Method and apparatus for automatically setting alarms and notifications

• US 10,742,797 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2019
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ma, Shannon M., Varoglu, Devrim, Bidabadi, Mohammad, Concha, Paolo D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lafontant, Gary
• Application Number:
  US16/597,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20200120198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/023 Adjusting the duration or amplitude of signals
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/026 acting at a number of different times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/025 for measuring physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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

Abstract

A processor-based personal electronic device (such as a smartphone) is programmed to automatically respond to data sent by various sensors from which the user'"'"'s activity may be inferred. One or more alarms on the device may be temporarily disabled when sensor data indicates that the user is asleep. One or more of the sensors may be worn by the user and remote from the device. A wireless communication link may be used by the device to obtain remote sensor data. Data from on-board sensors in the device—such as motion sensors, location sensors, ambient light sensors, and the like—may also be used to deduce the user'"'"'s current activity. User data (such as calendar entries) may also be used to determine likely user activity and set alarms accordingly. Biometric data from a second, nearby person may also be used to automatically select certain alarm modes on a first person'"'"'s device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving sensor data from at least one sensor responsive to an activity of a user;

determining, based on the sensor data, a likely time when the user went to sleep;

identifying a first scheduled event based on electronic calendar data associated with the user;

identifying that a communication-suppression state of a device associated with the user is or will be activated, wherein the device does not present a visual or haptic stimulus in response to one or more types of trigger events when the communication-suppression state is activated;

determining that the communication-suppression state is scheduled to deactivate at a default expiration time;

determining, based at least in part on the likely time when the user went to sleep, that the default expiration time is after a time associated with the first scheduled event;

changing the default expiration time to an earlier expiration time; and

rescheduling the communication-suppression state to be deactivated at the earlier expiration time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more types of trigger events include an alarm, a phone call or a text message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes the at least one sensor, and wherein the at least one sensor includes a motion sensor, a pulse-rate sensor, or a breathing-rate sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scheduled event is an event identified in a calendar entry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the likely time when the user went to sleep is based on identifying a start of a time period associated with:

a lack of inertial movement sensed by an inertial-motion sensor;

dim or dark conditions sensed by an ambient light sensor;

or

physiological data, as sensed by a physiological-data sensor, indicative of sleep.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resetting an alarm to a time that is before the time associated with the first scheduled event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the earlier expiration time is defined to be the time associated with the first schedule event.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform a set of actions including;

receiving sensor data from at least one sensor responsive to an activity of a user;

determining, based on the sensor data, a likely time when the user went to sleep;

identifying a first scheduled event based on electronic calendar data associated with the user;

identifying that a communication-suppression state of a device associated with the user is or will be activated, wherein the device does not present a visual or haptic stimulus in response to one or more types of trigger events when the communication-suppression state is activated;

determining that the communication-suppression state is scheduled to deactivate at a default expiration time;

determining, based at least in part on the likely time when the user went to sleep, that the default expiration time is after a time associated with the first scheduled event;

changing the default expiration time to an earlier expiration time; and

rescheduling the communication-suppression state to be deactivated at the earlier expiration time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more types of trigger events include an alarm, a phone call or a text message.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the device includes the at least one sensor, and wherein the at least one sensor includes a motion sensor, a pulse-rate sensor, or a breathing-rate sensor.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first scheduled event is an event identified in a calendar entry.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the likely time when the user went to sleep is based on identifying a start of a time period associated with:

a lack of inertial movement sensed by an inertial-motion sensor;

dim or dark conditions sensed by an ambient light sensor;

or

physiological data, as sensed by a physiological-data sensor, indicative of sleep.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

resetting an alarm to a time that is before the time associated with the first scheduled event.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the earlier expiration time is defined to be the time associated with the first schedule event.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to perform a set of actions including:

receiving sensor data from at least one sensor responsive to an activity of a user;

determining, based on the sensor data, a likely time when the user went to sleep;

identifying a first scheduled event based on electronic calendar data associated with the user;

identifying that a communication-suppression state of a device associated with the user is or will be activated, wherein the device does not present a visual or haptic stimulus in response to one or more types of trigger events when the communication-suppression state is activated;

determining that the communication-suppression state is scheduled to deactivate at a default expiration time;

determining, based at least in part on the likely time when the user went to sleep, that the default expiration time is after a time associated with the first scheduled event;

changing the default expiration time to an earlier expiration time; and

rescheduling the communication-suppression state to be deactivated at the earlier expiration time.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more types of trigger events include an alarm, a phone call or a text message.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the device includes the at least one sensor, and wherein the at least one sensor includes a motion sensor, a pulse-rate sensor, or a breathing-rate sensor.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the first scheduled event is an event identified in a calendar entry.

19. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein determining the likely time when the user went to sleep is based on identifying a start of a time period associated with:

a lack of inertial movement sensed by an inertial-motion sensor;

dim or dark conditions sensed by an ambient light sensor;

or

physiological data, as sensed by a physiological-data sensor, indicative of sleep.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the set of actions further include:

resetting an alarm to a time that is before the time associated with the first scheduled event.