WO2009138903A1

WO2009138903A1 - Apparatus and method for controlling an output for indicating a type of a received message

Info

Publication number: WO2009138903A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/051847
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pavankumar M. Dadlani Mahtani; Robert Van Herk; Alexander Sinitsyn; Eelco Dijkstra; Wilhelmus F. J. Fontijn
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2008-05-13
Filing date: 2009-05-06
Publication date: 2009-11-19

Abstract

An apparatus (100) is described for controlling an output for indicating a content type of a received message, such as SMS/MMS or email. The output is for example a graphical element on a display (150) or a characteristic of light emitted by a light emitter (160). An assessment arrangement (120) assesses the content of the received message. A controller (140) selectively controls the graphical element to be displayed and/or the characteristic of the emitted light based on the assessed content. The user may read information regarding the content of the message at a glance and from a distance.

Description

Apparatus and method for controlling an output for indicating a type of a received message

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling an output for indicating a type of a received message.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Seniors generally find it difficult to use email and mobile phones because the buttons and the screen are too small, and the user interaction is too complex. Many adults or children try to teach their elderly parents or grand parents to use mobile phones for calls and text messaging, but often in vain. The use of text messaging such as SMS or email is drastically increasing. This means that seniors, who are not capable of sending and receiving such text messages, cannot use an important means of communication, which in many cases will augment their isolation, because it is widely used by younger generations. It would be desirable to enhance connectedness between seniors, their children and their grandchildren. The patent application US 2007/0052615 Al discloses that state information is conveyable via an output mechanism. This output mechanism may be an auxiliary display device, such as at least one LED and/or luminescent strip, and it may be viewed from a large distance compared to text and graphics displays. Logic receives state data from a data source such as an application program, and applies configuration data such as rules and/or user defined preferences to selectively control the output to be conveyed. Various state data may be conveyed via differing colors, differing numbers of LEDs illuminated, differing brightness, differing color intensity, differing hue and/or differing flash/pulse patterns. State information that is output is updatable when some state change occurs. The state information may be related to received messages. The user can configure preferences such that the LED set may convey approximately how many email messages are currently unread. For example, the display may indicate a general number of unread email messages, e.g., through a bank of LEDs, in which more LEDs light up when there are more unread messages. The user may be allowed to configure how many unread messages each LED represents, which need not be linear. The number of LEDs illuminated may be combined with other information, such as the urgency of messages or the sender thereof by brightness, or, if color-changeable LEDs are used, by increasing the color intensity and hue as the number of unread emails increases (or if urgent and so forth), and/or by the use of flash patterns. So, the auxiliary device disclosed in this patent application provides a user with information, which is related to received messages and which can be read from a distance.

It is an object of the invention to provide an alternative apparatus and method for indicating the type of a received message.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thereto, according to an aspect of the invention an apparatus according to independent claim 1 and a method according to independent claim 12 are provided. Favorable embodiments are defined in dependent claims 2-11 and 13-15.

According to an aspect of the invention an apparatus is provided for controlling an output for indicating a content type of a received message. The message may be an SMS, email or any other type of message. In order to receive the message, the apparatus may be coupled to an external message receiver, such as a mobile phone or email system. Alternatively, the message receiver may be integrated in the apparatus itself. The apparatus comprises an assessment arrangement for assessing the content of the received message and a controller for selectively controlling a characteristic of the output based on the assessed content, the characteristic representing the content type of message. In this way, the user is provided with information about the content of the message.

The assessment arrangement may be adapted for parsing the received message in order to assess the content thereof.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the controller may use a look- up table that matches keywords to characteristics of the output. In case that the content of the received message comprises one of the keywords present in the look-up table, the corresponding characteristic is output. In this way, the characteristic to be output is determined in a simple way.

