Mobile emotional notification application

• US 6,959,207 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Keinonen, Turkka, Hemanus, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US09/745,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/42.3, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/415, 455418-419, 455/420, 455424-425, 455/456.3, 455/458, 455460-462, 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/517, 455/557, 455/74.1, 455/551, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/567, 455/569.2
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

In an emotional notification system, information about another party is entered into and stored in a terminal of a first party along with one or more data objects associated with the second party (such as an email from, to or about the second party, a file originated by the second party, etc.). Each time the first party activates at his terminal through an interface module a data object associated with a second party, a notifying message is sent to the second party to make the second party aware that the first party is devoting attention to the second party and to promote bonding between the two parties. The notifying message may take one of various, preferably unobtrusive forms, such as a vibration of a terminal belonging to the second party, which minimizes any distraction caused by the notifying message.

Claims

1. A method of informing a party assoicated with a data object that said data object has been activated by a user of a mobile terminal in which said data object is currently being stored, comprising the steps of:

associating a data object with an associated mobile terminal of an associated party, whereby said associated data object comprises association data identifying at least said associated mobile terminal, wherein said associated mobile terminal has a wireless link with a wireless communication network; and

storing said associated data in a memory of a storing mobile terminal, said associated data object being capable of activation by a user or said storing mobile terminal;

whenever a user of said storing mobile terminal activates said associated data object, transmitting a notifying message via the wireless communication network to the associated mobile terminal of the associated party; and

when the associated mobile terminal receives said notifying message, presenting an auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal to the associated party thereby informing the associated party that the associated data object stored on the storing mobile terminal has been activated by the user of said storing mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing contact information about the associated party in one of the storing terminal and a network element accessible to the storing mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said associated data comprises data regarding at least one of a source, originator, target, and subject of said data object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal is presented by one of the associated terminal and a device linked to the associated terminal with a short range wireless communication link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying message comprises at least one of different types of notifying message available to send to the associated party.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of presenting the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal to the associated party comprises the step of imparting at least one of different types of vibrations to the associated party depending on which of the at least one of the plural different types of notifying messages has been received.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of different types of notifying messages comprises different personalized messages created by the user of the storing mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data object comprises at least one of an email, a contact directory entry, a phonebook entry, a short message service message, a text message, an image, a picture, a video clip, an audio clip, and an animation associated with the associated party.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the data object comprises one of accessing, reading, writing, drawing, editing, copying, forwarding, moving, renaming, combining, showing details of, attaching a message to, using, listening to, and viewing the data object.

10. A method of informing a party associated with a data object that said data object has been activated by a user of a mobile terminal in which said data object is currently being stored, comprising the steps of:

associating a data object with a transmitting mobile terminal of a party associated with said associated data object, whereby said associated data object comprises association data identifying at least said transmitting mobile terminal, wherein said transmitting mobile terminal has a wireless link with a wireless communication network;

transmitting, by said transmitting mobile terminal, said associated data object via the wireless communication network to a storing mobile terminal;

receiving, by said storing mobile terminal, said associated data object and storing said associated data object in a memory of said storing mobile terminal, said associated data object being capable of activation by a user of said storing mobile terminal;

whenever a user of said storing mobile terminal activates said associated data object, transmitting a notifying message via the wireless communication network to the transmitting mobile terminal of the associated party; and

when the transmitting mobile terminal receives said notifying message, presenting a tactile signal to the associated party, wherein said tactile signal uniquely identifies at least one of the following;

the associated data object, the storing mobile terminal, and/or the user of the storing mobile terminal;

wherein said tactile signal thereby informs the associated party at least one of the following;

the associated data object has been activated on a mobile terminal, the associated data object has been activated on the storing mobile terminal, and/or the associated data object has been activated by the user of the storing mobile terminal.

