Contextual alarm and notification management

• US 10,200,527 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Walter Chochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US15/825,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 340521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing alarms and notifications pursuant to contextual cues pertaining to the persisting relevance or utility of such alarms and notifications. The systems and methods involve receiving, at a local computing device comprising an output device, the output device configured to output at least one of visual, aural, and tactile output, input instructing the output device to provide output in the form of a notification at a predetermined time. The systems and methods further involve receiving contextual information at a notification manager, analyzing the contextual information at the notification manager, and cancelling, suppressing, or replacing the notification at the local computing device based on the analysis of the contextual information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

scheduling, by a computing device, an alarm for reminding a user of the computing device to complete a task at a predetermined time, wherein the computing device is a mobile phone or a tablet computer;

receiving, by the computing device, contextual information associated with a computerized watch that is distinct from the computing device and is associated with the user of the computing device, wherein the contextual information includes information pertaining to a current geographic location of the computerized watch, the current geographic location of the computerized watch being different than a current geographic location of the computing device; and

prior to the computing device outputting the alarm at the predetermined time and from the current geographic location of the computing device;

determining, by the computing device, based on the contextual information, that the user is at the current geographic location of the computerized watch and not at the current geographic location of the computing device;

determining, by the computing device, based on the current geographic location of the computerized watch, whether the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task; and

responsive to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, cancelling, by the computing device, the alarm to prevent the alarm from being output at the current geographic location of the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm is a first alarm, the task is a first task, and the predetermined time is a first predetermined time, the method further comprising:

scheduling, by the computing device, a second alarm for reminding the user of the computing device to complete a second task at a second predetermined time;

prior to the computing device outputting the second alarm at the second predetermined time;

determining, by the computing device, based on the contextual information, whether the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the second task; and

responsive to determining that the user has not already completed, or is not currently completing, the second task, outputting, by the computing device, the second alarm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information further includes information pertaining to one or more movements of the computerized watch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the alarm comprises scheduling, by the computing device, based on information obtained about prior behavior of the user, the alarm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the contextual information comprises receiving, by the computing device, via a direct communication channel with the computerized watch, the contextual information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the direct communication channel is a Bluetooth®

or Wi-Fi®

connection between the computing device and the computerized watch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the contextual information comprises receiving, by the computing device, via a remote computing system that is in direct communication with the computerized watch, the contextual information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after cancelling the alarm, outputting, by the computing device, a notification indicating that the alarm was canceled.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, outputting, by the computing device, a first notification indicating that the alarm is pending; and

after cancelling the alarm in response to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, outputting, by the computing device, a second notification indicating that the alarm was canceled.

10. A system comprising:

a network;

a computing device, wherein the computing device is a mobile phone or a tablet computer; and

a computerized watch configured to output, to the network, contextual information associated with the computerized watch, wherein the contextual information includes information pertaining to a current geographic location of the computerized watch, the current geographic location of the computerized watch being different than a current geographic location of the computing device,

wherein the computing device is configured to;

schedule an alarm for reminding a user of the computing device to complete a task at a predetermined time;

receive, via the network, the contextual information associated with the computerized watch; and

prior to the computing device outputting the alarm at the predetermined time;

determine, based on the contextual information, that the user is at the current geographic location of the computerized watch and not at the current geographic location of the computing device;

determine, based on the current geographic location of the computerized watch, whether the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task; and

responsive to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, cancel, the alarm to prevent the alarm from being output at the current geographic location of the computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computerized watch comprises one or more sensors configured to detect the current geographic location of the computerized watch and one or more movements associated with the computerized watch, and wherein the contextual information includes an indication of the one or more movements associated with the computerized watch.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the network comprises a Bluetooth®

or Wi-Fi®

network connection between the computing device and the computerized watch.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing device comprises an output device and the computing device is configured to output a notification indicating that the alarm was canceled.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, configure the at least one processor to:

schedule an alarm for reminding a user of the computing device to complete a task at a predetermined time, wherein the computing device is a mobile phone or a tablet computer;

receive contextual information associated with a computerized watch that is distinct from the computing device and is associated with the user of the computing device, wherein the contextual information includes information pertaining to a current geographic location of the computerized watch, the current geographic location of the computerized watch being different than a current geographic location of the computing device; and

prior to outputting the alarm at the predetermined time and from the current geographic location of the computing device;

determine, based on the contextual information, that the user is at the current geographic location of the computerized watch and not at the current geographic location of the computing device;

determine, based on the current geographic location of the computerized watch, whether the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task; and

responsive to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, cancel the alarm to prevent the alarm from being output at the current geographic location of the computing device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the alarm is a first alarm, the task is a first task, the predetermined time is a first predetermined time, and the instructions, when executed, further configure the at least one processor to:

schedule a second alarm for reminding the user of the computing device to complete a second task at a second predetermined time;

prior to outputting the second alarm at the second predetermined time;

determine, based on the contextual information, whether the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the second task; and

responsive to determining that the user has not already completed, or is not currently completing, the second task, output the second alarm.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the predetermined time is a first predetermined time, and the instructions, when executed, further configure the at least one processor to:

determine, based on the contextual information associated with the computerized watch, an adjustment to the alert; and

prior to outputting the alert at the predetermined time, reschedule, based on the adjustment, the alarm for reminding the user of the computing device to complete the task by a second predetermined time that is different than the first predetermined time.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further configure the at least one processor to:

prior to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, output a first notification indicating that the alarm is pending; and

after cancelling the alarm in response to determining that the user has already completed, or is currently completing, the task, output a second notification indicating that the alarm was canceled.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the predetermined time is a first predetermined time, and the instructions, when executed, further configure the at least one processor to receive the contextual information from the computerized watch or from a remote computing system that is in direct communication with the computerized watch.