GENERATING OLFACTORY EXPERIENCES

Abstract

A system (100) for generating an olfactory experience comprises a user interface (120) that allows a user to provide a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience. The system (100) further comprises a set of processing modules (104) that convert the set of input parameters into a set of scent delivery instructions for one or more scent delivery devices (106), (108) to follow. The system *100) can allow a variety of desired olfactory experiences to be indicated by a user and then allow those desired olfactory experiences (or suitable approximations or equivalents thereof) to be provided by a variety of scent delivery devices that may be available to the system (100).

Claims

1. A system for providing scent delivery instructions for generating an olfactory experience, the system comprising: a mapping circuit configured to map a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience to a set of one or more scent stimuli, wherein the mapping is based on the capabilities of one or more scent delivery devices intended to provide the desired olfactory experience; and a scent delivery device interface configured to provide a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli to the one or more scent delivery devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of input parameters indicate one or more properties of the desired olfactory experience selected from the group consisting of: one or more desired scents; one or more desired temporal properties; one or more desired spatial properties; one or more desired intensity values; one or more desired scent categories; and one or more desired emotion values.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to at least one of: (i) allow a user to provide the set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience; and (ii) allow the user to create and/or modify one or more plots that describe the desired olfactory experience over time and/or space.

4. (canceled)

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping is based on one or more properties of one or more scents or scent mixtures available for output by the one or more scent delivery devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises one or more of: mapping a desired scent to an available scent or scent mixture; mapping a desired scent category to an available scent or scent mixture; mapping a desired temporal property to an achievable temporal property; mapping a desired spatial property to an achievable spatial property; mapping a desired intensity value to an achievable intensity value and/or to an available scent or scent mixture having that intensity value; and mapping a desired emotion value to an achievable emotion value and/or to an available scent or scent mixture having that emotion value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the capabilities of a scent delivery device are defined in terms of one or more of: one or more specific scents available for output by the scent delivery device; a number of scents that can be output by the scent delivery device; one or more physical states of the scents available for output by the scent delivery device; the scent mixing capabilities of the scent delivery device; one or more intensity regulation capabilities of the scent delivery device; one or more temporal scent output capabilities of the scent delivery device; one or more spatial scent output capabilities of the scent delivery device; one or more scent delivery methods of the scent delivery device; a clean air delivery capability of the scent delivery device; an arrangement of scent delivery channels of the scent delivery device; and one or more dynamic scent delivery capabilities of the scent delivery device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to obtain one or more scent delivery capabilities of the one or more scent delivery devices from a database or library of scent delivery capabilities for a set of plural types of scent delivery device and/or from the one or more scent delivery devices themselves.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping circuit is further configured to map the set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience to the set of one or more scent stimuli based on a user profile.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a scent stimulus of the set of one or more scent stimuli is defined in terms of one or more properties selected from a group consisting of: one or more specific scents for the stimulus; one or more temporal properties for the stimulus; one or more spatial properties for the stimulus; and one or more intensity or dynamic delivery properties for the stimulus.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to at least one of: (i) generate, from the set of one or more scent stimuli, the set of scent delivery instructions for the one or more scent delivery devices to follow; and (ii) determine the presence of one or more scheduling conflicts in the set of one or more scent stimuli and/or to resolve one or more scheduling conflicts in the set of one or more scent stimuli.

12. (canceled)

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a circuit configured to determine whether one of one or more pieces of information to be conveyed to a user that are each associated with respective olfactory experiences needs to be conveyed to a user; and an input parameter determining circuit configured to, in response to a determination that a piece of information needs to be conveyed to a user, determine a set of input parameters that define the olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information to be conveyed, and provide that set of input parameters to the mapping circuit for use to generate the associated olfactory experience to convey the information to a user.

