Contextual and location awareness for device interaction

• US 8,352,546 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dollard, Morgan Francois Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/314,668
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for notifying a user having an association with a plurality of computing devices. A notification service is configured to receive notifications intended for the user and forward the notifications to one or more of the computing devices associated with the user. The notification service may determine a present location of the user and select a computing device to send the notification in accordance with the present location of the user. The notification service may also identify one of the computing devices that is currently being interacted with by the user from amongst the computing devices associated with the user and send the notification to the identified computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for notifying a user having an association with a plurality of computing devices, comprising:

receiving, at a server device, a notification intended for a user, the notification being further intended for a first application;

identifying, by the server device, from the plurality of computing devices, a first computing device that is being interacted with by the user;

identifying, by the server device, a second application that is being interacted with by the user and that is executing at the first computing device, the second application being different from the first application; and

sending, by the server device, the notification to the second application executing at the first computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first computing device is based at least in part on a recent user interaction with the first computing device, the user interaction occurring within a predefined time period.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first computing device is based at least in part on the second application executing at the first computing device, the second application being associated with an active user session between the second application and a service executing at the server device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first computing device is based at least in part on context awareness data including at least one indication of at least one interaction by the user with one or more of the plurality of computing devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, at the server device, from one or more of the plurality of computing devices associated with the user, context awareness data for the user; and

storing the context awareness data for the user in a context log residing at a memory device of the server device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the context awareness data is included in a context log comprising multiple entries,

the identifying is based at least in part on an entry for the first computing device included in the context log, and

the entry is the most recent entry amongst a plurality of entries included in the context log, each entry from the plurality of entries being associated with the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the context awareness data is included in a context log comprising multiple entries,

the identifying is based at least in part on an entry for the first computing device in the context log, and

the entry specifies a type of user interaction having a higher priority rank than the priority rank of other entries in the context log that are associated with the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the notification is a first notification and the first computing device is being interacted with by the user at a first time corresponding to receiving the first notification, further comprising:

receiving, at the server device, a second notification intended for the user;

determining, based at least in part on the context awareness data, that none of the plurality of computing devices are being interacted with by the user at a second time, the second time corresponding to receiving the second notification and being after the first time; and

sending, by the server device, the second notification to the first computing device, the sending being performed in response to the determining that none of the plurality of computing devices are being interacted with by the user at the second time.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notification is indicative of at least one of an email message, a text message, or an incoming phone call.

10. A computer-implemented method for notifying a user having an association with a plurality of computing devices, comprising:

receiving, at the server device, a notification intended for the user, the notification being further intended for a first application;

determining, by the server device, a current location of the user, the current location corresponding to a location of a particular computing device that is being interacted with by the user;

selecting, by the server device, based at least in part on the current location of the user, a first computing device from amongst the plurality of computing devices;

determining, by the server device, a second application that is being interacted with by the user and that is executing at the first computing device, the second application being different from the first application; and

sending, by the server device, the notification to the second application executing at first computing device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

defining, at the server device, a context log including location information for one or more of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the determining the current location of the user includes querying, by the server device, the context log.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the determining the current location of the user is based at least in part on a current location of a mobile device carried by the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the determining the current location of the user is based at least in part on a recent user interaction with one or more of the plurality of computing devices.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the sending the notification is performed in accordance with a routing preference policy associated with the user.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the server device, from the plurality of computing devices, a subset of computing devices physically located at the current location, the first computing device being included in the subset of computing devices, wherein the first computing device is selected from the subset.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the selecting the first computing device is based at least in part on a recent user interaction with one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the user interaction occurring within a predetermined time period.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first computing device is physically located at a second location different than the current location of the user.

18. A computer-implemented method for notifying a user having an association with a plurality of computing devices, comprising:

receiving, at a server device, a notification intended for the user, the notification being further intended for a first application;

determining, by the server device, a current location of the user;

determining, by the server device, from the plurality of computing devices, a subset of computing devices physically located at the current location;

identifying, by the server device, from amongst the subset of computing devices, a first computing device that is currently being interacted with by the user;

identifying, by the server device, a second application that is being interacted with by the user and that is executing at the first computing device, the second application being different from the first application; and

sending, by the server device, the notification to the second application executing at the first computing device.