NOTIFICATION CONTROL AND TIMING BASED ON DRIVING CONDITIONS

• US 20170134565A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Global Technologies International Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Crowe, John S., Cudak, Gary D., Lee-Baron, Jennifer J., Peterson, Nathan J., Rose, Amy L., Young, Bryan L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,701,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

One method includes identifying driving conditions associated with a current location of a mobile communication device, receiving a notification to be output on the device, preventing the device from outputting the notification in response to identifying a first driving condition, and outputting the notification on the device in response to identifying a second driving condition. A second method includes identifying one or more driving conditions associated with a current location of a mobile communication device and calculating a driving hazard score as a function of the identified one or more driving conditions. The second method further includes receiving a notification to be output on the device, preventing the device from outputting the notification in response to the driving hazard score exceeding a first threshold value, and outputting the notification on the device in response to the driving hazard score being less than a second threshold value.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying one or more driving conditions along a roadway associated with a current location of a mobile communication device;

receiving a notification to be output on the mobile communication device;

preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the notification in response to identifying a first driving condition; and

outputting the notification on the mobile communication device in response to identifying a second driving condition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a list of hazardous driving conditions including the first driving condition;

wherein preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the notification in response to identifying a first driving condition includes preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the notification in response to identifying any driving condition on the list of hazardous driving conditions; and

wherein outputting the notification on the mobile communication device in response to identifying a second driving condition includes outputting the notification on the mobile communication device in response to determining that none of the one or more driving conditions are on the list of hazardous driving conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current location of the mobile communication device is determined using signals from a global positioning system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification provides notice of an event selected from an incoming call, an incoming text message, an incoming email, an application state change, a weather alert, and a timer expiration.

5. The method of claim 1, where the notification is related to an incoming message from a sender, the method further comprising:

sending an automatic reply message to the sender indicating that notifications have been temporarily blocked.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more driving conditions along a roadway associated with a current location of a mobile communication device, includes identifying the current location of the mobile communication device and accessing map data for a roadway that includes the identified current location of the mobile communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the map data identifies one or more predetermined driving conditions associated with the roadway, wherein the one or more predetermined driving conditions is selected from a speed limit, a construction zone, merging lanes, roadway curves, roadway straight-ways, stop lights, stop signs, and accident history.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the map data identifies one or more variable driving conditions associated with the roadway, wherein the one or more variable driving conditions is selected from road hazards and traffic conditions.

9. A method, comprising:

identifying one or more driving conditions along a roadway associated with a current location of a mobile communication device;

calculating a driving hazard score as a function of the identified one or more driving conditions;

receiving a notification to be output on the mobile communication device;

preventing the mobile communication device from outputting the notification in response to the driving hazard score exceeding a first threshold value; and

outputting the notification on the mobile communication device in response to the driving hazard score being less than a second threshold value.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

periodically updating the current location of the mobile communication device; and

then repeating the steps of identifying one or more driving conditions along a roadway associated with the current location of the mobile communication device, and calculating a driving hazard score as a function of the identified one or more driving conditions.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the identified one or more driving conditions are associated with a number of driving hazard points, and wherein the driving hazard score is calculated as a function of the number of driving hazard points associated with each of the identified one or more driving condition.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying a driving experience level associated with the user of the mobile communication device; and

selecting the first threshold value as a function of the identified driving experience level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the driving experience level is positively correlated to the number of times that the mobile communication device has been at the current location of the identified roadway.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the notification is received during a period that the driving hazard score exceeds the first threshold and is prevented from being output on the mobile communication device delaying output of the notification until the driving hazard score is less than the second threshold value.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a notification having a high importance flag; and

outputting the notification having the high importance flag regardless of whether the driving hazard score exceeds the first threshold value.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

automatically selecting an output device of the mobile communication device based on the driving hazard score, wherein the output device is selected from a display screen, a speaker, and a vibrator.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein automatically selecting an output device of the mobile communication device based on the driving hazard score includes automatically selecting a speaker as the output device in response to the driving hazard score exceeding the first threshold value.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the driving hazard score exceeding the first threshold value, outputting a message on the mobile communication device indicating that notifications are currently being prevented.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying an planned route of the mobile communication device;

calculating a driving hazard score as a function of the identified one or more driving conditions at multiple points along the planned route;

estimating a period of time or a distance of travel after which notifications will no longer be prevented; and

outputting the estimated period of time or distance of travel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein outputting the estimated period of time or distance of travel includes displaying a map indicating at least a portion of a roadway where notifications will be prevented.