Method and Apparatus for Automatically Setting Alarms and Notifications

• US 20140171146A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 10,447,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• 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 non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine a likely activity of the user based at least in part on the sensor data and prior-acquired activity data; and

,

change the operational behavior of an alarm function of the device based at least in part on the determined activity of the user.

2. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of motion sensors, pulse rate sensors, breathing rate sensors, orientation sensors, ambient light sensors, proximity sensors and location sensors.

3. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the motion sensor comprises an apparatus selected from the group consisting of accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, photocells, charge coupled devices, global navigation satellite system receivers, Wi-Fi transceivers, cellular telephone transceivers and Assisted GPS receivers.

4. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is a remote sensor worn by the user.

5. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the activity is sleeping.

6. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the operational behavior is setting an alarm activation time.

7. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the operational behavior is deactivating a previously set alarm.

8. A program storage device as recited in claim 1 wherein the operational behavior is an alarm type.

9. A program storage device as recited in claim 8 where in the alarm type is selected from the group consisting of tactile alarms, audible alarms, visible alarms and remote tactile alarms.

10. A processor-based system comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with the processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing the processor to

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine a likely activity of the user based at least in part on the sensor data and prior-acquired activity data; and

,

change the operational behavior of an alarm function of the device based at least in part on the determined activity of the user.

11. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of motion sensors, pulse rate sensors, breathing rate sensors, orientation sensors, ambient light sensors, proximity sensors and location sensors.

12. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the motion sensor comprises an apparatus selected from the group consisting of accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, photocells, charge coupled devices, global navigation satellite system receivers, Wi-Fi transceivers, cellular telephone transceivers and Assisted GPS receivers.

13. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one sensor is a remote sensor worn by the user.

14. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the activity is sleeping.

15. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the operational behavior is setting an alarm activation time.

16. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the operational behavior is deactivating a previously set alarm.

17. A processor based system as recited in claim 10 wherein the operational behavior is an alarm type.

18. A processor based system as recited in claim 17 where in the alarm type is selected from the group consisting of tactile alarms, audible alarms, visible alarms and remote tactile alarms.

19. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine whether the user is asleep based at least in part on sensor data; and

,

set an alarm activation time based at least in part on the duration of the user'"'"'s sleep.

20. A processor-based system comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with the processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing the processor to

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to a user'"'"'s activity;

determine whether the user is asleep based at least in part on sensor data; and

,

set an alarm activation time based at least in part on the duration of the user'"'"'s sleep.

21. A non-transitory program storage device comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors in a first processor based device to:

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user of a second processor-based device;

determine whether the user of the second processor-based device is asleep based at least in part on sensor data; and

,

select an alarm type on the first processor-based device based at least in part on whether the user of the second processor-based device is asleep.

22. A first processor-based system comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user and in data communication with the processor; and

,

a memory storing instructions for causing the processor to

receive data from at least one sensor responsive to the activity of a user of a second processor-based device;

determine whether the user of the second processor-based device is asleep based at least in part on sensor data; and

,

select an alarm type on the first processor-based device based at least in part on whether the user of the second processor-based device is asleep.