Context-based alerts for an electronic device

• US 9,659,482 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Lawrence, Dascola, Jonathan R., Moussette, Camille, Harley, Jonah A., Verweij, Hugo D., Morrell, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US14/503,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for providing an output for an electronic device. In certain embodiments, an alert is output in accordance with a current alert mode, which are selected based on one or more environmental conditions. The environmental conditions may be detected using one or more environmental sensors. The alert can optionally include one or more of: an audio component, a haptic component and a visual component. One or more of alert components correspond to an aspect of the environmental condition detected by the one or more environmental sensors.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a first device having a processor and a memory;

detecting an occurrence of an event; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event;

in accordance with a determination that a second device is in proximity to the first device, outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the second device and forgoing outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the first device; and

in accordance with a determination that a user has not responded to the alert output on the second device after a delay time has elapsed, outputting a subsequent alert on the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current alert mode is automatically selected based on the one or more environmental conditions prior to detecting the occurrence of the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current alert mode is automatically selected using an environmental sensor that is configured to detect the one or more environmental conditions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the environmental sensor is a microphone configured to detect an ambient sound level, and

the current alert mode that is selected includes one or more of:

a visual component that corresponds to the ambient sound level, an audio component that corresponds to the ambient sound level and a haptic component that corresponds to the ambient sound level.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein

the environmental sensor is a motion sensor configured to detect an activity level, and

the current alert mode that is selected includes one or more of:

a visual component that corresponds to the activity level, an audio component that corresponds to the activity level and a haptic component that corresponds to the activity level.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein

the environmental sensor is an image sensor configured to detect an ambient light level, and

the current alert mode that is selected includes one or more of:

a visual component that corresponds to the ambient light level, an audio component that corresponds to the ambient light level, and a haptic component that corresponds to the ambient light level.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein

the environmental sensor is a battery power sensor configured to detect a current battery level, and

the current alert mode that is selected includes one or more of an audio component and a haptic component, wherein an estimated peak power output of the current alert mode corresponds to the current battery level.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the current alert mode that is selected includes the audio component and the haptic component that are output at separate times to reduce the peak power output of the current alert mode.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the current alert mode that is selected includes one or more of:

the audio component and the haptic component have a reduced amplitude to reduce the peak power output of the current alert mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first alert mode includes a first haptic component and a first visual component, and

the second alert mode includes a second haptic component and no visual component.

11. The method of claims 1, wherein

the first alert mode includes a first audio component and a first haptic component, and

the second alert mode includes a second audio component and second haptic component, wherein the first audio component and first haptic component are different than the second audio component and the second haptic component, respectively.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first alert mode includes no audio component and no haptic component.

13. The method of claims 1, wherein

the first alert mode includes a first audio component and a first haptic component offset by a first delay, and

the second alert mode includes the first audio component and the first haptic component offset by a second delay that is different than the first delay.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after selecting the current alert mode, select a subsequent current alert mode based on a changed environmental condition.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the response to the event includes, in accordance with a determination that the current alert mode is a third alert mode, outputting a third alert in response to the event, wherein the third alert is different from the first alert and the second alert.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event and in accordance with the determination that a second device is in proximity to the first device, a notification is forwarded from the first device to the second device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to the occurrence of the event, a notification is received by both the first device and the second device.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

an output device including one or more of;

a speaker, a display, a light source, and a haptic device;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs include instructions for;

detecting, using the processor, an occurrence of an event; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event;

in accordance with a determination that a separate device is in proximity to the device, outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the separate device and forgoing outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the device; and

in accordance with a determination that a user has not responded to the alert output on the separate device after a delay time has elapsed, outputting a subsequent alert on the device.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein, in response to detecting the occurrence of the event and in accordance with the determination that a separate device is in proximity to the device, a notification is forwarded from the device to the separate device.

20. The electronic of claim 18, wherein, in response to the occurrence of the event, a notification is received by both the device and the separate device.

21. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs include instructions for;

detecting an occurrence of an event; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event;

in accordance with a determination that a separate device is in proximity to the device, outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the separate device and forgoing outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the device; and

in accordance with a determination that a user has not responded to the alert output on the separate device after a delay time has elapsed, outputting a subsequent alert on the device.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the environmental sensor is located in one of:

a mobile telephone and a wearable electronic device, and

the output device is located in one of;

a mobile telephone and a wearable electronic.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a first device having one or more processors and memory, cause the first device to:

detect an occurrence of an event; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the event;

in accordance with a determination that a second device is in proximity to the first device, outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the second device and forgoing outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the first device; and

in accordance with a determination that a user has not responded to the alert output on the second device after a delay time has elapsed, outputting a subsequent alert on the first device.

24. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

means for detecting an occurrence of an event; and

means for, in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, determining a response to the, the determining a response includes;

in accordance with a determination that a separate device is in proximity to the device, outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the separate device and forgoing outputting an alert that corresponds to the event on the device; and

in accordance with a determination that a user has not responded to the alert output on the separate device after a delay time has elapsed, outputting a subsequent alert on the device.