Alert processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10360771-B2
Application number	US-201615378566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Controlling transmission of an alert to a user of a device providing audio. An event which is identified as an alert is detected, and it is determined that the alert is a notifiable alert. A movement sensor associated with the user is monitored during a time period after detection of the notifiable alert. During the time period, it is determined whether movement of the sensor has deviated from a prior pattern of movement. A deviation indicates a user response to the alert. An action to alert the user is taken if the movement of the sensor during the time period has not deviated from the prior pattern of movement indicating that the user has not responded to the original alert. There is no such action if the movement of the sensor has deviated from the prior pattern of movement indicating a user response to the alert.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling transmission of an alert to a user of a device providing audio, the computer-implemented method comprising:
playing audio for a user by the device providing audio;
during the playing of the audio, detecting an event comprising an alert within an environment of the user;
determining that the alert meets user notification criteria and is therefore a notifiable alert;
determining, by modeling, a pattern of user movement prior to the notifiable alert;
monitoring a movement sensor associated with the user during a time period after detection of the notifiable alert to determine user movement activity;
determining during the time period whether the user movement activity deviates from the pattern of user movement determined prior to the notifiable alert, a deviation being indicative of a change in movement of the user from the pattern of user movement in response to the alert within the environment, where the change in movement of the user is not a predetermined change in movement of the user;
based on determining the user movement activity during the time period has not deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking an action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the notifiable alert; and
based on determining the user movement activity has deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking no action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the notifiable alert.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the movement sensor is a constituent part of the device providing audio.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a further device comprises the movement sensor and is operable for communicating signals indicative of movement to the device providing audio, the further device being separate from the device providing audio.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the movement sensor comprises a wireless signal receiver operable to detect changes in wireless signals indicative of movement of the wireless signal receiver relative to a wireless signal source.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a sound in the environment of the user, the sound being initiated by a person at a door of the environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a signal from a device in the environment of the user connectable via a communications network to the device providing audio.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the action taken is to interrupt the audio from the device and replace it with an alert sound.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the event comprises a sound in the environment and a recording of this sound is used as the alert sound.

10. A device for providing audio to a user and for controlling transmission of an alert to the user, the device comprising:
a sensor to detect an event comprising an alert; and
a processor coupled to the sensor and configured to perform a method, the method comprising:
playing audio for a user by the device;
during the playing of the audio, detecting an event comprising an alert within an environment of the user;
determining that the alert meets user notification criteria and is therefore a notifiable alert;
determining, by modeling, a pattern of user movement prior to the notifiable alert;
monitoring a movement sensor associated with the user during a time period after detection of the notifiable alert to determine user movement activity;
determining during the time period whether the user movement activity deviates from the pattern of user movement determined prior to the notifiable alert, a deviation being indicative of a change in movement of the user from the pattern of user movement in response to the alert within the environment, where the change in movement of the user is not a predetermined change in movement of the user;
based on determining the user movement activity during the time period has not deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking an action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the notifiable alert; and
based on determining the user movement activity has deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking no action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the notifiable alert.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the movement sensor is a constituent part of the device providing audio.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein a further device comprises the movement sensor and is operable for communicating signals indicative of movement to the device providing audio, the further device being separate from the device providing audio.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the movement sensor comprises a wireless signal receiver operable to detect changes in wireless signals indicative of movement of the receiver relative to a wireless signal source.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the sensor to detect the event comprises a microphone, and the event comprises a sound in the environment of the user.

16. The device of claim 10 , wherein the sensor to detect the event comprises a communications signal observer, and the event comprises a signal from a device in the environment of the user connectable via a communications network to the device providing audio.

17. The device of claim 10 , wherein the action taken is to interrupt the audio from the device and replace it with an alert sound.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the event comprises a sound in the environment and a recording of this sound is used as the alert sound.

19. A computer program product for controlling transmission of an alert to a user of a device providing audio, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:
playing audio for a user by the device providing audio;
during the playing of the audio, detecting an event comprising an alert within an environment of the user;
determining that the alert meets user notification criteria and is therefore a notifiable alert;
determining, by modeling, a pattern of user movement prior to the notifiable alert;
monitoring a movement sensor associated with the user during a time period after detection of the notifiable alert to determine user movement activity;
determining during the time period whether the user movement activity deviates has deviated from the pattern of user movement determined prior to the notifiable alert, a deviation being indicative of a change in movement of the user from the pattern of user movement in response to the alert within the environment, where the change in movement of the user is not a predetermined change in movement of the user;
based on determining, the user movement activity during the time period has not deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking an action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the detected notifiable alert; and
based on determining, the user movement activity has deviated from the pattern of user movement, taking no action via the device providing audio to alert the user to the notifiable alert.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherei

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hunt Hamish C
• Lincoln Nicholas K
• Poole Christopher J
• Woolley Mark A

Classifications

• H04R2460/01

  Hearing devices using active noise cancellation · CPC title

• H03G3/32

  the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• G08B3/10 Primary

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title