14. A computer implemented method of providing scent delivery instructions for generating an olfactory experience, the method comprising: mapping a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience to a set of one or more scent stimuli, wherein the mapping is based on the capabilities of one or more scent delivery devices intended to provide the desired olfactory experience; and providing a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli to the one or more scent delivery devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of input parameters indicate one or more properties of the desired olfactory experience selected from the group consisting of: one or more desired scents; one or more desired temporal properties; one or more desired spatial properties; one or more desired intensity values; one or more desired scent categories; and one or more desired emotion values.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: providing, via a user interface, the set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising obtaining one or more scent delivery capabilities of the one or more scent delivery devices from a database or library of scent delivery capabilities for a set of plural types of scent delivery device and/or from the one or more scent delivery devices themselves.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the mapping further comprises mapping the set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience to the set of one or more scent stimuli based on a user profile.

23. (canceled)

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising at least one of: (i) generating, from the set of one or more scent stimuli, the set of scent delivery instructions for the one or more scent delivery devices to follow; and (ii) determining the presence of one or more scheduling conflicts in the set of one or more scent stimuli and/or resolving one or more scheduling conflicts in the set of one or more scent stimuli.

25. (canceled)

26. The method of claim 14, comprising generating the olfactory experience in order to convey particular information to a user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein one or more pieces of information to be conveyed to a user are associated with respective olfactory experiences, and the method comprises: in response to determining a need to convey one of the pieces of information to a user: determining a set of input parameters that define the olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information to be conveyed to a user; mapping the determined set of input parameters to a set of one or more scent stimuli; and providing a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli to the one or more scent delivery devices to deliver the olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information to a user.

28. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer software code which, when executing on a data processing circuit of a data processing system, performs a method of providing scent delivery instructions for generating an olfactory experience, the method comprising: mapping a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience to a set of one or more scent stimuli, wherein the mapping is based on the capabilities of one or more scent delivery devices intended to provide the desired olfactory experience; and providing a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli to the one or more scent delivery devices.

Description

[0078] A number of embodiments of the technology described herein will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0079] FIG. 1 shows an overview of a system for generating an olfactory experience in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0080] FIG. 2 shows further details of the system for generating an olfactory experience as shown in FIG. 1;

[0081] FIGS. 3A-3C show various graphical user interfaces for providing input parameters for desired olfactory experiences in accordance with embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0082] FIG. 4 shows further details of the data structures involved in a mapping process in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0083] FIG. 5 shows a scent descriptor in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0084] FIG. 6 shows a scent delivery device descriptor in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0085] FIG. 7 shows a stimulus descriptor in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0086] FIG. 8 shows further details of the data structures involved in a scheduling process in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0087] FIG. 9 shows an example of a scheduling conflict between stimuli of an olfactory experience;

[0088] FIGS. 10A-10C shows various ways in which to resolve a scheduling conflict between stimuli of an olfactory experience in accordance with embodiments of the technology described herein;

[0089] FIG. 11 shows a process of resolving a scheduling conflict between stimuli of an olfactory experience in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein; and

[0090] FIG. 12 shows further details of the data structures involved in interfacing with a scent delivery device in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0091] FIG. 13 shows an overview of a system for generating an olfactory experience in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein;

[0092] FIG. 14 shows an overview of a method of generating an olfactory experience in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein.

[0093] Like reference numerals are used for like components where appropriate in the drawings.

[0094] FIG. 1 shows an overview of a computer implemented system 100 for generating an olfactory experience.

[0095] In this embodiment, the system 100 comprises circuitry that runs one or more olfactory applications 102. An olfactory application may, for example, implement a graphical user interface 120 by which a user can provide a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience. The graphical user interface 120 may be displayed on any desired and suitable display screen and manipulated by the user using any desired and suitable input device(s), such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc. . . . Other olfactory applications, e.g. for defining or triggering a desired olfactory experience, may be provided as desired, e.g. via plugins for third party tools 122 and/or other applications 124.

[0096] The system 100 further comprises circuitry that implements a set of processing modules 104. The processing modules 104 convert the set of input parameters into a set of scent delivery instructions to be followed by scent delivery devices 106, 108 of the system 100.

