GB2362537A

GB2362537A - Personal assistant,eg for telephone calls

Info

Publication number: GB2362537A
Application number: GB0012005A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Darien Sharif
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-05-19
Filing date: 2000-05-19
Publication date: 2001-11-21
Also published as: GB0012005D0

Abstract

Personal Answering Process for telephone, PDA, fox etc. includes a smart process (Fig 1) in the form of an agent "E". The agent "E" acts on ones behalf "U" to externally received messages "G, H, T" or signals "S, T" by sending out meaningful responses "M, O". The agent can store and retrieve from memory "L" all changes in state "K". The agent "E" may incorporate features from "F, J, R" if not externally available. It can check diary, calendar, name and address book.

Description

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2362537 1 PERSONAL ANSWERING PROCESS This invention relates to a digital personal answering process which computes and responds, depending on ones present condition, state and location in space andtime, with a meaningful message when one is not available.

The range of personal communication equipment, i.e. mobile and terrestrial telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDA), facsimile machines etc., lack the capability to generate new and meaningful answers. If one is called and is not able to answer, the equipment can only respond with prerecorded answers. If ones state or condition changes i.e. on holiday, one has to input manually a new answer. In the case of a mobile telephone the apparatus is not aware if one is busy, at home or driving, it is not aware of other personal processes i.e. ones diary, calendar, name & address book. It lacks the ability to process information i.e. check you diary, check name & address book. In the case of a voice mail you can only set one standard message e.g. 1 am not available to take your call so please leave your name and number and I shall get back to you." The voice mail lacks the ab ility to determine if the caller was an important business client or ones partner in life wanting to know when one was coming home. These communication devices are not adaptive to ones ever changing situation and environment.

An object of this invention is to provide a smart process or agent that can interact with external processes or agents and based on rules be able to generate meaningful responses when one is not available to answer.

1 2 k Accordingly, this invention relates to a process that can retrieve, record and store one's present state, condition or location. On receiving an external message or signal, the agent on ones behalf will compute and generate, based on ones presently known condition and location short single or multiple meaningful responses in the form of messages or signals. While computing and generating these responses the agent may or may not interact with other existing agents or systems for further information in-order to generate a more meaningful response e.g. a diary, calendar, clock etc.

Such a process in the form of an agent could be in the form of an electronic circuit, firmware or as software. The agent could be presented as a service on the Internet (or the Intranet), as an embedded service within a larger system, or as a stand-alone feature. The agent could be implemented for a single user utilising single or multiple threads. The agent could also be implemented for multiple users concurrently handling multiple threads.

v A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the process workflow.

As shown in Figure 1, the various components of the process are described as below.

As shown in Figure 1, the smart process or the agent comprises of an entity relationship object "C", an internal process object "E" and a data store object 3 "L". Objects "F' and "F' represent external processes or agents, where object "F' has access to a data store ")C'. Object "R" represents the external environment. The users of this process are represented as "U". Object "N" is a communication device.

All inter-object messages are represented as lines with arrows indicating direction of flow of messages.

Event 'W' starts the process and creates a signal or message "B" The entity relationship object "C" determines if the person being called is available. If true the message "B" is forwarded to "U" as message "Q. If false the message "B" is forwarded to object "E" as message "D".

.. 1 Object "E" or also referred to as the agent on receiving the message "D" initiates internal procedures. The agent retrieves the last stored data 'U' via messages 'W'. The agent also detects and collects data "G" being sent from external processes or agents "P. External process "F' can retrieve data from 'W' via messages 'W'. The agent "E" can also interact with other external agents or processes "F' by sending messages "H" and receiving responses "I". The agent could also receive additional data "S" from external sources "W'. The agent then computes a meaningful answer 'M' depending on the state, condition and location of the person. This message 'M' is forwarded to object "N". Changes to state, condition and location are saved at 'U' via messages "K".

11 4 h The agent "W computes and constructs the message "M" based on rules. Some of the perimeters for these rules are static and controlled by the user "U" via messages "T", some are dynamic and changed depending on messages received from external processes "F", "F and "R". If external processes such as "F", "J" and "R" are not available these functions can be in- built into process "E".

At any point the user "U" can send an interrupt message "T", and/or take control and send a message "V" to object "N".

Object "N" relays on the message "M" or "V" as message "0". Object "0"" may further process the messages "M" and "V" before forwarding as message "05').

At "P" all processes and events are terminated.

11 As one of the examples, here is how the process could be used on a mobile telephone. The process is initiated 'W' by an incoming call let us presume from an important business client, the caller's number is passed as massage 'W to object "C".

Possible structurefor message "B" NUMBER = <number> After a pre-determined time the call was not answered by user 'V' as he was in a meeting, the message "B" is forwarded as message "D" to object "E".

1 ' 1 1 Possible structurefor message "D" NUMBER = <number> A VAILABILITY = False Object "E"' passes caller's number to maybe an external process "F" as message "G" which further check with its data store ")C'. Data store ")C' finds a match and passes information such as message "W' giving name and category it is filed under. Object "F" relays the query answer back to object 1 "W as message "G".

Possible structurefor message "G" NAME = <name matching number> CA TEGOR Y = Business SEVERITY = Major On receiving the message "G", the process "W proceeds to gather further information on where you are as the user had set a rule via message "T" that all major business clients must be informed as to where he/she is and when he/she would next become available to respond back. Object "C' retrieves the last stored data from "L" via messages "K'.

Possible structurefor message "K" USER = < user name> LOCATION = at work STATE = busy 6 t 1.

Object "E" checks external signals "S" from clock object "W' for date and time. Object T" passes date/time message 'IT' to external diary process "J" to check entries for user 'V' at given date and time. The diary process 'T' may responds back with message "I" Possible structurefor message 'T' DATE = 23110/01 ENTRY = Staff meeting START= 10:OOAM FINISH = 11: OOAM At this point the process can start to build a message "M" Possible structurefor message W" <User name> is currently busy in a staff meeting and will become available after 11: OOAM On receiving message "M" object may forward the message 4;403'5 as a Short Message Service back to the caller or playback the message as a synthetic human voice depending on the services available 'on the mobile telephone.

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Claims

Accordingly, this invention relates to a process that can retrieve, record and store one's present condition and location. On receiving an external message or signal, the agent on ones behalf will compute and generate, based on ones presently known condition and location short single or multiple meaningful responses in the form of messages or signals. While computing and generating these responses the agent may or may not interact with other existing agents or systems for further information in-order to generate a more meaningful response e.g. a diary, calendar, clock etc.

2.

3.

The agent as claimed in Claim 1 can be in the form of an electronic hardware or a piece of software, or a combination of hardware and software.

The agent as claimed in Claim I and 2 can be implemented as a stand-alone system or as a co-resident system or as a subsystem to a larger system.

The agent as claimed in any preceding claim can utilise internal memory storage systems or an external memory storage system to store user state changes.

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8.

The agent as claimed in any proceeding claim can store any digital state changes and values; these values can be internally or externally generated.

The agent as claimed in any preceding claim can receive digital or analogue messages from internal or external systems.

The agent as claimed in any preceding claim can transmit digital or analogue messages to internal or external systems.

A personal answering process substantially as here in described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.