U.S. patent application number 15/376069 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-30 for wireless visual notification car charger for mobile device.
This patent application is currently assigned to INCIPIO, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is INCIPIO, LLC. Invention is credited to Ahmed Fathy Abdallah, Jin Woo Choi, Carlos Del Toro, Andy Fathollahi.
Application Number | 20170094637 15/376069 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53482422 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170094637 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Del Toro; Carlos ; et
al. |
March 30, 2017 |
WIRELESS VISUAL NOTIFICATION CAR CHARGER FOR MOBILE DEVICE
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a car charger comprising a visual
notification device capable of wirelessly connecting to a mobile
device to provide visual and/or audible notification to users of
status changes on their mobile device, such as receipt of SMS, MMS,
phone calls, voice mails, calendar appointments, and battery status
in a location different from that of the mobile device. In
operation a user can plug the device into an automobile charging
port so that the device is in a location different than the user's
mobile device The user can visually and/or audibly notified of
status changes by simply glancing at the device. The notifications
can be user customizable through a user application on the mobile
device. Additional user interfaces can be incorporated into the
device to provide a set of remote controls for various operation of
the mobile device. The user therefore need not repeatedly and
continuously open and close the mobile device to determine whether
there has been a status change, which is not only time consuming,
an unnecessary consumption of battery life, but can also be
burdensome and a hazardous distraction.
Inventors: |
Del Toro; Carlos; (Whittier,
CA) ; Choi; Jin Woo; (Irvine, CA) ;
Fathollahi; Andy; (Corona Del Mar, CA) ; Abdallah;
Ahmed Fathy; (Mission Viejo, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INCIPIO, LLC |
IRVINE |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INCIPIO, LLC
IRVINE
CA
|
Family ID: |
53482422 |
Appl. No.: |
15/376069 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14582886 |
Dec 24, 2014 |
9521236 |
|
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15376069 |
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61924189 |
Jan 6, 2014 |
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61920721 |
Dec 24, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 68/005 20130101;
H02J 7/1461 20130101; H04M 1/7253 20130101; H04M 2250/02 20130101;
H04W 4/80 20180201 |
International
Class: |
H04W 68/00 20060101
H04W068/00; H02J 7/14 20060101 H02J007/14; H04W 4/00 20060101
H04W004/00 |
Claims
1. A car charger for drawing power from a vehicle battery or
electrical system including a wireless visual notification for
receiving notifications from a mobile device, the car charger
comprising: a housing including a semi-transparent upper portion;
an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection housed in the
semi-transparent upper portion and configured to supply power to
external devices; an assembled printed circuit board (PCBA) housed
within said car charger that includes at least one notification
ring LED positioned beneath the semi-transparent upper portion and
encircling the USB connection and configured to direct light
through the semi-transparent portion, a Bluetooth interface module
capable of being wirelessly paired with the mobile device, and a
microcontroller that controls the duration, intensity, and color of
light that is emitted by the at least one LED; one or more
electrical connectors housed within said housing configured to draw
power from the car battery or electrical system to provide power to
the at least one notification LED, the Bluetooth module, the
microcontroller, and the USB connection; a depressible button
connected to the PCBA that, when depressed, triggers various
operations selected from a group consisting of: (a) activating the
car charger to allow pairing with the mobile device, (b) cancel a
visual or audible notification, (c) triggering a demo mode
operation of the car charger to present a pre-set display of light
colors at specified durations or patterns, and (d) turning on and
off the power to the device; and wherein said microcontroller is
configured to control the at least one notification LED based on
notification signals wirelessly sent from the mobile device and
received by the Bluetooth module.
2. The car charger of claim 1, further comprising an ambient light
sensor that is configured to sense the intensity of light external
to the car charger and provide the sensed input to the
microcontroller, whereby the microcontroller in response thereto
adjusts the intensity of the light being emitted by the
notification LED.
3. The car charger of claim 1, further comprising a speaker
contained within the housing and wherein said speaker is controlled
by said microcontroller in response to the received notification
signals.
4. The car charger of claim 4 further comprising a sound sensor
that is connected to the microcontroller and that in response to
sensing specific sounds sends a signal to the microcontroller to
cancel the response of the microcontroller to prior notification
data received by the microcontroller from the Bluetooth module.
