Providing rewards to encourage device care

• US 10,395,221 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Price, Kenneth James, Dystrup-Chiang, Heather, Quek, Shannon
• Primary Examiner(s): Coppola, Jacob C.
• Application Number:
  US14/316,362
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

In some examples, a portable electronic device may monitor a plurality of device care metrics to detect and characterize a level of care provided to an electronic device by a user. Further, the user may receive a reward for providing a level of care as specified by one or more device care thresholds. For example, the device may monitor sensor information from one or more sensors for determining whether the device has experienced a physical event, such as a fall event, an excessive moisture event, or the like. Further, the device may also monitor for system events, such as whether to update a program, whether malicious code has been installed, or the like. The occurrence of a physical event and/or the user'"'"'s actions in response to a system event may determine a user'"'"'s eligibility to receive a reward based on the level of device care provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring an electronic device with at least one of;

a first device setting specifying a first device threshold for the electronic device, the first device threshold comprising a threshold amount of acceleration;

or

a second device setting specifying a second device threshold for the electronic device, the second device threshold comprising a threshold amount of moisture;

receiving, by one or more processors of the electronic device, first sensor information from at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a moisture sensor of the electronic device;

determining, based on the first sensor information, an occurrence of a physical event involving the electronic device, the physical event comprising at least one of a fall event or a moisture event;

at least in part in response to determining the occurrence of the physical event, causing a sampling rate of the at least one of the accelerometer, the gyroscope, or the moisture sensor to increase from a first sampling rate to a second sampling rate;

receiving, from the at least one of the accelerometer, the gyroscope, or the moisture sensor, second sensor information collected at the second sampling rate;

determining, based on the second sensor information, a physical threshold for a physical metric is met over a period of time based on at least one of;

an absence of sensor information indicating the electronic device has been subjected to acceleration greater than the threshold amount of acceleration over the period of time;

or

an absence of sensor information indicating the electronic device has been subjected to moisture greater than the threshold amount of moisture over the period of time;

determining a system threshold for a system metric is met over the period of time based on determining;

that the electronic device is free of malware or harmful effects of malware; and

receiving an indication of a reward in response to determining that the physical threshold has been met and the system threshold has been met.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

sending device information to a remote computing device associated with a service provider, the device information including information indicating that the physical threshold is met, and the system threshold is met;

receiving from the remote computing device, in response at least in part to the sending, the indication of the reward; and

storing at least the indication of the reward on the electronic device, wherein the reward is at least one of a graphical badge, monetary value, coupon, digital content item, hardware upgrade offer, purchase offer for the electronic device, or application related credit.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the system threshold is met based on a user input received in response to a message relating to;

an integrity value of an application or operating system installed on the electronic device;

an update available for the application or operating system;

usage data associated with at least one hardware component of the electronic device;

usage data associated with at least one application installed on the electronic device;

device activity identified as malicious;

or

a policy on the device that indicates types of content permitted to be accessed.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

one or more sensors;

one or more processors able to receive sensor information from the one or more sensors;

one or more computer-readable media; and

processor-executable instructions maintained on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, program the one or more processors to;

receive the sensor information from the one or more sensors, the sensor information representing an amount of at least one of;

acceleration or moisture;

determine that a portion of the sensor information indicates an occurrence of a physical event involving the electronic device, the physical event comprising at least one of a fall event or a moisture event;

in response to determining that the first portion of the sensor information indicates the occurrence of the physical event, cause a sampling rate of the one or more sensors to increase from a first sampling rate to a second sampling rate;

receive, from the one or more sensors, additional sensor information collected at the second sampling rate;

determine device information, based at least in part on the additional sensor information, indicating that the amount has not exceeded at least one of an acceleration threshold or a moisture threshold for a period of time;

sending, to a remote computing device, the device information; and

presenting, on the display, an indication of a reward.

5. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine that the amount has not exceeded the acceleration threshold based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of the additional sensor information that indicates a fall height greater than a specified height.

6. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine that the amount has not exceeded the acceleration threshold, based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of the additional sensor information that indicates projectile motion greater than a specified quantity.

7. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine that the amount has not exceeded the moisture threshold, based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of the additional sensor information that indicates exposure of the electronic device to more than a threshold level of moisture.

8. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to send the indication of the reward to the remote computing device for association of the reward with an account associated with the electronic device.

9. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine that at least one threshold corresponding to at least one system metric is met based on at least one of:

an absence of device activity identified as malicious;

or

an absence of device applications identified as malicious.

10. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine that at least one threshold of at least one system metric is met based on at least one of:

user input in response to an integrity value of an application or operating system installed on the electronic device;

user input to update at least one of an operating system or an application;

usage data associated with at least one hardware component of the electronic device;

usage data associated with at least one application installed on the electronic device;

user input in response to device activity identified as malicious;

or

user input in response to a policy on the device that indicates types of content permitted to be accessed.

11. The electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to receive, from the remote computing device, at least one of a trade-in value or resale value of the electronic device based at least in part on the device information.

12. A method comprising:

configuring an electronic device with a device setting specifying at least one of;

an acceleration threshold or a moisture threshold;

receiving first sensor information from one or more sensors of the electronic device, the first sensor information representing an amount of at least one of;

acceleration or moisture;

determining, based on the first sensor information, an occurrence of a physical event involving the electronic device, the physical event comprising at least one of a fall event or a moisture event;

at least in part in response to determining the occurrence of the physical event, causing a sampling rate of the one or more sensors to increase from a first sampling rate to a second sampling rate;

receiving, from the one or more sensors, second sensor information collected at the second sampling rate, the second sensor information representing the amount;

determining device information, based on at least a portion of the second sensor information, the device information indicating that the amount has not exceeded at least one of the acceleration threshold or the moisture threshold for a period of time;

determining based at least in part on additional sensor information, that an additional threshold of an additional device metric has been met over a period of time;

sending, to a remote computing device, the device information and information indicating that the additional threshold has been met over the period of time; and

presenting, on a display associated with the electronic device, an indication of a reward.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising determining that the additional threshold is met, based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of the at least one of the first sensor information or the second sensor information that indicates a fall height greater than a specified height.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising determining that the additional threshold is met, based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of at least one of the first sensor information or the second sensor information that indicates projectile motion greater than a specified quantity.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising determining that the additional threshold is met, based at least in part on an absence, over the period of time, of at least one of the first sensor information or the second sensor information that indicates exposure of the electronic device to more than a threshold level of moisture.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising sending the indication of the reward to a remote computing device for association of the reward with an account associated with the electronic device.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising determining that at least one threshold of at least one system metric is met based on at least one of:

an absence of device activity identified as malicious;

or

an absence of device applications identified as malicious.

18. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising determining that at least one threshold of at least one system metric is met based on at least one of:

user input in response to an integrity value of an application or operating system installed on the electronic device;

user input to update at least one of an operating system or an application;

usage data associated with at least one hardware component of the electronic device;

usage data associated with at least one application installed on the electronic device;

user input in response to device activity identified as malicious;

or

user input in response to a policy on the device that indicates types of content permitted to be accessed.

19. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising receiving, from the remote computing device, at least one of a trade-in value or resale value of the electronic device based at least in part on the device information.

20. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising presenting, on the display associated with the electronic device, at least one graphic element indicating a current status of the amount of the at least one of the acceleration or the moisture and the additional device metric and an indication of progress toward a next reward.