Systems and methods for limiting interruptions to use of an application on the basis of which application is requesting to cause the interruption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12177518-B2
Application number	US-201716493849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided herein for determining whether to authorize output of a first application to be interrupted by output of a second application. The media guidance application may provide output of a first application to a user and receive, from a second application, a request to provide second output from the second application to the user. In response to receiving the request, the media guidance application may determine whether the user is involved in physical activity and, in response to determining that the user is involved in physical activity, retrieve from a database information in a profile corresponding to the user. If the information indicates that the physical activity is routine, the media guidance application may deny the request and continue to provide the first output of the first application to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, for a time period, a number of times when one of a user's historical instances of physical activity occurred simultaneously with one of a user's historical instances of using an application;
determining a ratio of (a) the number of times when one of the user's historical instances of physical activity occurred simultaneously with one of the user's historical instances of using the application to (b) a total number of the user's historical instances of physical activity during the time period;
determining, based on the ratio, that usage of the application is routine during physical activity of the user;
receiving, from the first application, a request to provide an output to a user interface;
determining, based on data received from a sensor, that the user is involved in a current physical activity;
based on determining that the user is involved in the current physical activity;
and based on the determining that the usage of the application is routine during physical activity of the user, authorizing the request and providing the output to the user interface; and
based on determining that the user is involved in the current physical activity and based on the determining that the usage of the application is not routine during physical activity of the user, denying the request.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, based on determining that the usage of the application while the user is also engaged in the physical activity is routine:
authorizing the request;
generating, for output at the user interface, the output of the application;
receiving a command from the user to cease generating the output of the application; and
based on receiving the command, discontinuing generation of the output of the application.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, based on determining that the usage of the application while the user is also engaged in physical activity is not routine:
prompting the user to input whether the user prefers to consume the output of the application;
based on receiving input from the user that the user prefers to consume the output of the application, generating the output of the application to the user interface; and
based on receiving input from the user that the user prefers not to consume the output of the application, denying the request.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein denying the request comprises:
determining a level of preference of the user for the application;
determining whether the level of preference of the user for the application exceeds a threshold level of preference;
based on determining that the level of preference of the user for the application exceeds the threshold level of preference, authorizing the request, and providing the output of the application to the user interface; and
based on determining that the level of preference of the user for the application does not exceed the threshold level of preference, denying the request.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein denying the request comprises:
determining a level of preference of the user for the physical activity;
determining a level of preference of the user for the output of the application;
comparing the level of preference of the user for the physical activity to the level of preference of the user for the output of the application;
determining whether the level of preference of the user for the physical activity exceeds the level of preference of the user for the output of the application;
based on determining that the level of preference of the user for the physical activity exceeds the level of preference of the user for the output of the application, denying the request; and
based on determining that the level of preference of the user for the physical activity does not exceed the level of preference of the user for the output of the application, authorizing the request, and generating the output of the application to the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, further based on determining that the usage of the application while the user is also engaged in the physical activity is routine:
monitoring, using the sensor, for a break in the physical activity;
detecting, during the monitoring, the break in the physical activity; and
based on detecting the break in the physical activity, generating for display at the user interface, the output of the application.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
monitoring, using the sensor, for an end to the break in the physical activity;
detecting, during the monitoring for the end to the break in the physical activity, that the user has resumed performance of the physical activity; and
based on detecting that the user has resumed performance of the physical activity, discontinuing the generating of the output of the application.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, further based on determining that the usage of the application while the user is also engaged in the physical activity is routine:
determining a plurality of additional users with whom the user is associated;
retrieving, from a social media database, information related to each additional user of the plurality of additional users;
determining, based on the information related to each of the plurality of additional users, that an additional user of the plurality of additional users also routinely uses the application during the physical activity; and
in response to determining that the additional user of the plurality of additional users also routinely uses the application during the physical activity, notifying the user that the additional user shares an interest in the physical activity.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining attributes of the physical activity;
determining attributes of the output;
querying a database for entries comprising both the attributes of the physical activity and the attributes of the output;
retrieving, based on the querying, an entry of the entries comprising both the attributes of the physical activity and the attributes of the output; and
prompting the user with information relating to the entry.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the usage of the application is routine during physical activity of the user is further based on user input.

11. A system comprising:
a sensor;
a user interface;
communications circuitry; and
control circuitry configured to:
determine, for a time period, a number of times when one of a user's historical instances of physical activity occurred simultaneously with one of a user's historical instances of using an application;
determine, for the time period, a ratio of (a) the number of times when one of the user's historical instances of physical activity occurred simultaneously with one of the user's historical instances of using the application to (b) a total number of the user's historical instances of physical activity during the time period;
determine, based on the ratio, that usage of the application is routine during physical activity of the user;
receive, from the application, a request to provide an output to the user interface;
determine, based on data received from the sensor, that the user is involved in a current physical activity;
based on determining that the user is involved in the current physical activity;
and based on the determining that the usage of the application is routine during physical activity of the user, authorize the request and providing the output to the user interface; and
based on determining that the user is involved in the current physical activity

Assignees

• Adeia Guides Inc

Inventors

• Holmes Timothy Andrew
• Mccarty Michael
• Roe Glen E

Classifications

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/4333

  Processing operations in response to a pause request · CPC title

• H04N21/44224

  Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing · CPC title

• G06F9/4812

  by interrupt, e.g. masked · CPC title

• H04N21/44218 Primary

  Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45) · CPC title