5. The car charger of claim 1 wherein the microcontroller controls
the notification LED so that the notification LED blinks and fades
in and out in a fixed duration and timing pattern.
6. The car charger of claim 1 wherein the microcontroller controls
the notification LED so that the light emitted from the shell of
the housing includes one or more colors in the spectrum of colors
of a group consisting of white, teal, cyan, blue, pink, purple,
green, yellow, orange, and red light.
7. A car charger for drawing power from a vehicle battery or
electrical system including a wireless visual notification for
receiving notifications from a mobile device, the car charger
comprising: a housing including a semi-transparent portion; an
external Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection and configured to
supply power to external devices; an assembled printed circuit
board (PCBA) housed within said car charger that includes at least
one notification LED positioned beneath the semi-transparent upper
portion and configured to direct light through the semi-transparent
portion, a Bluetooth interface module capable of being wirelessly
paired with the mobile device, and a microcontroller that controls
the duration, intensity, and color of light that is emitted by the
at least one LED; one or more electrical connectors housed within
said housing configured to draw power from the vehicle battery or
electrical system to provide power to the at least one notification
LED, the Bluetooth module, the microcontroller, and the USB
connection; and wherein said microcontroller is configured to
control the at least one notification LED based on notification
signals wirelessly sent from the mobile device and received by the
Bluetooth module.
8. The car charger of claim 7 wherein the electrical connectors are
configured to draw power through the vehicle's cigarette lighter
socket.
9. The car charger of claim 7 wherein the Universal Serial Bus
(USB) connection is housed in the semi-transparent portion.
10. The car charger of claim 7 wherein the at least one
notification LED is a ring LED that encircles the USB
connection.
11. The car charger of claim 10 wherein the semi-transparent upper
portion encircles the USB connection.
12. The car charger of claim 7 further comprising a motion sensor
that is connected to the microcontroller and that in response to
motion by the user sends a signal to the microcontroller to cancel
the response of the microcontroller to prior notification data
received by the microcontroller from the Bluetooth module.
13. The car charger of claim 7 further comprising a sound sensor
that is connected to the microcontroller and that in response to
sensing specific sounds sends a signal to the microcontroller to
cancel the response of the microcontroller to prior notification
data received by the microcontroller from the Bluetooth module.
14. The car charger of claim 7, further comprising a speaker
contained within the housing and wherein said speaker is controlled
by said microcontroller in response to the received notification
signals.
15. The car charger of claim 7 wherein the microcontroller controls
the notification LED so that the notification LED blinks and fades
in and out in a fixed duration and timing pattern.
16. The car charger of claim 7, wherein the microcontroller
controls the notification LED so that the light emitted from the
shell of the housing includes one or more colors in the spectrum of
colors of a group consisting of white, teal, cyan, blue, pink,
purple, green, yellow, orange, and red light.
17. The car charger of claim 7 further including an ambient light
sensor that is configured to sense the intensity of light external
to the housing and provide the sensed input to the microcontroller,
whereby the microcontroller in response thereto adjusts the
intensity of the light being emitted by the notification LED.
18. The car charger of claim 7 further comprising a depressible
button connected to the PCBA that, when depressed, triggers various
operations selected from a group consisting of: (a) activating the
car charger to allow pairing with the mobile device, (b) cancel a
visual or audible notification, (c) triggering a demo mode
operation of the car charger to present a pre-set display of light
colors at specified durations or patterns, and (d) turning on and
off the power to the device.
19. A car charger for drawing power from a vehicle battery or
electrical system including a wireless visual notification for
receiving notifications from a mobile device, the car charger
comprising: a housing including a semi-transparent upper portion;
an Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection and configured to supply
power to external devices; an assembled printed circuit board
(PCBA) housed within said housing that includes at least one
notification LED and configured to direct light through the
semi-transparent portion, a Bluetooth interface module capable of
being wirelessly paired with the mobile device, and a
microcontroller that controls the duration, intensity, and color of
light that is emitted by the LEDs; one or more electrical
connectors housed within said housing and configured to draw power
through a vehicle's cigarette lighter socket from the vehicle
battery or electrical system to provide power to the at least one
notification LED, the Bluetooth module, the microcontroller, and
the USB connection; and wherein said microcontroller is configured
to control the LEDs based on notification signals wirelessly sent
from the mobile device and received by the Bluetooth module.
