Contextual Alarm and Notification Management

• US 20140253319A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Walter Chochen
• Granted Patent: US 9,854,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing alarms and notifications pursuant to contextual cues pertaining to the persisting relevance or utility of such alarms and notifications. The systems and methods involve receiving, at a local computing device comprising an output device, the output device configured to output at least one of visual, aural, and tactile output, input instructing the output device to provide output in the form of a notification at a predetermined time. The systems and methods further involve receiving contextual information at a notification manager, analyzing the contextual information at the notification manager, and cancelling, suppressing, or replacing the notification at the local computing device based on the analysis of the contextual information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an output device configured to provide one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output;

a notification generator configured to receive input and generate a notification, based on the input, that instructs the output device to provide output at a predetermined time;

a context information provider configured to gather context information; and

a notification manager configured to receive and analyze the context information, and adjust the notification, based on the analysis of the context information, when the context information indicates that adjustment of the notification is proper.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information provider includes one of the group consisting of a sensor, an application, and a remote computing device providing context information through a network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor includes one of the group consisting of:

an accelerometer, a camera, a light meter, a wifi transceiver, a microphone, a biometric sensor, and a GPS chipset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information describes at least one of the group consisting of location, motion, weather, a transaction, brightness, atmospheric pressure, temperature, biometrics, online interactions, an image, sound, and information produced or received by an application executing on a computer readable medium.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification manager is disposed at one of the group consisting of:

a local device and a remote computing device configured to communicate with a local device through a network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information provider is disposed at one of the group consisting of a local device and a remote computing device configured to communicate with a local device through a network.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the notification generator is disposed at one of the group consisting of the local device and a remote computing device configured to communicate with the local device through a network.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, at a notification manager implemented at a non-transitory computer readable medium, an indication of instructions to provide output in the form of a notification at a predetermined time;

receiving, at the notification manager, contextual information;

analyzing, at the notification manger, the contextual information;

and issuing, by the notification manager, instructions to adjust the notification, wherein the instructions are based on the analysis of the contextual information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the contextual information originates from one of the group consisting of a sensor, an application, and a remote computing device providing context information through a network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the contextual information describes one of the group consisting of location, motion, weather, a transaction, brightness, atmospheric pressure, temperature, biometrics, online interactions, an image, sound, and information produced or received by an application executing on a computer readable medium.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the notification manager is disposed at one of the group consisting of:

a local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output; and

a remote computing device configured to communicate with a local computing device, the local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

issuing, by the notification manager, instructions to provide an option to override the instructions to adjust the notification.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor includes one of the group consisting of:

an accelerometer, a camera, a light meter, a wifi transceiver, a microphone, a biometric sensor, and a GPS chipset.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the contextual information is provided by one of the group consisting of:

a local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output; and

a remote computing device configured to communicate with a local computing device, the local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for:

receiving, at a notification manager implemented at a non-transitory computer readable medium, an indication of instructions to provide output in the form of a notification at a predetermined time;

receiving, at the notification manager, contextual information;

analyzing, at the notification manger, the contextual information;

and issuing, by the notification manager, instructions to adjust the notification wherein the instructions are based on the analysis of the contextual information.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the contextual information originates from one of the group consisting of:

a sensor, an application, and a remote computing device providing context information through a network.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the contextual information describes at least one of the group consisting of location, motion, weather, a transaction, brightness, atmospheric pressure, temperature, biometrics, online interactions, an image, sound, and information produced or received by an application executing on a computer readable medium.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the notification manager is disposed at one of the group consisting of:

a local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output; and

a remote computing device configured to communicate with a local computing device, the local computing device comprising an output device configured to output one of the group consisting of;

visual output, aural output, and tactile output.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, comprising further instructions for:

issuing, by the notification manager, instructions to provide an option to override the instructions to adjust the notification.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the sensor includes one of the group consisting of:

an accelerometer, a camera, a light meter, a wifi transceiver, a microphone, a biometric sensor, and a GPS chipset.