[0097] In this embodiment, the set of processing modules 104 comprises an application programming interface (API) 110 that receives the set of input parameters defining the desired olfactory experience from the olfactory application(s) 102 and provides the set of input parameters to circuitry that implements a mapping module 112. In this embodiment, the API 110 can also provide feedback to the olfactory application(s) 102 to allow the provision of the set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience to be a dynamic process, e.g. based on the current capabilities of the available scent delivery devices 106, 108. For example, if a very high intensity stimulus is desired by the user but none is available, then this may be fed back to the user via the API 110 and olfactory application(s) 102. The user may accordingly have to select a lower intensity, e.g. via the user interface 120.

[0098] The mapping module 112 then maps the set of input parameters to a set of scent stimuli that are capable of being generated by the available scent delivery devices 106, 108. The mapping module 112 then provides the set of scent stimuli to circuitry that implements a control module, which in this embodiment takes the form of a scheduling module 114. The scheduling module 114 then detects and resolves any scheduling conflicts in the set of scent stimuli and schedules the output of the scent stimuli by providing instructions to be followed by the scent delivery devices 106, 108.

[0099] The instructions are then provided, via a uniform scent delivery device interface 116, to the scent delivery devices 106, 108. The uniform scent delivery device interface 116 can also obtain information 118 relating to the type and/or capabilities of the scent delivery devices 106, 108. Providing a uniform scent delivery device interface 116 can allow the system to interact with a variety of different types of scent delivery devices 106, 108.

[0100] When performing the above processes, the processing modules 104 can make use of a database or library (not shown) that comprises data descriptors for scents, user profiles, and scent delivery devices, etc.

[0101] The instructions provided to the scent delivery devices 106, 108 are then followed by the scent delivery devices 106, 108 in order to generate the scent stimuli for the olfactory experience.

[0102] FIG. 2 shows further details of the system 100 of FIG. 1. As is shown in FIG. 2, the olfactory application(s) 102 can take, as inputs for the desired olfactory experience, an indication of one or more desired intensity properties 200 for the olfactory experience, an indication of one or more desired spatial properties 202 for the olfactory experience, an indication of one or more desired emotions 204 for the olfactory experience to invoke in the user, an indication of one or more desired associations 206 for the olfactory experience to cause the user to make, and/or other parameters 208 that may be provided based on future models for olfactory-based HCI. Together these inputs provide a set of input parameters 210 that describe the desired olfactory experience.

[0103] FIG. 3A-3C show various graphical user interfaces for providing input parameters for desired olfactory experiences using the olfactory application(s) 102.

[0104] FIG. 3A shows a plot 300 of perceived intensity (on an arbitrary scale of 0-100%) versus time that can be displayed on a graphical user interface and manipulated by the user. In this embodiment, the user can alter the intensity-time profile for the olfactory experience by moving one or more existing nodes (e.g. node 302) of the profile, either to increase or decrease the node's value and/or to move the node backwards or forwards in time. The user can also or instead alter the intensity-time profile for the olfactory experience by deleting one or more of the existing nodes and/or by creating one or more new nodes. The plot 300 accordingly provides a convenient and intuitive way for the user to provide a set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience over time. In this embodiment, the set of input parameters can, for example, comprise a set of times and corresponding intensity values.

[0105] FIG. 3B shows a plot 304 of valence and arousal (on an arbitrary scale of −100 to +100) versus time that can be displayed on a graphical user interface and manipulated by the user. The valence-time profile is shown with a lighter line and the arousal-time profile is shown with a darker line. The valence profile relates to the degree to which a user experiences a positive or negative reaction to the olfactory experience over time. The arousal profile relates to the degree to which a user experiences an energising or calming reaction to the olfactory experience over time. Other emotions, such as anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, etc., could be plotted in a similar way.

[0106] Again, the user can alter the valence-time profile and/or the arousal-time profile for the olfactory experience by moving one or more existing nodes (e.g. nodes 306, 308), either to increase or decrease the node's value and/or to move the node backwards or forwards in time. The user can also or instead alter the valence-time profile and/or the arousal-time profile for the olfactory experience by deleting one or more of the existing nodes and/or creating one or more new nodes. The plot 304 accordingly again provides a convenient and intuitive way for the user to provide a set of input parameters that define the desired olfactory experience over time. In this embodiment, the set of input parameters can comprise a set of times and corresponding valence and arousal values. The emotion values may, for example, be provided as a multidimensional measure or vector.