20. The car charger of claim 19 further comprising a sound sensor
that is connected to the microcontroller and that in response to
sensing specific sounds sends a signal to the microcontroller to
cancel the response of the microcontroller to prior notification
data received by the microcontroller from the Bluetooth module.
Description
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 14/582,886, filed Dec. 24, 2014, which claims the benefit of
priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/924,189, filed Jan. 6, 2014, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/920,721, filed Dec. 24, 2013. The
above applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety and are to be considered as a part of this
specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Field of the Invention
[0003] This patent document relates to a wireless device that
provides visual and/or audio notifications regarding events or
communications received and/or sent by a wirelessly connected
mobile device.
[0004] Description of the Related Art
[0005] Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, PDAs,
tablet devices and the like are becoming more and more ubiquitous
in today's always connected society. Users of such device find
themselves repeatedly checking those devices for new communications
such as missed calls, new emails, texts, voice messages, or
calendar appointments etc. Applicant has recognized that there is a
need therefore for a notification system that can provide users
with customizable and resettable notifications in a user friendly
manner. Such need may be particularly acute for those with impaired
hearing and/or sight, those that regularly multi-task, or anyone
else needing or benefiting from visual and/or audio
notification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] There exists a continuing need for new and improved wireless
visual and/or audio notification that allows the user to monitor
status and/or alert events on their mobile device without
repeatedly checking it. Various aspects are summarized below.
[0007] A wireless visual notification device for receiving
notifications from a mobile device is disclosed that comprises a
housing having an upper semi-transparent shell that is received
within a lower base; an assembled printed circuit board (PCBA)
contained within the housing that includes one or more RGB LEDs, a
Bluetooth interface module capable of being wirelessly paired or
otherwise connected with the user's mobile device; and a
microcontroller that is capable of controlling the duration,
intensity, and/or color of light that is emitted by the LEDs. A
battery such as a rechargeable battery may also be contained within
the housing to provide power to the LEDs, Bluetooth module, and
microcontroller. The microcontroller is configured to control the
LEDs based on notification signals wirelessly sent from the mobile
device and received by the Bluetooth module. The notification
messages may be sent via the native iOS service of an Apple device
or via user interface application such as an Android or iOS
compatible user application that resides on the user's mobile
device. (Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc.; Android is a trademark
of Google Inc.; iOS is a trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.).
[0008] The visual notification device may also include a speaker
contained within the housing that is controlled by the
microcontroller in response to the received notification signals.
The microcontroller may be capable of controlling the RGB LEDs so
that they blink and/or fade in and out in a fixed duration,
intensity and timing pattern. The RGB LEDs may be controlled in
such a way that the light emitted from the shell may include one or
more of the following colors white, teal, cyan, blue, pink, purple,
green, yellow, orange, and red light. An ambient light sensor may
be included in the device and configured to sense the intensity of
light external thereto and provide the sensed input to the
microcontroller to adjust the intensity of the light being emitted
by one or more of the LEDs. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection
may be incorporated into the device such as into the device housing
and connected to the rechargeable battery to facilitate recharging
of the battery. The USB connection may alternatively or in addition
be connected to microcontroller to facilitate direct non-battery
powering of the microcontroller, the Bluetooth module and LEDs. A
depressible button may be located on the underside of the PCBA that
when depressed triggers various operations including one or more of
the following: (a) activating the notification device to allow
pairing with the mobile device, (b) cancel a visual or audible
notification, (c) triggering a demo mode operation of the device to
present a pre-set display of light colors at specified durations or
patterns, (d) triggering the notification device to check the
rechargeable battery voltage and display a visual representation of
the percentage of batter voltage remaining on the battery, and (e)
turning on and off the power to the device. A user button interface
may be positioned on the outer bottom face of the base and
configured to engage the depressible button when the user presses
down on the shell. The notification device may be implemented using
an LED light emitting ring incorporated into the housing of a car
charger. Other sensors such as motion, touch and sound sensors may
be included in the device to allow the user to interact with the
device with hand motions, touch, or sound.
