Mobile device configuration based on status and location

• US 9,137,734 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Watson, Josh, Duong, Nghiep
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Dede
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAVENKOV, VADIM
• Application Number:
  US13/075,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A computing device'"'"'s settings, specifically audio or video settings are adjusted based on a status and/or location of an event participant carrying the device. An event coordination service or an application on the computing device may match the participant'"'"'s status and location to event location information. Upon matching either status or location, the computing device'"'"'s settings may be modified to prevent audio feedback by any audio equipment at the event location or similar video interference.

Claims

1. A method executed at least in part by a computing device for configuring a computing device setting according to a status and a location, the method comprising:

determining a participant for an event from a list of participants provided by querying an application associated with the event, wherein the event is an occasion occurring in the location that includes hardware, including one or more of a speaker and a microphone;

determining the status of the participant by querying a client application executed on a client device associated with the participant;

determining the location of the participant by querying a location provider to update the location of the client device periodically based on a predetermined schedule;

retrieving the location of the participant by querying one or more of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) service on the computing device and a network triangulation based location service on the computing device;

providing a display of the status and the location of the participant;

sending instructions to the computing device to at least one of;

turn off and adjust one or more of a video setting and an audio setting associated with the computing device in response to a determination of an active audio system in a room associated with the event and based on the location and the status of the participant, wherein the active audio system is associated with at least one from a set of;

the participant is in the room, the participant is to attend the event, the participant is about to enter the room; and

adjusting at least one of the audio setting and the video setting of the computing device associated with the participant based on the location and the status of the participant to reduce audio feedback based on one or more of;

an audio equipment setting at the location and the computing device setting at the location by;

reducing a microphone sensitivity of the computing device to a range of predetermined settings for the microphone to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the computing device setting at the location; and

reducing a speaker volume of the computing device to the range of predetermined settings for the speaker to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the computing device setting at the location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device setting includes at least one of the audio setting and the video setting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the status of the participant from a calendar application on the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the status of the participant from one of a calendar server and a presence server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the location of the participant based on one of querying an access control system and receiving a location feedback from a nearby computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the setting includes at least one from a set of:

muting the microphone of the computing device; and

muting the speaker of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the setting includes:

turning off a video camera of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the setting includes:

reducing at least one of a brightness setting and a contrast setting of a video camera of the computing device to predetermined settings for each.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the setting includes:

causing an alert to be displayed on the computing device to have the participant adjust the setting.

10. A computing device capable of automatically adjusting settings based on a status and a location, the computing device comprising:

a communication module;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor hosting an event coordination service configured to execute an application in conjunction with instructions stored in the memory to adjust the settings according to the status and the location, wherein the application is configured to;

determine a participant for an event;

determine the status of the participant by querying a client application executed on a mobile device associated with the participant for published presence information;

determine the location of the participant;

retrieve the location of the participant by querying one or more of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) service on the computing device and a network triangulation based location service on the computing device;

display at least one active icon of at least one associate application based on the status and the location of the participant to enable the participant to launch the at least one associate application wherein the associate application includes one from a set of;

a multi-tiered communication application, a text based communication application, a video chat application, and a telephony application; and

adjust at least one of a video setting and an audio setting of the computing device based on the location and the status of the participant to reduce audio feedback based on one or more of;

an audio equipment setting at the location and a mobile device setting at the location by;

reducing a microphone sensitivity of the computing device to a range of predetermined settings for the microphone to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the mobile device setting at the location; and

reducing a speaker volume of the computing device to a range of the predetermined settings for the speaker to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the mobile device setting at the location.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the predetermined settings for the microphone sensitivity and the speaker volume are a mute value for each.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the computing device is one of a smart phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, and a tablet computer.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the application is further configured to:

adjust at least one from a set of;

an operation status of a camera, an operation status of the display, a brightness setting of the camera, and a contrast setting of the camera associated with the computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the application is further configured to:

reset the microphone sensitivity to a prior setting upon conclusion of the event; and

reset the speaker volume to the prior setting upon conclusion of the event.

15. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for configuring a mobile device setting based on a status and a location, the instructions comprising:

determining a participant for an event from a list of participants provided by querying an application associated with the event, wherein the event is an occasion occurring in the location that includes hardware, including one or more of a speaker and a microphone;

determining the status of the participant by querying a client application executed on the mobile device associated with the participant;

determining the location of the participant by querying a location provider to determine the location within a predefined location range parameter on a demand basis as requested by the client application executed on the mobile device;

retrieving the location of the participant by querying one or more of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) service on the computing device and a network triangulation based location service on the computing device;

providing a display of the status and the location of the participant;

sending instructions to the computing device to at least one of;

turn off and adjust one or more of a video setting and an audio setting associated with the computing device in response to a determination of an active audio system in a room associated with the event and based on the location and the status of the participant, wherein the active audio system is associated with at least one from a set of;

the participant is in the room, the participant is to attend the event, the participant is about to enter the room;

displaying at least one active icon of at least one associate application based on the status and the location of the participant to enable the participant to launch the at least one associate application wherein the associate application includes one from a set of;

a multi-tiered communication application, a text based communication application, a video chat application, and a telephony application; and

adjusting at least one of the audio setting and the video setting of the mobile device associated with the participant based on the location and the status of the participant to reduce audio feedback based on one or more of;

an audio equipment setting at the location and the mobile device setting at the location by;

reducing a microphone sensitivity of the mobile device to a range of predetermined settings for the microphone to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the mobile device setting at the location; and

reducing a speaker volume of the mobile device to a range of the predetermined settings for the speaker to prevent the audio feedback based on the audio equipment setting of the location and the mobile device setting at the location.

16. The computer-readable memory device of claim 15, wherein the status of the participant is determined from published presence information of the participant.

17. The computer-readable memory device of claim 16, wherein adjusting at least one of the audio setting and the video setting of the mobile device further includes:

adjusting at least one from a set of;

an operation status of a camera, an operation status of the display, a brightness setting of the camera, and a contrast setting of the camera associated with the mobile device; and

resetting the at least one adjusted settings to a prior value upon conclusion of the event.