Mobile notifications based upon location

• US 9,351,110 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Masterman, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/576,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments employed to generate device notifications based upon location data associated with a mobile device. To this end, a request to generate a device notification is obtained from a user application. Notification content is extracted from the request and an escalated or de-escalated notification level is applied that is based at least in part upon the location of the mobile device and properties about the location that can be identified.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a mobile device, a notification data item associated with at least one application executed by the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, a location associated with the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the location is associated with one of an escalated notification level or a de-escalated notification level by identifying a location listing associated with the location, identifying a location type associated with the location listing, and determining whether the location type is associated with a notification rule, the notification rule specifying one of the escalated notification level or the de-escalated notification level based upon the location type;

extracting, by the mobile device, notification content from the notification data item; and

generating, by the mobile device, a device notification corresponding to the at least one of the escalated notification level or the de-escalated notification level.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the device notification further comprises generating at least one of:

a notification user interface element rendered on a display device associated with the mobile device, an audible notification via a speaker associated with the mobile device, activation of a vibration motor associated with the mobile device, modifying a brightness level of the display device, or a visual notification via at least one externally visible light emitting diode (LED) associated with the mobile device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the device notification according to the de-escalated notification level further comprises delaying the device notification until an updated location of the mobile device is a specified distance away from a current location corresponding to the location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the escalated notification level comprises an escalated volume level relative to a baseline volume level; and

the de-escalated notification level comprises a lower volume level relative to the baseline volume level.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the mobile device, the de-escalated notification level in response to a determination that a calendar accessible to the mobile device indicates an appointment at a current time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the mobile device, a current event listing associated with the location listing;

determining, by the mobile device, whether an event is currently occurring at the location; and

selecting, by the mobile device, the one of the escalated notification level or the de-escalated notification level based upon whether the event is currently occurring at the location.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a mobile device, the program, when executed, causing the mobile device to at least:

obtain a notification data item associated with at least one application executed by the mobile device;

determine a location associated with the mobile device;

extract notification content from the notification data item;

identify at least one notification rule associated with the location by identifying a location listing associated with the location, identifying a location type associated with the location listing, and determining whether the location type is associated with the at least one notification rule, the at least one notification rule specifying one of one of an escalated notification level or a de-escalated notification level based upon the location type; and

generate a device notification in the mobile device corresponding to a notification level specified by the at least one notification rule.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the program causes the mobile device to identify at least one notification rule associated with the location is identified by:

identifying, from metadata associated with the location, operating hours associated with the location listing; and

determining whether the at least one notification rule is associated with whether the location is open or closed.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the program causes the mobile device to identify at least one notification rule associated with the location by:

determining whether the location is associated with a first user linked to a second user associated with the mobile device; and

identifying, by the mobile device, a notification rule associated with the first user.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program causes the mobile device to determine whether the location is associated with the first user linked to the second user associated with the mobile device by determining whether the location is within a predetermined radius of an address associated with the first user in an address book accessible to the mobile device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the notification rule specifies the notification level based at least in part upon a relationship between the first user and the second user.

12. A system, comprising:

an electronic data store configured to store at least specific computer-executable instructions; and

a mobile device comprising a hardware processor and in communication with the electronic data store, the mobile device configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least;

obtain a notification request from an application executed in the mobile device to generate a device notification in the mobile device;

identify location data associated with the mobile device;

identify a notification level based at least in part upon the location data by identifying a location listing associated with the location data, identifying a location type associated with the location listing, and determining whether the location type is associated with a notification rule, the notification rule specifying one of one of an escalated notification level or a de-escalated notification level based upon the location type;

identify the notification level based at least in part on the location data; and

generate the device notification according to the notification level.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the notification level is identified based at least in part upon the location data by determining a velocity of the mobile device associated with the location data and selecting the notification level based at least in part upon the velocity of the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a particular specified notification level is selected when the velocity meets a predefined threshold.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the notification level is identified based at least in part upon the location type by:

selecting an escalated notification level when the location type is associated with an escalated volume level relative to a baseline volume level; and

selecting a de-escalated notification level when the location type is associated with a lowered volume level relative to the baseline volume level.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the device notification is generated according to the notification level by initiating a combination of at least one of:

display of a notification user interface element on a display associated with the mobile device, initiating playing of a ringtone, activating a light emitting diode (LED) associated with the mobile device, modifying a brightness level of the display associated with the mobile device, or activating a vibration motor associated with the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the notification level specifies at least one of a repeat frequency, a repeat pattern, or an intensity associated with the device notification.