Quiet hours for notifications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11178271-B2
Application number	US-201615149013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2012
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

In some implementations, a computing device can be configured to automatically turn off notifications when generating a notification would cause a disturbance or be unwanted by a user. The device can be configured with quiet hours during which notifications that would otherwise be generated by the computing device can be suppressed. In some implementations, quiet hours can be configured as a time period with a start time and an end time. In some implementations, quiet hours can be derived from application data. For example, calendar data, alarm clock data, map data, etc. can be used to determine when quiet hours should be enforced. In some implementations, the device can be configured with exceptions to quiet hour notification suppression. In some implementations, the user can identify contacts to which the quiet hours notification suppression should not be applied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method including:
at an electronic device with a display and one or more input devices:
while the electronic device is not in a restricted-notification mode, wherein the electronic device is configured to generate a notification in response to detecting a notification event, the notification including sound, light, movement or a combination thereof, and the restricted-notification mode selectively restricts the generation of notifications at the electronic device in response to detected notification events:
displaying, on the display, a graphical user interface that includes a first region and a second region, different from the first region, the first region including one or more visual indications of status of the electronic device;

while displaying the graphical user interface, determining that the electronic device has entered the restricted-notification mode;
in response to determining that the electronic device has entered the restricted-notification mode:
displaying, in the first region of the graphical user interface, a restricted-notification visual indication that indicates that the electronic device is in the restricted-notification mode, wherein the restricted-notification visual indication was not displayed in the first region of the graphical user interface when the electronic device was not in the restricted-notification mode; and

while displaying the restricted-notification visual indication in the first region of the graphical user interface:
detecting a respective notification event at the electronic device; and
in response to detecting the respective notification event:
in accordance with a determination that the respective notification event satisfies one or more restricted-notification criteria, preventing the electronic device from generating a respective notification corresponding to the respective notification event; and
in accordance with a determination that the respective notification event does not satisfy the one or more restricted-notification criteria, allowing the electronic device to generate the respective notification corresponding to the respective notification event.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, while the electronic device is in the restricted-notification mode, the restricted-notification visual indication and the one or more visual indications of the status of the electronic device are displayed in the first region of the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein, while the electronic device is in the restricted-notification mode, the restricted-notification visual indication and the one or more visual indications of the status of the electronic device are displayed concurrently in the first region of the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more visual indications of the status of the electronic device include one or more of an indication of signal strength at the electronic device, an indication of a telecommunications carrier at the electronic device, a current time at the electronic device, and an indication of battery status at the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mode-transition criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when a user of the electronic device manually enables the restricted-notification mode on the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mode-transition criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when the electronic device determines, without user input, that the electronic device should transition to the restricted-notification mode.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining by the electronic device, without user input, that the electronic device should transition to the restricted-notification mode includes determining that a current time at the electronic device is within a period of time associated with the restricted-notification mode.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the restricted-notification visual indication includes one or more of text, a symbol, and an icon.

9. The method of claim 1 , further including:
while the electronic device is in the restricted-notification mode, determining that the electronic device should transition out of the restricted-notification mode; and
in response to determining that the electronic device should transition out of the restricted-notification mode:
transitioning the electronic device out of the restricted-notification mode; and
ceasing display of the restricted-notification visual indication in the first region of the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining that the electronic device should transition out of the restricted-notification mode includes determining that a user of the electronic device has started using the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mode-transition criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when a user of the electronic device manually enables a restricted-notification toggle on the electronic device, the restricted-notification toggle corresponding to a plurality of restricted-notification settings at the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more mode-transition criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when a user of the electronic device provides a voice command to the electronic device requesting that the restricted-notification mode be enabled on the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the voice command includes a specified time period for which the restricted-notification mode should be enabled on the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while displaying the restricted-notification visual indication in the first region of the graphical user interface, in response to detecting the respective notification event, in accordance with a determination that the respective notification event does not satisfy the one or more restricted-notification criteria, generating the respective notification corresponding to the respective notification event.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the electronic device comprises a speaker,
the notification comprises a sound, and
generating the respective notification corresponding to the respective notification event comprises playing the sound via the speaker while continuing to display the restricted-notification visual indication in the first region of the graphical interface.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device having a display and one or more input devices, cause the one or more processors to perform a method including:
while the electronic device is not in a restricted-notification mode, wherein the electronic device is configured to generate a notification in response to detecting a notification event, the notification including sound, light, movement or a combination thereof, and the restricted-notification mode selectively restricts the generation of notifications at the electronic device in response to detected notification events:
displaying, on the display, a graphical user interface that includes a first region and a second region, different from the first region, the first region including one or more visual indications of status of the electronic device;

while displaying the graphical user interface, determining that the electronic device has entered the restricted-notification mode;
in response to determining that the electronic device has entered th

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Chaudhri Imran A
• Novick Gregory
• Forstall Scott
• Grainger Morgan
• Dicker George R
• Hawkins Tyler

Classifications

• H04M1/72463 Primary

  to restrict the functionality of the device · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• H04M1/72451 Primary

  according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications · CPC title

• G06F3/048

  Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title