DETERMINATION AND REPRESENTATION OF CALL APPROPRIATENESS

• US 20130109361A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Felt, Michelle
• Granted Patent: US 9,125,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method, performed by a mobile communication device, may include receiving a request to call a contact; determining a location associated with the contact; determining a local time associated with the contact based on the determined location; and determining an appropriateness level for calling the contact, based on the determined local time. The method may further include generating a graphical representation that relates a local time associated with the mobile communication device, the local time associated with the contact, and an indication of the determined appropriateness level for calling the contact.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the mobile communication device, a request to call a contact;

determining, by the mobile communication device, a location associated with the contact;

determining, by the mobile communication device, a local time associated with the contact based on the determined location;

determining, by the mobile communication device, an appropriateness level for calling the contact, based on the determined local time; and

generating, by the mobile communication device, a graphical representation that relates a local time associated with the mobile communication device, the local time associated with the contact, and an indication of the determined appropriateness level for calling the contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation includes a time zone wheel that includes:

a local clock that displays the local time associated with the mobile communication device;

a contact clock that displays the local time associated with the contact, wherein the local time associated with the mobile communication device is visually aligned with the local time associated with the contact; and

the indication of the determined appropriateness level associated with the contact clock, wherein the indication includes a particular color, shading, pattern, graphical indicator, text, or an audible message corresponding to the appropriateness level.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to call another contact;

determining a location associated with the other contact;

determining a local time associated with the other contact based on the determined location associated with the other contact;

determining, by the mobile communication device, an appropriateness level for calling the other contact, based on the determined local time associated with the other contact; and

adding, to the generated graphical representation, the local time associated with the other contact, and an indication of the determined appropriateness level for calling the other contact.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a status associated with the contact; and

wherein the determining an appropriateness level for calling the contact is further based on the determined status.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the status is based on at least one of:

a status associated with a mobile device associated with the contact;

or

a status associated with a social media website account associated with the contact.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining an appropriateness level for calling the contact includes:

accessing a table that relates a particular time to a particular appropriateness level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining an appropriateness level for calling the contact includes:

retrieving information associated with the contact, wherein the retrieved information includes a range of times specified by the contact as an appropriate range of times to call the contact; and

determining the appropriateness level based on the retrieved information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information about the contact from a user information device, where the received information includes one or more of;

the location associated with the contact,

the local time associated with the contact, or

the appropriateness level for calling the contact.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to schedule a call with the contact;

receiving a first range of times appropriate for the user;

determining a second range of times appropriate for the contact;

converting the second range of times to a same time zone as the first range of times;

determining a third range of times that corresponds to a portion of the first range of times that overlaps the converted second range of times; and

generating a graphical representation that displays the first range of times, the second range of times, and the third range of times.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information about at least one of weather, local news, or local events associated with the location associated with the contact; and

providing at least some of the obtained information in the graphical representation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a listing of contacts, wherein the listing of contacts include a contact listing associated with the contact, and wherein the contact listing includes an indication of the determined appropriateness level.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a map; and

plotting a representation of the contact on the map at a location of the map corresponding to the location associated with the contact, wherein the representation of the contact includes information about the local time associated with the contact, and wherein the representation of the contact includes an indication of the determined appropriateness level.

13. A mobile communication device comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to;

receive a request to call a contact;

determine a location associated with the contact;

determine a local time associated with the contact based on the determined location;

determine an appropriateness level for calling the contact, based on the determined local time; and

generate a graphical representation that relates a local time associated with the mobile communication device, the local time associated with the contact, and an indication of the determined appropriateness level for calling the contact.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the graphical representation includes:

a local clock that displays the local time associated with the mobile communication device;

a contact clock that displays the local time associated with the contact, wherein the local time associated with the mobile communication device is visually aligned with the local time associated with the contact; and

the indication of the determined appropriateness level associated with the contact clock, wherein the indication includes a particular color, shading, pattern, graphical indicator, text, or an audible message corresponding to the appropriateness level.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine a status associated with the contact; and

wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine the appropriateness level for calling the contact based on the determined status.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the status is based on at least one of:

a status associated with a second mobile communication device associated with the contact;

or

a status associated with a social media website account associated with the contact.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein, when determining the appropriateness level for calling the contact, the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

retrieve information associated with the contact, wherein the retrieved information includes a range of times specified by the contact as an appropriate range of times to call the contact; and

determine the appropriateness level based on the retrieved information.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions to receive a request to call a contact;

one or more instructions to determine a location associated with the contact;

one or more instructions to determine a local time associated with the contact based on the determined location;

one or more instructions to determine an appropriateness level for calling the contact, based on the determined local time; and

one or more instructions to generate a graphical representation that relates a local time associated with the mobile communication device, the local time associated with the contact, and an indication of the determined appropriateness level for calling the contact.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the graphical representation includes:

a local clock that displays the local time associated with the mobile communication device;

a contact clock that displays the local time associated with the contact, wherein the local time associated with the mobile communication device is visually aligned with the local time associated with the contact; and

the indication of the determined appropriateness level associated with the contact clock, wherein the indication includes a particular color, shading, pattern, graphical indicator, text, or an audible message corresponding to the appropriateness level.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more instructions to determine an appropriateness level for calling the contact includes:

one or more instructions to retrieve information associated with the contact, wherein the retrieved information includes a range of times specified by the contact as an appropriate range of times to call the contact; and

one or more instructions to determine the appropriateness level based on the retrieved information.