/06 |
Claims
1. A method for providing a broker service to computing devices in
a distributed computing environment, comprising: aggregating, in
the distributed computing environment, a plurality of accounts and
a plurality of account credentials utilized for accessing online
services; monitoring, by the distributed computing environment, a
context of at least one computing device associated with the
plurality of accounts; and utilizing, by the distributed computing
environment, the context of the at least one computing device and
data associated with the plurality of accounts and the plurality of
account credentials for at least one of automating tasks and
providing alerts associated with the data.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating, in the distributed
computing environment, a plurality of accounts and a plurality of
account credentials utilized for accessing online services
comprises collecting and storing a plurality of user credentials
for accessing one or more of the following: a calendar service, an
e-mail service and a web service.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring, by the distributed
computing environment, a context of at least one computing device
associated with the plurality of accounts comprises monitoring
signals received by a mobile computing device, the signals
corresponding to a current physical location of the mobile
computing device.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein utilizing, by the distributed
computing environment, the context of the at least one computing
device and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data comprises at
least one of the following: showing documents to one or more
members of a team that were at least one of read and created by
other members of the team; surfacing documents to members of the
team for review within a short amount of time; surfacing e-mail
messages to one or more members of the team from the other members
of the team; and surfacing unread e-mail messages to one or more
members of the team which have been read by the other members of
the team.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein utilizing, by the distributed
computing environment, the context of the at least one computing
device and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data comprises:
accessing the calendar service to schedule a new appointment for
the plurality of accounts; determining, from the calendar service,
existing scheduled appointments for the plurality of accounts;
determining a priority associated with each of the existing
scheduled appointments; and automatically rearranging the existing
scheduled appointments which have a lower priority than the new
appointment to schedule the new appointment for the plurality of
accounts.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising utilizing the e-mail
service to send a message regarding the scheduling of the new
appointment to other user accounts which are not associated with
the calendar service.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein utilizing, by the distributed
computing environment, the context of the at least one computing
device and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data comprises:
accessing the calendar service to determine a scheduled appointment
associated with the mobile computing device; and sending a calendar
alert for the scheduled appointment to the mobile computing device
based on the current physical location of the mobile computing
device, the alert comprising one or more of the following: an
estimated travel time to the scheduled appointment, a traffic
alert, and routing guidance to the scheduled appointment.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating, in the distributed
computing environment, a plurality of accounts and a plurality of
account credentials utilized for accessing online services
comprises aggregating a plurality of restricted access accounts and
a plurality of restricted access credentials for accessing
federation online services.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing at least one
bot for aggregating at least one of additional context, data and
data analysis for accessing the online services.
10. A distributed computing environment for providing a broker
service to client computing devices, comprising: a cloud component
comprising a plurality of computing devices, each of the plurality
computing devices comprising a memory for storing executable
program code and a processor, the processor functionally coupled to
the memory and responsive to computer-executable instructions
contained in the program code, the cloud component operative to:
aggregate a plurality of accounts and a plurality of account
credentials utilized for accessing online services; monitor a
context associated with the plurality of accounts; and utilize the
context and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data; and at least
one client computing device in communication with the cloud
component and operative to: receive signals corresponding to a
current physical location of a user of the at least one client
computing device; and display notifications for sending the alerts
to the user of the at least one client computing device.
11. The distributed computing environment of claim 10, further
comprising a federation component in communication with the cloud
component and the at least one computing device, the federation
component operative to restrict access to the plurality of access
accounts and the plurality of access credentials in association
with federation online services.
12. The distributed computing environment of claim 10, wherein the
cloud component, in aggregating a plurality of accounts and a
plurality of account credentials utilized for accessing online
services is operative to collect and store a plurality of user
credentials for accessing one or more of the following: a calendar
service, an e-mail service and a web service.
