Method of notifying a user on a task of an apparatus

• US 10,719,812 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Buil, Vincentius Paulus, Van De Sluis, Bartel Marinus, Geurts, Lucas Jacobus Franciscus, Van Leeuwen, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassim, Hafiz A
• Application Number:
  US15/030,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A notifying system for notifying a user is provided. The system comprises an apparatus (1; 21) arranged to perform a task. The apparatus may for example be a kitchen appliance such as an oven, where its task is heating food. The apparatus may also be a ticket machine of a public transport service. The system further comprises a mobile notifying device (2; 22; 40) for notifying the user about a task of the apparatus. The apparatus may be arranged to automatically detect the mobile notifying device if the mobile notifying device is in the vicinity of the apparatus once the task is initiated by a user, and to associate the task with the mobile notifying device. The apparatus and notifying device are arranged to communicate a notification message via a wireless communication network. This notification message comprises information related to the task, such as a message telling the user that the food is cooked. By automatically detecting the mobile notifying device, the apparatus is able to send a message to a person which has (most probably) initiated the task.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to receive an input from a user, wherein the input requests an initiation of a task by the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the task;

a first wireless communication device, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to detect, in response to receiving from the user interface said input which requests the initiation of the task by the apparatus, one or more mobile notifying devices which are within a vicinity of the apparatus; and

a processor circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to;

subscribe one of said one or more detected mobile notifying devices as a subscribed mobile notifying device, wherein;

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices includes only one mobile notifying device, the processor circuit subscribes the one mobile notifying device as the subscribed mobile notifying device, and

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices comprises a plurality of mobile notifying devices, the first wireless communication device receives a corresponding signal from each of the plurality of mobile notifying devices and the processor circuit is configured to select as the subscribed mobile notifying device one of the plurality of mobile notifying devices from which a strongest signal is received by the first wireless communication device, and

associate said task with said subscribed mobile notifying device; and

a second wireless communication device, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to communicate a notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via a wireless communication network, wherein said notification message includes information related to said task.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detection comprises:

sending an ID request via the first wireless communication device using short range wireless communication technology; and

receiving an ID from at least one of said one or more mobile notifying devices via the first wireless communication device using the short range wireless communication technology.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication device is configured to:

communicate only within a range of less than 4 meters.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is configured to:

detect said detected mobile notifying device using a body-coupled communication technology.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a kitchen appliance.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a public transport user interaction terminal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to communicate the notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via the wireless communication network to alert the user that the apparatus has completed the task which the user initiated via the user interface.

8. A notifying system for notifying a user, said system comprising:

an apparatus arranged to perform a task; and

a mobile notifying device, wherein the mobile notifying device is configured to notify said user about said task,

wherein said apparatus includes;

a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to receive an input from the user regarding initiating said task by the apparatus;

a first wireless communication device, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to detect, in response to receiving from the user interface said input which requests the initiation of the task by the apparatus, one or more mobile notifying devices which are within a vicinity of the apparatus;

a processor circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to;

subscribe one of said one or more detected mobile notifying devices as a subscribed mobile notifying device, wherein;

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices includes only one mobile notifying device, the processor circuit subscribes the one mobile notifying device as the subscribed mobile notifying device, and

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices comprises a plurality of mobile notifying devices, the first wireless communication device receives a corresponding signal from each of the plurality of mobile notifying devices and the processor circuit is configured to select as the subscribed mobile notifying device one of the plurality of mobile notifying devices from which a strongest signal is received by the first wireless communication device, and

associate said task with said subscribed mobile notifying device; and

a second wireless communication device, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to communicate a notification message via a wireless communication network to the subscribed mobile notifying device, wherein the notification message includes information related to the task.

9. The notifying system of claim 8, wherein said wireless communication network is one of:

a wireless local area network and a cellular network.

10. The notifying system of claim 8, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to communicate the notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via the wireless communication network to alert the user that the apparatus has completed the task which the user initiated via the user interface.

