Granted Patent B2

US 7,698,244 · App. 10/954,502 · Granted Apr 13, 2010

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A method for providing an electronic butler for providing application services to a user, comprising:

determining a context for the electronic butler, wherein the determined context includes at least an urgency level and an indication of a condition internal to the electronic butler, wherein the indication of a condition internal to the electronic butler is selected from a group consisting of an internal flag, mode, alert, and alarm, and indicates a low resources, security alert, safe mode, local failure, slow connection, or wait state condition;

receiving an input;

obtaining data associated with the received input from a database associated with the butler;

determining a need based on the obtained data and the context;

initiating provisioning of the determined need;

obtaining additional input from the user;

determining a further need based on the additional input, the obtained data and/or the context;

initiating provisioning of the determined further need; and

providing output to the user based on the input and/or provisioning of the determined need,

wherein the urgency level comprises a low level corresponding to receiving the input a first time and an elevated level corresponding to receiving the input an additional time before obtaining additional input from the user, and

wherein receiving an input comprises obtaining information regarding a scheduled future event and wherein initiating provisioning of the determined need comprises initiating provision of the determined need at a time based on the obtained information regarding the scheduled future event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining additional input is preceded by associating one of a plurality of available personalities with the electronic butler and wherein providing output comprises providing the output based on the associated one of the available personalities.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the associated one of the available personalities defines at least one of an accent, a communication syntax, a vocabulary, a sense of urgency, a speed of communication, a timing pattern of communication, a level of detail of communication and/or a preciseness of communication by the electronic butler to the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined context further includes at least one of a security level, a user operating mode, a user operating status, a household operating mode, a household operating status, a business operating mode, a business operating status, and/or an identification of actions currently underway.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the household operating mode comprises awake, working, playing and/or sleeping.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the user operating mode comprises awake, working, playing and/or sleeping.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the urgency level comprises an escalation level and wherein, when the urgency level is an escalation level, determining a further need is preceded by obtaining additional input from a designated user different from the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an input comprises obtaining information regarding a scheduled future event and wherein at least one of providing output to the user and obtaining additional input from the user and/or initiating provision of the determined further need is executed at a time based on the obtained information regarding the scheduled future event.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating provision of a determined need and/or initiating provision of a determined future need includes:

determining a personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user of provision of the determined need and/or determined further need; and

limiting provision of the determined need and/or determined further need based on the determined personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein limiting provision comprises:

notifying the user of the determined personal security, privacy and/or reputation consequence for the user; and

obtaining authorization from the user before initiating provision of the determined need and/or determined further need.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic butler responds to inquiries relating to the user, provides information to the user regarding inquiries relating to the user, provides reminders of events to the user, requests additional information from a user, provides security for transactions for the user, conducts scheduled actions for the user and/or communicates with different application service providing modules to provide for determined needs for a user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the input comprises ringing of a doorbell or electronic sensing of a visitor's presence at the user's residence and wherein the context comprises a household operating mode and wherein the obtained data comprises a preference/policy associated with the user and wherein the need comprises notifying the user and wherein the output comprises announcing the presence of a visitor at a location associated with the ringing of the doorbell or electronic presence sensing.

Assignments (6)