Method and apparatus for personal attribute selection and management using prediction

Claim 2

An application device comprising: a port for coupling with a donor device having preferences; a session preference memory; a user interface device; a controller operatively coupled to said user interface device, said port and said session preference memory to access the donor device via the port to provide to the donor device access information for access of the donor device, to receive preferences from the donor device in response to the access information, to obtain predicted preferences using a prediction procedure in at least one of the application device and the donor device, to store both the specific preferences and the predicted preferences in said session preference memory, to refine the predicted preferences through user interaction with said user interface device to produce refined user preferences, and to transmit the refined preferences to the donor device to update a reference preference set in the donor device.

Claim 3

An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs a prediction procedure in the application device to determine the predicted preferences based on information from the donor device and then stores at least the predicted preferences in at least said session preference memory.

Claim 4

An application device according to claim 2, wherein said controller is operatively connected to said session preference memory to perform the prediction procedure by access to next best preferences stored in adjacent memory locations of the preference memory.

Claim 5

An application device according to claim 2, wherein said session preference memory comprises a neural network for performing the prediction procedure based on previously stored preferences represented as weights and based on the access information.

Claim 6

An application device according to claim 1, wherein said donor device performs the prediction procedure and sends the predicted preferences to the application device; and wherein said controller receives the predicted preferences from the donor device via the port.

Claim 7

An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller refines the predicted preferences through user selection from a list of choices determined based on user historical data received from the donor device.

Claim 8

An application device according to claim 1, wherein said controller defers refinement of the predicted preferences until subsequently desired by the user.

Claim 9

An application device according to claim 1, wherein the port couples to said donor device by a wireless connection.

Claim 10

An application device according to claim 8, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including an optical link.

Claim 11

An application device according to claim 8, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including a radio link.

Claim 12

An application device according to claim 1, wherein the port couples to said donor device over a network.

Claim 13

An application device according to claim 1, wherein said donor device comprises a card unique to the user.

Claim 14

A donor device for setting-up preferences for an application device, said donor device comprising: a port for coupling to an application device to receive access information from the application device; a reference preference memory having preferences stored therein; and a controller operatively coupled to said port and said reference preference memory to perform a prediction procedure in the donor device, to send predicted preferences via said port to an application device when said reference preference memory has unavailable preferences for the access information, to receive refined preferences from the application device and to store the refined preferences in the reference preference memory to update a reference preference set.

Claim 15

A donor device for setting-up preferences for an application device, said donor device comprising: a port for coupling to an application device to receive access information from the application device; a reference preference memory having preferences stored therein; and a controller operatively coupled to said port and said reference preference memory to perform a prediction procedure in the donor device, to send predicted preferences via said port to an application device when said reference preference memory has unavailable preferences for the access information, to receive refined preferences from the application device and to store the refined preferences in the reference preference memory to update a reference preference set.

Claim 16

A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said controller is operatively connected to said reference preference memory to perform the prediction procedure by access to next best preferences stored in adjacent memory locations of said reference preference memory.

Claim 17

A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said reference preference memory comprises a neural network to perform the prediction procedure based on previously stored preferences represented as weights and based on the access information.

Claim 18

A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said reference preference memory has preferences stored therein for a plurality of users; and wherein said port couples with the application device to receive both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device and to provide from said reference preference memory in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a specified user.

Claim 19

A donor device according to claim 16, wherein the port couples to said application device by a wireless connection.

Claim 20

A donor device according to claim 17, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including an optical link.

Claim 21

A donor device according to claim 17, wherein the port couples by the wireless connection including a radio link.

Claim 22

A donor device according to claim 16, wherein the port couples to said application device over a network.

Claim 23

A donor device according to claim 13, wherein said reference preference memory has preferences stored therein for at least one user; and wherein said port couples with the application device to receive access information for access of the donor device for a user and to provide from said reference preference memory in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the the access information for the user.

Claim 24

A donor device according to claim 21, wherein the application device comprises a card unique to the user.

Claim 27

A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (d) comprises the substep of (d1) predicting preferences in the application device based on preferences received from a donor device using a prediction procedure.

Claim 28

A method according to claim 24, wherein said substep (d1) of predicting comprises the substep of predicting by access to next best preferences received from the donor device.