According to an alternative embodiment, the apparatus comprises a categorizer for categorizing the message as being of one or more of the content types based on the assessed content. Hereto, the apparatus may use any suitable algorithm. The controller is adapted for controlling the characteristic of the output in accordance with the one or more content types. Hereto, the controller may use a look-up table that matches the content types to output characteristics. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the controller may be adapted for controlling the display of one or more graphical elements based on the assessed content. Alternatively or additionally, the controller may be adapted for controlling a characteristic of emitted light based on the assessed content. In both cases the output is visual and the user can see information about the content of the received messages at a glance and from a distance. Furthermore, the information is provided in an unobtrusive way.

The light characteristic may be one or more of the group of: light color, flashing, blinking, brightness and amount of light emitting surface being lit. For example, colored patterns of light may be used to reflect an emotional value based on the content of the message, for example sadness, happiness or excitement.

The apparatus may be implemented as a photo-frame. In this way, the message indication is provided by an apparatus which is known to many people, and in particular to elderly people. As a result, the acceptance of the apparatus by this group will be high. The area where the received message is displayed may be the area where the photo-frame normally displays a photograph. The apparatus may in this case comprise a light emitter, which is arranged at different sides of the display area, for emitting the light.

According to yet a further embodiment the controller is adapted for controlling the output characteristic so that it is generated concurrently with the message. In this way, the user is enabled to see the information regarding the content type of the received message at a glance. In case that the message appears interesting, the user may read the content thereof without the need to perform any action to retrieve it.

The apparatus may further comprise a user interface for enabling a user to personalize the characteristic of the output. As a result thereof, other persons such as visitors are not able to identify the content type of the received message. This information is kept personal and private.

The controller may furthermore be adapted for controlling the output characteristic based on one or more of the following characteristics: message sender, message urgency, message importance and number of unread messages. In this way, the user is additionally provided with information concerning other aspects of the received messages than their content.

The apparatus may further comprise a translator for translating jargon and/or emoticons to traditional text. This enables a message sender to use jargon and/or emoticons even if a message receiver has no knowledge thereof. According to a further aspect of the invention, a method is provided for controlling an output for indicating a content type of a received message, the method comprising the steps of: assessing a content of the received message; and - selectively controlling a characteristic of the output based on the assessed content, the characteristic representing the content type of message.

The method may be implemented by means of a computer program.

The computer program may be embodied on a computer readable medium or a carrier medium may carry the computer program. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a functional block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the apparatus depicted in figure 1 upon reception of a message. Throughout the figures like reference numerals refer to like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Referring to figure 1, an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 100 according to the invention will be described. Figure 1 shows a functional block diagram of the apparatus 100. The apparatus may be a digital photoframe, as shown in figure 2. The apparatus is subscribed to a telephone network and to an email account to send and receive SMS/MMS messages and emails. It comprises a transceiver 110 for transmitting messages to and receiving messages from third parties. The apparatus comprises furthermore an assessment arrangement 120 for assessing the message content of a received message. The assessment arrangement may run a parsing algorithm which breaks the text into separate symbols and identifies meaningful words or emotions out of them: e.g. ':-)' will be 'smile'. The categorizer 130 categorizes the message into one or more of content type categories. Thereto, the categorizer 130 may use any suitable algorithm. For example, it may count the occurrences of specific keywords in the message, which are representative for a certain message type and if the number of occurrences thereof is above a predetermined threshold, the message is categorized as being of that type. Thereto, it may consult a database 135 defining which words belong to which type. According to an alternative embodiment, the assessment arrangement does not only identify meaningful words in the text but furthermore groups the words related to particular subjects or emotions by consulting database 135. The categorizer may then look into the groups of words (output of the assessment arrangement) and counting the occurrences of all words of each group. It then categorizes the message as being of a content type, for example as the content type corresponding to the group with the highest number of occurrences. A controller 140 controls the display of one or more graphic elements on a display 150 of the photoframe based on the content type(s) determined by the categorizer. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 140 controls the emission of light by a light emitter 160, wherein the light has certain characteristic(s) based on the content type(s) determined by the categorizer. Thereto, the controller 140 retrieves the graphic element(s) to be displayed and/or the characteristics of the light to be emitted from a matching table 170, which comprises the mapping of the content types to the graphic elements and/or light characteristics.