[0009] In yet a further aspect, the wireless visual and/or audio
notification device may be incorporated into a wrist band that
straps around a user's wrist or arm. The device may further include
a user control interface that is adapted to remotely control one or
more of the functions or features of the mobile device, for
example, the audio (volume, play, pause, etc.) and/or camera
features (shutter, record, etc.) including video feature thereof.
The notification and control functions may interface wirelessly
with the mobile device via a Bluetooth interface module.
[0010] Various aspects are described in the claims and throughout
the specification and may be combined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features, aspects and advantages are
described below with reference to the drawings, which are intended
to illustrate but not to limit the invention. In the drawings, like
reference characters denote corresponding features consistently
throughout similar embodiments.
[0012] FIGS. 1A-1G are top, bottom, left, right, front, back, and
perspective views, respectively, of an assembled visual
notification pod.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an unassembled perspective view of the various
components of the visual notification pod illustrated in FIGS.
1A-1G.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system and circuit
components of the visual notification pod illustrated in FIGS.
1A-1G.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the visual
notification device in the form of a notification LED ring built
into the housing of car charger adapter.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a wrist or arm band
implementation of the visual notification pod which may include a
wireless user interface module that communicates with the mobile
device to allow the user to remotely control the mobile device
features such as for example the audio (volume, play, pause, etc.)
and/or camera features (shutter, record, etc.) including video
feature thereof of the mobile device as well as receive and/or
display visual and/or audio notification of events and/or
communications received by the mobile device.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the electronic
circuit components of the device illustrated in FIG. 5 and their
interrelationship.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] Disclosed herein is a prompt visual notification devices in
the form of a pod, ring, or wrist/arm band that is capable of
wirelessly connecting to a mobile device to provide visual and/or
audio notifications of events on a user's mobile device, such as a
smart phone or the like. The devices are capable of visually and/or
audibly notifying users of status changes on their mobile device or
smart phone, such as receipt of SMS, MMS, phone calls, voice mails,
calendar appointments, and battery status in a location different
from that of the mobile device. In operation, a user can place the
device in or near a working space, such as desk, book shelf, table,
or in the case of a ring plug in a dashboard in a car or vehicle
etc, or in the case of an wrist/arm band around the user's arm or
wrist, and be visually notified of status changes or alerts by
simply glancing at the device. The device is configured so that it
can be resettable by simply tapping the device and/or interacting
with the device via motion, touch and/or sound sensors or buttons.
The user therefore need not repeatedly and continuously open and
close their mobile device to determine whether there has been a
status change or an alert, which is not only time consuming and
burdensome but also consumes battery life. The notifications can be
user customizable through a user application on the mobile
device.
[0019] FIGS. 1-3 commonly illustrate various features of a visual
and/or audio notification pod device 100 that include a
semi-transparent shell 110 that forms the upper-housing of the
device 100 and disperses the light emitting therefrom. The shell
110 is designed to allow sufficient transmission of light. The
shell 110 may be white, or any desired color, to filter the
internal light sources and allow the user to appreciate the various
colors that may be created by the RGB LED light sources 121
illuminating the shell, which are described, in more detail, below.
The shell 110 is mounted to a corresponding lower housing or base
component 140 that is configured on its upper perimeter region to
mate with and attach to the upper housing formed by the shell 110
via clips and/or screws. Any suitable attachment means may be
employed including adhesion. The device 100 may be powered by a
rechargeable battery 130 that is contained within the lower housing
140.
