Unpredictable time clock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9720381-B2
Application number	US-201514849400-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 9, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying an adjusted time to a user are provided. A time display device that normally displays the correct time is used to display a modified time. This modified time is unknown to the user so that the user cannot know what the time offset is and is forced to assume that the current time is displayed. The modified time may be an advanced time or a time that is set backwards, depending on when the user wants to arrive at an event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for displaying an adjusted time to a user comprising:
a memory device; and
one or more processors that are configured to execute instructions from the memory device to cause the system to:
determine that an event will occur at a predetermined time and at an event location;
determine a current location of a user and a current time;
determine that the current time should be changed based on the predetermined time, the current location, and the event location;
in response to determining that the current time should be changed, calculate a time change to the current time based on the current location of the user, the current time, and the event location;
determine when the time change should be applied;
determine which of one or more time display devices should be adjusted;
adjust a time displayed by the determined time display device of the one or more time display devices by the time change, the adjusting causing the adjusted time to be displayed to the user by the determined time display device that is associated with the user;
determine that the user has taken action to arrive at the event location by the predetermined time; and
set the determined time display device back to an updated current time.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining that the current time should be changed comprises evaluating one or more of the current location of the user, the current time, the event location, weather, traffic, past behavior of the user, and habits of the user.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein calculating the time change is further based on one or more of severity of weather, severity of traffic, and how a previous time adjustment affected the user.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors configured to measure one or more physiological characteristics of the user.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more of an accelerometer, gyroscope, actimetry sensor, altimeter, pedometer, heart rate sensor, blood pressure sensor, thermometer, and an oximeter.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein executing the instructions further causes the system to receive one or more physiological characteristics of the user from the one or more sensors and evaluate the one or more physiological characteristics.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein calculating the time change comprises determining, based on the evaluation of the one or more physiological characteristics, that the user is under stress, and that a magnitude of the time change should be minimized to prevent added stress.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein executing the instructions further causes the system to determine that the user has taken the action to arrive at the event location based on a check-in in at the event location with a beacon.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein executing the instructions further causes the system to cause two or more different times to be displayed to two or more different users on respective time display devices, based on a respective proximity of each of the two or more different users to the system.

10. A method of adjusting and displaying a clock time, the method comprising:
determining an event will occur at a predetermined time and at an event location;
determining a current location of a time display device of a user and a current time;
determining to adjust the current time based on the current location, the current time, and the event location;
in response to determining to adjust the current time, calculating a time change to the current time based on the current location, the current time, and the event location;
adjusting the current time displayed by the time display device by the time change, the adjusting causing the adjusted time to be displayed to the user by the time display device; and
determining, based on a new location of the time display device, that the user has arrived at the event location by the predetermined time; and
in response to determining that the user has arrived at the event location by the predetermined time, causing the time display device to display an updated current time.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein calculating the time change comprises evaluating one or more of severity of weather, severity of traffic, how a previous time adjustment affected the user, and one or more of physiological characteristics of the user.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving instructions to enable or disable displaying of the adjusted time.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the instructions comprise disabling displaying of the adjusted time when the time display device has arrived at the event location by the predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the calculating the time change is further based upon whether the event accepts early arrival or late arrival.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising causing a different time to be displayed to a different user by a different time display device, in response to detecting that the different user is in proximity to the time display device.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, are adapted to cause performance of operations comprising:
determining that a user will be attending an event at an event location at a predetermined time;
determining a current location of the user and a current time;
evaluating the current location, the current time, the predetermined time, and the event location;
in response to evaluating the current location, the current time, the predetermined time, and the event location, applying a random time offset to the current time to generate an adjusted time; and
causing the adjusted time to be displayed to the user on a time display device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving and evaluating one or more physiological characteristics of the user.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise determining, based on the evaluation of the one or more physiological characteristics, that the user is under stress, and that a magnitude of the random time offset should be minimized to prevent added stress.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise displaying a different time to a different user in response to detecting that the different user is in proximity to the time display device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, based on a new location of the time display device, that the user has arrived at the event location by the predetermined time; and
in response to determining that the user has arrived at the event location by the predetermined time, causing the time display device to display an updated current time.

Assignees

• Paypal Inc

Inventors

• Todasco Michael Charles

Classifications

• G06Q10/109

  Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting · CPC title

• G04G5/00

  Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title

• G04R20/00

  Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal · CPC title

• G04G21/025

  for measuring physiological data · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title