Methods and systems for initiating a phone call from a wireless communication device

• US 10,194,019 B1
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gaddam, Varun, Malin, Shaik
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US15/829,491
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27467 Methods of retrieving data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for initiating a phone call from a wireless communication device based on physical interaction with the wireless communication device. In one example, a method for initiating a call from a wireless communication device, includes: receiving sensor data from a first sensor in the wireless communication device during a user interaction time interval; detecting a number of user interactions on the wireless communication device during the user interaction time interval based on the sensor data; determining a contact number associated with the number of user interactions; and causing the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval.

Claims

1. A method for initiating a call from a wireless communication device, comprising:

receiving sensor data from a first sensor in the wireless communication device during a user interaction time interval;

detecting a plurality of user interactions on the wireless communication device during the user interaction time interval based on the sensor data;

for each respective user interaction of the plurality of user interactions;

determining a magnitude of the respective user interaction; and

incrementing a number of user interactions if the magnitude of the respective user interaction is greater than a threshold;

determining a contact number associated with the number of user interactions by;

querying a contact repository based on at least the number of user interactions; and

receiving the contact number associated with the number of user interactions; and

causing the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating the user interaction time interval upon detecting a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from the first sensor in the wireless communication device within a disambiguation time interval;

detecting a second user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from a second sensor in the wireless communication device within the disambiguation time interval; and

ignoring one of the first user interaction or the second user interaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor in the wireless communication device is an accelerometer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact repository comprises a plurality of contacts, wherein one or more of the plurality of contacts is associated with a unique number of user interactions, and wherein no contact of the plurality of contacts is associated with the same number of user interactions as any other contact of the plurality of contacts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval comprises:

sending the contact number to a phone application of the wireless communication device; and

sending an indication to the phone application to dial the contact number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is in a locked state during the user interaction time interval.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a smartphone.

9. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a memory comprising executable instructions;

a first sensor;

a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the wireless communication device to;

receive sensor data from the first sensor during a user interaction time interval;

detect a plurality of user interactions during the user interaction time interval based on the sensor data;

for each respective user interaction of the plurality of user interactions;

determine a magnitude of the respective user interaction; and

increment a number of user interactions if the magnitude of the respective user interaction is greater than a threshold;

determine a contact number associated with the number of user interactions by;

querying a contact repository based on at least the number of user interactions; and

receiving the contact number associated with the number of user interactions; and

cause the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:

initiate the user interaction time interval upon detecting a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 9, further comprising:

a second sensor,

wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to;

detect a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from the first sensor within a disambiguation time interval;

detect a second user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from the second sensor within the disambiguation time interval; and

ignore one of the first user interaction or the second user interaction.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the contact repository comprises a plurality of contacts, wherein one or more of the plurality of contacts is associated with a unique number of user interactions, and wherein no contact of the plurality of contacts is associated with the same number of user interactions as any other contact of the plurality of contacts.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein, in order to cause the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:

send the contact number to a phone application of the wireless communication device; and

send an indication to the phone application to dial the contact number.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication device is in a locked state during the user interaction time interval.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a wireless communication device to execute a method for initiating a call from a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data from a first sensor in the wireless communication device during a user interaction time interval;

detecting a plurality of user interactions on the wireless communication device during the user interaction time interval based on the sensor data;

for each respective user interaction of the plurality of user interactions;

determining a magnitude of the respective user interaction; and

incrementing a number of user interactions if the magnitude of the respective user interaction is greater than a threshold;

determining a contact number associated with the number of user interactions by;

querying a contact repository based on at least the number of user interactions, and

receiving the contact number associated with the number of user interactions; and

causing the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

initiating the user interaction time interval upon detecting a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

detecting a first user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from the first sensor in the wireless communication device within a disambiguation time interval;

detecting a second user interaction of the plurality of user interactions from a second sensor in the wireless communication device within the disambiguation time interval; and

ignoring one of the first user interaction or the second user interaction.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first sensor in the wireless communication device is an accelerometer.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein causing the wireless communication device to dial the contact number at an end of the user interaction time interval comprises:

sending the contact number to a phone application of the wireless communication device; and

sending an indication to the phone application to dial the contact number.