User interface for limiting notifications and alerts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11526270-B2
Application number	US-201514830693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for limiting notifications on an electronic device. In one example process, data representing a user input can be received by an electronic device. The data representing the user input can include touch data from the touch-sensitive device, ambient light data from an ambient light sensor, intensity data from a contact intensity sensor, and/or motion data from one or more motion sensors. Based on the data, it can be determined whether the user input is a cover gesture over a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device. In response to determining that the user input is a cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display, the electronic device can be put into a DND mode for a predetermined amount of time. While in the DND mode, the electronic device can cease to output some or all notifications.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device comprising a touch-sensitive display that includes a touch-sensitive component and a display, cause the device to:
receive data representing a user input;
determine, based on the data representing the user input, whether the user input is a cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display, wherein determining whether the user input is a cover gesture includes determining, based on the data representing the user input, whether a touch has been detected at a threshold amount of the touch-sensitive display; and
in response to receiving the data representing the user input:
in accordance with a determination that the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display for greater than a threshold duration:
enter a do not disturb (DND) mode, wherein the electronic device forgoes providing at least one type of notification in response to receiving an incoming notification triggering event while in the DND mode, and wherein the electronic device remains in the DND mode, that was entered in response to detecting the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display for greater than the threshold duration, until one or more conditions for exiting the DND mode are met; and
perform a first predetermined action including displaying a first user interface; and

in accordance with a determination that the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display for not greater than the threshold duration, perform a second predetermined action including displaying a second user interface different from the first user interface.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises an ambient light sensor;
the data representing the user input comprises ambient light data representing an amount of light received by the ambient light sensor; and
determining whether the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display comprises:
determining, based on the ambient light data, whether the amount of light received by the ambient light sensor is below a threshold light value.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a motion sensor;
the data representing the user input comprises motion data representing motion of the electronic device detected by the motion sensor; and
determining whether the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display comprises:
determining, based on the motion data, whether the motion of the electronic device is above a threshold amount of motion and whether the motion occurred within a predetermined length of time after a notification event.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a contact intensity sensor;
the data representing the user input comprises intensity data representing a characteristic intensity of a contact detected by the contact intensity sensor; and
determining whether the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display comprises:
determining, based on the intensity data, whether the characteristic intensity of the contact detected by the contact intensity sensor is above a threshold intensity.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:
in response to determining that the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display, determine a termination time that the electronic device will exit the DND mode.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:
in response to a current time being the termination time, exit the DND mode.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the termination time is determined based on contextual data.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein determining the termination time that the electronic device will exit the DND mode comprises:
determining whether there is sufficient contextual data to generate a custom termination time;
in response to determining that there is sufficient contextual data to generate the custom termination time:
determining the custom termination time based on the contextual data; and
setting the termination time to be equal to the custom termination time; and

in response to determining that there is not sufficient contextual data to generate the custom termination time, setting the termination time to be equal to a default value.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein determining the custom termination time based on the contextual data comprises:
determining an event based on the contextual data, the event having an end time of the event; and
setting the customtermination time to be equal to the end time of the event.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device; cause the device to:
generate a notification of a predetermined length of time prior to the termination time.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the notification comprises an indication of a length of time until the termination time.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:
while in the DND mode:
receive new data representing a new user input;
determine, based on the new data representing the new user input, whether the new user input is a second cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display; and
in accordance with a determination that the new user input is the second cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display; determine a new termination time that the electronic device will exit the DND mode.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the new termination time is one hour after a time that it was determined that the new user input is the second cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device; cause the device to:
in response to determining that the user input is the cover gesture over the touch-sensitive display, determine a length of time that the electronic device will be in the DND mode.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:
in response to the length of time expiring, exit the DND

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Karunamuni Chanaka G
• Butcher Gary Ian
• Chaudhri Imran
• Kerr Duncan Robert
• Lynch Kevin
• Rothert Curtis A
• Jenkins Monica

Classifications

• G06F3/0488 Primary

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

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title