Peer-based device set actions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9571441-B2
Application number	US-201414281468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2014
Priority date	May 19, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A device set may interoperate to perform an action, such as providing a message to a user or storing photos taken by a user. Performing the action on all available devices may cause redundancy (e.g., presenting the same message to the user on each device), and depending on user selection (e.g., the user requesting to play music and specifically designating a device) may become onerous. A centralized, server-driven selection of the device to perform the action may be problematic if the server is inaccessible and/or inaccurate if not currently informed of the current state of each device. In accordance with the techniques presented herein, a requesting device broadcasts an action invitation to the device set. Each device provides a suitability report indicating its suitability to perform the action. The requesting device identifies one or more suitable devices, and sends an action request to identified devices to perform the action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of causing a first device of a device set of a user to perform actions, the method comprising:
executing on a processor of the first device instructions that cause the first device to:
receive, from a requesting device, a first action invitation broadcast to each device in the device set of the user and specifying a first action to be performed;
send to the requesting device a suitability report indicating a suitability of the first device for performing the first action, wherein the suitability of the first device is based, at least, on a device capability of the first device to perform the first action;
upon receiving, from the requesting device and responsive to the suitability report, a first action request to perform the first action, perform the first action on behalf of the requesting device;
upon receiving a request to perform a second action from a local application, broadcast, to the device set, a second action invitation specifying the second action;
receive from a plurality of responding devices a plurality of suitability reports indicating the suitability of the responding device to perform the second action;
evaluate the plurality of suitability reports of the responding devices to identify a selected device to perform the second action; and
send to the selected device a second action request to perform the second action on behalf of the first device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first action involves a user of the device set; and
the instructions further cause the first device to identify the suitability of the first device for performing the first action according to an accessibility of the user by the first device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the first device to identify the suitability of the first device for performing the first action according to a power capacity of the first device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first action performed by the first device further involves a participation by a second device;
the instructions further cause the first device to identify the suitability of the first device and the second device for performing the first action; and
performing the action further comprises: performing the first action with the participation of the second device on behalf of the requesting device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein identifying the suitability of the second device for performing the action further comprises:
querying the second device for the suitability of the participation of the second device in the first action; and
receiving, from the second device, a participating suitability report of the suitability of the participation of the second device in the first action.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the first device to:
identify the suitability of the first device for performing the first action according to a future suitability of the first device at a future time; and
upon receiving the action request to perform the first action:
store the request until the future time; and
at the future time, perform the first action on behalf of the requesting device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the first device to identify the suitability of the first device for performing the first action specified by a user preference of a user of the device set.

8. A system causing a first device having a processor and included in a device set of a user to perform actions, the system comprising:
an action performer that:
upon receiving a broadcast within each device of the device set of the user indicating a first action to be performed, returns a first suitability report indicating a suitability of the first device for performing the first action, wherein the suitability of the first device is based, at least, on a device capability of the first device to perform the first action; and
upon receiving, responsive to the first suitability report, an action request for the first device to perform the first action, performs the first action; and

an action requester that, upon receiving, from a local application, a second request to perform a second action:
broadcasts the second request to each device of the device set of the user; and
upon receiving, from at least two responding devices of the device set, a second suitability report respectively indicating the suitability of the responding device for performing the second action:
among the at least two responding devices, identifies a selected device; and
requests the selected device to perform the second action.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein:
the first suitability report comprises a suitability score indicating the suitability of the first device for performing the first action; and
identifying the selected device further comprises: identifying the responding device specifying a highest suitability score among the respective suitability reports of the at least two responding devices.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein:
identifying the selected device further comprises: identifying, among the at least two responding devices, a responding device subset for performing the second action; and
requesting the selected device to perform the second action further comprises: for the respective responding devices of the responding device subset, request the respective responding second device to perform the second action.

11. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed on a processor of a first device of a device set of a user, causes the first device to perform actions on behalf of the device set, by:
receiving, from a requesting device, a first action invitation broadcast to each device of the device set of the user and specifying a first action to be performed;
sending to the requesting device a first suitability report indicating a suitability of the first device for performing the first action, wherein the suitability is based, at least, on a device capability of the first device to perform the first action;
upon receiving, from the requesting device and responsive to the first suitability report, a first action request to perform the first action, performing the first action on behalf of the requesting device;
upon receiving, from a local application, a request to perform a second action, broadcasting to the device set a second action invitation specifying the second action;
receiving from a plurality of responding devices a plurality of suitability reports indicating the suitability of the responding device to perform the second action;
evaluating the plurality of suitability reports of the responding devices to identify a selected device to perform the second action; and
sending to the selected device a second action request to perform the second action on behalf of the first device.

12. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein:
the first action is performed by the first device and the requesting device; and
performing the first action further comprises: performing the first action with the requesting device.

13. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the actions further comprise, upon achieving a completion of the first action, notifying the requesting device of the completion of the first action.

14. The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the actions further comprise, upon failing to achieve a completion of the first action at a first time:
storing the first action request until a second time; and
at the second time, retrying the first action on behalf of the requesting device.

15. The memory device of cla

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Schlesinger Benny
• Kashtan Guy
• Yahalom Saar
• Chen Christina Summer
• Aguera Y Arcas Blaise

Classifications

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title

• H04W8/22

  Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04W4/18

  Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals · CPC title