Proximity based reminders

• US 9,247,387 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bonanni, Cristina, Carlesimo, Paola, Longobardi, Giuseppe, Rotunno, Alessandra, Catasta, Giovanni B. P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US13/675,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/440, 455/412.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Mechanisms, in a data processing system, for generating a reminder notification are provided. The physical presence of another device within a physical local range of a wireless communication device is detected. An identity associated with the other device is determined and a determination is made as to whether a reminder record is stored in association with the identity associated with the other device. In response to a reminder record being stored in association with the identity associated with the other device, a reminder notification is generated and output on the wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record.

Claims

1. A method, in a first wireless communication device, for generating a first reminder notification on the first wireless communication device and transmitting an instruction to a second wireless communication device to output a second reminder notification on the second wireless communication device, comprising:

detecting, by the first wireless communication device, a physical presence of the second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device; and

in response to detecting the physical presence of the second wireless communication device within the physical local range of the first wireless communication device;

determining, by the first wireless communication device, an identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

determining, by the first wireless communication device, if a reminder record is stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device; and

in response to a reminder record being stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

instructing the first wireless communication device to generate and output a reminder notification on the first wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record; and

transmitting, by the first wireless communication device, an instruction to the second wireless communication device to generate and output, on the second wireless communication device, a second reminder notification based on the content of the reminder record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a physical presence of the second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device comprises using a short range communication mechanism to perform direct communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device to thereby detect the physical presence of the second wireless communication device within the physical local range.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a physical presence of second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device comprises utilizing a centralized server and a large scale positioning system associated with the centralized server to identify a location of the first wireless communication device and a location of the second wireless communication device, and to compare the locations of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device to determine whether the second wireless communication device is within the physical local range of the first wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the first wireless communication device to generate and output a reminder notification on the first wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record further comprises:

interfacing with an electronic calendar data structure associated with the first wireless communication device, wherein the electronic calendar data structure is associated with an electronic calendar application of the first wireless communication device and is separate and distinct from the reminder record, and wherein the electronic calendar data structure stores event information independently of reminder records;

retrieving event information associated with a user of the second wireless communication device from the electronic calendar data structure; and

generating the reminder notification based on the retrieved event information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reminder record specifies one or more characteristics of the reminder notification, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

a textual message to include as part of the reminder notification,

an indicator of whether the reminder notification is to be a textual, graphical, audible, or tactile reminder notification,

a frequency of repetition of the reminder notification,

a volume level of the reminder notification,

a designation of an audible sound or audible output to generate as part of the reminder notification, or

an indicator of whether a picture of a user with which the reminder record is associated is to be output as part of the reminder notification, and wherein the reminder record further specifies an indication of whether or not to send an instruction to the second wireless communication device to instruct the second wireless communication device to output the second reminder notification on the second wireless communication device in response to detecting the second wireless communication device being within the local range of the first wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining an identity associated with the second wireless communication device comprises performing a lookup operation in a contacts listing data structure, of the first wireless communication device, the contacts list data structure being associated with a communications application providing logic for communicating with other devices, the lookup operation being based on the identifier associated with the second wireless communication device, to identify a matching contact entry corresponding to the identifier of the second wireless communication device,

reminder records in a reminder records data structure associated with the first wireless communication device are linked to entries in the contacts listing data structure, and

determining if a reminder record is stored in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device comprises performing a lookup operation in the reminder records data structure based on the matching contact entry to determine if there is a matching reminder record associated with the matching contact entry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reminder notification comprises user selectable elements for responding to the reminder notification, and wherein, in response to a user selection of a user selectable element, the output of the reminder notification is modified, and wherein the user selectable elements comprises a postpone user selectable element that schedules the reminder notification to be re-presented on the first wireless communication device at a next instance of the first wireless communication device coming into physical proximity with the second wireless communication device.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the communications application is an electronic mail application installed on, and executable by, the first wireless communication device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the reminder record comprises a plurality of characteristic parameters specifying a manner by which the reminder notification is to be generated, and wherein the plurality of characteristic parameters comprises a parameter indicating whether or not to output a picture of a user of the other device as part of the reminder notification.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the reminder notification comprises a user selectable element for transmitting the instruction to the second wireless communication device to cause the second wireless communication device to generate and output the second reminder notification, and wherein the transmitting of the instruction to the second wireless communication device is performed in response to a user of the wireless communication device selecting the user selectable element for transmitting the instruction to the second wireless communication device.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first wireless communication device, a current geographical location of the first wireless communication device;

