Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that shows us how a user's wearable device, be it eyewear, a smart buckle or Apple Watch, can work with an iPhone in new and interesting ways. For instance, how many times has your iPhone woken you up when you badly needed sleep or a power nap? Apple's new wearable device modules will someday understand that you're at rest and automatically shut the ringer off your phone. In another scenario, a family member calls you while you're asleep and communicates to your iPhone that it's a family emergency. The Phone would override your 'do not disturb mode' and begin to ring or buzz your Apple Watch to wake you with the message that there's a family emergency that has to be dealt with. Apple is likely keeping their cooler scenarios about this invention for a future keynote introduction. For now we get to at least kick the tires and get an overview of Apple's latest wearable's related invention.

Apple's Patent Background

Wearable devices and other peripheral user electronics are becoming more and more popular. Such devices may connect via proximity-based network connections to other user devices, for example a headset connecting to a smartphone via a Bluetooth connection. Additionally, these peripheral devices are typically smaller and more portable than traditional consumer electronics. Thus, these peripheral devices may be more regularly accessible by a user (e.g., they may be worn or on a user's person more often). Alternatively, users are often misplacing their portable devices and/or placing them in locations that are not easily accessible. It is relatively common for a user to miss a call being received by their portable electronic device because they are unable to answer the call in time.

Apple's Invention: Updating Device Behavior based on User Behavior

Apple's invention covers systems, methods, and computer-readable medium for updating device behavior (e.g., changing settings of the device) based on user behavior (e.g., changes in activity of the user). Apple's patent FIG. 5 noted below is a simplified architecture diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for updating device behavior based on user behavior.

In some examples, two user devices (e.g., a portable computing device and a wearable computing device) may communicate with one another over a network connection. While connected, the two devices may share information about incoming calls and the inferred intent of the user with respect to interacting with the incoming calls.

According to one embodiment, a method may be executed by a wearable computer system to at least receive biometric information of the user. The wearable device may also identify a first activity level of the user based at least in part on the biometric information.

In particular, a pair of user devices (or more than two) may communicate with one another via a wireless network connection or the like. In some examples, one device may collect user activity information of the user and this information may be used to infer or otherwise determine the intent of the user with respect to the second device.

For example, the user may be wearing a peripheral device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses, a mobile headset, a smart belt buckle or the like) that includes one or more sensors configured to detect activity and/or biometric information of the user as the user moves. In some examples, the user may also utilize a portable computing device (e.g., a mobile phone or other communication device) that can receive calls, texts, or other electronic messages from other users. When a communication is received by the user's portable device, this device may provide information to the user's peripheral device indicating that the portable device is receiving the communication.

More specifically, a mobile phone in an active state (e.g., not in a "do not disturb mode") may be receiving a call, and the mobile phone may send information to a smart watch of the user that a call is being received (e.g., that the mobile phone is ringing). If the mobile phone is not active or is in "do not disturb" mode, the mobile phone may be configured to not send any communication about the call to the smart watch or other user device. In one non-limiting example, the smart watch may begin to collect user activity, behavior, and/or other biometric information (assuming that the user is wearing the smart watch) based on receipt of the sent information that indicates the call. The smart watch may be able to identify the intent of the user (e.g., whether the user is trying to interact with the mobile phone, whether the user is trying to ignore the mobile phone, whether the user has lost the mobile phone, whether the user is busy, etc.) and provide instructions to the mobile phone to update a setting or behavior of the mobile phone based at least in part on the determined intent.

In some cases, the intent of the user may be inferred or implied based at least in part on the activity of the user that is detected. For example, the sensors of the smart watch may be able to identify that the user is looking in a bag, digging through couch cushions, walking across a room, or the like. Or, the sensors may be able to identify that the user has changed pace since the call has been received (e.g., the user was not moving or was moving slowly, but is now running, walking quickly, moving erratically, etc.).

Such actions and/or changes in behavior may imply that the user is attempting to interact or otherwise answer the incoming call. Sensors suitable for collecting such behavior/activity information include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, pedometers, proximity sensors, as well as light, audio, and/or video sensors. Attempts to interact with the mobile phone may include trying to answer the phone, trying to find the phone, trying to mute the phone, etc.

New Action/Intent Module

Apple's new action/intent module #534 (of FIG. 5 above) may also be configured to determine when a user is resting, sleeping, or otherwise not taking calls based on a level of activity of the user. For example, the action/intent module may be able to identify that a user is lying down, has not moved for some time, and/or that the time of day matches a time when the user usually rests. In this scenario, the action/intent module may infer that the user is sleeping, and may provide instructions to their iPhone to update the behavior or settings.

In some examples, the updated behavior may include preparing an electronic message (e.g., a text, an email, or the like) to the caller, placing the iPhone in "do not disturb" mode, and/or silencing the ring (e.g., so that the user cannot hear the ringing, even though the caller may). For example, the iPhone may provide any of the following, or similar, messages: "I'm sleeping, please call me back later," "I'm sleeping and will likely take me a few moments to figure out where my phone is," "I'm sleeping, please hold on," "I'm sleeping, is this an emergency?," or "I'm sleeping, do you want to wake me up?"

Further, in some cases, the iPhone may not ring and/or the wearable/Apple Watch  may not alert the user of the call while the user is resting. However, in some cases, the iPhone may begin ringing if the caller responds to the message, indicating that it is an emergency or that the caller would like to wake up the user (i.e., the user indicates the relative importance of the call).

In at least one additional example, the user iPhone may receive a call, but remain silent based at least in part on the example above (i.e., that the wearable/Apple Watch detected that the user was resting). While a message is sent to the caller asking whether they would like to wake up the user (or at least attempt to wake up the user), the number of rings may be automatically extended (in this and other examples, the rings may be silent to the user, yet the caller may hear them).

Apple's patent FIG. 1 noted above is a simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for updating device behavior based on user behavior; FIG. 2 noted below is a simplified flow diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for updating device behavior based on user behavior.

Apple patent application 20160205244 was originally filed in January 2015. Apple provides numerous added scenarios to further explain this invention in detail and you could access the patent filing here.

Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

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