Method of enabling a wireless information device to automatically modify its behaviour

• US 20070060107A1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Day, Warren
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An end-user enters time sensitive information into an application; this, for example, may be an entry (e.g. ‘meeting’, or ‘lunch with Bob’) against specific times in an agenda or calendar application. Then, a different application on the device can utilise that information to modify the device behaviour appropriately. For example, say the ‘meeting’ in the calendar application is listed to last between 10 am and 11 am; then, during that hour, the telephone application in the device (that enables telephone functions of the device to be controlled) could automatically be set to a ‘silent’ profile so that the device does not ring on an incoming call, but instead only vibrates.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a wireless information device to automatically modify its behaviour, comprising the steps of:

(a) an end-user entering time sensitive information into a first application running on the device;

(b) a second application running on the device receiving data from the first application, the data relating to the time sensitive information, and the second application then automatically changing the behaviour of the device appropriately in dependence on the data;

in which the first application sends the data indirectly to the second application via an intermediary server.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the first application is a calendar or agenda application and the time sensitive information is an entry into the calendar or agenda application.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the end-user selects from a menu list a label to apply to the entry, the label defining the type of behaviour change to be carried out by the second application.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the first application is an alarm application and the time sensitive information is defining an alarm time.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the second application is a telephone application that enables telephone functions of the device to be controlled.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the step of changing the behaviour is one of the following:

(a) altering a telephone profile

(b) altering the device ring tone

(c) altering the device user interface

(d) switching off telephone functionality

(e) switching off the device entirely

(f) switching the device to a power save mode

(g) switching off one or more items of communications hardware.

7. The method of claim 1 in which, if a conflict arises between the behaviour change due to the data from the first application and a different behaviour change input directly to the first or the second application, then the different behaviour change prevails.

8. The method of claim 1 in which if a conflict arises between the behaviour change due to the data from the first application and a different behaviour change input directly to the first or the second application, then a conflict resolution component determines which behaviour change prevails.

9. The method of claim 1 in which an override component determines if a behaviour change due to the data from the first application is inappropriate and then overrides that behaviour change.

10. The method of claim 8 in which the conflict resolution component is the server.

11. The method of claim 9 in which the override component is the server.

12. The method of any preceding claim 1 in which the second application automatically changes the behaviour of the device appropriately in dependence on the data from the first application for a time period determined by that data.

13. A wireless information device programmed to automatically modify its behaviour, the device enabling:

(a) an end-user to enter time sensitive information into a first application running on the device;

(b) a second application running on the device to receive data from the first application, the data relating to the time sensitive information, and the second application then automatically changing the behaviour of the device appropriately in dependence on the data;

in which the first application sends the data indirectly to the second application via an intermediary server.