[0107] FIG. 3C shows a plot 310 of start times and durations relating to particular events that can be displayed on a graphical user interface and manipulated by the user. In this embodiment, following a detected event at time zero, an associated stimulus for that event is provided to the user at the indicated start time and for the indicated duration on the plot. In this embodiment, a first start time 312 and duration for a first stimulus are associated with an email being received and a second start time 314 and duration are associated with a communication (in this case an email) received from the user's boss. In this embodiment, the first stimulus associated with “email” comprises a lemon scent and the second stimulus associated with “boss” comprises a peppermint scent. These associations can be chosen by the user and/or learned by the user over time. Different scents, e.g. for associating with other events, can be selected and/or learned as desired.

[0108] In this embodiment, the user can also alter the position of each start time and the corresponding duration for an event by moving the start and/or end nodes on the plot. The plot 310 accordingly again provides a convenient and intuitive way for the user to provide a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience. In this embodiment, the set of input parameters can comprise a set of start times and corresponding duration values for each stimulus. Then, when a given event occurs, an appropriate stimulus can be provided at the indicated start time (e.g. relative to the time at which the event occurs) and for the corresponding duration.

[0109] Referring again to FIG. 2, the mapping module 112 can take as inputs the set of input parameters 210 that define the desired olfactory experience, a set of capabilities for the scent delivery devices 106, 108 of the system (in the form of available scent information 212 and available device information 214), and a user profile 216. Based on these inputs, the mapping module 112 provides a set of stimuli 218.

[0110] FIG. 4 shows further details of the data structures (data descriptors) involved in the mapping process. As indicated above, the mapping module 112 takes an input parameter descriptor 400, which contains the set of input parameters which define the desired olfactory experience, as an input.

[0111] The mapping module 112 also takes a list of scent descriptors 402 for the available scents as an input. FIG. 5 shows a scent descriptor 402 for a scent in more detail. In this embodiment, the scent descriptor 402 comprises an identifier for the scent, a name for the scent, a reference to an overall perceptual descriptor 502 for the scent, one or more references to scent compound descriptors 500 for the scent, and ratios for the compounds of the scent.

[0112] In this embodiment, the scent compound descriptor 500 indicates a name for the compound, a chemical formula for the compound, a molecule shape for the compound, and a perceptual descriptor for the compound per se.

[0113] In this embodiment, the perceptual effect descriptor 502 indicates a perceived intensity value for the scent or compound, a perceptual threshold value for the scent or compound, a list of natural associations for the scent or compound (e.g. “lemon” for a lemony scent, etc.), a list of descriptive keywords for the scent or compound (e.g. “fresh” for a lemony scent, etc.), and a list of emotional measures for the scent or compound (e.g. valence=0.7, arousal=0.6, happiness=0.8, anger=0.1, etc.).

[0114] It should be noted here that a mixture of scent compounds, with each scent compound having its own perceptual effect, can result in a different perceptual effect for the overall scent of the mixture. Thus, in this embodiment, a perceptual descriptor is indicated both for an overall scent mixture and for each of the scent compounds that form the scent mixture.

[0115] Referring again to FIG. 4, as indicated above, the mapping module 112 also takes, as an input, a list of scent delivery device descriptors 404 for the available devices of the system.

[0116] FIG. 6 shows a scent delivery device descriptor 404 for a device in more detail. In this embodiment, the scent delivery device descriptors 404 indicates a number of scents for the device, a scent type (e.g. solid, powder, gel, liquid, gas), a reference to a scent mixing properties descriptor 600 for the device, a reference to an intensity regulation properties descriptor 602 for the device, and a reference to a delivery method descriptor 604 for the device.