[0020] Also contained and mounted within the housing of the device
is an assembled printed circuit board (PCBA) 120 that controls and
provides the visual and audio notifications. The circuitry of the
PCBA 120 may include the following components: [0021] a. three red
green blue (RGB) LEDs 121 that emit RGB light to create a spectrum
of light colors, which can be emitted in different durations and
intensity patterns (for example, the RGB LED can blink and breath
(fade in and out) in patterns), each of which can represent one or
more notifications; [0022] b. a Bluetooth low energy communication
module 122 that is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless
communications or notifications from the mobile device to which it
is paired, a GATT protocol may be used; [0023] c. a
micro-controller (MCU) 123 that controls the light being emitted by
the RGB LEDs 121 and the sound being emitted by the Piezo speaker
125 wired to the PCBA; [0024] d. an ambient light sensor 124 that
senses the intensity of light external to the lens and provides
that input to the microcontroller so that the micro-controller 123
can adjust the intensity of the light being emitted by the LEDs 121
to conserve energy when there is low ambient light external to the
device while also controlling the intensity of the light so that
light will not be too bright at night or too dim in a well lighted
environment; [0025] e. a micro Universal Serial Bus (USB)
connection 126 that provides a connection by which the rechargeable
battery 130 can be charged and also provides an alternative power
connection to the device 100 to allow the device to be powered
directly via a wall plug connection; [0026] f. a depressible button
127 located on the underside of the PCBA 120 that triggers various
operations of the device including: [0027] g. (1) activating the
device into pairing mode to allow the device to pair with the
user's mobile device (e.g., press and hold shell 110 down to
depress button for 2 seconds); [0028] h. (2) resetting or canceling
a notification, which allows a user to dismiss notifications from
being cycled through the notification device once the user
depresses the device to activate the button (e.g., tapping the top
of shell 110 once to briefly depress and release the button 127,
other sensors may also serve to allow the user to reset or cancel a
notification); [0029] i. (3) triggering demo mode for the device,
which, for example once triggered, can flash a pre-set or
pre-programmed presentation of light colors at specified durations
or patterns (e.g., press and hold shell 110 down to depress button
127 for 6 seconds); [0030] j. (4) triggering the device 100 to go
into battery check mode, which provides notification or indication
on the remaining battery 130 voltage or life (e.g., press down on
shell 110 to depress button 127 and let go); and [0031] k. (5)
turning on and off the power to the device 100 (e.g., press and
hold shell 110 down for 2 seconds or some other duration thereby
depressing the button 127 for a specified duration).
[0032] It should be understood that while a single PCB may be
employed, the functionality and operations set forth above may be
embodied in multiple PCBs and/or distributed among one or more
discrete electronic components that effectuate, either in hardware
or software or a combination thereof, the desired functionalities
described above.
[0033] The base 140 that forms the lower housing of the device 100
includes a speaker grill 141 on the bottom face that facilitates
the communication of audio signals emitted from the speaker 125 and
a micro USB cover 142 that is configured to allow the user to clip
it in and out of the base 140 to cover or gain access to the USB
connection 126. The base 140 further includes a user button
interface 143 positioned on the outer bottom face of the device 100
that allows the user to engage and depress the depressible button
127 from the bottom side of the device 100. The button interface
143 is levered such that when the housing is depressed the button
interface 143 engages and depresses the button 127. The bottom side
of the device 100 also includes support feet 144 at the corners of
the device 100 including one on the button interface 143. The feet
144 provide elevated support to facilitate movement of the device
100 when depressed by the user as well as a non-scratch, non-slip
contact surface. The bottom face may also include a reset pin hole
145 that allows the user to access the reset pin on the Bluetooth
module to reset the Bluetooth module.
[0034] In operation, the user turns on the device and pairs (via
the Bluetooth interface module 122) the user's mobile device to the
notification device 100. One quick beep from the speaker may be
programmed into the device to signal that the device is on and
pairing confirmation may be programmed to be represented by three
quick cyan blinks. Once paired or otherwise wirelessly connected,
the visual notification device or pod 100 receives status changes
and alerts (such as those previously noted) via the Bluetooth
module 122, which feeds those communications to the MCU 123, which
in turn controls the LED lights to emit light of a specified color,
duration and/or intensity and can also sound beeps or noises
through the speaker 125. The notification messages may be sent via
the native Apple iOS service or via a specific user interface
application, such as an Android application.
[0035] Should the mobile device exit the operability zone (i.e.,
wireless connectivity zone), a user interface application on the
device may be programmed to generate a pop up notification
informing the user that the device is out of range of the
notification device 100. Upon reentering the operating zone or
range, the device 100 will automatically re-pair or wirelessly
connect with the mobile device.
[0036] When the notification signals from the mobile device are
received by the Bluetooth module 122 of the notification device
100, they are communicated to the MCU 123, which in response
generates control signals that activate visual (via the LEDs 121)
and/or audio (via speaker 125) indicators representative of those
notifications. The notification device 100, for example, may have
visual notification colors set as defaults for the various status
changes and alerts set forth in the table below.
