Journaling on mobile devices

• US 9,092,473 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Ronald Keryuan, Piemonte, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): LODHI, ANDALIB FT
• Application Number:
  US14/165,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 707/711, 707/721, 707/735
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A journaling subsystem on a mobile device stores event data related to applications or other subsystems running on the mobile device. The event data can be stored and indexed in a journal database so that a timeline of past events can be reconstructed in response to search queries. In some implementations, a timeline can be reconstructed with markers on a map display based on search results. When the user interacts with a marker on the map display, the event data collected by the mobile device is made available to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

collecting, by a mobile device, journal event data, the journal event data representing a plurality of events, each event occurred on the mobile device, each event being associated with a geographic location where the event occurred and a timestamp of when the event occurred;

storing the journal event data and corresponding locations and timestamps in a database;

receiving, by the mobile device, a query for journal event data, the query specifying a time span;

responsive to the query, retrieving, by the mobile device and from the database, at least a portion of the journal event data that includes events each having a timestamp that is within the time span;

aggregating the retrieved events into groups, wherein events that occurred at a same geographic location and within the time span are aggregated in a same group; and

providing a plurality of markers for display in a map on the mobile device in response to the query, each marker representing a different group, each marker being placed at a location in the map that corresponds to geographic locations of events in the corresponding group, each marker having a marker size visually indicating a number of events in the corresponding group, wherein a larger group is represented by a larger marker size.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising providing text labels in the map, each text label corresponding to a different marker, each text label including a name of the geographic location of the corresponding marker and the number of events in the group.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising filtering the markers, wherein only markers corresponding to more than a threshold number of events are displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the events that occurred at a same geographic location including events having locations within a predetermined distance of one another.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising filtering the events based on one or more event types, each event type being a photo event type, an email event type, a web event type, or a call event type.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising providing for display a respective badge corresponding to each event type, the badge indicating a count of events having the respective type.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving an input selecting a displayed marker; and

in response to the input, providing for display at least one of;

position coordinates of the selected marker,

a dwell time of the mobile device at the location of the marker,

weather at the location of the marker, or

one or more points-of-interests (POIs) at the location of the marker.

8. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

collecting, by the mobile device, journal event data, the journal event data representing a plurality of events, each event occurred on the mobile device, each event being associated with a geographic location where the event occurred and a timestamp of when the event occurred;

receiving, by the mobile device, a query for event data, the query specifying a time span;

retrieving, by the mobile device, at least a portion of the journal event data that includes events each having a timestamp that is within the time span;

aggregating the retrieved events into groups, wherein events that occurred at a same geographic location and within the time span are aggregated in a same group; and

providing a plurality of markers for display in a map on the mobile device in response to the query, each marker representing a different group, each marker being placed at a location in the map that corresponds to geographic locations of events in the corresponding group, each marker having a marker size visually indicating a number of events in the corresponding group, wherein a larger group is represented by a larger marker size.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, the operations comprising providing text labels in the map, each text label corresponding to a different marker, each text label including a name of the geographic location of the corresponding marker and the number of events in the group.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, comprising filtering the markers, wherein only markers corresponding to more than a threshold number of events are displayed.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the events that occurred at a same geographic location including events having locations within a predetermined distance of one another.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, the operations comprising filtering the events based on one or more event types, each event type being a photo event type, an email event type, a web event type, or a call event type.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, the operations comprising providing for display a respective badge corresponding to each event type, the badge indicating a count of events having the respective type.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, the operations comprising:

receiving an input selecting a displayed marker; and

in response to the input, providing for display at least one of;

position coordinates of the selected marker,

a dwell time of the mobile device at the location of the marker,

weather at the location of the marker, or

one or more points-of-interests (POIs) at the location of the marker.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

collecting, by the mobile device, journal event data, the journal event data representing a plurality of events, each event occurred on the mobile device, each event being associated with a geographic location where the event occurred and a timestamp of when the event occurred;

receiving, by the mobile device, a query for event data, the query specifying a time span;

retrieving, by the mobile device, at least a portion of the journal event data that includes events each having a timestamp that is within the time span;

aggregating the retrieved events into groups, wherein events that occurred at a same geographic location and within the time span are aggregated in a same group; and

providing a plurality of markers for display in a map on the mobile device in response to the query, each marker representing a different group, each marker being placed at a location in the map that corresponds to geographic locations of events in the corresponding group, each marker having a marker size visually indicating a number of events in the corresponding group, wherein a larger group is represented by a larger marker size.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising providing text labels in the map, each text label corresponding to a different marker, each text label including a name of the geographic location of the corresponding marker and the number of events in the group.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising filtering the markers, wherein only markers corresponding to more than a threshold number of events are displayed.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the events that occurred at a same geographic location including events having locations within a predetermined distance of one another.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising filtering the events based on one or more event types, each event type being a photo event type, an email event type, a web event type, or a call event type.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations comprising providing for display a respective badge corresponding to each event type, the badge indicating a count of events having the respective type.