[0117] In this embodiment, the scent mixing properties descriptor 600 comprises a Boolean value indicating whether or not scent mixing is possible, a minimum mixing percentage, and a maximum mixing percentage. The intensity regulation properties descriptor 602 indicates a Boolean value indicating whether or not intensity regulation is possible, an intensity regulation method, a minimum intensity regulation percentage, and a maximum intensity regulation percentage.

[0118] In this embodiment, the delivery method descriptor 604 indicates a name for the delivery method, a type for the delivery method (e.g. static or dynamic), one or more references to delivery point descriptors 606, a delivery volume value, and a percentage of scent intensity value. The delivery point descriptor 606 indicates a coordinate for the delivery point and a direction vector for delivery of the scent.

[0119] In this embodiment, when the device is in use, the scent delivery device descriptor 404 also comprises the scent delivery instructions provided for that device.

[0120] Referring again to FIG. 4, the mapping module 112 also takes a user profile descriptor 406 for the user as an input. In this embodiment, the user profile descriptor 406 comprises a map of selected and learned associations for the user that maps scent descriptors for particular scents to particular events (e.g. lemon=email, peppermint=boss, etc.), and a map of emotional preferences for the user that maps scent descriptors for particular scents to particular perceptual descriptors. The scent descriptors and perceptual descriptors are described above with reference to FIG. 5.

[0121] Referring again to FIG. 4, the mapping module 112 then processes the inputs and generates one or more stimulus descriptors 408. In doing this, the mapping module 112 attempts to map the set of parameters that define the desired olfactory experience to a set of stimuli that are actually capable of being generated by the scent delivery devices of the system.

[0122] For example, the mapping module 112 may select appropriate scents to match, as close as possible, parameters for a desired intensity profile based on the scents that can be output by the scent delivery devices of the system. With reference to FIG. 3A, for example, a first available scent having a lower perceived intensity (e.g. lemon) may be mapped to the initial lower peak of the profile and a second available scent having a higher perceived intensity (e.g. peppermint) may be mapped to the subsequent higher peak of the profile.

[0123] For another example, the mapping module 112 may select appropriate scents to match, as close as possible, parameters for desired valence/arousal profiles based on the scents that can be output by the scent delivery devices of the system and based on the user's profile descriptor 406. With reference to FIG. 3B, for example, one or more available scents having a higher valence and lower arousal (e.g. as far as the user is concerned) may be mapped to the initial higher valence peak and lower arousal trough, one or more scents having a lower valence and higher arousal (e.g. as far as the user is concerned) may be mapped to the subsequent lower valence trough and higher arousal peak, and so on, so as to follow the valence/arousal profiles for the desired olfactory experience. The mapping module 112 may, for example, mix scents in an attempt to provide a desired valence or arousal. For example, a scent with higher valence may be mixed with a scent of lower valence in order to provide a neutral valence.

[0124] For another example, the mapping module 112 may select a particular scent for a particular event based on the scents that can be output by the scent delivery devices of the system and based on the user's profile descriptor 406. With reference to FIG. 3C, for example, a lemon scent may be desired for an “email” event and peppermint scent may be desired for a “boss” event. However, if the desired associated scent is not available for the scent delivery devices, then the mapping module 112 may select a closely related available scent or may mix available scents in an attempt to match the desired associated scent.

[0125] FIG. 7 shows a stimulus descriptor 408 provided by the mapping module 112 in more detail. In this embodiment, the stimulus descriptor 408 indicates an identifier for the stimulus, a list of scent delivery instruction descriptors 700 for the stimulus, and a list of conflict resolution method descriptors 702 for the stimulus.

[0126] In this embodiment, a conflict resolution method descriptor 702 for a stimulus indicates a priority value for the stimulus. In the event that the stimulus is in conflict with another stimulus, a stimulus with a higher priority value may take precedence over a stimulus with a lower priority value.