13. The distributed computing environment of claim 12, wherein the
cloud component, in utilizing the context and data associated with
the plurality of accounts and the plurality of account credentials
for at least one of automating tasks and providing alerts
associated with the data is operative to: access the calendar
service to schedule a new appointment for the plurality of
accounts; determine, from the calendar service, existing scheduled
appointments for the plurality of accounts; determine a priority
associated with each of the existing scheduled appointments;
automatically rearrange the existing scheduled appointments which
have a lower priority than the new appointment to schedule the new
appointment for the plurality of accounts; and utilize the e-mail
service to send a message regarding the scheduling of the new
appointment to other user accounts which are not associated with
the calendar service.
14. The distributed computing environment of claim 12, wherein the
cloud component, in utilizing the context and data associated with
the plurality of accounts and the plurality of account credentials
for at least one of automating tasks and providing alerts
associated with the data is operative to: access the calendar
service to determine a scheduled appointment associated with the at
least one client computing device; and send a calendar alert for
the scheduled appointment to at least one client computing device
based on the current physical location of the at least one client
computing device.
15. The distributed computing environment of claim 14, wherein the
alert comprises one or more of the following: an estimated travel
time to the scheduled appointment, a traffic alert, and routing
guidance to the scheduled appointment.
16. The distributed computing environment of claim 15, wherein the
cloud component is further operative to execute at least one bot
for aggregating at least one of additional context, data and data
analysis for accessing the online services.
17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising
computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a
computer, will cause the computer to perform a method for providing
a broker service, the method comprising: aggregating a plurality of
accounts and a plurality of account credentials utilized for
accessing online services, the plurality of account credentials
comprising credentials for accessing a calendar service, an e-mail
service and a web service; monitoring signals received by a mobile
computing device associated with the plurality of accounts, the
signals corresponding to a current physical location of the mobile
computing device; utilizing the current physical location of the
mobile computing device and data associated with the plurality of
accounts and the plurality of account credentials for at least one
of automating tasks and providing alerts associated with the data;
and executing at least one bot for aggregating at least one of
additional context, data and data analysis for accessing the online
services.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein
utilizing the current physical location of the mobile computing
device and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data comprises:
accessing the calendar service to schedule a new appointment for
the plurality of accounts; determining, from the calendar service,
existing scheduled appointments for the plurality of accounts;
determining a priority associated with each of the existing
scheduled appointments; automatically rearranging the existing
scheduled appointments which have a lower priority than the new
appointment to schedule the new appointment for the plurality of
accounts; and utilizing the e-mail service to send a message
regarding the scheduling of the new appointment to other user
accounts which are not associated with the calendar service.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein
utilizing the current physical location of the mobile computing
device and data associated with the plurality of accounts and the
plurality of account credentials for at least one of automating
tasks and providing alerts associated with the data comprises:
accessing the calendar service to determine a scheduled appointment
associated with the mobile computing device; and sending a calendar
alert for the scheduled appointment to the mobile computing device
based on the current physical location of the mobile computing
device, the alert comprising an estimated travel time to the
scheduled appointment, a traffic alert and routing guidance to the
scheduled appointment.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein
aggregating a plurality of accounts and a plurality of account
credentials utilized for accessing online services, the plurality
of account credentials comprising credentials for accessing a
calendar service, an e-mail service and a web service comprises
aggregating a plurality of restricted access accounts and a
plurality of restricted access credentials for accessing a
federation calendar service, a federation e-mail service and a
federation web service.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 14/949,123, filed Nov. 23, 2015, entitled Cloud-Based Broker
Service For Digital Assistants, which is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/229,042, filed Sep. 9, 2011, entitled
Cloud-Based Broker Service For Digital Assistants.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Currently, online computing services enable users to store
credentials for user accounts and other data utilized for
interacting with online services (such as calendar services,
mapping services etc.) in a distributed computing environment
comprising one or more remote computing systems. Current systems
allow users to store credentials online either to integrate data
for easier viewing or for later recall. However, these systems fail
to provide any services which act on a user's behalf with minimal
user guidance. In particular, current systems are pool oriented and
thus fail to combine user data in a proactive manner thereby
providing enhanced services to the user. For example, various
online services may store a user's appointment calendar in
connection with one user account and also provide a traffic
monitoring service in connection with another user account. Using
current services, a user having an appointment at a remote location
would be required to access a portal or website providing current
traffic condition data and further determine from this data, based
on the user's present location, if there are any traffic issues
which might affect the user's departure or arrival time for the
appointment. Non-online computing services, such as mobile devices,
also allow for the aggregation of information for easier viewing
but are limited (due to battery life and background processing
features) in providing services which combine user data in a
proactive manner. It is with respect to these considerations and
others that the various embodiments of the present invention have
been made.