Claim 29

A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (d) comprises the substep of (d1) predicting preferences in the donor device and sending the predicted preferences to the application device.

Claim 30

A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (e) of refining comprises the substep of (e1) refining the predicted preferences through user selection from a list of choices determined based on user historical data received from the donor device.

Claim 31

A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (e) of refining comprises the substep of (e1) deferring refinement until subsequently desired by the user.

Claim 32

A method device according to claim 24, wherein said method further comprises the steps of (h) determining if a donor device is available when new preferences need to be set-up; and (i) performing a prediction procedure to temporarily assign predicted preferences when the donor device is unavailable when the new preferences need to be set up; wherein said step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling an application device and a donor device when the donor device is available; and wherein said step (g) of transmitting the refined preferences to the donor device comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and a donor device when the donor device is available.

Claim 33

A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for a plurality of users; wherein said step (c) of providing comprises the substep of (c1) providing the donor device both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device; and wherein said step (d) of receiving comprises the substep of (d1) receiving from the donor device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a user.

Claim 34

A method according to claim 23, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device over a network.

Claim 35

A method according to claim 23, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device by a wireless connection.

Claim 36

A method according to claim 23 wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for at least one user; wherein said step (c) of providing comprises the substep of (c1) providing the donor device information for access of the donor device; and wherein said step (d) of receiving comprises the substep of (d1) receiving from the donor device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information provided for a user.

Claim 37

A method according to claim 33, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device to a donor device comprising a card unique to the user.

Claim 40

A method according to claim 35, wherein said step (b) of accessing comprises the substep of (b1) accessing the donor device having preferences for a plurality of users; wherein said step (c) of receiving comprises the substep of (c1) receiving from the application device both information identifying of a user of the application device and access information for access of the donor device; and wherein said step (d) of performing a prediction procedure and transmitting comprises the substep of (d1) transmitting to the application device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for the user.

Claim 41

A method according to claim 36, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device over a network.

Claim 42

A method according to claim 36, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device and the donor device by a wireless connection.

Claim 43

A method according to claim 35, wherein said step (c) of receiving comprises the substep of (c1) receiving from the application device information for access of the donor device for at least one user; and wherein said step (d) of performing a prediction procedure and transmitting comprises the substep of (d1) transmitting to the application device in response thereto specific preferences that pertain to the access information for a user.

Claim 44

A method according to claim 39, wherein the step (a) of coupling comprises the substep of (a1) coupling the application device to a donor device comprising a card unique to the user.

Claim 45

An application device comprising: a port for coupling with a donor device; a session preference memory capable of storing preferences for a particular user; a user interface device; and a controller operatively coupled to said user interface device, said session preference memory and said port to access the donor device via the port, wherein said controller determines if a donor device is available when new preferences need to be set-up, wherein said controller connects to the donor device when said controller determines the donor device is available when the new preferences need to be set up to obtain and store preferences from the donor device in said session preference memory by providing to the donor device access information for a particular user for access of the donor device and by receiving from the donor device in response to the donor device preferences that pertain to the user, and wherein said controller of the application device performs a prediction procedure upon data in the session preference memory when said controller determines the donor device is unavailable when the new preferences need to be set up, stores the predicted preferences in said session preference memory, refines the predicted preferences through user interaction with said user interface device to produce refined user preferences, and transmits the refined preferences to the donor device when later available to update a user's reference preference set in the donor device.

Claim 46

An application device comprising: a port for coupling with a donor device; a session preference memory capable of storing preferences for a particular user; a user interface device; and a controller operatively coupled to said user interface device, said session preference memory and said port to access the donor device via the port, wherein said controller determines if a donor device is available when new preferences need to be set-up, wherein said controller connects to the donor device when said controller determines the donor device is available when the new preferences need to be set up to obtain and store preferences from the donor device in said session preference memory by providing to the donor device access information for a particular user for access of the donor device and by receiving from the donor device in response to the donor device preferences that pertain to the user, and wherein said controller of the application device performs a prediction procedure upon data in the session preference memory when said controller determines the donor device is unavailable when the new preferences need to be set up, stores the predicted preferences in said session preference memory, refines the predicted preferences through user interaction with said user interface device to produce refined user preferences, and transmits the refined preferences to the donor device when later available to update a user's reference preference set in the donor device.