Intelligent reminders for wireless PDA devices

• US 7,212,827 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Veschl, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US09/708,411
• Time in Patent Office: 2,364 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/456.3, 455/444, 455/436, 455/440, 455/414.1, 455/404.2, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless PDA device with proximity detection includes a trigger for implementing a reminder alert to a user of a wireless PDA device based on the proximity of another wireless PDA device. The proximity detection may be accomplished by actual knowledge of proximity (e.g., using appropriate GPS detection and reporting to a centralized location), or more preferably inferred using the short range capability of wireless networks such as a piconet network by comparing the members of a current piconet network (presumed to be within the range of the relevant wireless PDA device). In a disclosed embodiment, an intelligent reminder table is implemented for use by an appropriate reminder application running on a wireless PDA device. The reminder table includes a proximity alert election on an entry-by-entry basis, and automatic reminder canceling based on proximity detection of another wireless PDA device relevant to the reminder. Example proximity alerts include reminding the user to wish a person happy birthday the next time they see them (i.e., the next time that the other person is proximate to the relevant PDA user). The intelligent reminder table also provides for the automatic cancellation of a reminder when the reminder relates to a meeting with the other PDA user detected as being proximate to the relevant PDA user within a given time frame of a reminder date/time.

Claims

1. A wireless PDA device, comprising:

a PDA device;

a wireless front end in communication with said PDA device;

a reminder application to run on said PDA device; and

a proximity detector substantially within said wireless PDA device in communication with said reminder application to detect a proximity of said wireless PDA to another wireless PDA;

wherein a reminder in said reminder application is automatically transferred to said another wireless PDA device when a detected proximity to said another wireless PDA device is less than about a pre-established threshold.

2. The wireless PDA device according to claim 1, wherein:

said wireless front end is a piconet front end.

3. The wireless PDA device according to claim 2, wherein:

said piconet front end is a BLUETOOTH front end.

4. The wireless PDA device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a proximity reminder table, in communication with said reminder application, to associate other wireless PDA devices with specific reminder tasks.

5. The wireless PDA device according to claim 4, wherein said proximity reminder table comprises:

an entry associating a particular wireless PDA device with a desire to output an alert when said wireless PDA device becomes proximate to said particular wireless PDA device.

6. The wireless PDA device according to claim 5, wherein said proximity reminder table further comprises:

an option to automatically cancel said output of said alert when said particular PDA device is proximate to said wireless PDA device.

7. The wireless PDA device according to claim 6, wherein said proximity reminder table further comprises:

a date/time for said reminder alert;

wherein said option to automatically cancel said output allows cancellation of said alert only within a range of time of said date/time for said reminder alert.

8. A method of providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device, comprising:

detecting a proximity between said first PDA device and a second wireless PDA device with said first PDA device; and

automatically transferring a reminder alert when said detected proximity between said first wireless PDA device and said second wireless PDA device is less than about a pre-established threshold.

9. The method of providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 8, wherein:

said proximity is inferred by a presence of said second wireless PDA device on a local network including said first wireless PDA device.

10. The method of providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 9, wherein:

said local network is a piconet network.

11. The method of providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 10, wherein:

said piconet network conforms to a BLUETOOTH standard.

12. A method of providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device, comprising:

creating a reminder relevant to a second user of a second PDA device;

detecting a proximity of said second PDA device to said first PDA device with said first PDA device; and

automatically transferring a reminder alert from said first PDA device when a detected proximity of said second PDA device to said first PDA device is less than about a pre-established threshold.

13. The method of providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 12, wherein:

said reminder alert is an audible alert.

14. The method of providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 12, wherein said detecting proximity comprises:

determining a presence of said second PDA device in a local wireless network including a presence of said first PDA device.

15. The method of providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 12, wherein said detecting proximity comprises:

measuring a first set of location coordinates of said first PDA device;

measuring a second set of location coordinates of said second PDA device;

determining a distance between said first set of location coordinates and said second set of location coordinates; and

comparing said determined distance to a threshold proximity distance.

16. Apparatus for providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device, comprising:

means for detecting a proximity between said first PDA device and a second wireless PDA device with said first PDA device; and

means for automatically transferring a reminder alert when said detected proximity between said first wireless PDA device and said second wireless PDA device is less than about a pre-established threshold.

17. The apparatus for providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 16, wherein:

said means for detecting said proximity infers said proximity by a presence of said second wireless PDA device on a local network including said first wireless PDA device.

18. The apparatus for providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 17, wherein:

said local network is a piconet network.

19. The apparatus for providing a reminder alert from a first wireless PDA device according to claim 16, wherein:

said piconet network conforms to a BLUETOOTH standard.

20. Apparatus for providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device, comprising:

means for creating a reminder relevant to a second user of a second PDA device;

means for detecting a proximity of said second PDA device to said first PDA device with said first PDA device; and

means for automatically transferring a reminder alert from said first PDA device when a detected proximity of said second PDA device to said first PDA device is less than about a pre-established threshold.

21. The apparatus for providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 20, wherein:

said means for providing said reminder alert provides an audible alert.

22. The apparatus for providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 20, wherein said detecting proximity comprises:

means for determining a presence of said second PDA device in a local wireless network including a presence of said first PDA device.

23. The apparatus for providing a proximity alert to a first user of a first PDA device according to claim 20, wherein said detecting proximity comprises:

means for measuring a first set of location coordinates of said first PDA device;

means for measuring a second set of location coordinates of said second PDA device;

means for determining a distance between said first set of location coordinates and said second set of location coordinates; and

means for comparing said determined distance to a threshold proximity distance.