MANAGING ALERTS BASED ON CONTEXT

• US 20130324160A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Ronald K., Sabatellil, Alessandro
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for managing alerts provided to a user of a mobile device based on context of the mobile device. For example, a perimeter of a geo fence can be decreased when the mobile device enters a particular context (such as when the user is traveling on a train), thereby decreasing unwanted alerts. As another example, certain alerts can be dynamically turned on based on the device entering a specified context (e.g., a particular application being executed or the mobile device is being carried by the user as the user is running), thereby allowing the user to receive alerts that he/she would not have otherwise received.

Claims

1. A method of managing location-based alerts to a user of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device, instructions to provide a geo-fence around a location, the geo-fence having a perimeter, the perimeter being variable, wherein an alert is output from the mobile device when the mobile device crosses a current perimeter of the geo-fence;

establishing, with the electronic device, the perimeter of the geo-fence to have a default size in response to receiving the instructions;

detecting, with the electronic device, a change in a context of the mobile device to a first context; and

decreasing, with the electronic device, the perimeter of the geo-fence to have a second size that is smaller than the default size in response to the change of the mobile device to the first context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is the mobile device or a server communicably coupled with the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the change of the mobile device to the first context, reducing all of the perimeters of the geo-fences established for the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the device has the first context and the perimeter has the second size, the mobile device cannot cross the perimeter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the geo-fence turns off the geo-fence.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the first context is no longer valid; and

in response to detecting that the first context is no longer valid, increasing the perimeter of the geo-fence to have at least the default size.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the output of the alerts includes audio, vibrational, and/or visual cues.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the default size of the perimeter is defined as a circle with a specified radius around the location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context is that the mobile device is traveling on public transportation.

10. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions that when executed control a computer system to manage location-based alerts to a user of a mobile device, the instructions comprising:

receiving instructions to provide a geo-fence around a location, the geo-fence having a perimeter, the perimeter being variable, wherein an alert is output from the mobile device when the mobile device crosses a current perimeter of the geo-fence;

establishing the perimeter of the geo-fence to have a default size in response to receiving the instructions;

detecting a change in a context of the mobile device to a first context; and

decreasing the perimeter of the geo-fence to have a second size that is smaller than the default size in response to the change of the mobile device to the first context.

11. A method of managing location-based alerts to a user of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device, instructions to assign a respective geo-fence to each of plurality of locations, each geo-fence having a perimeter that is variable, wherein an alert is output from the mobile device when the mobile device crosses a current perimeter of a geo-fence;

setting, with the electronic device, the perimeters of the geo-fences to have respective first sizes;

detecting, with the electronic device, a change in a context of the mobile device;

in response to the change in the context of the mobile device;

changing the perimeter of a first geo-fence to have a second size that is different than the respective first size of the first geo-fence; and

keeping the perimeter of a second geo-fence at the respective first size of the second geo-fence.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the change to the second size causes an asymmetric change in a shape of the perimeter of the first geo-fence.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the respective first sizes are the same.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions are provided at a plurality of times.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the perimeter of the first geo-fence to the second size turns on the first geo-fence.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein turning on the first geo-fence is accomplished by changing the perimeter of the first geo-fence from zero to a non-zero size.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructions to create the first geo-fence include a condition, and wherein the condition is that the mobile device has a first context, and wherein the detected change in the context of the mobile device is the mobile device entering the first context.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the perimeter of the first geo-fence to the second size turns off the first geo-fence.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in the context of the mobile device occurs as a result of a time since establishing the first geo-fence crossing a threshold, wherein the perimeter of the geo-fence is increased.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in the context of the mobile device occurs as a result of a first application being executed on a processor of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving from a user of the mobile device a specification of the respective first size of the first geo-fence.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the specification is received via a voice command, and wherein the respective first size is determined based on an urgency of the words used in the voice command.

23. A method of providing search results to a user of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user at an electronic device, one or more search terms and one or more urgency terms;

submitting a query based on the one or more search terms to obtain a plurality of location sites corresponding to the query;

analyzing, with the electronic device, the location sites based on the urgency terms;

identifying a subset of the plurality of location sites based on the analysis; and

providing the subset of location sites to the user of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein analyzing the location sites based on the urgency terms includes assigning the one or more urgency terms to one of a plurality of predetermined urgency levels, and wherein identifying a subset of the plurality of location sites uses criteria associated with the assigned level, wherein each of the predetermined urgency levels have different associated criteria for identifying location sites for the subset.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the criteria of the assigned level includes at least one of:

a distance from the mobile device; and

a driving time, wherein a location site is added to the subset if the location site satisfies the criteria of the assigned level.