Patent Application
20200142731
Currently, tasks which are initiated on a certain device are confined to being executed by that device. A task could be anything that is executable by a device, such as an alarm, streaming music or video, using social media, etc. However, something can subsequently occur that prevents the device from executing or completing the task. For example, the device may run out of battery before or during the execution of the task. In this case, the execution of the task would stop prior to completion or not be executed at all.
Disclosed herein is a method for the transfer of tasks from a device in a network, and a computer program product and system as specified in the independent claims. Embodiments of the present invention are given in the dependent claims. Embodiments of the present invention can be freely combined with each other if they are not mutually exclusive.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a transfer of a task from a device in a network, where the network includes a plurality of devices, a failing device determines that the failing device will not be able to complete one or more tasks configured on the failing device. The failing device compares the requirements of a given task of the one or more tasks with sets of device capabilities on a device list, where each set of device capabilities being associated with a device of the plurality of devices. The failing device determines that the requirements of the given task match a given set of device capabilities associated with a given device, and in response, sends a request to transfer the given task to the given device.
In one aspect of the present invention, the failing device determines whether an acceptance or a rejection of the request is received from the given device. When the failing device receives the rejection of the request from the given device, the failing device compares the requirements of the given task with remaining sets of device capabilities on the device list. The failing device determines that the requirements of the given task match a second given set of device capabilities associated with a second given device, and in response, sends a second request to transfer the given task to the second given device.
In one aspect of the present invention, in response to receiving the request to transfer the given task, the given device determines whether resources are available at the given device to complete the given task. In response to determining that the resources are available at the given device to complete the given task, the given device sends an acceptance of the request to the failing device and configures the given task on the given device. In, response to determining that the resources are not available at the given device to complete the given task, the given device sends a rejection of the request to the failing device.
An “IoT device,” as the term is used herein, is a device that is capable of communicating via a network, typically via wireless communication, and capable of executing one or more predetermined tasks due to its design and manufacture according to predetermined specifications. One example IoT device receives an alarm configuration via a user interface on the device, to produce an audio and/or visual output at the configured data, and time. However, IoT devices are not currently capable of automatically transferring performance of their functions to other IoT devices in a manner where the IoT devices communicate with one another to autonomously perform the transference themselves. That is, IoT devices are not currently configured with program modes or circuitry to autonomously perform such transference functions.
Embodiments of the present invention involve a recognition that by adding previously non-existent functionality to IoT devices, as disclosed herein, then it is possible in certain applications for a first IoT device to autonomously transfer a task to a second IoT device without a user manually reconfiguring the task on the second IoT device. By adding previously non-existent module(s) to the IoT device, it would be possible for the IoT devices to communication with one another an autonomously transfer configured tasks.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, when a device determines it will be prevented from completing a task to which it has been assigned, the device will send a request to transfer the task to another capable device on IoT network. If the other device accepts the request, then the other device automatically configures the task to be executed. If the other device rejects the request, then the device attempts to identify another capable device on the network to which to transfer the task.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a standard communication format, i.e., protocol, is provided for task requests, so that such requests can be processed by any device regardless of its make, manufacturer, or model. The interpreter modules 115-118 provided to the IoT devices 103-106 according to embodiments of the present invention translate the task requests communicated in the standard format, so that a task request translated fora respective device is in a form that the respective device can recognize and process. Example communication formats for task requests include, but are not limited to, the following:
For example, a smart assistant IoT device may set alarms internally with ‘set alarm 9:00’. When this alarm task is to be transferred to IoT lights, the interpreter module of the smart assistant IoT device translates the format of the alarm task to ‘schedule light 9:00’, according to the formatting requirements of the IoT lights. Alternatively, the smart assistant IoT device sends the task request to the IoT lights without translation, and the IoT lights, using the formatting requirements of the smart assistant IoT device, translates the received task request to its native format.
In some embodiments, different tasks are transferred to different devices based on the capabilities of the devices. For example, assume that the failing device 103 is configured with an audio alarm task and a video streaming task that the failing device 103 will not be able to complete. Assume that a first device 104 is associated a first set of device capabilities matching the requirements of the audio alarm task but not matching the requirements of the video streaming task, while a second device 105 is associated with a second set of device capabilities matching the requirements of the video streaming task. The task transfer module 111 of the failing device 103 sends a first request to transfer the audio alarm task to the first device 104 and sends a second request to transfer the video streaming task to the second device 105.
In some embodiments, more than one set of device capabilities on the device list 107 matches the requirements of a task. In one exemplary embodiment, the task transfer module 111 of the failing device 103 randomly selects an associated device from among the matching sets of device capabilities. In another exemplary embodiment, the task transfer module 111 of the failing device 103 selects the associated device in a round robin or load balancing fashion. In another exemplary embodiment, the task transfer module 111 of the failing device 103 weighs the associated device selection based on user configured preferences. In yet another exemplary, embodiment, the task transfer module 111 of the failing device 103 leverages data from other devices in the IoT network to weigh the selection of the associated device. For example, data from sensors in the IoT network are used to determine a user's proximity to various devices in the network 101, and the associated device with the closest proximity to the user is selected.
For example, assume the IoT network 101 includes a smart phone configured with an alarm task for a set time and a smart assistant device. Referring to
Referring to
Referring again to
In some embodiments, the failing device 103 determines that it will not be able to complete a task while performing the task and the remainder of the task is to be transferred to another device. For example, assume that an automated forklift is configured with a moving task to move an item to a specified destination. Referring to
Referring to
The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.
The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.
Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium onto an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program, instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.
Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.
Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.
These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