SUMMARY
[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the
claimed subject matter.
[0005] Embodiments are provided for providing a broker service to
computing devices in a distributed computing environment. The
broker service may aggregate multiple accounts and account
credentials utilized for accessing online services. The broker
service may also monitor a context of one or more computing devices
associated with the multiple accounts. The broker service may also
utilize the context of the one or more computing devices, data
associated with the multiple accounts and data associated with the
account credentials for automating tasks and/or providing alerts
associated with the data.
[0006] These and other features and advantages will be apparent
from a reading of the following detailed description and a review
of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the
foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are illustrative only and are not restrictive of the
invention as claimed.
[0007] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the
claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a network architecture for providing a broker
service to computing devices in a distributed computing
environment, in accordance with an embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a computer screen display of a computing device
showing features provided by the network architecture of FIG. 1, in
accordance with an embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a computer screen display of a computing device
showing features provided by network architecture of FIG. 1, in
accordance with an embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for
providing a broker service to computing devices in a distributed
computing environment, in accordance with an embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a computing device
with which various embodiments may be practiced;
[0013] FIG. 6A is a simplified block diagram of a mobile computing
device with which various embodiments may be practiced;
[0014] FIG. 6B is a simplified block diagram of a mobile computing
device with which various embodiments may be practiced; and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of a distributed
computing system in which various embodiments may be practiced.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Embodiments are provided for providing a broker service to
computing devices in a distributed computing environment. The
broker service may aggregate multiple accounts and account
credentials utilized for accessing online services. The broker
service may also monitor a context of one or more computing devices
associated with the multiple accounts. The broker service may also
utilize the context of the one or more computing devices, data
associated with the multiple accounts and data associated with the
account credentials for automating tasks and/or providing alerts
associated with the data.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a network architecture 100 for providing a
broker service to computing devices in a distributed computing
environment, in accordance with an embodiment. The network
architecture 100 includes a cloud-based broker service 105
(hereinafter referred to as the "cloud component 105") which is in
communication with mobile web service 140, a signals database 130,
user mobile computing devices 145, web service 150, messaging
server 160, collaboration server 165, database 170, messaging
server 155, firewall 175, data collector 185 and federation
component 180.
[0018] In accordance with an embodiment, the cloud component 105
hosts user data and user account information and further acts on
behalf of the user. In accordance with an embodiment, the cloud
component 105 may comprise a generic cloud-based service for
implementing an online broker such as the WINDOWS AZURE PLATFORM
service from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. It should be
appreciated that the online broker may also be hosted and deployed
as a component of a specific cloud-based service such as the OFFICE
365 software services platform or the BING search engine, both of
which are from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. The cloud
component 105 may comprise the following sub-components: a database
125, data collectors 120, assistant ("brain") 110, and web services
and portal 115. The database 125 may store user account information
(for accessing online services) and cached representations of those
accounts to serve as contexts for each user. A context includes
account data plus derived user preferences and real-time context
such as a user location from mobile devices (e.g., mobile computing
devices). The data collectors 120 may comprise an extensible set of
worker roles that collect data periodically and at real-time from
the services for which a user has provided account information.