performing, by the first wireless communication device, a lookup operation, in a contacts listing data structure associated with the first wireless communication device, based on the current geographical location of the first wireless communication device and identifiers of contacts associated with reminder records stored in the first wireless communication device, to identify contact entries in the contacts listing data structure that have previously registered static geographical location information within a given range of the current geographical location of the first wireless communication device; and

outputting, by the first wireless communication device, one or more notification outputs corresponding to reminder records whose associated identifiers of contacts correspond to contact entries having previously registered static geographical location information within a given range of the current geographical location of the first wireless communication device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is transmitted directly from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein reminder record is stored on the first wireless communication device and is not stored on the second wireless communication device, and wherein content of the a second reminder notification is specified by the reminder record stored on the first wireless communication device.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a first wireless communication device, causes the first wireless communication device to:

detect a physical presence of a second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device; and

further causes the first wireless communication device, in response to detecting the physical presence of the second wireless communication device within the physical local range of the first wireless communication device, to;

determine an identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

determine if a reminder record is stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device; and

in response to a reminder record being stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

generate and output a reminder notification on the first wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record; and

transmit an instruction to the second wireless communication device to generate and output, on the second wireless communication device, a second reminder notification based on the content of the reminder record.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the first wireless communication device to detect a physical presence of the second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device using a short range communication mechanism to perform direct communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device to thereby detect the physical presence of the second wireless communication device within the physical local range.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the first wireless communication device to detect a physical presence of the second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device utilizing a centralized server and a large scale positioning system associated with the centralized server to identify a location of the first wireless communication device and a location of the second wireless communication device, and to compare the locations of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device to determine whether the second wireless communication device is within the physical local range of the first wireless communication device.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the first wireless communication device to instruct the second wireless communication device to generate and output a reminder notification on the second wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record further at least by:

interfacing with an electronic calendar data structure associated with the first wireless communication device, wherein the electronic calendar data structure is associated with an electronic calendar application of the first wireless communication device and is separate and distinct from the reminder record, and wherein the electronic calendar data structure stores event information independently of reminder records;

retrieving event information associated with a user of the second wireless communication device from the electronic calendar data structure; and

generating the reminder notification based on the retrieved event information.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the reminder record specifies one or more characteristics of the reminder notification, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise at least one of:

a textual message to include as part of the reminder notification,

an indicator of whether the reminder notification is to be a textual, graphical, audible, or tactile reminder notification,

a frequency of repetition of the reminder notification,

a volume level of the reminder notification,

a designation of an audible sound or audible output to generate as part of the reminder notification, or

an indicator of whether a picture of a user with which the reminder record is associated is to be output as part of the reminder notification, and wherein the reminder record further specifies an indication of whether or not to send an instruction to the second wireless communication device to instruct the second wireless communication device to output the second reminder notification on the second wireless communication device in response to detecting the second wireless communication device being within the local range of the first wireless communication device.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein:

determining an identity associated with the second wireless communication device comprises performing a lookup operation in a contacts listing data structure, of the first wireless communication device, the contacts list data structure being associated with a communications application providing logic for communicating with other devices, the lookup operation being based on the identifier associated with the second wireless communication device, to identify a matching contact entry corresponding to the identifier of the second wireless communication device,

reminder records in a reminder records data structure associated with the first wireless communication device are linked to entries in the contacts listing data structure, and

determining if a reminder record is stored in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device comprises performing a lookup operation in the reminder records data structure based on the matching contact entry to determine if there is a matching reminder record associated with the matching contact entry.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the reminder notification comprises user selectable elements for responding to the reminder notification, and wherein, in response to a user selection of a user selectable element, the output of the reminder notification is modified, and wherein the user selectable elements comprises a postpone user selectable element that schedules the reminder notification to be re-presented on the first wireless communication device at a next instance of the first wireless communication device coming into physical proximity with the second wireless communication device.

19. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the communications application is an electronic mail application installed on, and executable by, the first wireless communication device.

15. A data processing system that is a first wireless communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

detect a physical presence of a second wireless communication device within a physical local range of the first wireless communication device; and

further causes the first wireless communication device, in response to detecting the physical presence of the second wireless communication device within the physical local range of the first wireless communication device, to;

determine an identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

determine if a reminder record is stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device; and

in response to a reminder record being stored in the first wireless communication device in association with the identity associated with the second wireless communication device;

generate and output a reminder notification on the first wireless communication device based on content of the reminder record; and

transmit an instruction to the second wireless communication device to generate and output, on the second wireless communication device, a second reminder notification based on the content of the reminder record.