Method and apparatus for notifying missed events

• US 9,961,639 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Lindemann, Robert, Huber, Meik, Keller, Anton Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haque, Abu-Sayeed
• Application Number:
  US14/768,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of operating a device for indicating an event notification to a user comprises indicating a new event through accordingly controlling visual, audible and/or tactile indicators. A user input is received in response to the indicated event. In case a user input in response to the indicated event is not received within a first time period, sensors in the device are controlled to monitor ambient conditions and determine corresponding pattern. In case of a change in the pattern of the ambient conditions by a predetermined amount within a second time period, the new event is indicated once more to the user.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device for indicating an event notification, comprising:

indicating a new event by accordingly issuing a visual, audible, or tactile indication,

monitoring reception of a response to the indicated event,

cancelling the indication of the event in case of a corresponding response, and when the indication for a particular new event is triggered,

controlling sensors in the device to monitor one or more ambient properties,

identifying if a repetitive pattern is present from the one or more monitored ambient properties,

learning the identified repetitive pattern,

continuing controlling the sensors to monitor the one or more ambient properties when no response to the indication of the event is received, and

indicating the new event once more upon detecting a change in the identified repetitive pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling sensors in the device to monitor one or more ambient properties includes controlling sensors adapted for sensing one or more ambiance properties of the non-exclusive list comprising light, temperature, humidity, air pressure, strength or orientation of magnetic fields, motion, spatial orientation, noise level, type of power source, and availability of wired or wireless data connections.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the new event is an audible or visible message, including but not limited to a text message, an email, a calendar appointment, a missed call indication, or an updated newsfeed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a time period for responding to the indication of the new event, a time period for detecting a change in one or more ambiance properties or the identified repetitive pattern or an amount of the change are settable or adjusted in response to a rate of change of a monitored ambience property.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the amount of change in the ambient properties or in the identified repetitive pattern of the one or more monitored ambient properties in the corresponding time period is a differential value that is added to initial or base values of the ambient properties.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the initial or base values of the ambient properties are automatically varied over time by lowpass filtering the respective initial or base values over a time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient properties are monitored or the identified repetitive pattern of the one or more monitored ambient properties is determined despite no new event indication, and wherein in case the change in the ambient properties or the identified repetitive pattern occurs while no new event is to be indicated, a specific indication is issued, indicating that no new event is to be indicated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specific indication is an optical, acoustical or tactile signal that is different from an event notification.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the ambient properties is carried out continuously or repetitively at time instants.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a signal to a further device, non-perceptible to a human, wherein the further device issues a human-perceptible indication in response to receiving the non-perceptible signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-perceptible signal includes modulated or unmodulated electromagnetic radiation in the non-visible spectrum and/or infrasonic or ultrasonic acoustic signals.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein individual or combinations of sensors to be used for monitoring ambient properties are selectable and wherein the corresponding changes in the identified repetitive patterns of the monitored ambient properties for triggering re-issuing an event notification are settable, including selection and setting through a selected profile.

13. Portable device having a microprocessor, a program memory, a data memory, and sensors adapted to detect ambient properties, wherein the program memory stores instructions that, when executed,

indicate a new event by accordingly issuing a visual, audible, or tactile indication,

monitor reception of a response to the indicated event,

cancel the indication of the event in case of a corresponding response, and when the indication for a particular new event is triggered,

control sensors in the device to monitor one or more ambient properties,

identify if a repetitive pattern is present from the one or more monitored ambient properties, and

learn the identified repetitive pattern,

continue controlling the sensors to monitor the one or more ambient properties when no response to the indication of the event is received, and

indicate the new event once more upon detecting a change in the identified repetitive pattern.

14. The portable device of claim 13, further including a display screen, a loudspeaker, a tactile feedback generator and/or a wireless communication circuit.

15. The portable device of claim 13, wherein the sensors include at least one of air pressure sensors, ambient light sensors, proximity sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, magnetic field sensors, radiation sensors, power supply sensors, wired or wireless data connections, accessory detectors, position sensors, or motion sensors.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the new event is an audible or visible message, including but not limited to a text message, an email, a calendar appointment, a missed call indication, or an updated newsfeed.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein a time period for responding to the indication of the new event, a time period for detecting a change in one or more ambiance properties or the identified repetitive pattern or an amount of the change are settable or adjusted in response to a rate of change of a monitored ambience property.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the amount of change in the ambient properties or in the identified repetitive pattern of the one or more monitored ambient properties in the corresponding time period is a differential value that is added to initial or base values of the ambient properties.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the initial or base values of the ambient properties are automatically varied over time by lowpass filtering the respective initial or base values over a time period.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program product at least one of a downloadable from a communication network and recorded on a medium at least one of readable by a computer and executable by a processor, said computer program product including program code instructions for implementing a monitoring method of operating a device for indicating an event notification comprising:

indicating a new event by accordingly issuing a visual, audible, or tactile indication,

monitoring reception of a response to the indicated event,

cancelling the indication of the event in case of a corresponding response, and when the indication for a particular new event is triggered,

controlling sensors in the device to monitor one or more ambient properties,

identifying if a repetitive pattern is present from the one or more monitored ambient properties,

learning the identified repetitive pattern,

continuing controlling the sensors to monitor the one or more ambient properties when no response to the indication of the event is received, and

indicating the new event once more upon detecting a change in the identified repetitive pattern.