[0127] In this embodiment, the conflict resolution methods descriptor 702 further indicates a temporal shift resolution descriptor 704, which indicates a maximum lead time value (i.e. a maximum time by which the stimulus can be shifted backwards in time) and a maximum lag time value (i.e. a maximum time by which the stimulus can be shifted forwards in time) to resolve a conflict. Thus, the conflict resolution method descriptor 702 indicates the manner in which the stimulus may be modified, e.g. without the stimulus losing its meaning.

[0128] Referring again to FIG. 2, the scheduling module 114 can take, as inputs, the set of stimuli 218 and, using a conflict managing module 220, detect and resolve any scheduling conflicts in the stimuli for the olfactory experience. The scheduling module 114 then provides a set of scent delivery instructions 222 to be followed by the scent delivery devices 106, 108 when generating the olfactory experience.

[0129] FIG. 8 shows further details of the data structures (data descriptors) involved in the scheduling process. As indicated above, the scheduling module 114 takes the set of stimulus descriptors 408 as an input. The scheduling module 114 also takes a list of scent delivery device descriptors 404 for available devices as an input. The scheduling module 114 also maintains a list of queued stimuli and a list of active stimuli.

[0130] The scheduling module 114 also interfaces with the conflict managing module 220 to detect any scheduling conflicts in the scent stimuli and resolve any scheduling conflicts in the scent stimuli using a conflict resolution method 800. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the conflict resolution method 800 comprises a temporal shift. This conflict resolution method 800 is described in more detail below. Other conflict resolution methods may be provided and used as desired.

[0131] FIG. 9 shows an example of a scheduling conflict between scent stimuli for an olfactory experience. In this example, a first stimulus for a first notification (e.g. email) event 900 overlaps in time with a second stimulus for a second notification (e.g. email) event 902. In this example, the scent for the first stimulus is desired to be provided at the same location as the scent for the second stimulus. The scent for the first stimulus also conflicts chemically with the scent for the second stimulus, such that the scent for the first stimulus would destructively interfere with the scent for the second stimulus. The scent stimuli would therefore lose meaning. Similar conflicts may occur in other situations, e.g. a scent delivery device may already be in the process of being used to output a first scent and therefore may be unable to output a second scent, the first and second scents may be the same and thus the occurrence of the second scent may be missed, etc. . . . Conflicts such as these may arise because the times at which the events that trigger the stimuli occur can be unpredictable in nature. For example, two events may occur simultaneously or close together in time.

[0132] FIGS. 10A-10C show various ways in which to resolve scheduling conflicts between scent stimuli of an olfactory experience.

[0133] In FIG. 10A, the second stimulus for the second notification 902 has lower priority and is delayed, such that the first stimulus for the first notification 900 no longer overlaps in time with the second stimulus for the second notification 902.

[0134] In FIG. 10B, either the first stimulus for the first notification 900 or the second stimulus for the second notification 902 is shortened, such that the first stimulus for the first notification 900 no longer overlaps in time with the second stimulus for the second notification 902. The stimulus with the lower priority may be selected for shortening.

[0135] In FIG. 10C, either the first stimulus for the first notification 900 or the second stimulus for the second notification 902 is cancelled, such that the first stimulus for the first notification 900 no longer overlaps with the second stimulus for the second notification 902. The stimulus with the lower priority may be selected for cancelling.

[0136] Other conflict resolution methods may be used, such as selecting a different device to output a stimulus, selecting a different scent for a stimulus, selecting a different spatial location for a stimulus, etc.

[0137] FIG. 11 shows a method of resolving a scheduling conflict between scent stimuli of an olfactory experience that involves a temporal shift of a particular (e.g. lower priority) stimulus.

[0138] The method starts at step 1100. In this embodiment, at step 1102, it is determined whether two scent stimuli overlap. If two scent stimuli do not overlap then, at step 1104, the method ends without needing to resolve a conflict. If two scent stimuli do overlap, then the method proceeds to step 1106. In this embodiment, the method accordingly initially comprises detecting a scheduling conflict between scent stimuli of an olfactory experience. However, in other embodiments, e.g. in which a conflict has already been detected, steps 1102 and 1104 may be omitted.

