Semantic Framework for Variable Haptic Output

• US 20160063828A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moussette, Camille, Butcher, Gary I., Verweij, Hugo D., Ive, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0745 in an input/output transactions management context input/output processing in general G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0763 by bit configuration check, e.g. of formats or tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

Methods and apparatus organize a plurality of haptic output variations into a cohesive semantic framework that uses various information about the alert condition and trigger, application context, and other conditions to provide a system of haptic outputs that share characteristics between related events. In some embodiments, an event class or application class provides the basis for a corresponding haptic output. In some embodiments, whether an alert-salience setting is on provides the basis for adding an increased salience haptic output to the standard haptic output for the alert. In some embodiments, consistent haptics provide for branding of the associated application class, application, and/or context.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more haptic output devices and one or more audio output devices;

detecting occurrence of a first condition in a first context at the device; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the first context, generating a first alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

a first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a first audio component that indicates that the first condition occurred in the first context;

detecting occurrence at the device of the first condition in a second context that is different from the first context; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the second context, generating a second alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates that the first condition occurred; and

a second audio component, different from the first audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the second context that is different from the first context.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in a third context different from the first and second contexts;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in the third context, generating a third alert corresponding to the first condition in the third context that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a third audio component, different from the first audio component and the second audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the third context.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has failed to occur;

the first audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a second application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has successfully to occurred;

the first audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a second application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a first application; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a second application that is different from the first application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by an application in a first class of applications; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by applications in a second class of applications that is different from the first class of applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device is configured to provide alerts that include a haptic component and an audio component in response to a plurality of different conditions and a plurality of different contexts;

the first condition is signified by the first haptic component;

the second condition that is different than the first condition is signified by the second haptic component that is different than the first haptic component;

the first context is signified by the first audio component; and

the second context that is different from the first context is signified by the second audio component that is different from the first audio component.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the first audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation and the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the first audio component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the second audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation, the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the second audio component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device has a touch-sensitive display; and

the first haptic component and the second haptic component are provided via a touch-sensitive display on the computing device.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable code, the code when executed causes a processor at a computing device with a tactile output generator to perform the following steps:

detecting occurrence of a first condition in a first context at the device; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the first context, generating a first alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

a first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a first audio component that indicates that the first condition occurred in the first context;

detecting occurrence at the device of the first condition in a second context that is different from the first context; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the second context, generating a second alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates that the first condition occurred; and

a second audio component, different from the first audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the second context that is different from the first context

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for:

detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in a third context different from the first and second contexts;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in the third context, generating a third alert corresponding to the first condition in the third context that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a third audio component, different from the first audio component and the second audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the third context.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has failed to occur;

the first audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a second application.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has successfully to occurred;

the first audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a second application.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a first application; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a second application that is different from the first application.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by an application in a first class of applications; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by applications in a second class of applications that is different from the first class of applications.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the device is configured to provide alerts that include a haptic component and an audio component in response to a plurality of different conditions and a plurality of different contexts;

the first condition is signified by the first haptic component;

the second condition that is different than the first condition is signified by the second haptic component that is different than the first haptic component;

the first context is signified by the first audio component; and

the second context that is different from the first context is signified by the second audio component that is different from the first audio component.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the first audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation and the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the first audio component.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the second audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation, the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the second audio component.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the device has a touch-sensitive display; and

the first haptic component and the second haptic component are provided via a touch-sensitive display on the computing device.

21. A device comprising:

a tactile output generator;

a touch-sensitive surface; and

memory storing one or more programs that include instructions for;

detecting occurrence of a first condition in a first context at the device; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the first context, generating a first alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

a first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a first audio component that indicates that the first condition occurred in the first context;

detecting occurrence at the device of the first condition in a second context that is different from the first context; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition in the second context, generating a second alert corresponding to the first condition that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates that the first condition occurred; and

a second audio component, different from the first audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the second context that is different from the first context.

22. The device of claim 21, further comprising instructions for:

detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in a third context different from the first and second contexts;

in response to detecting the occurrence of the first condition at the device in the third context, generating a third alert corresponding to the first condition in the third context that includes;

the first haptic component that indicates the type of condition that occurred; and

a third audio component, different from the first audio component and the second audio component, that indicates that the first condition occurred in the third context.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has failed to occur;

the first audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation failed to occur in a second application.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the first haptic component indicates that an operation requested by the user has successfully to occurred;

the first audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a first application; and

the second audio component indicates that the operation occurred in a second application.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a first application; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by a second application that is different from the first application.

26. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the first audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by an application in a first class of applications; and

the second audio component is generated based on an audio waveform that is designated for use by applications in a second class of applications that is different from the first class of applications.

27. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the device is configured to provide alerts that include a haptic component and an audio component in response to a plurality of different conditions and a plurality of different contexts;

the first condition is signified by the first haptic component;

the second condition that is different than the first condition is signified by the second haptic component that is different than the first haptic component;

the first context is signified by the first audio component; and

the second context that is different from the first context is signified by the second audio component that is different from the first audio component.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the first audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation and the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the first audio component.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein:

the first condition indicates success of a requested operation and the first haptic component includes a series of haptic outputs that are aligned with features in the second audio component; and

the first condition indicates failure of a requested operation, the first haptic component is unaligned with features in the second audio component.

30. The device of claim 21, wherein:

the device has a touch-sensitive display; and

the first haptic component and the second haptic component are provided via a touch-sensitive display on the computing device.