Coordinated notifications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10849095-B2
Application number	US-201916368197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2019
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A device may broadcast an indication of an activity level of the device. The device may also receive a notification of an incoming message and receive at least one broadcast from at least one additional device also receiving the notification of the incoming message including an indication of at least one activity level of the at least one additional device. The device may compare its own activity level with the received at least one activity level. In response to determining that the activity level of the device is equal to or greater than a highest received at least one activity level, the device may display the notification of the incoming message.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first device, a notification of an incoming message;
comparing at least one activity currently being performed by the first device to activity ranking information that associates a plurality of device activities with respective activity ranking scores, wherein:
a current connection with an in-car system has a first rank,
a current connection with a smartwatch device having a second rank lower than the first rank, and
being in a condition of having been recently interacted with by a user having a third rank lower than the second rank;

determining a first ranking score for the first device based on the comparison, wherein the first ranking score for the first device is based on a highest-ranked activity from among the at least one activity being performed by the first device; and
presenting the notification of the incoming message on the first device based on the first ranking score.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the first ranking score of the first device to a second ranking score of a second device that also received the notification of the incoming message,
wherein the notification of the incoming message is presented on the first device in response to determining that the first ranking score of the first device is equal to or greater than the second ranking score.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving a broadcast from the second device that also received the notification of the incoming message, the broadcast including the second ranking score determined based on the at least one activity currently being performed by the second device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , further comprising suppressing the notification of the incoming message in response to determining that the first ranking score of the first device is less than the second ranking score.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising broadcasting an indication of the first ranking score of the first device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 , further comprising encrypting the first ranking score of the first device before broadcasting the indication of the first ranking score of the first device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
currently displaying active audio, video, or a combination thereof has a fourth rank lower than the third rank,
being located relative to the at least one additional device has a fifth rank lower than the third rank,
being in motion has a sixth rank lower than the third rank, and
processing audio inputs, visual inputs, or a combination thereof has a seventh rank lower than the third rank.

8. A system comprising:
a network interface;
one or more processors; and
a computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the processors to:
receive, by a first device, a notification of an incoming message;
compare at least one activity currently being performed by the first device to activity ranking information that associates a plurality of device activities with respective activity ranking scores, wherein:
a current connection with an in-car system has a first rank,
a current connection with a smartwatch device having a second rank lower than the first rank, and
being in a condition of having been recently interacted with by a user having a third rank lower than the second rank;

determine a first ranking score for the first device based on the comparison, wherein the first ranking score for the first device is based on a highest-ranked activity from among the at least one activity being performed by the first device; and
present the notification of the incoming message on the first device based on the first ranking score.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to:
compare the first ranking score of the first device to a second ranking score of a second device that also received the notification of the incoming message,
wherein the notification of the incoming message is presented on the first device in response to determining that the first ranking score of the first device is equal to or greater than the second ranking score.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to:
receive a broadcast from the second device that also received the notification of the incoming message, the broadcast including the second ranking score determined based on the at least one activity currently being performed by the second device.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to suppress the notification of the incoming message in response to determining that the first ranking score of the first device is less than the second ranking score.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to broadcast an indication of the first ranking score of the first device.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to encrypt the first ranking score of the first device before broadcasting the indication of the first ranking score of the first device.

14. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein:
currently displaying active audio, video, or a combination thereof has a fourth rank lower than the third rank,
being located relative to the at least one additional device has a fifth rank lower than the third rank,
being in motion has a sixth rank lower than the third rank, and
processing audio inputs, visual inputs, or a combination thereof has a seventh rank lower than the third rank.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes:
receiving, by a first device, a notification of an incoming message;
comparing at least one activity currently being performed by the first device to activity ranking information that associates a plurality of device activities with respective activity ranking scores, wherein:
a current connection with an in-car system has a first rank,
a current connection with a smartwatch device having a second rank lower than the first rank, and
being in a condition of having been recently interacted with by a user having a third rank lower than the second rank;

determining a first ranking score for the first device based on the comparison, wherein the first ranking score for the first device is based on a highest-ranked activity from among the at least one activity being performed by the first device; and
presenting the notification of the incoming message on the first device based on the first ranking score.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 , wherein the one or more sequences of instructions causes:
comparing the first ranking score of the first device to a second ranking score of a second device that also received the notification of the incoming message,
wherein the notification of the incoming message is presented on the first device in response to determining that the first ranking score of the first device is equal to or greater than the second ranking score.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the one or more sequences of instructions causes:
receiving a broadcast from the second device that also received the notification of the incoming message, the broadcast i

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bradley Bob
• Cary James B
• Krochmal Marc J
• Shepherd Matthew E
• Crane Neil G

Classifications

• H04W68/10

  using simulcast notification · CPC title

• H04W68/005 Primary

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title

• H04W4/16

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title