[0139] Then, at step 1106, a gap in time is found between other scent stimuli that is before the particular (e.g. lower priority) stimulus is due to start. Then, at step 1108 it is determined whether the gap is further away than the maximum lead time for the particular stimulus or is in the past.

[0140] If the gap is not further away than the maximum lead time and is not in the past then, in step 1110, it is determined whether the gap is larger than or equal to the duration of the particular stimulus. If the gap is not larger than or equal to the stimulus duration then the method returns to step 1106 to consider another gap that is before the particular stimulus is due to start.

[0141] If the gap is larger than or equal to the stimulus duration then, in step 1112, the start of the particular stimulus is shifted to a time that places the particular stimulus in the gap. In this embodiment, the particular stimulus is shifted to the middle of the gap. However, in other embodiments, the particular stimulus can be shifted to other positions within the gap. The method then ends at step 1114 with the conflict resolved.

[0142] If the gap is further away than the maximum lead time or is in the past then, at step 1116, a gap in time is found between other scent stimuli that is after the particular (e.g. lower priority) stimulus is due to start. Then, at step 1118 it is determined whether the gap is further away than the maximum lag time for the particular stimulus.

[0143] If the gap is further away than the maximum lag time then, in step 1120, the method ends with the conflict unresolved. In this case, a different conflict resolution method may need to be considered instead.

[0144] If the gap is not further away than the maximum lag time then, in step 1122, it is determined whether the gap is larger than or equal to the stimulus duration. If the gap is not larger than or equal to the stimulus duration, then the method returns to step 1116 to consider another gap.

[0145] If the gap is larger than or equal to the stimulus duration then, at step 1112, the stimulus start time is shifted to a time that places the stimulus in the gap. Again, in this embodiment, the particular stimulus is shifted to the middle of the gap. However, in other embodiments, the particular stimulus can be shifted to other positions within the gap. The method then ends at step 1114 with the conflict resolved.

[0146] Referring again to FIG. 2, the set of scent delivery instructions 222 are then distributed, via the uniform scent delivery device interface 116, to the drivers 224 for the scent delivery devices 226 in order for each scent delivery device 226 to provide its contribution to the olfactory experience.

[0147] FIG. 12 shows further details of the data structures involved in interfacing with a scent delivery device. In this embodiment, the uniform scent delivery device interface 116 receives a scent delivery instruction descriptor 700 from the scheduling module 114. The scent delivery instruction descriptor 700 indicates an instruction identifier, a scent descriptor 402, a start time, a duration, an intensity, and a target device identifier for the instruction.

[0148] The uniform scent delivery device interface 116 then uses the target device identifier indicated in the scent delivery instruction descriptor 700 to obtain the corresponding scent delivery device descriptor 404 for that device. The uniform scent delivery device interface 116 then sends an appropriate scent delivery instruction, via a device interface 1200 and device driver 224, to the device 226 to output a scent in accordance with the scent delivery instruction. The uniform scent delivery device interface 116 can also stop the scent delivery device 226 by referencing the instruction identifier for the instruction in question.

[0149] FIG. 13 shows an overview of a computer implemented system 1300 for generating an olfactory experience according to an embodiment of the technology described herein. The system 1300 may be in accordance with any of the embodiments described above. In this embodiment, the system 1300 is configured to receive information from one or more information generating modules 1301 (e.g. detectors), the system 1300 is configured to determine from the information whether or not there is a need to convey to a user information that is associated with a respective olfactory experience (e.g. so as to provide a notification or alert) and is configured to, when there is information to be conveyed, generate an olfactory experience to convey the piece of information to a user.

[0150] With continued reference to FIG. 13, the system 1300 comprises an information determining module 1302 and an input parameter determining module 1303. The information determining module 1302 is configured to receive the information from the information generating module(s) 1301 and determine whether one of one or more pieces of information that are each associated with respective olfactory experiences need to be conveyed to a user. The information determining module 1302 is configured to, when it is determined that a piece of information needs to be conveyed to a user, provide an indication of this to the input parameter determining module 1303 and, in response to the determination that a piece of information needs to be conveyed to a user, the input parameter determining module 1303 is configured to determine a set of input parameters for use to generate an associated olfactory experience in order to convey the piece of information to a user. The input parameter determining module 1303 may determine the input parameter(s) that are associated with particular information to be conveyed using, for example, predefined associations between particular pieces of information to be conveyed and corresponding input parameters and/or predefined associations between particular pieces of information to be conveyed and corresponding olfactory experience properties (the olfactory experience properties having a set of corresponding input parameters).

