Method, apparatus and system for enabling context aware notification in mobile devices

• US 20040259536A1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Needham, Brad, Keskar, Dhananjay V.
• Application Number:
  US10/600,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259536A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/045 Call privacy arrangements, e.g. timely inhibiting the ring signal
• 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

Mobile devices may utilize various sensors to gather context information pertaining to the user'"'"'s surroundings. These devices may also include and/or access other types of information pertaining to the user, such as the user'"'"'s calendar data. In one embodiment, mobile devices may utilize some or all the gathered information to determine the appropriate behavior of the mobile device, in conjunction with the user'"'"'s preferences.

Claims

1. A method for enabling user context-aware notification in a mobile device, comprising:

gathering user context information from one or more sources;

processing the user context information; and

directing the mobile device to modify its notification behavior based on the user context information.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the notification behavior includes one of disabling the mobile device notification, lowering a volume of the mobile device notification, raising the volume of the mobile device notification, entering a silent mode, entering a vibrate-only mode, emitting a beep from the mobile device, causing a display screen on the mobile device to flash and causing a light emitting diode (“

LED”

) on the mobile device to blink.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein gathering the user context information further comprises gathering physical context information and other context information.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein gathering the physical context information includes gathering at least one of ambient light information, tactile information, ambient noise information, accelerometer information and orientation information.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein gathering the other context information includes gathering at least one of a user calendar information, a user location, a time of day and a date.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein gathering the user context information includes gathering the user context information from at least one of a light sensor, a tactile sensor, an ambient noise microphone, an accelerometer and an orientation sensor.

7. The method according to claim 3 wherein gathering the other context information includes gathering the other context information from at least one of a user calendar program and the mobile device.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein processing the user context information further comprises processing a user preference with the user context information.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the user preferences include at least one of a default set of preferences, a customized set of preferences and a learned set of preferences.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one module capable of gathering and processing user context information from one or more sources, the at least one module further capable of directing the mobile device to modify its notification behavior based on the user context information; and

a notification mechanism capable of modification based on the user context information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one module is further capable of gathering physical context information and other context information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the at least one module is further capable of gathering at least one of light information, tactile information, ambient noise information, accelerometer information and orientation information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the at least one module is further capable of gathering at least one of a user calendar information, a user location, a time of day and a date.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising at least one of:

a light sensor;

a tactile sensor;

an ambient noise microphone;

an accelerometer; and

an orientation sensor.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one module is capable of processing a user preference with the context information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one module comprises a preprocessing module and a context processing module.

17. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

gather user context information from one or more sources;

process the user context information; and

direct the mobile device to modify its notification behavior based on the user context information.

18. The article according to claim 17 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to direct the mobile device to perform at least one of disabling the mobile device notification, lowering the volume of the mobile device notification and raising the volume of the mobile device notification.

19. The article according to claim 18 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to gather physical context information and other context information.

20. The article according to claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to gather at least one of light information, tactile information, ambient noise information, accelerometer information and orientation information.

21. The article according to claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to gather at least one of a user calendar information, a user location, a time of day and a date.

22. The article according to claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to gather the user context information from at least one of a light sensor, a tactile sensor, an ambient noise microphone, an accelerometer and an orientation sensor.

23. The article according to claim 19 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to gather the other context information from at least one of a user calendar program and the mobile device.

24. The article according to claim 17 wherein the instructions, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to process a user preference with the user context information.