Mobile notifications based upon location

• US 8,923,824 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Masterman, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/596,119
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments employed to generate device notifications based upon location data associated with a mobile device. To this end, a request to generate a device notification is obtained from a user application. Notification content is extracted from the request and an escalated or de-escalated notification level is applied that is based at least in part upon the location of the mobile device and properties about the location that can be identified.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a mobile device associated with a first user, the program, when executed by the mobile device, causing the mobile device to at least:

obtain a request to generate a mobile device notification from a user application executed in the mobile device, the request comprising notification content to be displayed in the mobile device notification, the request further comprising at least one requested notification type comprising at least one of;

a request to display a notification in an operating system user interface, a request to activate a light emitting diode (LED) in communication with the mobile device, a request to play a ringtone, or a request to activate a vibration motor associated with the mobile device;

obtain location data associated with the mobile device, the location data obtained from an operating system executed by the mobile device and corresponding to a current location of the mobile device;

obtain at least one location property associated with the location, the at least one location property comprising at least one of;

a location type, an identity of a second user associated with the location, an identity of a place of business or an event occurring within a predetermined radius of the location;

identify meta data corresponding to the at least one location property;

determine whether the meta data specifies at least one of an escalated notification level or a de-escalated notification level;

identify a notification level associated with the meta data, the notification level defining a combination of at least one notification type comprising at least one of;

display of a notification in the operating system user interface, activation of the LED in communication with the mobile device, playing of the ringtone, or activation of the vibration motor associated with the mobile device; and

initiate the device notification according to the notification level in response to a determination that the at least one notification type differs from the at least one requested notification type.

2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a mobile device, a notification data item associated with at least one application executed by the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, a location associated with the mobile device;

identifying, by the mobile device, a location listing associated with the location;

identifying, by the mobile device, a current event listing associated with the location listing;

identifying, by the mobile device, meta data corresponding to the event;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the meta data specifies one of an escalated notification level or a de-escalated notification level;

extracting, by the mobile device, notification content from the notification data item;

identifying, by the mobile device, at least one notification rule associated with the location, the notification rule specifying a notification level associated with the location based at least in part upon whether the meta data specifies at least one of the escalated notification level or the de-escalated notification level; and

generating, by the mobile device, a device notification corresponding to the at least one of the escalated notification level or the de-escalated notification level.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating the device notification further comprises generating at least one of:

a notification user interface element rendered on a display device associated with the mobile device, an audible notification via a speaker associated with the mobile device, activation of a vibration motor associated with the mobile device, modifying a brightness level of the display device, or a visual notification via at least one externally visible light emitting diode (LED) associated with the mobile device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating the device notification further comprises delaying the device notification until an updated location of the mobile device is located a specified distance away from a current location corresponding to the location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:

the escalated notification level comprises an escalated volume level relative to a baseline volume level; and

the de-escalated notification level comprises a lower volume level relative to the baseline volume level.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising selecting, by the mobile device, the de-escalated notification level based at least in part upon whether a calendar accessible to the mobile device and associated with a user indicates an appointment at a current time.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein identifying the at least one notification rule associated with the location further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location is associated with a first user linked to a second user associated with the mobile device; and

identifying, by the mobile device, a notification rule associated with the first user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the location is associated with the first user linked to the second user associated with the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location is within a predetermined radius of an address in an address book accessible to the mobile device; and

identifying, by the mobile device, a contact associated with the address in the address book.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the location is associated with the first user linked to the second user associated with the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, whether the first user is linked to the second user in a social networking service; and

identifying, by the mobile device, a location associated with the first user via the social networking service.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the location is associated with the first user linked to the second user associated with the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, a location of another mobile device associated with the first user; and

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location is within a predetermined radius of the location of the other mobile device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the notification rule escalates or de-escalates the notification level based at least in part upon a relationship between the first user and the second user.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a mobile device, a notification data item associated with at least one application executed by the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, a location associated with the mobile device;

extracting, by the mobile device, notification content from the notification data item;

identifying, by the mobile device, at least one notification rule associated with the location, wherein identifying the at least one notification rule associated with the location comprises;

identifying, by the mobile device, a location listing associated with the location;

identifying, by the mobile device, a location type associated with the location listing;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location type is associated with a notification rule; and

generating, by the mobile device, a device notification corresponding to a notification level specified by the at least one notification rule.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

escalating, by the mobile device, the notification level when the location type is associated with a location having an escalated volume level relative to a baseline volume level; and

de-escalating, by the mobile device, the notification level when the location type is associated with a location having a lower volume level relative to the baseline volume level.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein identifying the at least one notification rule associated with the location further comprises:

identifying, by the mobile device, operating hours associated with the location listing; and

determining, by the mobile device, whether a notification rule is associated with whether the location is open or closed.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein identifying, by the mobile device, operating hours associated with the location listing further comprises obtaining the operating hours from a user interface rendered by with the mobile device.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein identifying the at least one notification rule associated with the location further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location is associated with a first user linked to a second user associated with the mobile device; and

identifying a notification rule associated with the first user.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein determining whether the location is associated with the first user linked to the second user associated with the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, that the first user is linked to the second user in a social networking service; and

identifying, by the mobile device, a location associated with the first user in the social networking service.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein determining that the location is associated with a first user linked to a second user associated with the mobile device further comprises:

determining, by the mobile device, a location of another mobile device associated with the first user; and

determining, by the mobile device, that the location is within a predetermined radius of the location of the other mobile device.

16. A system, comprising:

an electronic data store configured to store at least specific computer-executable instructions; and

a mobile device comprising a hardware processor and in communication with the electronic data store, the mobile device configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least;

obtain a notification request from a user application executed in the mobile device to generate a device notification in the mobile device;

identify location data associated with the mobile device;

identify a notification level based at least in part upon the location data;

identify a location type associated with the location data;

identify the notification level based at least in part on the location type;

identify the notification level based at least in part on the location data; and

generate the device notification according to the notification level.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the notification level is identified based at least in part upon the location data by identifying a notification rule stored the mobile device associated with a particular location that specifies the notification level.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the device notification is generated according to the notification level by initiating a combination of at least one of:

generating a notification user interface element, initiating playing of a ringtone, activating a light emitting diode (LED) with the mobile device, modifying a brightness level of a display device associated with the mobile device, or activating a vibration motor associated with the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the notification level specifies at least one of a repeat frequency, a repeat pattern, or an intensity associated with the device notification.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the notification level is identified based at least in part upon the location type by:

selecting an escalated notification level when the location type is associated with an escalated volume level relative to a baseline volume level; and

selecting a de-escalated notification level when the location type is associated with a lowered volume level relative to the baseline volume level.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the notification level is identified based at least in part upon the location data by determining a velocity of the mobile device associated with the location data and selecting the notification level based at least in part upon the velocity of the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a first specified notification level is selected when the velocity exceeds a first predefined threshold.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein a second specified notification level is selected when the velocity is less than a second predefined threshold.