These services may comprise, for example, web-based social
networking services or on-premise services accessed through
federation web service components. It should be appreciated that
additional data collectors may be added at any time and the results
of this collection stored in the database 125 to serve as a context
of a user. The assistant 110 may comprise a component which
constantly monitors the user's context for changes and exceptional
cases and performs actions on the user's behalf such as generating
user alerts. The assistant 110 may leverage external services
unrelated to the user's context to gain additional insights such as
news services or search engine services for traffic and routing
information. It should be understood that the assistant 110 is also
extensible and additional modules may be added to the system to
perform additional behavior. In accordance with an embodiment, a
user may specify which modules to enable and optionally add
additional modules from an online catalog. The web services and
portal 115 may comprise a web services layer that provides
continuous access to the broker and its data to mobile client
devices as well as receive real-time updates of the context of
those devices. The web services and portal 115 may further comprise
a portal which may include a web-based version of a mobile client
device and which also serves as a sign-up and on-boarding
experience for a user.
[0019] In accordance with an embodiment, the federation component
180 may be configured to allow an enterprise (i.e., a corporation)
to expose enterprise-only data to users that are also employees.
The federation component 180 may be registered with the cloud
component 105 and allow the enterprise to control who can see their
data. The federation component 180 may comprise a set of web
services that are Internet-accessible but secured to communicate
only with the cloud component 105. The federation component 180 may
further comprise a layer which may be extensible with additional
"plug-an-play" modules. Functionality exposed at the later may
include, but is not limited to, corporate directories with
hierarchy and profile information, corporate facilities information
and indoor maps, corporate social contexts of users, events and
alerts delivery from internal systems, and activity from internal
systems that may be of interest to users.
[0020] The data collector 185 may comprise a machine level
collector that may be deployed by individuals to gather information
specific to their computing devices. The information may include,
but is not necessarily limited to, the following: most recently
accessed local documents, Internet browsing history and shortcuts,
and application state and current user work states.
[0021] The user mobile computing devices 145 may execute client
side mobile applications, such as the mobile web services 140, that
serve as a user's view port into the current state of the accounts
they have enabled as well as an endpoint for the online broker to
communicate with the user. The mobile web services 140 may comprise
support for push notifications and location-based support of the
user mobile computing devices 145. The online broker may further
leverage various features of the user mobile computing devices 145
including, but not limited to, receiving signals indicating a
current location (e.g., GPS, etc.) of a user, push notifications to
send alerts to a user, and a contact store for determining a social
graph of the user. For example, data corresponding to signals
indicating a user's current location (e.g., GPS data) may be stored
in the signals database 130.
[0022] The web services 150 may comprise any number of web-based
services including social networking services. An illustrative
web-based service includes the WINDOWS LIVE web services from
MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. In accordance with an
embodiment, the messaging servers 155 and 160 may comprise one or
more applications for providing electronic mail, calendaring,
contacts and tasks as well as support for mobile and web-based
access to information and support for data storage. In accordance
with an embodiment, the messaging servers 155 and 160 may comprise
the EXCHANGE messaging server software from MICROSOFT CORPORATION
of Redmond, Wash. The collaboration server 165 may comprise one or
more applications for providing a number of collaborative services
such as the managing and provisioning of intranet portals,
extranets and websites, document management and file management,
collaboration spaces, social networking tools, enterprise search,
business intelligence tooling, process/information integration, and
third-party developed solutions. In accordance with an embodiment,
the collaboration server 165 may comprise the SHAREPOINT SERVER
collaboration software from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash.
