System and method for customizing notifications in a mobile electronic device

• US 20070021108A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bocking, Andrew, Zinn, Scotte, Burns, Tony, Milligan, Ian, White, Darin, Gentle, Cassidy
• Granted Patent: US 8,289,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile electronic device has a notification mechanism for notifying a user of device events in accordance with an active notification profile defining notification options and one or more exception notification profiles defining notification options based on specified attributes of a device event. A mechanism is provided for identifying one or more attributes in an incoming device event and for overriding the active notification profile with one of the exception notification profiles that has attributes corresponding to the identified attributes. The user is thus notified in accordance with notification options specified in the exception profile of the device.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a. a notification mechanism for notifying a user of device events in accordance with an active notification profile defining notification options;

b. one or more exception notification profiles defining notification options based on specified attributes of a device event; and

c. a mechanism for identifying one or more attributes in an incoming device event and for overriding said active notification profile with an exception notification profile having attributes corresponding to said identified attributes, so that the user is notified in accordance with notification options specified in said exception profile.

2. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 1, further comprising an address book application for storing contact information and said exception notification profile associating an attribute of at least one contact in said address book with a custom notification.

3. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 1, said attribute being an identity of a sender in a received message.

4. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 1, said exception profiles including an identification field for uniquely identifying the profile and a notification field for identifying a custom notification to be used by the notification mechanism and at least one attribute field.

5. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said custom notification being a ring tune.

6. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying a contact in an address book.

7. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying a plurality of contacts in an address book.

8. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field for identifying a subject in an email subject.

9. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying a specified text in an email body.

10. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying a time of day.

11. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying a day of week.

12. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 4, said attribute field identifying an event in a calendar application.

13. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 1, including a user interface for creating said exception profile, the exception profile comprising a data structure, including an identification field for uniquely identifying the profile, a notification field for identifying a custom notification, and an attribute field for identifying an attribute on an incoming message.

14. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 13, including a memory for storing said exception profile data structure.

15. A mobile electronic device as defined in claim 13, said user interface for allowing a user to enable one or more profile exceptions.

16. A method for notifying a user of a mobile device of a device event, said method comprising the steps of:

a. notifying a user of device events in accordance with an active notification profile defining notification options;

b. storing one or more exception notification profiles defining notification options based on specified attributes of a device event;

c. identifying one or more attributes in an incoming device event and overriding said active notification profile with an exception notification profile if attributes identified in said incoming device event correspond to attributes specified in said exception notification profile; and

d. generating a notification in accordance with the notification options specified in said exception profile.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, said exception profiles including an identification field for uniquely identifying the profile and a notification field for identifying a custom notification to be used by the notification mechanism and at least one attribute field.

18. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for instructing a processor in a mobile device, said set of instructions comprising code for:

a. notifying a user of device events in accordance with an active notification profile defining notification options;

b. storing one or more exception notification profiles defining notification options based on specified attributes of a device event;

c. identifying one or more attributes in an incoming device event and overriding said active notification profile with an exception notification profile when attributes identified in said incoming device event correspond to attributes specified in said exception notification profile; and

d. generating a notification in accordance with the notification options specified in said exception profile.