Low Battery Warning Service for Wireless Device Users

• US 20090117949A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jenkins, Jena Helton, Allen, Lloyd W. JR., Miller, Steven Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A low battery warning service is provided to a user of a wireless device capable of monitoring the voltage level of its internal battery and sending a low battery notification message. The messages are received at a service provider that maintains subscriber profiles associated with a subscriber'"'"'s wireless device. When a low battery notification message is received, a wireless device identifier in the notification message is used to access a notification list included in a stored subscriber profile. Notification list entries are selected based on their assigned priorities and the existence or absence of conditions of use, permitting low battery notifications to be sent to target systems on the notification list until an acceptable response is received or the notification list is exhausted.

Claims

1. A method of providing a low battery warning service to users of battery-powered wireless devices comprising:

receiving a low battery warning message including a wireless device identifier for a wireless device in which a low battery condition has been detected;

retrieving a notification list associated with the wireless device identifier, said notification list including one or more notification addresses;

selecting at least one notification address from said notification list; and

sending a low battery notification message to each selected notification address.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a response to a sent low battery notification message;

determining whether said response satisfies predetermined criteria; and

in response to a determination that the response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising repeating determining whether the response to the low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria and, in response to a determination that the response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address until a received response satisfies predetermined criteria or the notification list has been exhausted.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein sending a low battery notification message to a least one notification address on said retrieved notification list further comprises sending low battery notification messages concurrently to a plurality of notification addresses on said notification list.

5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

determining whether a response to any concurrently sent low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria, and

in response to a determination that no response fails to satisfy predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein selecting at least one notification address from said notification list further comprises selecting said at least one notification address in accordance with preferences included in said notification list.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein selecting at least one notification address from said notification list further comprises selecting said at least one notification address based on an external condition.

8. A computer program product for providing a low battery warning service to users of battery-powered wireless devices, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, said computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code configured to receive a low battery warning message including a wireless device identifier for a wireless device in which a low battery condition has been detected;

computer usable program code configured to retrieve a notification list associated with the wireless device identifier, said notification list including one or more notification addresses;

computer usable program code configured to select at least one notification address from said notification list; and

computer usable program code configured to send a low battery notification message to each selected notification address.

9. A computer program product according to claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to receive a response to a sent low battery notification message;

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the response to the low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria; and

computer usable program code configured to, in response to a determination that the response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, select at least one new notification address from said notification list and send a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

10. A computer program product according to claim 9 further comprising computer usable program code configured to repeat determining whether the response to the low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria and, in response to a determination that the response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address until a response satisfies predetermined criteria or the notification list has been exhausted.

11. A computer program product according to claim 8 wherein the computer usable program code configured to send a low battery notification message to each selected notification address further comprises computer usable program code configured to send low battery notification messages concurrently to a plurality of notification addresses on said notification list.

12. A computer program product according to claim 11 further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether a response to any concurrently sent low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria; and

computer usable program code configured to, in response to a determination that no response fails to satisfy predetermined criteria, select at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

13. A computer program product according to claim 8 wherein the computer usable program code configured to select at least one notification address from said notification list further comprises computer usable program code configured to select said at least one notification address in accordance with preferences included in said notification list.

14. A computer program product according to claim 8 wherein the computer usable program code configured to select at least one notification address from said notification list further comprises computer usable program code configured to select said at least one notification address based on an external condition.

15. An apparatus for providing a low battery warning service to users of battery-powered wireless devices comprising:

a subscriber profile data store for storing subscriber profiles comprising notification lists, each of said lists being associated with a wireless device;

a receiving component for receiving a low battery warning message including a wireless device identifier for a wireless device in which a low battery condition has been detected;

profile identification logic for identifying a stored subscriber profile associated with the wireless device identified in the low battery warning message;

access control logic for reading the notification list stored in the identified stored subscriber file; and

notification control logic for selecting at least one entry on the read notification list and for sending a low battery warning message to each selected entry.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15 further comprising:

response handling logic for receiving responses to sent low battery warning messages and determining whether a received response satisfies predetermined criteria; and

, in response to a determination that the received response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising logic for repeating the operations of determining whether the response to the low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria and, in response to a determination that the response fails to satisfy the predetermined criteria, selecting at least one new notification address from said notification list and sending a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address, until a received response satisfies predetermined criteria or the notification list has been exhausted.

18. An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the notification control logic for selecting at least one entry on the read notification list and for sending a low battery warning message to each selected entry further comprises logic for sending low battery notification messages concurrently to a plurality of notification addresses on said notification list.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the response handling logic further comprises:

logic for determining whether a response to any concurrently sent low battery notification message satisfies predetermined criteria, and

logic for, in response to a determination that no response fails to satisfy predetermined criteria, enabling said access control logic to select at least one new notification address from said notification list and said notification control logic to send a low battery notification message to each selected new notification address.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said access control logic for reading the notification list stored in the identified stored subscriber file further comprises logic for selecting said at least one notification address in accordance with preferences included in said notification list.