Method and apparatus for application optimization and collaboration of wearable devices

• US 9,467,795 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Kreitzer, Stuart S, Corretjer, Jesus F
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US14/483,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and apparatus associated with one or more wearable devices for a user includes utilizing the one or more wearable devices, for a set of functionality, in a first configuration by the user, wherein the user is in a specific role; communicating data, in a Personal Area Network (PAN), between the one or more wearable devices and between a mobile device associated with the user; and providing information to a recommendation engine, wherein the information is related to the specific role, the set of functionality, and the first configuration.

Claims

1. A method associated with a mobile device and a first set of a plurality of different types of wearable devices associated with a first user to provide a first set of functionality to the first user, the method comprising:

utilizing the first set of different types of wearable devices in an initial application and configuration state to provide the first set of functionality to the first user, the first user being an identified first type of user associated with a particular user role;

communicating data, in a Personal Area Network (PAN), between the first set of different types of wearable devices and the mobile device associated with the first user based on the first set of functionality;

transmitting, to a wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, the (i) identified first type of user of the first user, (ii) identities of wearable devices in the first set of different types of wearable devices associated with the first user, (iii) application information identifying installed applications of the first set of different types of wearable devices providing the first set of functionality to the first user, and (iv) configuration information identifying customizable device and/or application configurations of the first set of different types of wearable devices; and

receiving, from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, recommended application information and configuration information, wherein the recommended configuration is based on crowd-sourced data of other mobile devices having a substantially identical set of different types of wearable devices and substantially identical identified first type of user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing a particular wearable device from the first set of different types of wearable devices to form a second set of a plurality of different types of wearable devices; and

automatically adjusting a set of functionality provided by the second set of different types of wearable devices to the first user in a second configuration, determined as a function of the recommended application information and configuration information or second recommended application information and configuration information received from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, to recover functionality lost by the removing the particular wearable device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the automatic adjusting utilizes one or more security rules that are used to override recommendations of wearable device installed applications and customizable device and/or application configurations received from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the recommended application information and configuration information from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, transmitting a request for the application information and configuration information to the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying the received recommended application information and configuration information and manually configuring the first set of different types of wearable devices based on the received recommended application information and configuration information.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically configuring the first set of different types of wearable devices based on the received recommended application information and configuration information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of different types of wearable devices includes sensors capable of providing duplicative sensor functionality, and the method further comprising:

configuring the first set of different types of wearable devices to avoid the first set of different types of wearable devices providing duplicative sensor functionality; and

sharing sensor information based at least on the avoiding of duplicative sensor functionality over the PAN between the first set of different types of wearable devices and the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuring the first set of different types of wearable devices to avoid the first set of different types of wearable devices providing duplicative sensor functionality is based on crowd-sourced data from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine and stored technical data associated with sensors in the first set of different types of wearable devices, the stored technical data including one or both of sensory accuracy and power consumption associated with sensors in the first set of different types of wearable devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular wearable device of the first set of different types of wearable devices is a wrist worn device, the method further comprising:

detecting a conventional watch using a magnetic sensor of the wrist worn device; and

adjusting a configuration of the wrist worn device based on the detecting to avoid duplicating functionality at the wrist worn device that is already provided by the conventional watch.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a particular wearable device to the first set of different types of wearable devices to form a second set of a plurality of wearable devices; and

automatically adjusting a set of functionality provided by the second set of wearable devices to the first user in a second configuration, determined as a function of the recommended application information and configuration information or second recommended application information and configuration information received from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, to avoid duplicative functionality between the added particular wearable device and the remaining wearable devices in the second set of different types of wearable devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of the plurality of different types of wearable devices comprises two or more of i) a vitals and/or activity tracking band, ii) a smart watch, iii) a smart phone, iv) a heads-up display, v) computerized eyeglasses, vi) a smart mask, and vii) smart gloves.