11. A mobile notifying device for notifying a user, comprising:

a first wireless communication device, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to communicate an ID to an apparatus which is configured to perform a task, wherein the first wireless communication device is configured to communicate the ID using a short range communication technique, wherein the short range communication technique employs at least one of;

Bluetooth, Zigbee, Adaptive Network Topology (ANT), wide beam Infra-Red, Near Field Communication (NFC), ultrasound communication, and a body-coupled communication technology; and

a second wireless communication device, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to receive, in response to the first wireless communication device communicating the ID, a notifying message from said apparatus via a wireless communication network, wherein the notifying message pertains to the task, and wherein the wireless communication network comprises at least one of a cellular network and a wide local area network (WLAN),

wherein the mobile notifying device is configured to notify said user by presenting said notifying message to said user.

12. The mobile notifying device of claim 11, wherein said mobile notifying device is one of:

a mobile phone, a watch, a bracelet, a necklace, a glasses, a ring, and a smart textile.

13. The mobile notifying device of claim 11, wherein said mobile notifying device comprises:

a user input module configured to receive instructions from said user, and

a processor circuit configured to;

receive rerouting instructions from said user via said user input module indicating that said notifying message is to be sent to another wireless notifying device, and

send a rerouting message to said apparatus by means of the second wireless communication device.

14. The mobile notifying device of claim 11, wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to receive the notifying message from said apparatus via the wireless communication network indicating that the task is completed, and wherein the mobile notifying device further includes a user interface which is configured to alert the user, in response to the received notifying message, that the task is completed.

15. A method, comprising:

an apparatus receiving an input from a user, wherein the input requests an initiation of a task by the apparatus;

in response to receiving from the user said input which requests the initiation of the task by the apparatus, the apparatus detecting, via a first wireless communication device, one or more mobile notifying devices which are within a vicinity of said apparatus;

subscribing one of said one or more detected mobile notifying devices as a subscribed mobile notifying device, wherein;

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices includes only one mobile notifying device, the one mobile notifying device is subscribed as the subscribed mobile notifying device, and

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices comprises a plurality of mobile notifying devices, the first wireless communication device receives a corresponding signal from each of the plurality of mobile notifying devices and one of the plurality of mobile notifying devices from which a strongest signal is received by the first wireless communication device is selected as the subscribed mobile notifying device;

associating said task with the subscribed mobile notifying device; and

communicating a notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via a second wireless communication device and a wireless communication network, wherein said notification message includes information related to said task.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

the apparatus receiving an ID for at least one of the one or more mobile notifying devices, using a short range communication technique, wherein the short range communication technique employs at least one of;

Bluetooth, Zigbee, Adaptive Network Topology (ANT), wide beam Infra-Red, Near Field Communication (NFC), ultrasound communication, and a body-coupled communication technique; and

the apparatus storing a record of the task together with the ID of the at least one mobile notifying device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the apparatus detecting when the apparatus has completed the task which the user initiated via the user interface; and

the apparatus communicating the notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via the second wireless communication device and the wireless communication network, indicating that the task which the user initiated via the user interface is complete.

18. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program product which, when accessed by a processor circuit, enables the processor circuit to control an apparatus to:

receive an input from a user, wherein the input requests an initiation of a task by the apparatus;

in response to receiving from the user said input which requests the initiation of the task by the apparatus, detect via a first wireless communication device one or more mobile notifying devices which are within a vicinity of said apparatus;

subscribe one of said one or more detected mobile notifying devices as a subscribed mobile notifying device, wherein;

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices includes only one mobile notifying device, the one mobile notifying device is selected as the subscribed mobile notifying device, and

in a case where the one or more detected mobile notifying devices comprises a plurality of mobile notifying devices, the first wireless communication device receives a corresponding signal from each of the plurality of mobile notifying devices, and one of the plurality of mobile notifying devices from which a strongest signal is received by the first wireless communication device is selected as the subscribed mobile notifying device;

associate said task with said subscribed mobile notifying device; and

communicate a notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via a second wireless communication device and a wireless communication network, wherein said notification message includes information related to said task.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer program product, when accessed by a processor circuit, enables the processor circuit to control the apparatus to further:

detect when the apparatus has completed the task which the user initiated via the user interface; and

communicate the notification message to said subscribed mobile notifying device via the second wireless communication device and the wireless communication network, indicating that the task which the user initiated via the user interface is complete.