Wireless devices and methods of operating wireless devices based on the presence of another person

• US 9,497,309 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Raghavan, Krishnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US14/330,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20140323176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity

Abstract

A method of operating a device for a user is provided. The method includes operating the device in a first mode; receiving an indication of a first person in the presence of the user; retrieving a first profile associated with the first person; and operating the device in a second mode based, at least in part, on the first profile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a device associated with a user, that a person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

identifying, by the device, based on an identity of the person other than the user, a device profile from a plurality of device profiles, wherein each device profile from the plurality of device profiles is associated with a respective set of people, and wherein the device profile includes configuration information for controlling operation of the device while the person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

while the device is operating in accordance with the device profile and while the person other than the user is determined to be in the presence of the user, receiving, by the device, an indication of a user input to change the operation of the device; and

updating, by the device, based on the user input to change the operation of the device, the configuration information of the device profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device is configured to operate in accordance with a first mode prior to determining that the person other than the user is in the presence of the user, and

the device is operating in accordance with a second mode after identifying the device profile, the second mode being determined based on the device profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the person other than the user is a first person other than the user, the device profile is a first device profile from the plurality of device profiles, and the first device profile includes first configuration information for controlling operation of the device, the method further comprising:

determining, by the device, that a second person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

identifying, by the device, based on an identity of the second person other than the user, a second device profile from the plurality of device profiles, wherein the second device profile includes second configuration information for controlling operation of the device; and

automatically applying, by the device, the second configuration information to cause the device to operate in accordance with a third mode different from the second mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the operation of the device includes silencing an audio notification, and wherein updating the configuration information of device profile includes modifying the configuration information of the device profile to prevent further audio notifications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the configuration information of the device profile includes a playlist having a plurality of songs,

the change to the operation of the device includes skipping a song from the plurality of songs of the playlist, and

updating the configuration information of the device profile includes modifying the playlist to remove the song.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information included in the device profile is first configuration information of the device profile, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the device, from a device associated with the person other than the user, second configuration information; and

updating, by the device, based on the second configuration information received from the device associated with the person other than the user, the first configuration information of device profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the person other than the user is in the presence of the user is based at least in part on one or more of 1) an indication of user input to identify the person, 2) an indication of user input to select the person from a contacts list, or 3) a message, received from a different device, that identifies the person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a first device, the method further comprising:

determining, by the first device, a current location of the first device; and

receiving, by the device, from a second device, a location of the second device,

wherein determining that the person other than the user is in the presence of the user is based at least in part on a comparison between the current location of the first device and the location of the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting the configuration information for the device profile from a remote device.

10. A device comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of device profiles, wherein each device profile from the plurality of device profiles includes respective configuration information for controlling operation of the device, and wherein each device profile from the plurality of device profiles is associated with a respective set of people; and

a controller coupled to the memory and configured to;

determine that a person other than a user associated with the device is in the presence of the user;

identify, based on an identify of the person other than the user associated with the device, a device profile from the plurality of device profiles, wherein the device profile includes configuration information for controlling operation of the device while the person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

while the device is operating in accordance with the device profile and while the person other than the user is determined to be in the presence of the user, receive an indication of user input to change the operation of the device; and

update, based on the user input to change the operation of the device, the configuration information of the device profile.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the device is configured to operate in accordance with a first mode prior to determining that the at least one person other than the user is in the presence of the user, and

the device is operating in accordance with a second mode after identifying the device profile, the second mode being determined based on the device profile.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the person other than the user is a first person other than the user, the device profile is a first device profile, and the first device profile includes first configuration information for controlling operation of the device, and wherein the controller is configured to:

determine that a second person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

identify, based on an identify of the second person other than the user, a second device profile from the plurality of device profiles, wherein the second device profile includes second configuration information for controlling operation of the device; and

automatically apply the second configuration information to cause the device to operate in accordance with a third mode different from the second mode.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the change to the operation of the device includes silencing an audio notification, and

the controller is configured to update the configuration information of the device profile by at least being configured to modify the configuration information of the device profile to prevent further audio notifications.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the configuration information of the device profile includes a playlist having a plurality of songs,

the change to the operation of the device includes skipping a song from the plurality of songs of the playlist, and

the controller is configured to update the configuration information of the device profile by at least being configured to modify the playlist to remove the song.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the configuration information included in the device profile is first configuration information, the device further comprising:

a communications module coupled to the controller and configured to receive, from a device associated with the person other than the user, second configuration information,

wherein the controller is further configured to update, based on the second configuration information received from the device associated with the person other than the user, the first configuration information of the device profile.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the person other than the user is in the presence of the user is based at least in part on one or more of 1) an indication of user input to identify the person, 2) an indication of user input to select the person from a contacts list, or 3) a message, received from a different device, that identifies the person.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is a first device, the device further comprising:

a communications module coupled to the controller and configured to receive, from a second device, a location of the second device,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

determine a current location of the first device, and

determine that at least one person other than the user is in the presence of the user based at least in part on a comparison between the current location of the first device and the location of the second device.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to request the configuration information for the device profile from a remote device.

19. A machine-readable storage device including instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to:

determine that a person other than a user associated with the device is in the presence of the user, wherein the device is operating in accordance with a first mode;

identify, based on an identity of the person other than the user, a device profile from a plurality of device profiles, wherein each device profile from the plurality of device profiles is associated with a respective set of people, and wherein the device profile includes configuration information for controlling operation of the device while the person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

apply the configuration information to cause the device to operate in accordance with a second mode;

while the device is operating in accordance with the second mode, receive an indication of a user input to change the operation of the device; and

update, based on the user input to change the operation of the device, the configuration information of the device profile.

20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the person other than the user is a first person other than the user, the device profile is a first device profile from the plurality of device profiles, and the first device profile includes first configuration information for controlling operation of the device, the machine-readable storage device further including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine that a second person other than the user is in the presence of the user;

identify, based on an identity of the second person other than the user, a second device profile from the plurality of device profiles, wherein the second device profile includes second configuration information for controlling operation of the device; and

apply the second configuration information to cause the device to operate in accordance with a third mode different from the second mode.