11. A method of informing a party associated with an electronic representation that said electronic representation has been activated by a user of a mobile terminal in which said electronic representation is currently being stored, comprising the steps of:

associating an electronic representation with an associated mobile terminal of an associated party, whereby said associated data object comprises association data identifying at least said associated mobile terminal, wherein said associated mobile terminal has a wireless link with a wireless communication network;

transmitting said associated data object from the associated mobile terminal to a storing mobile terminal;

storing said associated data object in a memory on said storing mobile terminal, said associated data object being capable of activation by a user of said storing mobile terminal;

whenever a user of said storing mobile terminal activates said associated data object, transmitting a notifying message via the wireless communication network to the associated mobile terminal of the associated party; and

when the associated mobile terminal receives said notifying message, presenting a tactile signal to the associated party, wherein said tactile signal uniquely identifies at least one of the following;

the associated data object, the storing mobile terminal, and/or the user of the storing mobile terminal;

wherein said tactile signal thereby informs the associated party at least one of the following;

the associated data object has been activated on a mobile terminal, the associated data object has been activated on the storing mobile terminal, and/or the associated data object has been activated by the user of the storing mobile terminal.

12. A telecommunication system comprising:

an associated mobile terminal of an associated party, capable of associating itself with a data object, whereby said associated data object comprises association data identifying at least said associated mobile terminal, and capable of transmitting said associated data object, wherein said associated mobile terminal has a communication link with the telecommunication network; and

a storing mobile terminal capable of storing said associated data object in a memory, said associated data object being capable of activation by a user of said storing mobile terminal;

wherein, whenever the user of said storing mobile terminal activates said associated data object, a notifying message is transmitted via the telecommunication network to the associated mobile terminal of the associated party; and

wherein, when the associated mobile terminal receives said notifying message, an auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal is presented to the associated party thereby informing the associated party that the associated data object stored on the storing mobile terminal has been activated by the user of said storing mobile terminal.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a storage in one of the storing terminal and a network element accessible to the storing mobile terminal, said storage for storing contact information about the associated party.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said associated data comprises data regarding at least one of a source, originator, target, and subject of said data object.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal is presented by one of the associated terminal and a device linked to the associated terminal with a short range wireless communication link.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the notifying message comprises at least one of a plurality of different types of notifying messages available to send to the associated party.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal presented to the associated party comprises at least one of different types of vibrations depending on which of the at least one of the plural different types of notifying messages has been received.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of different types of notifying messages comprises different personalized messages created by the user of the storing mobile terminal.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the data object comprises at least one of an email, a contact directory entry, a phonebook entry, a short message service message, a text message, an image, a picture, a video clip, an audio clip, and an animation associated with the associated party.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the associated data object is activated one of accessing, reading, writing, drawing, editing, copying, forwarding, moving, renaming, combining, showing details of, attaching a message to, using, listening to, and viewing the data object.

21. A mobile terminal comprising:

a network transceiver for receiving from, and transmitting to, a mobile network;

a central processing unit capable of associating the mobile terminal with a data object, whereby said associated data object comprises association data identifying at least said associated mobile terminal, wherein said associated data object is capable of being transmitted to another mobile terminal;

data storage capable of storing an associated data object; and

input capable of activating an associated data object;

wherein, whenever a user of the mobile terminal activates an associated data object, a notifying message is transmitted to the mobile terminal associated with said associated data object; and

wherein, when the mobile terminal receives a notifying message, an auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal is presented to the user thereby informing the user that an associated data object stored on another mobile terminal has been activated by the user of said other mobile terminal.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein said associated data comprises data regarding at least one of a source, originator, target, and subject of said data object.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal is presented by one of the mobile terminal and a device linked to the mobile terminal with a short range wireless communication link.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the notifying message comprises at least one of a plurality of different types of notifying messages.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the auditory, visual, and/or tactile signal presented to the user comprises at least one of different types of vibrations depending on which of the at least one of the plural different types of notifying messages has been received.

26. The terminal of claim 24, wherein the plurality of different types of notifying message comprises different personalized messages created by the user.

27.The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the data object comprises at least one of an email, a contact directory entry, a phonebook entry, a short message service message, a text message, an image, a picture, a video clip, and an animation associated with the associated party.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the data object is activated one of accessing, reading, writing, drawing, editing, copying, forwarding, moving, renaming, combining, showing details of, attaching a message to, using, listening to, and viewing the data object.