Claims
- 1. A computer comprising:
detection circuitry for detecting environmental factors; processing circuitry coupled to said detection circuitry, said processing circuitry for executing:
one or more software informants for receiving information on said environmental factors from said detection circuitry; and one or more applications in communication with said software informants, the operation of said applications being responsive to said information.
- 2. The computer of claim 1 wherein said detection circuitry comprises location circuitry for detecting the physical location of the computer.
- 3. The computer of claim 2 wherein said location circuitry comprises a global positioning system.
- 4. The computer of claim 2 wherein said location circuitry comprises circuitry for receiving a signal indicative of a physical location.
- 5. The computer of claim 2 wherein said detection circuitry comprises circuitry for determining the presence of a network.
- 6. The computer of claim 5 wherein said determining circuitry comprises circuitry for determining the presence of a wired network.
- 7. The computer of claim 6 wherein said processing circuitry communicates with the wired network to determine a location.
- 8. The computer of claim 5 wherein said determining circuitry comprises circuitry for determining the presence of a wireless network.
- 9. The computer of claim wherein said processing circuitry communicates with the wired network to determine a location.
- 10. A computer comprising:
input/output circuitry processing circuitry coupled to said input/output circuitry, said detection circuitry for executing:
one or more software informants for generating information on environmental factors based on the software configuration of the computer; and one or more applications in communication with said software informants for executing a program responsive to said information.
- 11. The computer of claim 10 wherein said processing circuitry executes at least one software informant for determining a physical location for the computer by reference to a database used for scheduling appointments and tasks.
- 12. The computer of claim 10 wherein said processing circuitry executes at least one informant for determining a physical location for the computer by reference to the active desktop.
- 13. A method of executing programs in a computer comprising the steps of:
detecting environmental factors; distributing information associated with said environmental factors to one or more software applications; and executing said one or more software applications responsive to said environmental factors.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein said detection step comprises the step of detecting the physical location of the computer.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of detecting the physical location of the computer comprises the step of detecting the physical location of the computer by reference to a global positioning system circuit.
- 16. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of detecting the physical location of the computer comprises the step of detecting the physical location of the computer by receiving a signal from a sensor placed in the physical location.
- 17. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of detecting the physical location of the computer comprises the step of detecting the physical location of the computer by communicating with a network.
- 18. The method of claim 14 wherein said detecting step comprises the step of determining a physical location for the computer by reference to a scheduling database.
- 19. The method of claim 14 wherein said detecting step comprises the step of determining a physical location for the computer by determination of the active desktop.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of copending provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/048,086, filed May 30, 1997, entitled “Computer System With Environmental Detection” to Watts.
[0002] This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/759,899, entitled “Graphical User Interface” to Freach et al filed Dec. 3, 1996, U.S. Ser. No. 60/050,930 entitled “Computer System With Environmental Manager” to Watts et al filed May 30, 1997 and U.S. Ser. No. 60/048,139 entitled “Computer System With Environmental Messaging Structure” to Fuiks et al filed May 30, 1997.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60048086 |
May 1997 |
US |