12. A server operating as a wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine for a plurality of mobile devices, each mobile device associated with a set of different types of wearable devices associated with a respective user and providing a first set of functionality to the respective user, the server comprising:

a network interface communicatively coupled to a network;

a processor communicatively coupled to the network interface; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive, from each of the mobile devices, (i) user identity information comprising an identity of a particular user-type of the respective user associated with the mobile device, the particular user-type being associated with a particular user role, (ii) wearable device information identifying wearable devices in a set of different types of wearable devices associated with the mobile device and the respective user, (iii) application information identifying installed applications of the set of different types of wearable devices providing the first set of functionality to the respective user, and (iv) configuration information identifying customizable device and/or application configurations of the set of different types of wearable devices providing the first set of functionality to the respective user,

store local information including the received user identity information, wearable device information, application information, and configuration information associated with each mobile device,

determine, over all mobile devices having a substantially identical combination of user-type and set of different types of wearable devices, an optimal configuration for each combination of user-type and set of different types of wearable devices based on the stored local information; and

transmit, to the particular mobile device out of the plurality of mobile devices, a determined optimal configuration, wherein the optimal configuration is based on crowd-sourced data of other mobile devices in the plurality of mobile devices having a substantially identical set of different types of wearable devices and substantially identical identified first type of user as the particular mobile device.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

provide an application to one of the plurality of users, wherein the application is configured to operate on a respective one of the mobile device and/or wearable devices associated with the respective user.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

continually update the optimal configuration for each of the combinations of user-type and set of different types of wearable devices, based on further application information and configuration information updates received from the mobile devices.

15. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

transmit the determined optimal configuration to the particular mobile device responsive to receiving a request from the particular mobile device for the optimal configuration.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

cause automatic configuration of the wearable devices associated with the particular mobile device based on the transmitted optimal configuration.

17. The server of claim 12, wherein the stored configuration information and application information received from each of the mobile devices is anonymized with respect to the plurality of respective users associated with the mobile devices.

18. The server of claim 12, wherein the set of different types of wearable devices are sensors capable of providing duplicative sensor functionality, and wherein the optimal configuration includes configuration of the sensors to avoid duplicative sensor functionality.

19. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

compare a particular set of wearable devices associated with a particular mobile device and particular respective user with a second set of different types of wearable devices formed by removal of a particular wearable device from the particular set of different types of wearable devices; and

automatically adjusting a set of functionality provided by the second set of different types of wearable devices in a second optimal configuration to recover functionality for the particular respective user lost by the removal of the particular wearable device in the second set of different types of wearable devices; and

transmit the second optimal configuration to the particular mobile device.

20. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

compare a particular set of wearable devices associated with a particular mobile device and particular respective user with a second set of different types of wearable devices formed by addition of a particular wearable device from the particular set of different types of wearable devices; and

automatically adjusting a set of functionality provided by the second set of different types of wearable devices in a second configuration to avoid duplicative functionality to the particular respective user between the added particular wearable device and the remaining wearable devices in the second set of different types of wearable devices.

21. A mobile device communicatively coupled to a first set of a plurality of different types of wearable devices associated with a first user to provide a first set of functionality to the first user, the mobile device comprising:

a Wide Area Network (WAN) and/or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) wireless interface communicatively coupled to a network;

a Personal Area Network (PAN) wireless interface communicatively coupled to the first set of different types of wearable devices;

a processor communicatively coupled to the PAN wireless interface and the WAN and/or WLAN wireless interface; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to

form the PAN with the first set of different types of wearable devices via the PAN wireless interface;

operate, via the PAN, the first set of different types of wearable devices in an initial application and configuration state to provide the first set of functionality to the first user, the first user being an identified first type of user associated with particular user role; and

transmit, via the WAN and/or WLAN wireless interface, data to a wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine including the identified first type of user of the first user, identities of wearable devices in the first set of different types of wearable devices associated with the first user, application information identifying installed applications of the first set of different types of wearable devices providing the first set of functionality to the first user, and configuration information identifying customizable device and/or application configurations of the first set of different types of wearable devices; and

receive, from the wearable device set application and configuration recommendation engine, recommended application information and configuration information, wherein the recommended configuration is based on crowd-sourced data of other mobile devices having a substantially identical set of different types of wearable devices and substantially identical identified first type of user.