[0151] Continuing with reference to FIG. 13, the system 1300 comprises a mapping module 1305, scent delivery device interface 1306 and one or more scent delivery devices 1309. The mapping module 1305 is configured to receive a set of input parameters that define the olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information to be conveyed to a user. The system 1300 may comprise a user interface 1304 in accordance with any of the embodiments described above and, in addition to input parameters received from the input parameter determining module 1303, the mapping module 1305 may also be configured to receive input parameters from the user interface 1304. The mapping module 1305 is configured to map the set of input parameters to a set of one or more scent stimuli (based on the capabilities of the one or more scent delivery devices 1309) and provide the set of one or more scent stimuli to a scent delivery device interface 1306. The scent delivery device interface 1306 is configured to generate a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli. The scent delivery device interface 1306 may comprise a control module 1307 and/or a scheduling module 1308 that are in accordance with any of the embodiments described above. The scent delivery device interface 1306 is configured to provide the set of scent delivery instructions to one or more scent delivery devices. The one or more scent delivery devices can then deliver the olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information to a user and the piece of information can thereby be conveyed to a user.

[0152] The system 1300 may comprise a library module 1310 for providing one or more libraries or databases that can be used when performing the various operations of the system 1300. For instance, data descriptors for any one or more of: scents; scent stimuli; perceptual effects, information to be conveyed; user profiles; and scent delivery devices may be stored in the library module and accessed and used as appropriate in accordance with any of the embodiments described above. The library module 1310 could be a memory device and comprise, for example, a physical storage medium (e.g. a ROM chip; CD ROM; RAM; flash memory; or disk) and/or could be provided by a server over a network (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).

[0153] FIG. 14 shows an overview of a method of generating an olfactory experience in accordance with an embodiment of the technology described herein. The method starts at step 1400. In this embodiment, the method initially comprises, at step 1401, determining whether or not there is a need to convey to a user one or more pieces of information that are associated with a respective olfactory experience. When there is information to be conveyed to a user, the method comprises at step 1402, in response to determining there is a need to convey one of the pieces of information to a user, determining a set of input parameters that define the olfactory experience associated with the piece of information to be conveyed to a user. The set of input parameters are mapped to set of one or more scent stimuli at step 1403. At step 1404, a set of scent delivery instructions that correspond to the set of one or more scent stimuli are provided and, at step 1405, using the scent delivery instructions, an olfactory experience that is associated with the piece of information is delivered to the user. The piece of information can thereby be conveyed to the user. The method ends at step 1406.

[0154] It can be seen from the above that the technology described herein, in its embodiments at least, can allow a variety of desired olfactory experiences to be indicated, e.g. by a user, and can then allow those desired olfactory experiences (or suitable approximations or equivalents thereof) to be provided by a variety of scent delivery devices that may be available to the system. This is achieved, in the embodiments of the technology described herein at least, by providing a set of input parameters that define a desired olfactory experience, e.g. via a user interface, mapping the set of input parameters to a set of scent stimuli based on the capabilities of one or more scent delivery devices intended to provide the desired olfactory experience, generating a set of scent delivery instructions for the one or more scent delivery devices to follow from the set of scent stimuli, and then providing the set of scent delivery instructions to the one or more scent delivery devices.

[0155] Any one or more of the various functional elements of the technology described herein (such as, for instance, any of the modules or interfaces described above) could, where appropriate, communicate remotely, such as over a network (e.g. the Internet or World Wide Web). Alternatively, the functional elements could all be local to one another and/or part of a single device.

[0156] The foregoing detailed description has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the technology and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the technology in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto.