Mobile device having notification database in which only those notifications that are to be presented in a limited predetermined time period

• US 6,208,996 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1998
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ferrell, John I., Skorupa, Scott A., Ben-Shachar, Ido, Vargas, Garrett R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US09/035,643
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-9, 707/10, 707/100-104, 707/200-206, 707/511, 707/531, 707/532-533, 707/541, 708/110, 708/112, 708/130, 709/103, 709/217, 713/321, 713/400, 713/500, 713/502, 713/600, 345/350, 345/963, 705/8-10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0266 for time management, e.g. calendars, diaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A system is provided for maintaining a notification database in a mobile device. A notification scheduling program is run at a predetermined time. The notification scheduling program is configured to obtain information indicative of a plurality of notifications to be presented in the future. The notifications which are to be presented within a predetermined time period are entered in the notification database. The notification scheduling program is scheduled to run in response to expiration of the predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining a notification database in a mobile device, the mobile device including a notification system which accesses entries in the notification database and causes user notifications to be presented based on the entries in the notification database, the method comprising:

running a notification scheduling program at a predetermined time, the notification scheduling program being configured to perform the following steps;

obtaining information indicative of a plurality of notifications to be presented in the future;

entering in the notification database only those notifications, of the plurality of notifications, which are to be presented within a limited predetermined time period; and

scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun in response to expiration of the limited predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

rerunning the notification scheduling program at the end of the limited predetermined time period; and

repeating the steps of obtaining, entering and scheduling.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device includes a clock, and further comprising:

scheduling the notification scheduling program to be run in response to the occurrence of a daylight savings time transition, the daylight savings time transition including one of entering daylight savings time and exiting daylight savings time.

4. The method of claim 3 and further comprising:

prior to obtaining information indicative of a plurality of notifications, determining whether a daylight savings time transition has occurred since the notification scheduling program was last run; and

if so, adjusting the clock based on the daylight savings time transition.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining whether a daylight savings time transition has occurred comprises:

accessing clock information indicative of whether the clock is set according to daylight savings time;

accessing daylight savings time parameter information indicative of whether a current date and time are within daylight savings time; and

comparing the clock information with the daylight savings time parameter information to determine whether a daylight savings time transition has occurred.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to perform the step of determining a next daylight savings time transition.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein determining a next daylight savings time transition comprises:

obtaining a relative time for the next daylight savings time transition;

determining an exact date for the next daylight savings time transition in a current year;

comparing the exact date with a current date to determine whether the exact date is prior to the current date; and

if so, determining a second exact date for the next daylight savings time transition in a next subsequent year.

8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising:

prior to obtaining a relative time, determining whether the next daylight savings time transition comprises entering or exiting daylight savings time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the notifications comprise clock alarms and wherein obtaining information indicative of notifications comprises:

accessing information indicative of a clock alarm to be actuated;

identifying an alarm time at which the clock alarm is to be actuated;

entering a user notification corresponding to the clock alarm and the alarm time in the user notification database;

adding a day to the alarm time; and

repeating the steps of entering a user notification and adding a day until a number of days corresponding to the limited predetermined time period has been reached.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising:

accessing information, identifying an alarm time, entering a user notification, adding a day and repeating, for each clock alarm to be actuated.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun comprises:

comparing a time corresponding to expiration of the limited predetermined time period with the next daylight savings time transition; and

scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun at an earlier occurring of the expiration of the limited predetermined time period and the next daylight savings time transition.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the notifications comprise calendar notifications including single event notifications and recurring notifications, and wherein scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun comprises:

setting a next run date to coincide with a current date plus a first predetermined time period; and

scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun at the next run date.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein entering in the notification database comprises:

identifying appointments for which notifications are to be presented prior to the next run date; and

entering the notifications in the notification database.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein scheduling the notification scheduling program to be rerun comprises:

identifying a recurring appointment having an instance for which a notification is to be presented prior to the next run date;

adjusting the next run date to coincide with a date of the instance of the recurring appointment; and

repeating the steps of identifying and adjusting for each recurring appointment identified.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device includes a time zone data store storing data indicative of a time zone and further comprising:

re-running the notification scheduling program in response to a change in the time zone data.

16. A mobile device comprising:

a notification database configured to store entries indicative of user notifications to be presented;

a notification system configured to access the notification database and present the user notifications based on the entries in the notification database;

a notification scheduling program configured to place the entries in the notification database by;

obtaining information indicative of notifications to be presented in the future;

entering in the database the notifications to be presented in the future which are to be presented within a limited predetermined time period; and

scheduling the notification program to be rerun at a next run date which coincides with expiration of the limited predetermined time period.

17. The mobile device of claim 16 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to determine whether any notifications correspond to recurring appointments, a next instance of which is to occur prior to expiration of the limited predetermined time period, and to reset the limited predetermined time period to correspond to a date on which the next instance of the recurring appointment is to occur.

18. The mobile device of claim 16 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to obtain information indicative of clock alarm notifications, and make entries in the notification database corresponding to the clock alarm notifications for each day within the limited predetermined time period.

19. The mobile device of claim 18 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to, prior to entering, determine a date corresponding to a next daylight savings time transition and to set the limited predetermined time period to correspond to a first occurring of a first predetermined time period and the next daylight savings time transition.

20. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to schedule itself to rerun at the first occurring of the first predetermined time period and the next daylight savings time transition.

21. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the notification scheduling program is configured to determine the date corresponding to the next daylight savings time transition by obtaining a relative day and time corresponding to the transition, determining an exact date and time corresponding to the transition for a current year, determining whether the exact date and time is prior to a current date, and redetermining an exact date and time corresponding to the transition for a next year subsequent to the current year.