SMART ALERT CHARMS FOR WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20090181726A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chin, Peter, Vargas, Sandra Irene, Rowe, Keith, Bernard, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• 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 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A notification charm for a wireless communication device and a method of operating the wireless device to provide an alert on the charm are presented. The charm may be a bracelet, watch, keychain, ring, or other ornamental device which can generate event and preference based alerts about events occurring on a wireless device.

Claims

1. An alert device for a wireless communication device, comprising:

an alert mechanism;

a communication channel;

a controller coupled to the alert mechanism, the controller including one or more instructions causing the controller to perform the steps of;

(a) receiving one or more alert instructions to activate the alert mechanism;

(b) determining whether the instruction is executable by the alert device;

(c) if a received alert instruction can be executed by the alert mechanism, activating the alert mechanism according to the received alert instruction, and if not, determining whether an alternative instruction to the alert mechanism can be substituted for the received alert instruction.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the alert mechanism comprises one or more of an audible sound generator, a visual indicator, a visual display and/or a vibration mechanism.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the step (a) includes receiving a plurality of instructions to activate one or more of an audible sound generator, a visual indicator, a visual display and/or a vibration mechanism.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the plurality of instructions includes one or more of:

an audible file for output by the audible sound generator, message text for display on the visual display, caller information for display on the visual display.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein steps (b) and (c) are repeated for each of the plurality of instructions.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said step (b) includes determining whether a charm alert override is enabled preventing execution of the alert.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said step (c) further includes the step of activating the alternative instruction.

8. A method of operating a wireless device to instruct a smart charm to generate an alert, comprising:

determining alerting capabilities of a smart charm;

receiving an event on the wireless device from an originating user;

determining whether one or more user defined alert rules applies to the event and the originating user;

generating one or more alert instructions for the smart charm based on the user defined alert rules and the capabilities of the smart charm.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining includes querying the smart charm to determine whether the charm includes one or more of an audible sound generator, a visual indicator, a visual display and/or a vibration mechanism.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of receiving includes receiving an event comprising one of an event type comprising a voice communication, a text message, an email message, an originating user proximity indication or an alarm.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining further includes determining whether one or more alert preferences is associated with the event type.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of instructions includes one or more of:

an audible file for output by the audible sound generator, message text for display on the visual display, caller information for display on the visual display.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more alert instructions include one or more of:

an audible file for output by the audible sound generator, message text for display on the visual display, caller information for display on the visual display, a ringtone file, an image file.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said method further includes:

pairing the device and the smart charm, and forwarding the alert instructions to the paired smart charm.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining the one or more user defined alert rules includes determining whether the originating party is one of a known user, an unknown user, a user identified on the wireless device as a friend, or a user identified on the wireless device as belonging to a group, and further includes determining whether one or more alert preferences is associate with the user as identified.

16. An alert device for a wireless communication device, comprising:

an alert mechanism;

a communication channel;

a controller coupled to the alert mechanism, the controller including one or more instructions causing the controller to perform the steps of;

(a) receiving event notifications from the wireless communication device;

(b) determining whether the alert mechanism should be activated in response to each event notification;

(c) if a received alert mechanism should be activated, activating the alert mechanism according to capabilities of the wireless communication device.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the alert mechanism comprises one or more of an audible sound generator, a visual indicator, a visual display and/or a vibration mechanism.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the step (a) includes receiving an event notification comprising an event of a voice communication, a text message, an email message, an originating user proximity indication or an alarm.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said step (b) includes determining whether a charm alert override is enabled preventing execution of the alert.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said step (b) includes determining whether one or more alert preferences is associated with the event type.