Attention and event management

• US 9,272,658 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Newton-Dunn, Henry Owen, Schuller, Donald Geoffrey, Malahy, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/312,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20150367770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 455/456.1, 340/439
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/184 Displaying the same information on different displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

The present disclosure provides techniques for dynamic driver attention and event notification management based on the current contextual information about a vehicle, driver attention, and a distraction weight of a notification of an event. A method may include receiving a first contextual information about a motorized vehicle. An indication of the occurrence of a first event may be received. It may be determined that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information. As a result, a first notification of the first event may be provided to a user of the motorized vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of managing notifications in an event management system having one or more processors, a memory and a network interface, comprising:

receiving a first contextual information about a motorized vehicle;

receiving an indication of the occurrence of a first event, the first event being selected from a group consisting of;

receipt of an email, receipt of a text message, an incoming call, receipt of an alert, receipt of a notification associated with an application, and receipt of a push notification;

determining that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information; and

providing a first notification of the first event to a user of the motorized vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the occurrence of a second event;

determining that the second event has a second event notification weight that does not satisfy the first notification threshold based on the first contextual information; and

delaying a second notification of the second event to the user of the motorized vehicle until the second event notification weight that satisfies a second notification threshold based on a second contextual information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a second contextual information about the motorized vehicle;

determining that the second event notification weight satisfies the second notification threshold based on the second contextual information; and

providing the second notification of the second event to the user of the motorized vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the occurrence of a third event;

determining that the third event has a third event notification weight that satisfies the second notification threshold based on the second contextual information;

determining that the third event notification weight is less than the second event notification weight; and

providing the second notification of the second event before providing a third notification of the third event to the user of the motorized vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first notification of the first event comprises displaying the first notification within a user interface of a multimedia system associated with the motorized vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first notification of the first event comprises displaying the first notification within a user interface of a mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first contextual information is based on data received from at least one source selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile device, a sensor associated with a mobile device, the motorized vehicle, a sensor associated with the motorized vehicle, a GPS, and a navigation system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the occurrence of the first event is received from a mobile device associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information is performed by a multimedia system associated with the motorized vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information is performed by a mobile device associated with the user.

11. A system for managing notifications comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first contextual information about a motorized vehicle;

receive an indication of the occurrence of a first event, the first event being selected from a group consisting of;

receipt of an email, receipt of a text message, an incoming call, receipt of an alert, receipt of a notification associated with an application, and receipt of a push notification;

determine that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information; and

provide a first notification of the first event to a user of the motorized vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an indication of the occurrence of a second event;

determine that the second event has a second event notification weight that does not satisfy the first notification threshold based on the first contextual information; and

delay a second notification of the second event to the user of the motorized vehicle until the second event notification weight satisfies a second notification threshold based on a second contextual information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receiving a second contextual information about the motorized vehicle;

determining that the second event notification weight satisfies the second notification threshold based on the second contextual information; and

providing the second notification of the second event to the user of the motorized vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receiving an indication of the occurrence of a third event;

determining that the third event has a third event notification weight satisfies the second notification threshold based on the second contextual information;

determining that the third event notification weight is less than the second event notification weight; and

providing the second notification of the second event before providing a third notification of the third event to the user of the motorized vehicle.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein providing the first notification of the first event comprises displaying the first notification within a user interface of a multimedia system associated with the motorized vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein providing the first notification of the first event comprises displaying the first notification within a user interface of a mobile device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first contextual information is based on data received from at least one source selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile device, a sensor associated with a mobile device, the motorized vehicle, a sensor associated with the motorized vehicle, a GPS, and a navigation system.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the indication of the occurrence of the first event is received from a mobile device associated with the user.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of determining that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information is performed by a multimedia system associated with the motorized vehicle.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of determining that the first event has a first event notification weight that satisfies a first notification threshold based on the first contextual information is performed by a mobile device associated with the user.