Methods, device and systems for delivery of navigational notifications

• US 9,273,978 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Walker, David Ryan, Pasquero, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): SMALL, NAOMI J
• Application Number:
  US12/684,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20110169632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a method, computer program product, mobile device for delivering a navigational notification generated for a mobile device. The delivering of the navigational notification includes obtaining one or more notification parameters and one or more audio parameters; and controlling the delivery of the navigational notification at least partly based on the notification parameters and the audio parameters. The notification parameters are indicative of one or more aspects of the navigational notification such as time-sensitivity, priority or the like. Various configurations of computer program products, mobile devices and systems for controlling the delivery of the navigational notification are also described.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a navigational notification generated at a mobile device, said method comprising:

obtaining two or more notification parameters associated with said navigation notification, wherein a first one of said notification parameters is a time-sensitivity parameter indicative of whether or not said navigational notification is to be delivered within or before a certain time, wherein the time-sensitivity parameter is further indicative of an amount of time available for the notification to be delivered within or before the certain time, and a second one of said notification parameters is a priority parameter indicative of an importance of said navigational notification;

obtaining one or more audio parameters indicative of an ambient sound level; and

controlling a time of delivery of said navigational notification based on said time-sensitivity parameter, said priority parameter, and said one or more audio parameters, wherein said navigational notification is delivered when the mobile device determines that an ambient sound level is below an audio threshold value and the time-sensitivity parameter is greater than a time-sensitivity threshold level, wherein delivery of said navigational notification is deferred when said mobile device determines that the time-sensitivity parameter is less than said time-sensitivity threshold level and the audio parameter is greater than an the audio threshold value, wherein said audio threshold value is dependent on said priority parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling further comprises controlling one or more of:

a mode of delivery of said navigational notification; and

volume for said delivery of said navigation notification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said ambient sound level is a sensed ambient sound level or a predicted ambient sound level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, at least partially, said ambient sound level prior to or during delivery of said navigational notification.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said navigational notification is delivered substantially immediately when said mobile device determines that the audio parameter is less than the audio threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational notification is delivered substantially immediately when said time-sensitivity parameter is greater than a time-sensitivity threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said ambient sound level is at least partially controlled prior to or during the delivery of said navigational notification when said mobile device determines that the audio parameter is greater than the audio threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said navigational notification and updating at least one of said one or more audio parameters while said navigation notification is stored.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said navigational notification is delivered and discarded when said mobile device determines that said at least one updated audio parameter is less than the audio threshold value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said navigational notification is delivered and discarded when said at least one updated audio parameter is greater than the audio threshold value.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said navigational notification is delivered and discarded or discarded when lapsed time since generation of said navigational notification is greater than an expiry time.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said stored navigational notification is monitored for delivery in an order determined based on one or more of:

order of entry into storage;

said priority parameter; and

said time-sensitivity parameter.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining is continuous, periodic or triggered.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining comprises receiving said notification parameters or audio parameters from a communicatively linked server or processing module.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said two or more notification parameters further comprise one or more of:

a length of said navigational notification; and

a preferred delivery mode of said navigational notification.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining an indication of whether a current route being navigated is familiar or unfamiliar, and wherein said navigational notification is a reassurance notification which does not prompt a specific user action, and wherein said priority parameter is assigned a priority value based at least in part on said indication of whether the current route being navigated is familiar or unfamiliar.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein an update frequency for obtaining said audio parameters is determined automatically based on one or more of:

a number of notifications waiting to be delivered;

a nature of notifications to be delivered;

a length of time during which notification delivery has been pending; and

characteristics of the ambient sound level.

18. A mobile device comprising:

a delivery control module configured to obtain one or more audio parameters and two or more notification parameters, said two or more notification parameters associated with the navigational notification, wherein a first one of said notification parameters is a time-sensitivity parameter indicative of whether or not said navigational notification is to be delivered within or before a certain time, wherein the time-sensitivity parameter is further indicative of an amount of time available for the notification to be delivered within or before the certain time, and a second one of said notification parameters is a priority parameter indicative of an importance of said navigational notification, said delivery control module further configured to generate one or more control signals for controlling a time of delivery of the navigational notification, based on the one or more audio parameters, and the notification parameters, wherein said navigational notification is delivered when said delivery control module determines that the ambient sound level is below an audio threshold value and the time-sensitivity parameter is greater than a time-sensitivity threshold, wherein delivery of said navigational notification is deferred when said delivery control module determines that the time-sensitivity parameter is less than said time-sensitivity threshold and the audioparameter is greater than an the audio threshold value, wherein said audio threshold value is dependent on said priority parameter.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising:

a sensor module configured to sense ambient sound level;

one or more audio parameter modules configured to determine said audio parameters, wherein at least one of said audio parameters is indicative of said sensed ambient sound level;

one or more notification parameter modules configured to determine said two or more notification parameters; and

one or more output modules communicatively linked to the delivery control module, the output modules configured to receive the one or more control signals and deliver said navigational notification based at least in part on said one or more control signals.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising a memory module configured to store navigational notifications.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein said mobile device is communicatively linked to one or more external devices via a wireless or a hardwired connection.

22. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein said delivery control module is further configured to select one of said one or more output modules for delivery of the navigational notification, based at least in part on said notification parameters.

23. A computer program product for delivering a navigational notification generated for a mobile device, said computer program product comprising code which, when loaded into a memory and executed on an operatively associated processor, is configured to perform the following:

obtaining two or more notification parameters associated with said navigational notification, wherein a first one of said notification parameters is a time-sensitivity parameter indicative of whether or not said navigational notification is to be delivered within or before a certain time, wherein the time-sensitivity parameter is further indicative of an amount of time available for the notification to be delivered within or before the certain time, and a second one of said notification parameters is a priority parameter indicative of an importance of said navigational notification;

obtaining one or more audio parameters indicative of an ambient sound level; and

controlling a time of delivery of said navigational notification, based on said time-sensitivity parameter, said priority parameter, and said one or more audio parameters, wherein said navigational notification is delivered when the ambient sound level is below an audio threshold value and the time-sensitivity parameter is greater than a time-sensitivity threshold level, wherein delivery of said navigational notification is deferred when said mobile device determines that the time-sensitivity parameter is less than said time-sensitivity threshold level and the audio parameter is greater than an the audio threshold value, wherein said audio threshold value is dependent on said priority parameter.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said controlling comprises controlling one or more of:

a mode of delivery for said navigation notification; and

a volume for said delivery of said navigation notification.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, further configured to perform:

controlling, at least partially, said ambient sound level.