Automatic content transfer

• US 9,774,998 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soyannwo, Olusanya Temitope, Chen, Tina Yung-Ting, Crump, Edward Dietz, Piersol, Kurt Wesley, Velusamy, Kavitha
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US15/285,446
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 709226
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/802 Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A computing system with multiple devices local to an environment facilitates active transfer among the multiple devices as a user moves about the environment. The devices may sense a presence or non-presence of the user and attempt to coordinate transfer to a device proximal to the user. In another implementation, the devices may communicate with a remote system that monitors a location of the user within the environment and causes content associated with the user to transfer between computing devices of the system based on the location and movement of the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors, executing instructions to perform operations comprising,

receiving a first indication that first content is associated with a first device;

determining that a direction of movement of a user is likely to be substantially toward a location of a second device;

receiving a second indication that second content is associated with the second device;

causing, based at least in part on the determining that the direction of movement of the user is likely to be substantially toward the location, the second device to output audio comprising a request to output the first content;

determining that the second device has received a response to the request, the response indicating that the second device is to output the first content; and

causing the second device to output the first content based at least in part on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user has entered an environment that includes the second device based at least in part on an audio signal generated by a microphone of the second device, the audio signal corresponding at least in part to a sound from the user; and

wherein causing the second device to output the first content is based at least in part on receiving the determining that the user has entered the environment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user has entered an environment that includes the second device based at least in part on video data of the environment; and

wherein causing the second device to output the first content is based at least in part on the determining that the user has entered the environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content is associated with a first priority, the second content is associated with a second priority, and causing the second device to output the first content is based at least in part on the first priority being greater than the second priority.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first priority and the second priority are based at least in part on a type of content, the type of content including at least one of a phone call, a text message, music, or a calendar notification.

6. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors perform operations comprising;

receiving a first indication that first content is associated with a first device;

receiving a second indication that a first user is present in a first environment, the first environment including the first device, the first user associated with a first authentication level;

receiving a third indication that a second user is present in a second environment, the second environment including a second device, the second user associated with a second authentication level;

determining that a direction of movement of the first user is likely to be substantially toward the second device; and

causing the second device to output the first content based at least in part on the determining that the direction of movement of the first user is likely to be substantially toward the second device and on the first authentication level being less than or equal to the second authentication level.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second indication is based at least in part on an audio signal generated by a microphone of the first device, the audio signal corresponding at least in part to sound from the first user.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second indication is based at least in part on video data of the environment.

9. The system of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

receiving a fourth indication that a third user is present in the first environment, the third user being associated with a third authentication level;

receiving audio data corresponding to a request from the third user to output third content on the first device;

receiving a fifth indication that the third authentication level is less than a threshold authentication level to output the third content; and

causing the first device to output audio representing a notification that the third content will not be output.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first authentication level or the second authentication level is based at least in part on user age.

11. The system of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

receiving a fourth indication that the first user has entered the second environment, the fourth indication based on at least one of video data of the second environment or an audio signal corresponding at least in part to sound from the first user generated by a microphone of the second device; and

wherein causing the second device to output the first content is based at least in part on receiving the fourth indication that the first user has entered the second environment.

12. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors, executing instructions to perform operations comprising,

receiving a first indication that first content is associated with a first device;

receiving a second indication that second content is associated with a second device;

receiving a third indication that a first user is present in a first environment, the first environment including the first device, the first user associated with a first authentication level;

receiving a fourth indication that a second user is present in a second environment, the second environment including the second device, the second user associated with a second authentication level;

determining that a direction of movement of the first user is likely to be substantially toward the second environment; and

causing the second device to cease output of the second content and output the first content based at least in part on the determining that the direction of movement of the first user is likely to be substantially toward the second environment and the first authentication level being less than or equal to the second authentication level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first content is associated with a first priority, the second content is associated with a second priority, and further comprising:

causing, based at least in part on the second priority being greater than the first priority, the second device to output audio representing a request to output the first content;

determining that the second device has received a response to the request, the response indicating that the second device is to output the first content; and

causing the second device to output the first content based at least in part on the response.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first priority and the second priority are based at least in part on a type of content, the type of content including at least one of a phone call, a text message, music, or a calendar notification.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to output third content by the second device;

receiving a fifth indication that the third content is associated with a third priority, the third priority being greater than the first priority; and

causing the second device to interrupt output of the first content and output the third content based at least in part on the fifth indication.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a sixth indication that output of the third content is complete; and

causing the second device to resume output of the first content based at least in part on the sixth indication.

17. The method of claim 12, and further comprising:

receiving a request from the first user to output third content on the second device;

causing the second device to cease output of the first content and output the third content based at least in part on the first authentication level being greater than the second authentication level.

18. The method of claim 12, and further comprising:

receiving a request from the first user to output third content on the second device;

causing, based at least in part on the first authentication level being less than the second authentication level, the second device to output audio representing a request to output the third content;

determining that the second device has received a response to the request, the response indicating that the second device is to output the third content; and

causing the second device to output the third content based at least in part on receiving the response.