Method of Associating Groups of Classified Source Addresses with Vibration Patterns

• US 20070176742A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolford, Barry Joe, Hofmann, Richard Gerard, Michalak, Gerald Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/7.600
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/044 according to the level of ambient noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls

Abstract

In a meeting or group event, people having a portable device, such as a cell phone or pager, may wish to be discretely notified when an important message is received, an urgent call comes in from a selected person or a selected group of people, or to be alerted to an upcoming important event without any audible alert to disturb the meeting or group event. To convey such a notification, a tactile alert is provided by vibrating the portable device according to a unique vibration pattern associated with the received communication. When a communication is received, a group identification (ID) is assigned based on the communication being a member of a classified group of source addresses. The portable device associates the group ID with a unique vibration pattern. To provide the alert, the portable device is vibrated according to the unique vibration pattern.

Claims

1. A method for conveying a tactile alert on a portable device, the method comprising:

assigning a group identification (ID) for a communication received from a classified source address;

associating the group ID with a unique vibration pattern; and

vibrating the portable device according to the unique vibration pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable device is a cell phone and the communication is a phone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable device is a cell phone and the communication is a text message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable device is a cell phone and the communication is a time alert for an upcoming event.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the portable device is a pager.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique vibration pattern is a user specified vibration pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique vibration pattern is a Morse code vibration pattern.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique vibration pattern is a no vibration pattern.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the classified source address as an elevated response source address; and

associating the elevated response source address with an elevated response vibration pattern as the unique vibration pattern.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining the time period between communications received from the same elevated response source address to generate a time urgency indication; and

determining the unique vibration pattern based on the time urgency indication.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining the number of communications from the same elevated response source address to generate a repetition urgency indication; and

determining the unique vibration pattern based on the repetition urgency indication.

12. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

classifying selected phone numbers into groups;

establishing a plurality of vibration patterns; and

associating a vibration pattern with one of the groups of selected phone numbers.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

establishing a set of elevated response criteria; and

associating an elevated response criteria with each group of selected phone numbers.

14. An apparatus for conveying a tactile alert on a portable device, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an incoming communication;

a processor complex having a processor and program memory configured to execute alert processing tasks;

an alert processing component configured to have one or more alert processing tasks for classifying the incoming communication and to determine a unique vibration pattern for the classified incoming communication; and

a vibration unit configured to vibrate the portable device according to the unique vibration pattern to convey the tactile alert.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the incoming communication is a phone call and the alert processing component comprises:

a signal protocol processing task configured to determine a calling phone number for the received incoming communication;

a determine contact group task configured to determine if the calling phone number is associated with a contact group; and

a determine vibration pattern task configured to select a vibration pattern based on a determined contact group.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the incoming communication is a text message and the alert processing component comprises:

a text message processing task configured to determine a message source address for the received incoming communication;

a determine contact group task configured to determine if the message source address is associated with a contact group; and

a determine vibration pattern task configured to select a vibration pattern based on a determined contact group.

17. A computer readable medium including program code stored thereon, comprising:

program code for assigning a group identification (ID) for a communication received from a classified source address or time alert;

program code for associating the group ID with a unique vibration pattern; and

program code for vibrating the portable device according to the unique vibration pattern to convey the tactile alert.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

program code for selecting, based on the group ID, a unique vibration pattern from a file containing a set of unique vibration patterns.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further comprising:

program code for selecting, based on the group ID, an elevated response modifier criteria from a file containing a set of elevated response modifier criteria.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

program code for generating a modified vibration pattern based on a vibration pattern selected from a file containing a set of unique vibration patterns and an elevated response modifier criteria selected from a file containing a set of elevated response modifier criteria; and

program code for providing the modified vibration pattern to a vibration unit driver to vibrate the portable device according to the modified vibration pattern.