Coupled interactive devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10605609-B2
Application number	US-201715585391-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2017
Priority date	May 3, 2017
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

The discussion relates to spatially meshed interactive devices. One example can include a mesh component that has access to a layout of features of a facility and to information about users associated with the facility. The example can also include multiple interactive devices including sensors and communication components. The multiple interactive devices are communicatively coupled via the communication components and at least some of the multiple interactive devices are communicatively coupled to the mesh component. The multiple interactive devices are located at known positions in the facility to create a spatial mesh at the facility relative to the features.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. At least one computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts, the acts comprising:
detecting a user proximate to a first interactive device of a spatial mesh of interactive devices in a facility;
identifying the user based at least in part on data sensed by the first interactive device;
searching for information relating to a previously-known location of the user prior to the detecting;
tracking a progression of the user through the facility with the spatial mesh of interactive devices; and,
authenticating the user with the spatial mesh of interactive devices in the facility when the information does not provide conflicting indicia about the previously-known location of the user.

2. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting voice data of the user and the identifying comprises comparing the voice data to voice profiles of known users.

3. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting visible characteristics of the user and the identifying comprises comparing the visible characteristics to visible characteristics of known users.

4. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the previously-known location comprises a last known location of the user and the authenticating comprises considering a distance from the last known location to the facility and an elapsed time since the last known location.

5. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the tracking comprises the first interactive device sending user information to an adjacent interactive device that the user is traveling toward.

6. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , the acts further comprising determining an intended destination of the user in the facility.

7. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 , the acts further comprising guiding the user to the intended destination.

8. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the guiding comprises providing visual cues.

9. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the guiding comprises providing audio instructions.

10. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the guiding comprises providing audio instructions and visual cues.

11. A system, comprising:
a mesh component that has access to a layout of features of a facility and to information about users associated with the facility;
multiple interactive devices including sensors and communication components, the multiple interactive devices communicatively coupled via the communication components and one or more of the multiple interactive devices communicatively coupled to the mesh component, the multiple interactive devices located at known positions in the facility that are correlated to the features,
one or more of the interactive devices being contextually aware of the known positions relative to the features of the facility;
one or more of the interactive devices configured to sense a user proximate to an individual feature;
one or more of the interactive devices configured to determine an identity of the user based at least partly upon data from the sensors;
one or more of the interactive devices configured to convey the identity and the location of the user to other individual devices; and,
one or more of the interactive devices configured to perform an action for the user based at least upon the identity of the user, the location of the user, and the information.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein all of the multiple interactive devices are directly communicatively coupled.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein adjacent interactive devices of the multiple interactive devices are directly communicatively coupled.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein each interactive device includes an instance of the mesh component.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mesh component is remote from the interactive devices.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein each interactive device is visible to at least one other interactive device.

17. A method comprising:
detecting a user proximate to a first interactive device of a spatial mesh of interactive devices in a facility;
identifying the user based at least in part on data sensed by the first interactive device;
searching for information relating to a previously-known location of the user prior to the detecting;
tracking a progression of the user through the facility with the spatial mesh of interactive devices; and,
authenticating the user with the spatial mesh of interactive devices in the facility when the information does not provide conflicting indicia about the previously-known location of the user.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
using one or more of the interactive devices of the spatial mesh:
detecting an available conference room; and
guiding the user to the available conference room.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
using one or more of the interactive devices of the spatial mesh, activating a computer located in an office of the user as the user travels toward the office.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Brewer Brett D
• Lanier Jaron
• Mehta Agustya

Classifications

• G06F2221/2111

  Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS · CPC title

• H04L63/0861

  using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231) · CPC title

• H04W4/024

  Guidance services · CPC title

• G08B7/066

  guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip · CPC title

• G06F21/32 Primary

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints · CPC title