Ed Hansberry
05-11-2008, 02:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1="20080082465".PGNR.&OS=DN/20080082465&RS=DN/20080082465' target='_blank'>http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...=DN/20080082465</a><br /><br /></div><em>"An intelligent personalized agent monitors, regulates, and advises a user in decision-making processes for efficiency or safety concerns. The agent monitors an environment and present characteristics of a user and analyzes such information in view of stored preferences specific to one of multiple profiles of the user. Based on the analysis, the agent can suggest or automatically implement a solution to a given issue or problem. In addition, the agent can identify another potential issue that requires attention and suggests or implements action accordingly. Furthermore, the agent can communicate with other users or devices by providing and acquiring information to assist in future decisions. All aspects of environment observation, decision assistance, and external communication can be flexibly limited or allowed as desired by the user."</em><br /><br />This sounds interesting at first glance, but also a little creepy. Look at a few other examples of what this service would be capable of doing:<br /><br /><ul> <li>Not only does the guardian angel 140 monitor an environment, but also a user (e.g., heartbeat, body temperature, mood, etc.). In other words, as the guardian angel 140 is focusing on its main goal of, for instance, <strong><em>detecting users with a disease</em></strong> (e.g., as evidenced by, among other symptoms, a high body temperature) and precluding those users from entering a restricted area, the guardian angel may be informed of other supplemental issues that may or may not be directly related to the main task.</li> <li>In another example, while monitoring a user's environment for weather and traffic, the guardian angel 140 can suddenly notice that the user's heartbeat has stopped and therefore takes automatic action to call for help.</li> <li>The user can initially load and return to update his/her schedule and list of preferred dry cleaning services, restaurants, stores, etc. as well as corresponding contact phone numbers, addresses, menus, and ratings. As the user travels through a new environment, the user-attribute store 130 is continually updated with data relating to the new environment that will likely apply to his/her preferences. The information in the user-attribute store 130 may be supplemented, deleted, and modified at any time by multiple parties, but the owner (user) of the user-attribute store 130 can limit access to certain areas or times (e.g., modification by another source is authorized to update a restaurant phone number, but not authorized to change the user's schedule).</li></ul>I'm not so sure I'd be terribly keen on having my device capable of some of those functions. Why am I posting this here? Because <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.mspx">Bill Gates</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/ozzie/default.mspx">Ray Ozzie</a> are among the patent holders. The patent was filed April 3, 2008. I'm sure it will have a catchy name like Windows Live OneCare Life Guardian.NET.<br />