Extensible user context system for delivery of notifications
View Patent ↗A system for controlling the delivery of notifications. The system brokers and serializes the delivery of notifications from multiple sources. In addition, a shared notion of user context is provided for determining the appropriate handling for each of the notifications. In one embodiment, a user context consists of a condition that may be true or false, and an instruction that is to be followed if the condition is true. For example, if a user is listening to music, the instruction may be to show the notification on the screen but not play any sound for the notification. A user's contexts are declared by the operating system and arbitrary programs. The user's contexts may be presented to the user for modification in accordance with the user's preferences. The user may also define rules which dictate how notifications that contain specified elements should be handled, and may provide exceptions to the instructions of the user's contexts.
1. A method for controlling the delivery of notifications comprising:
receiving a test notification request;
evaluating the test notification request in accordance with one or more user contexts that have been set by one or more context setters to generate a first test notification indication, the first test notification indication corresponding to an indication regarding how the test notification request would be handled;
providing the first test notification indication;
detecting a change in the one or more user contexts;
evaluating the first test notification in accordance with the detected change of the one or more user contexts to generate a second test notification indication;
providing the second test notification indication;
receiving a notification from a first notification sender; and
in response to receiving the notification, controlling the delivery of the notification in accordance with the second test notification indication,
wherein a user context comprises a condition that is in first or second states, and an associated instruction that is to be followed if the condition is in the first state, and
wherein the condition of at least one of the user contexts relates to whether or not the user is at least partially occupied by sound, and the associated instruction restricts the delivery of notifications in terms of their volume.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the condition of at least one of the user contexts relates to whether or not the user is at least partially visually occupied, and the associated instruction restricts the delivery of notifications in terms of their visual display.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of user contexts that are associated with a specified user are set by a plurality of context setters.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second test notification is evaluated prior to receiving a second test notification request.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, in response to providing the test notification indication, a test notification subscription request.
6. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing the following steps:
receiving a test notification request;
evaluating the test notification request in accordance with one or more user contexts that have been set by one or more context setters to generate a first test notification indication, the first test notification indication corresponding to an indication regarding how the test notification request would be handled;
providing the first test notification indication;
detecting a change in the one or more user contexts;
evaluating the first test notification in accordance with the detected change of the one or more user contexts to generate a second test notification indication;
providing the second test notification indication;
receiving a notification from a first notification sender; and
in response to receiving the notification, controlling the delivery of the notification in accordance with the second test notification indication,
wherein a user context comprises a condition that is in first or second states, and an associated instruction that is to be followed if the condition is in the first state, and
wherein the condition of at least one of the user contexts relates to whether or not the user is at least partially occupied by sound, and the associated instruction restricts the delivery of notifications in terms of their volume.
7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6 , further comprising instructions to withhold an audio portion of an incoming notification when the user context indicates that the user is at least partially occupied by sound.
8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7 , further comprising instructions to permit a video portion of said incoming notification when the user context indicates that the user is at least partially occupied by sound.