DELAYED USER NOTIFICATION OF EVENTS IN A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110102172A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: WILSON, John F., CHIU, Denny, HASSAN, Ahmed E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

A sender-specified courtesy notification scheme to delay notification by a receiving device of the receipt of a data message is disclosed. A sender may specify a notification parameter defining a delay and send the parameter in association with the data message to a recipient. The recipient'"'"'s receiving device evaluates the parameter and notifies in response. Local notification data defined by the recipient may also be evaluated. Received data messages subject to delayed notification may be hidden by the receiving device or quietly displayed (e.g. as per other received messages) until the expiry of the delay. Notification parameters and data can be formulated as one or more rules which may take into account the current location of the receiving device. A notification delay may be ignored in certain situations depending on recent use of the receiving device.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A method of controlling generation of a notification of a data communication received at a mobile device, the method comprising steps of:

receiving notification data with the received data communication, the notification data being specified by a sender of the data communication and comprising a sender-specified parameter specifying a delay for generating the notification of the received data communication, the delay being dependent on at least one of a current time and a current location of the mobile device;

evaluating at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by the received notification data;

evaluating at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by local notification data, the local notification data including a receiver-specified parameter governing any delay for generating the notification, the delay being dependent on at least one of the current time and the current location;

determining the delay according to both evaluating steps, the receiver-specified parameter taking precedence over the sender-specified parameter when there is a conflict between the receiver-specific parameter and the sender-specified parameter;

storing the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay; and

generate the notification of the received data communication upon expiry of the delay.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the received data communication comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) message and wherein notification data is defined in a field of the email.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of storing the received data communication comprises a step of hiding the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of storing the received data communication comprises a step of quietly delivering the data communication to an inbox of the mobile device without generating the notification until expiry of the delay.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device by determining whether the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, and when the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, the receiver-specified parameter specifies there to be no delay.

38. The method of claim 32 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further comprises a Display Now parameter specifying there to be no delay.

39. A mobile data communications device for controlling generation of a notification of a data communication received at the device, the device comprising:

a communication system for transmitting and receiving data communications via a communication network;

a processor coupled to the communication system for processing messages; and

memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions to configure the processor to;

receive notification data with the received data communication, the notification data being specified by a sender of the data communication and comprising a sender-specified parameter specifying a delay for generating the notification of the received data communication, the delay being dependent on at least one of a current time and a current location of the mobile device;

evaluate at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by the received notification data;

evaluate at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by local notification data, the local notification data including a receiver-specified parameter governing any delay for generating the notification, the delay being dependent on at least one of the current time and the current location;

determine the delay according to both evaluating steps, the receiver-specified parameter taking precedence over the sender-specified parameter when there is a conflict between the receiver-specific parameter and the sender-specified parameter;

store the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay; and

generate the notification of the received data communication upon expiry of the delay.

40. The device of claim 39 wherein the received data communication comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) message and wherein notification data is defined in a field of the email.

41. The device of claim 39 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to store the received data communication by hiding the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay.

42. The device of claim 39 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to store the received data communication by quietly delivering the data communication to an inbox of the mobile device without generating the notification until expiry of the delay.

43. The device of claim 39 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device.

44. The device of claim 43 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device by determining whether the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, and when the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, the receiver-specified parameter specifies there to be no delay.

45. The method of claim 39 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further comprises a Display Now parameter specifying there to be no delay.

46. A computer program product for controlling generation of a notification of a data communication received at a mobile device, the computer program product having computer executable instructions tangibly encoded thereon, the instructions, when executed, causing a processor to:

receive notification data with the received data communication, the notification data being specified by a sender of the data communication and comprising a sender-specified parameter specifying a delay for generating the notification of the received data communication, the delay being dependent on at least one of a current time and a current location of the mobile device;

evaluate at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by the received notification data;

evaluate at least one of the current time and the current location according to a logical rule defined by local notification data, the local notification data including a receiver-specified parameter governing any delay for generating the notification, the delay being dependent on at least one of the current time and the current location;

determine the delay according to both evaluating steps, the receiver-specified parameter taking precedence over the sender-specified parameter when there is a conflict between the receiver-specific parameter and the sender-specified parameter;

store the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay; and

generate the notification of the received data communication upon expiry of the delay.

47. The computer program product of claim 46 wherein the received data communication comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) message and wherein notification data is defined in a field of the email.

48. The computer program product of claim 46 wherein the instructions further causes the processor to store the received data communication by hiding the received data communication on the mobile device until expiry of the delay.

49. The computer program product of claim 46 wherein the instructions further causes the processor to store the received data communication by quietly delivering the data communication to an inbox of the mobile device without generating the notification until expiry of the delay.

50. The computer program product of claim 46 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device.

51. The device of claim 46 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further governs the delay based on any recent usage of the mobile device by determining whether the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, and when the mobile device has been recently checked for incoming messages, the receiver-specified parameter specifies there to be no delay.

52. The method of claim 46 wherein the receiver-specified parameter further comprises a Display Now parameter specifying there to be no delay.