TABLE-US-00001 Default Colors White Teal Cyan Blue Pink Purple
Green Yellow Orange Red Category Incoming News Voicemail Email
Entertainment Health & Social Location Schedule Missed ID Call
Fitness Call +Business +Internal +Other & App Finance Alarm
Clock Expected Incoming News/Biz/ Voicemail Email Games, Health
Test All Other Calendar Missed Notifications Call Fin Entertainment
App Messages Notifications Events Call Alerts App Alerts Alerts
Bluetooth App Social Phone Pairing Enabled App Battery Alarm Alerts
<20% Clock Network & Wi-Fi not connected & Airplane Mode
Prompt Prompt Prompt Prompt Battery Battery = Battery = Battery =
Level HIGH MEDIUM LOW Indicator (changing this to Red) Prompt
Prompt Charging Micro Indicator USB Plugged in (0.5 s Blinks 3
Times with 0.5 s Interval) Lamp APP Enabled--All colors available
to be turned on/off individually (e.g., night light or simple
illustration around Mode the house) Demo APP Enabled--Demo mode =
breathes through all colors forever Mode
[0037] Checking the remaining battery 130 capacity or life may be
based on estimated voltage level of the battery 130, such that the
color green may be programmed to represents 70-100% capacity
remaining, the color yellow may be programmed to represent 40-70%
capacity remaining, and the color red may be programmed to
represent 1-40% capacity remaining. Notification of battery status
may be programmed to be displayed as a solid colored light for 3
seconds. The GATT battery service (BAS) profile may show the state
of the battery 130. With respect to the battery, a 380 mAh battery
capacity may be employed, which at an average power consumption of
8 mA is potentially capable of providing approximately 16 days of
use without recharge.
[0038] It should be understood that the notification colors can
blink or fade in and out to create light patterns and/or be
combined with audio beeps that correspond with the blinking of the
light or audio breathing noises that audibly fade in and out to
correspond to the fading in and out of the visual notification
emitted by the LEDs 121.
[0039] When there are multiple notifications, the device cycles
through the notifications one at a time until such time that the
notifications become stale or are cancelled out by the user.
Whether a notification is stale or not may be based on the time
that has passed since the notification was first triggered or the
number of notifications in cycle on a first in first out basis. For
example, a notification may be staled or timed-out of the cycle if
it has been in the cycle for a pre-determined or selected amount of
time or if the number of notifications allowed to be displayed by
the cycle is exceeded and the subject notification has been in the
cycle the longest. Alternatively, the notification may be
cancelled-out of the cycle by the user, for example, by the user
depressing the button 127 in pre-determined manner or duration. The
user may depress the button, by tapping or pressing down on the top
of the shell 110 in response to or at a time when the notification
that the user is seeking to cancel is active (i.e., visually and/or
audibly being communicated by the pod). When the shell 110 is
pressed-down, the base 140 is also pressed down, such that the
button interface 143 (which is levered to a more central region of
the housing) engages or mechanically depresses and activates the
button 127. The notifications may be may prioritized in a hierarchy
based on importance. The hierarchy can be pre-determined in any
order such as in order starting from left and going to right in
table above or customized by the user in any manner.
[0040] It is also contemplated that the notification may be
cancelled-out of the cycle by the user interacting with the device
using one or more other sensors, including for example photo cells
sensitive to user motion, capacitive sensors sensitive to user
touch, and sound sensors sensitive to user noises or sound. For
example, a motion sensor or photo cell (not shown) may be included
within the housing of the device 100 and connected to the
microcontroller 123, such that when the user waives a hand at the
device, the motion sensor senses the motion that is communicated to
the microcontroller which in turn cancels the notification from the
cycle. Similarly, a microphone or sound sensor may be housed within
the housing and connected to the microcontroller 123, such that if
the user makes the requisite sound (e.g. claps hands, snaps
fingers, says the word "cancel", taps desk, etc.), that sound is
sensed, and communicated via signals to the microcontroller 123 for
processing. The microcontroller 123 then cancels the notification
from the cycle of notifications upon receipt of the requisite sound
signal from the microphone. A capacitive sensor or a biometric
sensor may also or alternatively be placed on the device 100 and
connected to the microcontroller 123 such that the user may touch
to cancel notifications from the cycle. Hence, upon receipt of the
requisite touch signals from the touch sensor, the microcontroller
123 would cancel the notification from the notification cycle by no
longer sending the signals for the notification to the LEDs 121
and/or the speaker 125.