The database 170 may be utilized to store data from the messaging
server 160 and the collaboration server 165.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a computer screen display 200 of a computing
device showing features provided by the network architecture of
FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment. In accordance with an
embodiment, the display 200 may comprise scheduling/calendar
information and an associated map on a mobile computing device,
such as a smartphone or tablet computer. In particular, the display
200 may include a scheduled appointment 205, a notification 210, an
appointment address 215, a map 230 including the appointment
location (i.e., "Bellevue"), an estimated travel time 232 to the
appointment location shown on the map 230 from a current location
of the computing device, and a user control 235 for sending a
message associated with the scheduled appointment. Thus, as will be
described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 4, the
broker service may leverage multiple data sources (including GPS or
location data, traffic websites, user calendar information, etc.)
to generate a notification which provides a user with enhanced
information with respect to getting to a scheduled appointment
on-time. For example, the broker service may determine an estimated
travel time to a scheduled appointment based on the current
location of a user's mobile computing device as well as routing
guidance (via the map 230) to assist the user in getting to the
appointment location. The broker service may also determine, based
on the estimated travel time, how much time a user has before he or
she needs to leave for the appointment. The broker service may also
provide a messaging feature which allows the user to alert someone
at the appointment destination as to whether or not the user will
be running late for the appointment.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a computer screen display 300 of a computing
device showing features provided by the network architecture of
FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment. In accordance with an
embodiment, the display 300 may comprise scheduling/calendar
information which is shown as a notification or alert 305 and which
may be "pushed" from the broker service to a mobile computing
device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. The alert 305 may
include a name, time and location of a scheduled appointment, as
well as an estimated travel time. In addition, the alert may
further include current traffic condition information 310 (i.e.,
"Traffic on 520!") which may be obtained by the broker service from
a traffic monitoring website, for example. Thus, as will be
described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 4, the
broker service may leverage multiple data sources (including GPS or
location data, traffic websites, user calendar information, etc.)
to provide generate an alert which provides a user with enhanced
information with respect to getting to a scheduled appointment
on-time.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 400 for
providing a broker service to computing devices in a distributed
computing environment, in accordance with an embodiment. When
reading the discussion of the routine presented herein, it should
be appreciated that the logical operations of various embodiments
of the present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence of
computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing
system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logical circuits or
circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is
a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the
computing system implementing the invention. Accordingly, the
logical operations illustrated in FIG. 4 and making up the various
embodiments described herein are referred to variously as
operations, structural devices, acts or modules. It will be
recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations,
structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in
software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logical, and any
combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of
the present invention as recited within the claims set forth
herein.
[0026] The routine 400 begins at operation 405, where the
sub-components in the cloud component 105 (discussed above with
respect to FIG. 1) may be utilized to execute applications for
aggregating accounts and account credentials utilized for accessing
online services. The accounts may include home and work accounts
for a single user as well as multiple individual accounts for
multiple users. The account credentials may include user names and
passwords which may be required to act on the accounts on the
user's (or users') behalf. In accordance with an embodiment, the
cloud component 105 may be configured to collect and store user
credentials for accessing one or more online services including,
but not limited to, a calendar service, an e-mail service and a web
service (which may include, for example, a web-based search engine
or a social networking service). It should be understood, that in
accordance with an embodiment, the accounts and the account
credentials may comprise restricted access accounts and restricted
access credentials for accessing federation online services. The
federation online services may include services that may only be
accessed by employees of a corporation such as on-premise
collaboration services data and indoor maps of corporate
facilities.
[0027] From operation 405, the routine 400 continues to operation
410, where the cloud component applications may be utilized to
monitor a context of one or more computing devices associated with
the accounts. In accordance with an embodiment, the context may
comprise signals received by a mobile computing device. The signals
may correspond to a current physical location (i.e., GPS location)
of a mobile computing device.
