Adaptive notifications

• US 8,655,321 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baer, Matthias, Schreiner, Jesse Sage
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US13/084,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 709/206, 705/14
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

A simplified notification scheme that looks at past behavior of accepting or rejecting messages and modifies whether and/or how future similar notifications are displayed. For example, if a user consistently ignores or rejects a pop-up notification, the system can modify whether or not such a pop-up notification is displayed again. In one specific embodiment, a wireless network can be detected by a mobile phone. The phone can determine whether or not a pop-up notification related to the wireless-network detection should be displayed based on past behavior of the user.

Claims

1. A method of adapting notifications displayed on a computing device, comprising:

displaying a message notification, which is displayed in response to detection of a wireless network;

monitoring behavior of rejecting the message notification or inaction in response to the message notification; and

in response to the rejection or inaction, modifying whether future similar message notifications are displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message notification is a first message notification and wherein modifying future similar messages further includes:

prior to displaying a second message notification associated with the event, checking a data store for past user behavior in response to a same message notification; and

based on the past user behavior, either canceling the second message notification or altering how the second message notification is accessed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein altering how the second message notification is accessed includes making the message notification accessible without displaying a pop-up window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the frequency of future similar messages includes determining a ranking level based on system state or context information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message notification is displayed on a mobile phone and the message originates from the mobile phone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message notification is an automatically displayed pop-up window.

7. A method of adapting notifications, comprising:

displaying a first pop-up notification in response to a first event, the first event being detection of one or more of the following;

that a wireless network is available, that a battery is low on remaining power, that there is a roaming status change, that there is a time zone change, or that there is a time change;

monitoring a user'"'"'s response to the first pop-up notification;

determining whether the user'"'"'s response showed interest or disinterest through inaction in the first pop-up notification;

if the user'"'"'s response showed interest, displaying a second pop-up notification that is similar to the first pop-up notification upon detection of a second event; and

if the user'"'"'s response showed disinterest, suppressing the second pop-up notification.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein suppressing the second pop-up notification includes making information about the second event available, but without a pop-up notification.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second pop-up notifications are displayed on a mobile phone and the first and second pop-up notifications are notifications that originate from a local event detection on the mobile phone itself.

10. The method of claim 7, further including storing information indicating whether the user'"'"'s response to the first pop-up notification showed interest or not.

11. The method of claim 7, further including using a ranking algorithm to determine whether to display the second pop-up notification or changing a way in which the notification is displayed, or changing information provided with the notification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ranking algorithm takes into account past responses to a similar notification received from the user, context information, state information and/or past responses to a similar notification received from other users.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second events are a local detection of a wireless network.

14. A method of adapting pop-up notifications on a mobile phone, comprising:

detecting a local event on the mobile phone, wherein the local event is a detection of one or more of the following;

a wireless device, a low battery, a roaming status change, a time zone change, or a time change; and

determining whether to display a notification on the mobile phone in response to the detection of the local event based on a ranking level of the local event to a user;

wherein determining includes the following;

retrieving data from a local data store indicating one or more past responses to similar notifications and using the data in determining whether to display the notification;

based on the determination, either displaying a pop-up notification if the ranking level exceeds a threshold or not displaying the notification if the ranking level does not exceed the threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining further includes calculating a geographic location and using the geographic location to determine the ranking level.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the local event is a detection of a wireless network.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining further includes retrieving data indicating past responses of other users to one or more past responses of similar notifications.