Motion-based event notification

• US 8,306,508 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Michael T., Whitney, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG-HURST, KATHY W
• Application Number:
  US12/195,876
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 4554121-413, 4554561-4563, 455/404.2, 455/435.1, 455/357.46, 455/466, 379 8812- 8814, 379/88.18
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• 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 method and computer-readable media are provided for presenting notifications to a user via a mobile communications device upon the device receiving an indication that an event has occurred, such as a telephone call, a voicemail, an e-mail, a text message, or a calendar event. A device may receive an indication that an event has occurred while it is in a motionless state, such as when the device has not detected its own movement for a predetermined amount of time. The device may track the event occurrence and may provide a notification of the event occurrence upon the device entering a moved state. A moved state may be entered upon when the device determines that it has been moved. If the device is in a motionless state when it receives the indication of the event, it may not provide a notification at that time.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of providing by way of a mobile communications device a notification of an occurrence of an event, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile communications device has entered into a motionless state, wherein the mobile communications device has not physically moved for a threshold of time;

while in the motionless state, receiving a first indication of the occurrence of a first event;

providing a visual only notification of the first event;

determining that the mobile communications device has transitioned to a moved state;

providing a normal notification of the occurrence of the first event,

(1) wherein the moved state begins when the mobile communications device is physically moved after having entered the motionless state,

(2) wherein the normal notification is provided when the mobile communications device is not in the motionless state; and

(3) wherein providing the visual only notification and providing the normal notification are determined by a sender of the first event.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein physical movement of the mobile communications device occurs when motion above a predetermined threshold is detected.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein physical movement of the mobile communications device occurs when two or more instances of motion are detected within a predetermined amount of time.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the motionless state is characterized by a set of attributes.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the set of attributes includes one or more of a nonblinking light, a blinking light, a non vibrating state, or a silent state that suppresses all sounds emitted by the mobile communications device.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the normal notification includes varying one or more of the attributes.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the event is one or more of a telephone call, a voicemail, a text message, an e-mail, or a calendar event.

8. The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising tracking the occurrence of the event in a queue.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the threshold of time is defined by a user.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first normal notification is not provided while the mobile communications device is in the motionless state.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of providing by way of a mobile communications device more than one notification of an occurrence of an event, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile communications device has entered into a motionless state, the motionless state being characterized by the mobile communications device not having been moved for a predetermined amount of time;

while in the motionless state, receiving an indication of the occurrence of the event;

upon receiving the indication of the occurrence of the event, providing a first notification of the occurrence of the event;

detecting intentional movement of the mobile communications device, thereby removing the mobile communications device from the motionless state; and

upon detecting the movement, providing a second notification of the occurrence of the event, wherein providing the first notification and providing the second notification are determined by a sender of the event.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein a vibration or a slight accidental movement of the mobile communications device does not remove it from the motionless state.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first notification is different than the second notification.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the event is one or more of a telephone call, a voicemail, a text message, an e-mail, or a calendar event.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of providing a notification by way of a mobile communications device of an occurrence of an event, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an event while the mobile communications device is in a motionless state, which is characterized by suppressing a normal notification of an occurrence of an event; and

inspecting the indication to determine whether the indication includes an attribute, as determined by a sender of the event, indicating that the mobile communications device is to present an initial notification of the occurrence of the event even when the mobile communications device is in the motionless state, so that,

when the attribute indicates that the mobile communications device is to present the initial notification of the occurrence of the event even when the mobile communications device is in the motionless state, presenting the initial notification of the occurrence of the event, wherein the normal notification, different from the initial notification, of the occurrence of the event is presented when the initial notification is not acknowledged by a user of the mobile communications device, and

when the attribute indicates that the mobile communications device is not to present the normal notification of the occurrence of the event until the mobile communications device has entered a moved state, not presenting the normal notification of the occurrence of the event.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein a user of the mobile communications device determines when the mobile communications device is in the motionless state.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein when the normal notification of the occurrence of the event has not been presented, further comprising:

detecting movement of the mobile communications device; and

determining that the mobile communications device has entered a moved state.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising upon the mobile communications device having entered the moved state, presenting the normal notification of the occurrence of the event.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein when the initial notification of the occurrence of the event is presented, further comprising:

determining that the mobile communications device has entered a moved state; and

presenting the normal notification of the occurrence of the event.