[0041] In use, the user can have multiple devices in different
rooms or locations for easy access to status notifications. The
housing of the device can be made of suitable plastic, glass, metal
and/or combination thereof. A user interface application on the
paired mobile device can facilitate the user to control the color
and notification settings so as to customize the visual and audio
signals to correspond to user selected status notifications or
alerts. The user applications may be compatible with Apple iOS for
Apple devices and/or Android operating systems. It should be
understood, however, that the prompt may be used without the
application in that the iOS native ANCS functionality may be
supported, although the colors may not be customizable. It should
be also noted that the visual prompt may be used in lamp mode or as
a night light by the user by selecting or enabling this mode from
the user application. In operation, the lamp mode could discontinue
control over the LEDs and/or speaker resulting from notifications
status events or alerts. Once lamp mode is discontinued, such
alerts or status notifications could re-continue or begin anew.
Alternatively, lamp mode could continue to operate in a dual mode
to provide notifications on status events and alerts in the same
manner or a modified manner (for example displaying status/alert
notifications in a more subdued or less intense light and/or
audio).
[0042] FIG. 4 discloses another embodiment of the visual
notification device that is in the form of a notification LED ring
210 that encircles the perimeter of a car charger 200. The car
charger housing contains the various components illustrated in FIG.
3 in the operative manner as previously described. However, in this
implementation there would be no need to house a rechargeable
battery as the power source would be the car battery or electrical
system. The USB connection 126 would serve as a connector to charge
the mobile device as opposed to charging a rechargeable battery
130, which one not be as needed. It should be understood that while
a USB connection 126 is disclosed, any suitable mobile device
connection or connector may be employed such as an Apple 30 pin or
8 pin connector. This embodiment is particularly useful in that it
is capable of mitigating driver distraction that occurs from
checking mobile device for messages and calendar events or alerts
while driving.
[0043] FIGS. 5 and 6 discloses yet another embodiment of the visual
notification device that is in the form of a user wearable band 300
that can be secured by an adjustable strap 350 to a user's arm,
wrist or leg directly or external to clothing such as a ski jacket
or work out clothing while the user's mobile device is secured in a
back pack or location on the user. The mobile device may be
connected, wirelessly or via hard wires, to ear phones or earphone
buds with or without microphone so that the user can listen to
music and/or communicate with or through the device while in an
active state like skiing, jogging or biking or other movement.
[0044] As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the band 300 in this depicted
implementation is comprised of a housing 340 that is removable or
permanently attached to the adjustable strap 350 and defines an
enclosed cavity that contains the electrical circuitry that
facilities the user interfaces and communicates with the mobile
device, described in more detail below. The housing 340 may be
cylindrically curved (watch-like) to define inner and outer
perimeter surfaces or faces 341 and 342, such that the inner
perimeter surface 341 may generally correspond to the curvature of
a person's limb to which the band is to be attached.
[0045] The housing 340 includes an aperture that is fitted with a
visual notification light translucent panel or lens 310, which,
like the shell 110 described above, is designed to allow sufficient
transmission of light and may be white, or any desired color, to
filter the internal light sources and allow the user to appreciate
the various colors that may be created by the RGB LED illuminating
light sources 321A-F, which are described in more detail below The
translucent panel is positioned centrally within the housing on the
outer perimeter surface or face so that it can be easily seen or
glanced at by the user.
[0046] Multiple user interface buttons 374, 375, 376 and 377A-B,
which allow the user to interact and control the functionality of
the band 300, are located on the outer surface of the housing 340
as illustrated in FIG. 5. While the user interface buttons can
control any number of operations, in the illustrated embodiment the
buttons have the operations set forth in the following table.