[0028] From operation 410, the routine 400 continues to operation
415, where the cloud component applications may utilize the context
of one or more computing devices as well as data associated with
the accounts and the account credentials for automating tasks
and/or providing alerts associated with the data. For example, in
accordance with an embodiment, the cloud component applications may
perform the following tasks: access a calendar service to schedule
a new appointment for one or more users associated with one or more
user accounts, determine existing scheduled appointments for the
user accounts, determine any priorities that may be associated with
each of the existing scheduled appointments, and automatically
rearrange the existing scheduled appointments which have a lower
priority than the new appointment to schedule the new appointment
for the user accounts. The cloud component applications may further
be configured to utilize an e-mail service to send a message
regarding the scheduling of the new appointment to other user
accounts which are not associated with the calendar service. Thus,
it should be appreciated that, in accordance with embodiments, a
broker service may be utilized to leverage the priority of
meetings/appointments to determine when an existing appointment can
be moved to another timeslot. The broker service may also be
utilized to rearrange existing appointments across multiple user
calendars to make room for higher priority appointments. In
addition, for users not using the broker service, communications
such as e-mail can be prepared and sent to these users in order to
streamline the process of negotiation of meeting times and
availability. In accordance with another embodiment, the cloud
component applications may be utilized to access a calendar service
to determine a scheduled appointment associated with the mobile
computing device and to send a calendar alert for the scheduled
appointment to the mobile computing device based on the current
physical location of the mobile computing device. The alert may
include an estimated travel time to the scheduled appointment, a
traffic alert, and routing guidance to the scheduled appointment
(e.g., via a map) without providing manual searching on a user's
behalf. It should be further understood that, in accordance with
other embodiments, the broker service may be utilized for sharing
documents and e-mail messages with other users. For example, the
components of the broker service may be utilized to show documents
to members of a workgroup or team that were read/created by other
team members in a corporation. The broker service components may
also be utilized for surfacing (i.e., sending) important documents
to other team members for review in a relatively short amount of
time. The broker service components may further be utilized for
surfacing (i.e., sending) important e-mails from fellow team
members or for surfacing unread e-mails (which have been read by
other team members), to a particular team member.
[0029] From operation 415, the routine 400 continues to operation
420, where the cloud component applications may optionally include
bots which may be executed for aggregating additional context, data
or analysis of existing data (i.e., data analysis) for accessing
the online services. In particular, embodiments comprise
extensibility of online and federated services to add bots to be
developed and plugged into a system to allow for the collection of
additional context, data or analysis of existing data. As should be
understood by those skilled in the art, bots are software
applications that may run automated tasks over a network, such as
the Internet. From operation 420, the routine 400 then ends.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating example physical
components of a computing device 500 with which various embodiments
may be practiced. The computing device components described below
may be suitable for the computing device described above with
respect to FIGS. 1-4. In a basic configuration, the computing
device 500 may include at least one processing unit 502 and a
system memory 504. Depending on the configuration and type of
computing device, system memory 504 may comprise, but is not
limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory (RAM)),
non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or any
combination. System memory 504 may include an operating system 505
and applications 501. Operating system 505, for example, may be
suitable for controlling computing device 500's operation. It
should be understood that the embodiments described herein may also
be practiced in conjunction with other operating systems and
application programs and further, is not limited to any particular
application or system.
[0031] The computing device 500 may have additional features or
functionality. For example, the computing device 500 may also
include additional data storage devices (removable and/or
non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks,
or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 5 by a
removable storage 509 and a non-removable storage 510.
[0032] While executing on the processing unit 502 of the computing
device 500, the applications 501 may perform including, for
example, one or more of the operations in routine 400 described
above. The aforementioned routines are examples, and the processing
unit 502 may perform other routines. Generally, consistent with
various embodiments, program modules may be provided which include
routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of
structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement
particular abstract data types. Moreover, various embodiments may
be practiced with other computer system configurations, including
hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or
programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe
computers, and the like. Various embodiments may also be practiced
in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by
remote processing devices that are linked through a communications
network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules
may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0033] Furthermore, various embodiments may be practiced in an
electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements,
packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a
circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing
electronic elements or microprocessors. For example, various
embodiments may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip ("SOC") where
each or many of the components illustrated in FIG. 5 may be
integrated onto a single integrated circuit. Such an SOC device may
include one or more processing units, graphics units,
communications units, system virtualization units and various
application functionality all of which are integrated (or "burned")
onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. When
operating via an SOC, the functionality, described herein, with
respect to the applications 501 may operate via
application-specific logic integrated with other components of the
computing device/system 500 on the single integrated circuit
(chip). Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced using
other technologies capable of performing logical operations such
as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to
mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In
addition, embodiments of the invention may be practiced within a
general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
[0034] Various embodiments of the invention, for example, may be
implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or
as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or
computer readable media. The computer program product may be a
computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a
computer program of instructions for executing a computer
process.
