Alarm setting and interfacing with gesture contact interfacing controls

• US 8,812,259 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Messenger, Jayson, Yuen, Shelten
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/050,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 702/160, 702/150, 702/155, 702182-185, 702/188
• US Class Current: 702/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/72 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/73 Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/50 temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/70 body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 : Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 : Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 : Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/021 : Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 : Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

A device configured for capture of activity data for a user includes a housing, a sensor, a motor, a memory, and a processor. The sensor is disposed in the housing to capture physical contact upon the housing. The motor causes vibration of the housing. The memory stores an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on the device. The processor activates the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, with the alarm causing the motor to produce the vibration of the housing. The sensor, which is interfaced with the processor, is configured to detect a physical contact upon the housing. The processor is configured to deactivate the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm. The deactivating of the alarm causes the vibration of the device to be suspended.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on a device for tracking activity data of a user;

activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm producing a vibration of the device;

using a sensor to detect a physical contact upon the device, wherein the physical contact is a result of one or more taps on a surface of the device; and

deactivating the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vibration being suspended transitions the alarm into one of a snooze mode or an off mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the snooze mode continues for a predetermined period of time before reactivating the alarm;

and the method further includes;

transitioning into the snooze mode one or more times until entering the off mode or processing the vibration for a threshold period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a snooze mode is entered which causes the vibration to be suspended when the physical contact is represented by one of,

a single tap onto a surface of the device;

or

a double tap onto the surface of the device;

or

three taps onto the surface of the device;

or

four taps onto the surface of the device;

or

a predetermined set of repeated taps onto the surface of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein two or more of the taps are received within a predetermined period of time to qualify as the input.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transitioning from the snooze mode to an off mode when an additional physical contact is sensed by the sensor, wherein the physical contact is represented by one of,

a single tap onto a surface of the device;

or

a double tap onto the surface of the device;

or

three taps onto the surface of the device;

or

four taps onto the surface of the device;

or

a predetermined set of repeated taps onto the surface of the device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein two or more of the taps are received within a predetermined period of time to qualify as the input.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transitioning from the snooze mode to an off mode when the processor of the device determines that a button of the device is pressed.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on a device for tracking activity data of a user, the alarm setting being received wirelessly from a computing device;

activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm producing a vibration of the device;

using a sensor to detect a physical contact upon the device; and

deactivating the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended, wherein the method is executed by a processor, wherein the computing device has access to the Internet, wherein the alarm setting is programmable at a website managed by a server, and wherein the website is managed by the server to allow access to user accounts, each user account having associated therewith one or more of the devices, such that the alarm setting is custom set in a user account.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the alarm setting is transferred from the server to the computing device over the Internet and from the computing device to the device via a wireless Bluetooth connection.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on a device for tracking activity data of a user, wherein activity data of the user includes metrics associated with one or more of step count metrics, or stair count metrics, or distance traveled metrics, or active time metrics, or calories burned metrics, or sleep metrics;

activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm producing a vibration of the device;

using a sensor to detect a physical contact upon the device; and

deactivating the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

12. A device configured for capture of activity data for a user, comprising:

a housing;

a sensor disposed in the housing to capture physical contact upon the housing;

a motor for causing vibration of the housing of the device;

a memory for storing an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on the device; and

a processor for activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm causing the motor to produce the vibration of the housing, the sensor being interfaced with the processor and configured to detect a physical contact upon the housing of the device, the processor configured to deactivate the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended, wherein the processor examines predefined motion profiles captured by the sensor to qualify the physical contact as the input, such that motion profiles outside of the predetermined motion profiles do not qualify as the input.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the housing is part of a wearable wrist attachable structure, or an attachable structure that can be carried or worn by the user.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the physical contact captured by the sensor is from one or more taps upon the housing by a finger or hand.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the housing includes a button, the physical contact upon the housing not being from a button press.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the wearable wrist attachable structure is defined at least partially from a plastic material.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the housing further includes wireless communication logic.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication logic includes one of WiFi processing logic, or Bluetooth (BT) processing logic, or radio processing logic.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication logic is configured to pair with a portable computing device or a computer, and the portable computing device or the computer is configured for communication over the Internet with a server, the server having processing instructions for configuring the alarm settings.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the vibration being suspended transitions the alarm into one of a snooze mode or an off mode.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the processor configures the snooze mode to continue for a predetermined period of time before reactivating the alarm, and the processor transitions into the snooze mode one or more times until entering the off mode or processing the vibration for a threshold period of time.

22. A device configured for capture of activity data for a user, comprising:

a housing;

a sensor disposed in the housing to capture physical contact upon the housing, wherein the physical contact is a result of one or more taps on a surface of the device;

a motor for causing vibration of the housing of the device;

a memory for storing an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on the device; and

a processor for activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm causing the motor to produce the vibration of the housing, the sensor being interfaced with the processor and configured to detect a physical contact upon the housing of the device, the processor configured to deactivate the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein two or more of the taps are received within a predetermined period of time to qualify as the input.

24. A device configured for capture of activity data for a user, comprising:

a housing;

a sensor disposed in the housing to capture physical contact upon the housing;

a motor for causing vibration of the housing of the device;

a memory for storing an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on the device; and

a processor for activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm causing the motor to produce the vibration of the housing, the sensor being interfaced with the processor and configured to detect a physical contact upon the housing of the device, the processor configured to deactivate the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended, wherein the processor causes a snooze mode to be entered which causes the vibration to be suspended when the physical contact is represented by one of,

a single tap onto a surface of the device;

or

a double tap onto the surface of the device;

or

three taps onto the surface of the device;

or

four taps onto the surface of the device;

or

a predetermined set of repeated taps onto the surface of the device.

25. One or more non-transitory computer readable media including instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the following operations:

receiving an alarm setting that defines a time of day for triggering an alarm on a device for tracking activity data of a user;

activating the alarm upon reaching the time of day defined by the alarm setting, the alarm producing a vibration of the device;

using a sensor to detect a physical contact upon the device, wherein the physical contact is a result of one or more taps on a surface of the device; and

deactivating the alarm if the physical contact qualifies as an input to deactivate the alarm, the deactivating causing the vibration of the device to be suspended.