TABLE-US-00002 Reference Button No. No. Functionality 374 1 Play
music or media source Pause music or media source Track forward
music or media source Track backward music or media source 375 2
Volume up Snap photo or shoot video 376 3 Volume down Answer or
hang-up a telephone call. 377A 4A Clear notification 377B 4B Check
internal battery level
[0047] A micro USB or other communication/power port or connection
336 may also be positioned on the housing 340 to provide, like the
micro USB connector 126 described above, a connection by which the
rechargeable battery 330 contained within the housing 340 may be
charged and also provides an alternative power connection to the
device 300 to allow the device to be powered directly via a wall
plug connection. It should be understood that while a USB
connection 126 is disclosed, any suitable mobile device connection
or connector may be employed such as an Apple 30 pin or 8 pin
connector, which may further facilitate direct wired connection
with the mobile device 10
[0048] A representative implementation of the electrical
circuitry/components contained in the housing 340 are illustrated
in FIG. 6. In the illustrated implementation a single assembled PCB
320 is employed to implement the visual notification and user
interface control remote control features of the band 300. The
circuitry of the PCB 320 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes the
following. [0049] a. Six red green blue (RGB) LEDs 321A-F--that are
spaced apart under the visual notification lens 310 to provide a
generally uniform glow of light from the lens--emit RGB light to
create a spectrum of light colors, which can be emitted in
different durations and intensity patterns (for example, the RGB
LED can blink and breath (fade in and out) in patterns), each of
which can represent one or more notifications as previously
described in the visual notification colors set forth in the table
set forth above. [0050] b. A Bluetooth low energy communication
module 322 that--like the BLE module 122 described above--is
capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communications,
including notifications, from the mobile device to which it is
paired. As previously noted, a GATT protocol may be employed. The
BLE module is configured to communicate with the mobile device via
the mobile device operating system (such as the Apple iOs or
Android) or an application residing thereon, such as that
previously described in connection with the POD. [0051] c. A
micro-controller (MCU) 323 is employed to (a) control the light
being emitted by the RGB LEDs 321A-F, (b) manage the power coming
in externally from the USB connector 336 to recharge the battery
330 and/or power the device 300 as well the battery power 330 used
to power the device 300; (c) control the communications sent by the
BLE module 320, (d) process the communications received by BLE
module, (e) process the signals or input received from the buttons
of the user control interface and communicate with BLE module
and/or visual notification LEDs to effectuate the corresponding
operations/functionalities for those buttons (e.g., play, pause or
track forward and backwards music or media source on the mobile
device; control the volume up or down, answer a call or make an
emergency call, clear a notification or check batter life, control
a camera shutter or video, pair the band to the mobile device as
previously described in connection with the pod embodiment, etc.).
[0052] d. An ambient light sensor, like that previously described
above in connection with reference numeral 124, may also be
included on the PCB 320 to sense the intensity of light external to
the lens and provide that input to the microcontroller 323 to
control or adjust the intensity of the light being emitted by the
LEDs 321A-F for the purposes previously described. [0053] e. A
micro Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection 326 may also be
included to provide a connection by which the rechargeable battery
330 can be charged, while also providing an alternative power
connection to the device 300. The device 300 can thus via the USB
connection be powered directly via a wall plug connection or other
external power source. [0054] f. The multiple depressible buttons
374, 375, 376 and 377A-B are also located on the the PCB 320 and as
previously noted connected to the MCU 323 to provide a user control
interface that triggers the various operations of the device
described above. As in the pod embodiment, the duration and manner
by which the buttons are depressed may trigger different operations
using the same button.
[0055] It should be understood, as previously noted, that while a
single PCB may be employed, the functionality and operations may be
embodied in multiple PCBs and/or distributed among one or more
discrete electronic components that effectuate, either in hardware
or software or a combination thereof, the functionalities described
above.
[0056] Although the various inventive aspects are herein disclosed
in the context of certain preferred embodiments, implementations,
and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art
that the present invention extends beyond the specifically
disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses
of the various aspects and obvious modifications and equivalents
thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of the aspects
have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which
are within their scope will be readily apparent to those of skill
in the art based upon this disclosure. It should be also understood
that the scope this disclosure includes the various combinations or
sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the
embodiments disclosed herein, such that the various features, modes
of implementation, and aspects of the disclosed subject matter may
be combined with or substituted for one another. Thus, it is
intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed
should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments or
implementations described above, but should be determined only by a
fair reading of the claims.
[0057] Similarly, this method of disclosure, is not to be
interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claim require more
features than are expressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the
following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of
fewer than all features of any single foregoing disclosed
embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are
hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with
each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
* * * * *