Context-based contact notification

• US 9,503,516 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Nidhi
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US14/452,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for providing a context-based notification from a first device to a second device. In an embodiment, the first device is associated with a driver travelling to pick up a passenger, and the second device is associated with the passenger. Substantially at a notification point, the first device determines if, how, and when to transmit an auto-notification to the second device based on context. For example, if the passenger is not near the meeting point, then a notification is not sent, whereas if the passenger is in a conference with others, then a text rather than a call is sent. If traffic between the notification point and the meeting point is heavy, then the notification is delayed until the expected amount of travel time remains.

Claims

1. A method comprising;

determining, by a first computing device, that the first computing device is at a predetermined notification point that lies an expected amount of time from a meeting point, wherein the expected amount of time is based at least in part on a time of day;

determining, by the first computing device and based on current travel conditions, whether travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time;

responsive to determining that travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time, adjusting, by the first computing device, a time at which the first computing device will send a notification to a second computing device from a first time to a second time, wherein the second time is later than the first time, and wherein the notification indicates the first computing device is the expected amount of time from the meeting point; and

at the second time, automatically transmitting, by the first computing device, the notification to the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transmitting the notification from the first computing device to the second computing device is responsive to determining, by the first computing device, that the second computing device is within a predetermined proximity of the meeting point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined proximity is selected such that a user of the second computing device is able to travel from within the predetermined proximity to the meeting point within the expected amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the first computing device, that the notification was not received at the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the notification was not received at the second computing device comprises, determining, by the first comprising device, that the notification was not received at the second computing device due to loss of cellular connectivity, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the notification was not received due to loss of cellular connective, retransmitting, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, the notification in such a manner that the notification can be accessed over a non-cellular medium.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the non-cellular medium includes one of WiFi or a wireless local area network.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the notification is transmitted as a call;

the method further comprising;

determining, by the first computing device, that the notification was not received at the second computing device because the call was not answered; and

responsive to determining that the notification was not received because the call was not answered, retransmitting, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, the notification as a text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transmitting the notification comprises determining, by the first comprising device, based on user context, how to send the notification.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining how to send the notification includes:

checking, by the first computing device, a calendar associated with a user of the second computing device; and

in response to determining that the calendar associated with the user of the second computing device indicates the user of the second computing device is in a meeting, determining, by the first computing device, to send the notification as a text notification.

10. A first computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

determine that the first computing device is at a predetermined notification point that lies an expected amount of time from a meeting point, wherein the expected amount of time is based at least in part on a time of day;

determine, based on current travel conditions whether travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time;

responsive to determining that travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time, adjust a time at which the first computing device will send a notification to a second computing device from a first time to a second time, wherein the second time is later than the firs time, and wherein the notification indicates that the first computing device is the expected amount of time from the meeting point; and

at the second time, automatically transmitting the notification to the second computing device.

11. The first computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine that the notification was not received at the second computing device.

12. The first computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

determine that the notification was not received at the second computing device due to loss of cellular connectivity; and

responsive to determining that the notification was not received due to loss of cellular connectivity, retransmit the notification in such a manner that the notification can be accessed over a non-cellular network.

13. The first computing device of claim 11, wherein the notification is transmitted as a call, and wherein instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

determine that the notification was not received at the second computing device because the cell was not answered; and

responsive to determining that the notification was not received because the call was not answered, retransmit the notification as a text.

14. The first computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine, based on user context, how to send the notification.

15. The first computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine how to send the notification at least by:

checking a calendar associated with a user of the second computing device; and

in response to determining that the calendar associated with the user of the second computing device indicates the user of the second computing device is in a meeting, determining to send the notification as a text notification.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, that, when executed, cause a processor of a first computing device to:

determine that the first computing device is at a predetermined notification point that lies an expected amount of time from a meeting point, wherein the expected amount of time is based at least in part on a time of day;

determine, based on current travel conditions whether travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time;

responsive to determining that travel from the notification point to the meeting point will take longer than the expected amount of time, adjust a time at which the first computing device will send a notification to a second computing device from a first time to a second time, wherein the second time is later than the first time, and wherein the notification indicates that the first computing device is the expected amount of time from the meeting point; and

at the second time, automatically transmitting the notification to the second computing device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine that the notification was not received at the second computing device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine that the notification was not received at the second computing device due to loss of cellular connectivity; and

responsive to determining that the notification was not received due to loss of cellular connectivity, retransmit the notification is such a manner that the notification can be accessed over a non-cellular network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to automatically transmit a notification from the first computing device to the second computing device in response to determining that the second computing device is within a predetermined proximity of the meeting point.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine, based on user context, how to send the notification.