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GoogleGranted patentSecurity & privacyInterest 6/10

Google patents privacy checks for smart home device groups

Google describes a system where multiple devices in a home act as a single unit to handle user requests. Before running a task, the system combines information from at least two devices to understand the current situation and asks for permission based on that shared context.

Why it mattersThis approach could help users better control what data is shared across their smart devices, ensuring privacy is considered when multiple gadgets work together.

In the filing’s own words

Systems and methods are described that include operations such as detecting a plurality of computing devices configured as a distributed ambient computing system, receiving a request to execute a computing task, obtaining, from the distributed ambient computing system, data representing a device context for at least two of the plurality of devices, generating a combined context corresponding to the distributed ambient computing system, the combined context representing a combination of the device context for the at least two devices, generating and providing at least one decision request based on the computing task and the combined context, receiving a response to the at least one decision request, and triggering execution of the computing task based on the response and the combined context.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising: detecting a plurality of computing devices configured as a distributed ambient computing system within a defined environment; receiving a query from a user of the distributed ambient computing system; obtaining, from the distributed ambient computing system, data representing a device context for at least two of the plurality of computing devices; generating a combined context corresponding to the distributed ambient computing system, the combined context representing a combination of the device context for the at least two of the plurality of computing devices; receiving, based on the combined context, a response to the query; and providing the response to the user.

Facts

Company
Google (Google LLC)
Official title
Operating system-level assistive features for contextual privacy
Patent number
US12743490B2
Application number
18906818
Filed
Oct 4, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 21/126 Physics & computingG06F 9/30123 Physics & computingG06F 9/4881 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.