[0035] The term computer readable media as used herein may include
computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile
and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in
any method or technology for storage of information, such as
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules,
or other data. The system memory 504, removable storage 509, and
non-removable storage 510 are all computer storage media examples
(i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage media may include, but is
not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory
(EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,
magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage
devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information
and which can be accessed by the computing device 500. Any such
computer storage media may be part of the computing device 500. The
computing device 500 may also have input device(s) 512 such as a
keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a touch input
device, etc. Output device(s) 514 such as a display, speakers, a
printer, etc. may also be included. The aforementioned devices are
examples and others may be used.
[0036] The term computer readable media as used herein may also
include communication media. Communication media may be embodied by
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules,
or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or
other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery
media. The term "modulated data signal" may describe a signal that
has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as
to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not
limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a
wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such
as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless
media.
[0037] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a suitable mobile computing
environment, for example, a mobile telephone 650, a smartphone, a
tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, and the like, with
which various embodiments may be practiced. With reference to FIG.
6A, an example mobile computing device 650 for implementing the
embodiments is illustrated. In a basic configuration, mobile
computing device 650 is a handheld computer having both input
elements and output elements. Input elements may include touch
screen display 690 and input buttons 610 that allow the user to
enter information into mobile computing device 650. Mobile
computing device 650 may also incorporate an optional side input
element 620 allowing further user input. Optional side input
element 620 may be a rotary switch, a button, or any other type of
manual input element. In alternative embodiments, mobile computing
device 650 may incorporate more or less input elements. For
example, display 690 may not be a touch screen in some embodiments.
In yet another alternative embodiment, the mobile computing device
is a portable phone system, such as a cellular phone having display
690 and input buttons 610. Mobile computing device 650 may also
include an optional keypad 694. Optional keypad 694 may be a
physical keypad or a "soft" keypad generated on the touch screen
display.
[0038] Mobile computing device 650 incorporates output elements,
such as display 690, which can display a graphical user interface
(GUI). Other output elements include speaker 630 and LED light 680.
Additionally, mobile computing device 650 may incorporate a
vibration module (not shown), which causes mobile computing device
650 to vibrate to notify the user of an event. In yet another
embodiment, mobile computing device 650 may incorporate a headphone
jack (not shown) for providing another means of providing output
signals.
[0039] Although described herein in combination with mobile
computing device 650, in alternative embodiments may be used in
combination with any number of computer systems, such as in desktop
environments, laptop or notebook computer systems, multiprocessor
systems, micro-processor based or programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, mini computers, main frame computers and
the like. Various embodiments may also be practiced in distributed
computing environments where tasks are performed by remote
processing devices that are linked through a communications network
in a distributed computing environment; programs may be located in
both local and remote memory storage devices. To summarize, any
computer system having a plurality of environment sensors, a
plurality of output elements to provide notifications to a user and
a plurality of notification event types may incorporate the various
embodiments described herein.
[0040] FIG. 6B is a block diagram illustrating components of a
mobile computing device used in one embodiment, such as the
computing device shown in FIG. 6A. That is, mobile computing device
650 can incorporate a system 602 to implement some embodiments. For
example, system 602 can be used in implementing a "smartphone" that
can run one or more applications similar to those of a desktop or
notebook computer. In some embodiments, the system 602 is
integrated as a computing device, such as an integrated personal
digital assistant (PDA) and wireless phone.
[0041] The applications 667 may be loaded into memory 662 and run
on or in association with an operating system 664. The system 602
also includes non-volatile storage 668 within memory the 662.
Non-volatile storage 668 may be used to store persistent
information that should not be lost if system 602 is powered down.
