Do-not-disturb modes

• US 9,693,208 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Warr, Andrew Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US15/252,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 455418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data

Abstract

Methods related to do-not-disturb modes activated by a mobile device are provided. An example method may include receiving a do-not-disturb notification by a mobile device indicating that the mobile device is in a do-not-disturb mode. The method may further include temporarily disabling, when the mobile device is in the do-not-disturb mode, causing at least one communications feature associated with the mobile device and one or more additional communications features associated with one or more ancillary devices to be temporarily disabled. Another example method may include detecting whether a mobile device is in one of a stationary display screen face down state or a moving display screen face down state, and, when the mobile device is in at least one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state, causing a first communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled and sending a do-not-disturb notification to a server. Systems and computer-readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection from a user of at least one communications feature accessible on at least one ancillary device belonging to the user and not accessible on a mobile device of the user to be temporarily disabled by a server when a do-not-disturb mode is activated on a mobile device of the user;

receiving, by the server from the mobile device of the user, a do-not-disturb notification indicating that the mobile device has activated the do-not-disturb mode indicative of a physical orientation of a display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing; and

causing by the server, in response to receiving the do-not-disturb notification indicative of the physical orientation of the display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing, the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device belonging to the user to be temporarily disabled by the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection by the user of a communications feature associated with the mobile device from among the communication services to be temporarily disabled when the do-not-disturb mode is activated on the mobile device of the user; and

when the mobile device has activated the do-not-disturb mode, causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing receipt of new email messages by the mobile device to be temporarily suspended.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing incoming calls to the mobile device to be temporarily blocked.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled and the causing the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily suspended comprises causing receipt of at least some synchronization messages by the mobile device and by the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily suspended.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled and the causing the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily suspended comprises causing at least some communications messages sent to the mobile device and to the at least one ancillary device to be intercepted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing receipt of new emails to a computer corresponding to the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily suspended.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing incoming calls to a phone corresponding to one of the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily blocked.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an active notification from the mobile device indicating that the mobile device has switched from the do-not-disturb mode to an active mode; and

in response to the received active notification, causing the temporarily disabled at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be enabled.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the active notification from the mobile device is based on a second physical orientation of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second physical orientation of the mobile device comprises an orientation in which the display screen of the mobile device is not downwardly facing.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a selection from a user of at least one communications feature accessible on at least one ancillary device belonging to the user and not accessible on a mobile device of the user to be temporarily disabled by a server when a do-not-disturb mode is activated on a mobile device of the user;

detecting whether the mobile device of the user is in one of a stationary display screen face down state or a moving display screen face down state; and

when the mobile device is in at least one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state, sending a do-not-disturb notification causing a first communications feature associated with the mobile device and the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device to be temporarily disabled by the server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the causing the first communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing at least some communications received by the mobile device related to the first communications feature to be intercepted.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sending the do-not-disturb notification to the server comprises sending the do-not-disturb notification to the server for causing a second communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting that the mobile device is no longer in one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state; and

in response to the detecting that the mobile device is no longer in one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state, causing the temporarily disabled first communications feature associated with the mobile device to be enabled and sending an active notification to the server.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a selection from a user of at least one communications feature accessible on at least one ancillary device belonging to the user and not accessible on a mobile device of the user to be temporarily disabled by a server when a do-not-disturb mode is activated on a mobile device of the user;

receive, by the server from the mobile device of the user, a do-not-disturb notification indicating that the mobile device has activated the do-not-disturb mode indicative of a physical orientation of a display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing; and

causing by the server, in response to receiving the do-not-disturb notification indicative of the physical orientation of the display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing, the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device belonging to the user to be temporarily disabled.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors is caused to:

receive a selection by the user of a communications feature associated with the mobile device from among the communication services to be temporarily disabled when the do-not-disturb mode is activated on the mobile device of the user; and

when the mobile device has activated the do-not-disturb mode, cause the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing receipt of new email messages by the mobile device to be temporarily suspended.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the causing the selected communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled comprises causing incoming calls to the mobile device to be temporarily blocked.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the machine-readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving a selection from a user of at least one communications feature accessible on at least one ancillary device belonging to the user and not accessible on a mobile device of the user to be temporarily disabled by a server when a do-not-disturb mode is activated on a mobile device of the user;

instructions for receiving, by the server from the mobile device of the user, a do-not-disturb notification indicating that the mobile device has activated the do-not-disturb mode indicative of a physical orientation of a display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing; and

instructions for causing by the server, in response to receiving the do-not-disturb notification indicative of the physical orientation of the display screen of the mobile device being downwardly facing, the at least one communications feature accessible on the at least one ancillary device belonging to the user to be temporarily disabled.