Method for controlling operation of a mobile device by detecting usage situations

• US 6,912,386 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Korpiaho, Kalle, Toivonen, Hannu T.T., Tikanmäki, Johanna, Mannila, Heikki, Himberg, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US10/081,984
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/418, 455/419, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/159.1, 455/171.1, 455/181.1, 455/184.4, 455/226.1, 455/227, 455/550.1, 455/566, 340/517, 340/521, 340/522, 340/523, 340/539.26, 340/539.27, 340/529.28, 340514-516, 340/539.22, 340/540
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A mobile communication device, such as a mobile telephone, may be equipped with sensors for monitoring acceleration, noise level, luminosity and humidity. During a learning phase in the operation of the device, data from the sensors may be stored and associated with particular time segments. Usage of the device is monitored during the learning phase and associated with the sensor data. If a pattern of usage is detected for certain sensor levels, a rule for future similar situations is recognized and stored by the device. In a usage phase, the stored rules are applied to change a user interface of the device when similar future situations are encountered. The learning and usage phases of the device may overlap.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a user interface of a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of a plurality of external conditions over a period of time;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during at least one of said sensor data segments; and

determining a rule for future operation, the rule corresponding to said sequence of sensor data segments and the operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rule corresponds to a change in a user interface of the mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile communication device is a mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said external conditions include an acceleration, a noise level, a luminosity sensors and a humidity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said segmenting of sensor signals is performed substantially in real time with said storing the sensor signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said segmenting of sensor signals is performed after a predetermined amount of said sensor signals are stored.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said segmenting comprises time series segmentation of the sensor signals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining said rule includes downloading a rule from an external source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing the sensor signals comprises storing analog sensor data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing the sensor signals comprises storing digital sensor data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining said rule further comprises storing the rule in a rule database.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a plurality of external conditions;

searching said rules database to find a rule matching the external conditions; and

performing a function corresponding to the rule.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensor signals comprise at least one of:

raw sensor data and pre-processed sensor data.

35. The method of claim 7 wherein the segments are non-overlapping and internally homogeneous.

36. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a rule associated with a sequence of sensor data segments that matches a sequence of sensor data segments generated in response to a newly detected plurality of external conditions; and

performing an operation corresponding to the rule.

13. A mobile communication device, comprising:

at least one sensor for detecting a plurality of external conditions;

a display for presenting a user interface for selecting a plurality of operations;

a memory for storing a plurality of sensor signals from said at least one sensor, said sensor signals indicative of a plurality of external conditions over a period of time;

a processor for segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

the memory further for storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during at least one of said sensor data segments; and

the processor further for determining a rule for modifying the user interface based on said sequence of sensor data segments and the operation.

14. A mobile communication device, comprising:

means for detecting a plurality of external conditions;

means for presenting a user interface for selecting a plurality of operations;

means for storing a plurality of sensor signals from said at least one sensor, said sensor signals indicative of a plurality of external conditions over a period of time;

means for segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

means for storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during at least one of said sensor data segments; and

means for determining a rule for modifying the user interface based on said sequence of sensor data segments and the operation.

15. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method performed by a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of a plurality of external conditions over a period of time;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during at least one of said sensor data segments; and

determining a rule for future operation, the rule corresponding to said sequence of sensor data segments and the operation.

17. A method for controlling a user interface of a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of particular external conditions;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during said particular external conditions; and

if the operation is performed during a later occurence of the particular external conditions, determining a rule corresponding to the operation performed by the user and the particular external conditions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said rule corresponds to a change in a user interface of the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said mobile communication device is a mobile telephone.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said particular external conditions include at least one of:

an acceleration, a noise level, a luminosity sensors and a humidity.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said segmenting of the sensor signals is performed substantially in real time with said storing the sensor signals.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said segmenting of sensor signals is performed after a predetermined amount of the sensor signals are stored.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said segmenting of sensor signals comprises time series segmentation of the sensor signals.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining the rule includes downloading a rule from an external source.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein said storing the sensor signals comprises storing analog sensor data.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein said storing the sensor signals comprises storing digital sensor data.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining the rule further comprises storing the rule in a rule database.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

detecting a plurality of external conditions;

searching said rules database to find a rule matching the external conditions; and

performing a function corresponding to the rule.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein said sensor signals comprise at least one of:

raw sensor data and pre-processed sensor data.

30. A mobile communication device, comprising:

means for storing sensor signals indicative of particular external conditions;

means for segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

means for storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during said particular external conditions; and

means for determining a rule corresponding to the operation performed by the user and the particular external conditions, if the operation is performed during a later occurence of the particular external conditions.

31. A mobile communication device, comprising:

at least one sensor for detecting a plurality of external conditions;

a display for presenting a user interface for selecting a plurality of operations;

a memory for storing sensor signals indicative of particular external conditions;

a processor for segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

the memory further for storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during said particular external conditions; and

the processor further for determining a rule corresponding to the operation performed by the user and the particular external, conditions if the operation is performed during a later occurence of the particular external conditions.

32. A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method performed by a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of particular external conditions;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during said particular external conditions; and

determining a rule corresponding to the operation performed by the user and the particular external, conditions if the operation is performed during a later occurence of the particular external conditions.

33. A method for controlling a user interface of a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of a plurality of external conditions over a period of time;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing an indication of a plurality of operations performed by the user during at least one of said sensor data segments; and

determining a rule for future operation, the rule corresponding to said sequence of sensor data segments and the plurality of operations.

34. A method for controlling a user interface of a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing sensor signals indicative of particular external conditions;

segmenting said sensor signals into a time sequence of sensor data segments;

storing at least one indication of a plurality of operations performed by the user during said particular external conditions; and

if the plurality of operations are performed during a later occurence of the particular external conditions, determining a rule corresponding to the plurality of operations performed by the user and the particular external conditions.

37. A method for controlling a user interface of a mobile communication device having at least one sensor, the method comprising:

storing each of a plurality of sensor signals each indicative of an external condition over a period of time;

segmenting each of said plurality of sensor signals into a sequence of time segments, wherein the sequence of the time segments is the same for each of the plurality of sensor signals;

storing an indication of an operation performed by the user during at least one of said time segments; and

determining a rule for future operation, the rule corresponding to a duration of each of said time segments and the operation.