A synchronization application (not shown) also resides on system
602 and is programmed to interact with a corresponding
synchronization application resident on a host computer to keep the
information stored in the non-volatile storage 668 synchronized
with corresponding information stored at the host computer. As
should be appreciated, other applications may also be loaded into
the memory 662 and run on the device 650.
[0042] The system 602 has a power supply 670, which may be
implemented as one or more batteries. The power supply 670 might
further include an external power source, such as an AC adapter or
a powered docking cradle that supplements or recharges the
batteries.
[0043] The system 602 may also include a radio 672 that performs
the function of transmitting and receiving radio frequency
communications. The radio 672 facilitates wireless connectivity
between the system 602 and the "outside world," via a
communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and
from the radio 672 are conducted under control of OS 664. In other
words, communications received by the radio 672 may be disseminated
to the applications 667 via OS 664, and vice versa.
[0044] The radio 672 allows the system 602 to communicate with
other computing devices, such as over a network. The radio 672 is
one example of communication media. Communication media may
typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data
structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data
signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and
includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data
signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics
set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the
signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media
includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired
connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and
other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used
herein includes both storage media and communication media.
[0045] The embodiment of the system 602 is shown with two types of
notification output devices; an LED 680 that can be used to provide
visual notifications and an audio interface 674 that can be used
with speaker 630 to provide audio notifications. These devices may
be directly coupled to the power supply 670 so that when activated,
they remain on for a duration dictated by the notification
mechanism even though processor 660 and other components might shut
down for conserving battery power. The LED 680 may be programmed to
remain on indefinitely until the user takes action to indicate the
powered-on status of the device. The audio interface 674 is used to
provide audible signals to and receive audible signals from the
user. For example, in addition to being coupled to speaker 630, the
audio interface 674 may also be coupled to a microphone (not shown)
to receive audible input, such as to facilitate a telephone
conversation. In accordance with embodiments of the present
invention, the microphone may also serve as an audio sensor to
facilitate control of notifications. The system 602 may further
include a video interface 676 that enables an operation of on-board
camera 630 to record still images, video stream, and the like.
[0046] A mobile computing device implementing the system 602 may
have additional features or functionality. For example, the device
may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or
non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.
Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 6B by storage 668.
Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile,
removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information, such as computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
[0047] Data/information generated or captured by the device 650 and
stored via the system 602 may be stored locally on the device 650,
as described above, or the data may be stored on any number of
storage media that may be accessed by the device via the radio 672
or via a wired connection between the device 650 and a separate
computing device associated with the device 650, for example, a
server computer in a distributed computing network such as the
Internet. As should be appreciated such data/information may be
accessed via the device 650 via the radio 672 or via a distributed
computing network. Similarly, such data/information may be readily
transferred between computing devices for storage and use according
to well-known data/information transfer and storage means,
including electronic mail and collaborative data/information
sharing systems.
[0048] FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of a distributed
computing system in which various embodiments may be practiced. The
distributed computing system may include number of client devices
such as a computing device 705, a tablet computing device 703 and a
mobile computing device 710. The client devices 705, 703 and 710
may be in communication with a distributed computing network 715
(e.g., the Internet). A server 720 is in communication with the
client devices 705, 703 and 710 over the network 715. The server
720 may store applications 700 which may be perform routines
including, for example, one or more of the operations in routine
400 described above.
[0049] Various embodiments are described above with reference to
block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods,
systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of
the invention. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out
of the order as shown in any flow diagram. For example, two blocks
shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially
concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse
order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0050] While certain embodiments have been described, other
embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although various embodiments
have been described as being associated with data stored in memory
and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from
other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage
devices (i.e., hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM), a carrier
wave from the Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the
disclosed routines' operations may be modified in any manner,
including by reordering operations and/or inserting or operations,
without departing from the invention.
[0051] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications or variations may be made without departing from the
scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the
specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein.
* * * * *