Abstract
This paper introduces Information Valets ("iValets"), a general
framework for intelligent access to information. Our goal is to
support access to a range of information sources from a range of
client devices with some degree of uniformity. Further, the
information server is aware of its user and user devices, learning
from the user's past interactions where and how to send new incoming
information from whatever information is available for the given task.
Our metaphor is that of a valet that sits between a user's client
devices and the information services that the user made want to
access. The paper presents the general structure of an iValet,
cataloging the main design decisions that must go into the design of
any such system. To demonstrate this, the paper instantiates the
abstract iValet model with a fielded prototype system, the EmailValet,
which learns users' email-reading preferences on wireless platforms.