Somatosensory type notification alerts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947205-B2
Application number	US-201715670357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Jan 23, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A computing device is described that can receive contextual information related to a user associated with the computing device. The contextual information may relate to at least one of a physiological condition of the user at a current time or a type of activity associated with the user at the current time. The computing device can select, based at least in part on the contextual information, a type of alert to output as an indication of notification data. The type of alert may include at least one of an electric stimulus type alert, a shape-memory alloy type alert, and a vibration type alert. Responsive to selecting the type of alert, the computing device can output an alert based on the notification data, the alert being of the selected type of alert.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, contextual information associated with a user of the computing device;
determining, by the computing device, based at least in part on the contextual information, at least one of a current physiological condition of the user or a type of activity currently being performed by the user;
selecting, by the computing device, based at least in part on the at least one of the current physiological condition or the type of activity, a particular vibration pattern, from a plurality of vibration patterns, with which to output alerts for indicating a receipt of notification data; and
responsive to receiving the notification data, outputting, by the computing device, with particular vibration pattern, a vibration alert indicating receipt of the notification data.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the computing device, based on the contextual information, that the current physiological condition of the user is one of stressed, relaxed, and neither stressed nor relaxed,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is selected based on whether the current physiological condition of the user is stressed, relaxed, or neither stressed nor relaxed.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, based on the contextual information, that the current physiological condition of the user is stressed,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is a high frequency or high amplitude vibration in response to determining that the current physiological condition of the user is stressed.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, based on the contextual information, that the current physiological condition of the user is relaxed,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is a low frequency or low amplitude vibration in response to determining that the current physiological condition of the user is relaxed.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, based on the contextual information, that the current physiological condition of the user is neither stressed nor relaxed,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is a moderate frequency or moderate amplitude vibration in response to determining that the current physiological condition of the user is neither stressed nor relaxed.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the computing device, based on the contextual information, that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is either a physical activity or a non-physical activity;
wherein the particular vibration pattern is selected based on the type of activity currently being performed by the user is either a physical activity or a non-physical activity.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
determining, based on the contextual information, that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is a physical activity,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is a high level of intensity in response to determining that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is a physical activity.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
determining, based on the contextual information, that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is a non-physical activity,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is a low or moderate level of intensity in response to determining that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is a non-physical activity.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is a non-physical activity, determining, by the computing device, whether the non-physical activity is a stressful type of activity or a non-stressful type of activity,
wherein the particular vibration pattern is selected based on whether the non-physical activity is a stressful type of activity or a non-stressful type of activity.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vibration patterns include a high intensity vibration, a low intensity vibration, and a moderate intensity vibration.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a wearable computing device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification data comprises information indicating that an event associated with the computing device has occurred.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the computing device, based on the contextual information, a type of application currently being used by the user,
wherein selecting the particular vibration pattern further comprises determining, based on the type of application, the at least one of the current physiological condition of the user or the type of activity currently being performed by the user.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the type of application currently being used by the user comprises either a game type application or a reading type application, and determining the at least one of the current physiological condition of the user or the type of activity currently being performed by the user, based on the type of application, comprises:
responsive to determining that the type of application is the game type application, determining, by the computing device, that the current physiological condition of the user is stressed; and
responsive to determining that the type of application is the reading type application, determining, by the computing device, that the current physiological condition of the user is relaxed.

15. A computing device comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one module operable by the at least one processor to:
receive contextual information associated with a user of the computing device;
determine, based at least in part on the contextual information, at least one of a current physiological condition of the user or a type of activity currently being performed by the user;
select, based at least in part on the at least one of the current physiological condition or the type of activity currently being performed by the user, a particular vibration pattern, from a plurality of vibration patterns, with which to output alerts for indicating a receipt of notification data; and
responsive to receiving the notification data, output, with the particular vibration pattern, a vibration alert indicating the receipt of the notification data.

16. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:
the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine, based on the contextual information, that the current physiological condition of the user is one of stressed, relaxed, and neither stressed nor relaxed; and
the particular vibration pattern is selected based on whether the current physiological condition of the user is stressed, relaxed, or neither stressed nor relaxed.

17. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein:
the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine, based on the contextual information, that the type of activity currently being performed by the user is either a physical activity or a non-physical activity; and
the particular vibration pattern is selected based on the type of activity currently being performed by the user is either a physical activity or a non-physical activity.

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to:
receive contextual information associated with a user o

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Faaborg Alexander
• Cohen Gabriel Aaron

Classifications

• H04W68/00

  User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like · CPC title

• G08B21/18 Primary

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04M19/04

  the ringing-current being generated at the substations · CPC title

• G08B6/00 Primary

  Tactile signalling systems, e.g. tactile personal calling systems · CPC title

• H04M1/72454 Primary

  according to context-related or environment-related conditions · CPC title