Data usage alerts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11823796-B2
Application number	US-202217857432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2022
Priority date	Sep 7, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for capturing and monitoring the health, safety, and/or activity of a user are described. In one aspect, the system generates a data usage pattern for the user and monitors the user's current data usage activity to detect data usage deviations from the user's usage pattern. When a deviation is detected, the system may send an alert message to the user or another user indicating that an anomaly may have occurred, permitting the user or another user to respond to the anomaly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a gateway device configured to send data indicating first internet data usage associated with a user device during a first time period; and
a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:
receive, from the gateway device, the data;
determine that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least a threshold, second internet data usage associated with the user device during a second time period, wherein the second time period occurs prior to the first time period; and
based on determining that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second internet data usage, send an alert message to a second computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second internet data usage comprises one or more of internet activity associated with the user device or application software activity associated with the user device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the second internet data usage comprises activation of a display device associated with the user device during the second time period, and
the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to determine that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second internet data usage by determining that the display device was not activated during the first time period.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the second internet data usage comprises signing on to a service provider account associated with the user device during the second time period, and
the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to determine that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second internet data usage by determining that a sign on to the service provider account did not occur during the first time period.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to determine that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second internet data usage by determining that data has not been accessed by the user device within the first time period.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first time period and the second time period occur during a common time range on different days.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computing device to:
determine that a response to the alert message has not been received within a period of time for response; and
based on determining that the response to the alert message has not been received within the period of time for response, send a second alert message to a third computing device.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause:
receiving, from a gateway device, data indicating first internet data usage associated with a user device during a first time period;
determining that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least a threshold, second internet data usage associated with the user device during a second time period, wherein the second time period occurs prior to the first time period; and
based on the determining that the first internet data usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second internet data usage, sending an alert message to a computing device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the second internet data usage comprises one or more of internet activity associated with the user device or application software activity associated with the user device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein:
the second internet data usage comprises activation of a display device associated with the user device during the second time period, and
the instructions, when executed, cause the determining by determining that the display device was not activated during the first time period.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein:
the second internet data usage comprises signing on to a service provider account associated with the user device during the second time period, and
the instructions, when executed, cause the determining by determining that a sign on to the service provider account did not occur during the first time period.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the determining by determining that data has not been accessed by the user device within the first time period.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the first time period and the second time period occur during a common time range on different days.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause:
determining that a response to the alert message has not been received within a period of time for response; and
based on the determining that the response to the alert message has not been received within the period of time for response, sending a second alert message to a second computing device.

15. A system comprising:
a first computing device; and
a second computing device,
wherein the first computing device comprises:
one or more first processors; and
first memory storing first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the first computing device to:
receive data indicating first application usage associated with a user device during a first time period;
compare the first application usage with second application usage associated with the user device during a second time period, wherein the second time period occurs prior to the first time period;
based on comparing the first application usage with the second application usage, determine that the first application usage is less than, by at least a threshold, the second application usage; and
based on determining that the first application usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second application usage, send an alert message to the second computing device, and

wherein the second computing device comprises:
one or more second processors; and
second memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the second computing device to:
receive the alert message.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the second application usage comprises one or more of:
television consumption activity associated with the user device, or
internet activity associated with the user device.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the second application usage comprises activation of a display device of the user device, and
the first instructions, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the first computing device to determine that the first application usage is less than, by at least the threshold, the second application usage by determining that the display device was not activated during the first time period.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the second application usage comprises signing on to a service provider account associated with the user device, and
the first instructions, when executed by the one o

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Mccrea John

Classifications

• H04L65/40

  Support for services or applications · CPC title

• G16H40/67 Primary

  for remote operation · CPC title

• H04H60/31

  Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services · CPC title

• H04H60/65

  for using the result on users' side · CPC title

• H04H60/76

  Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet {(for broadcast H04H20/65)} · CPC title