The light characteristic may be the color of the light. For example, the color orange may represent the category "happy", the color gray the category "sad" and the color red the category "excitement". Other light characteristics may be used to represent the content in addition to or instead of the color. For example, light brightness, flashing, blinking, the percentage of surface of a light emitter that lights up, etc. Furthermore, light patterns consisting of combinations of different characteristics may be used.

The light emitter may be implemented as a thin, flexible and low cost light emitting surface. Such light emitting surfaces are well known, examples are described in J.G. Chang, "Dot-pattern design of a light guide in an edge-lit backlight using a regional partition approach", Opt Eng. 46(4), April 2007, WO 2007/143383 and US 5,803,573. The light emitter 160 may be positioned around the display 150 or at the edge of the display of the photoframe. The light guide may be implemented on a thin sheet of transparent material, like Plexiglas. The flat sheet of Plexiglas is covered with an out coupling structure on the surface which is barely noticeable. Color LEDs placed at the edge of the sheet cause the material to light-up uniformly, distributing light across the sheet. Alternatively, projections of light may be used for creating a light pattern around and/or overlapping the display.

Referring now to figure 2, the graphical elements 180 may be graphics or icons representing certain categories of message contents. For example, a smiling face may represent the category "happy", a sad face the category "sad" and a face with red cheeks the category "excitement". The graphic elements may be displayed together with the content 190 of the message.

In case that the content of the message comprises jargon, like "tnxs", "u", etc or emoticons, like :), :(, etc. it may be translated to normal traditional text that is understandable by seniors by a translator 200. Smileys and emotions can be shown in form of icons, pictures, or animations next to the message. For example, a grandchild sends an SMS to his grandmother using his mobile phone: "Hi grandma! How r u? I'm fine. :x". The grandmother receives a message on her light emitting photo-frame with large readable font: "Hi grandma! How are you? I'm fine. Kiss you. Bob". Additionally, this text may be converted to speech and played backed upon request of the grandmother. The name of the sender "Bob" may be identified from information in the message header, as described herein below. A picture of the sender may be shown together with the displayed message text. The translator can also work vice-versa, such that the grandmother sends traditional text and the grandchild receives the message in jargon form.

The apparatus further comprises a header analyzer 210 for analyzing the header of the message in order to determine the sender of the message and other message parameters that are normally indicated in the message header, such as the urgency and/or importance of the message. The controller 140 controls the display of one or more graphic elements on the display 150 based on the message parameters determined by the analyzer. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 140 controls the emission of light by the light emitter 160, wherein the light has certain characteristic(s) based on the message parameters determined by the analyzer. Hereto, the controller 140 retrieves the graphic element(s) to be displayed and/or the characteristics of the light to be emitted from a matching table 220, which comprises the mapping of the message parameters to the graphic elements and/or light characteristics.

The user is enabled to personalize the mapping defined by the matching tables 170,220 via an input form, which is displayed on the touch screen of the photo frame by specifying the type of light pattern or graphical element that will be tagged to a particular content type of message or other message aspect. Users may also specify the order the messages should be presented on the photo frame, for example by date, first-in- first-out, by sender such as family first and the rest at the end, by urgency, importance etc. Users can further specify an action to be taken when a particular message is received, for example store, delete, etc. Different outputs may be used to convey different aspects of the received message. For example, graphic elements on the display may be used to indicate the origin of the message, light colors may be used to indicate the content type of the message, the frequency flickering may indicate the importance or urgency of the message, wherein a high frequency corresponds to an urgent/important message and a low frequency of flickering or no flickering corresponds to a normal message and the brightness of the light may indicate the number of messages received, wherein the brighter the light, the higher number of messages received.

The assessment arrangement 120, categorizer 130, translator 200, analyzer 210 and controller 140 may be implemented by means of a processor and its associated memory, loaded with a suitable computer program. The transceiver 110 may be an integral part of the apparatus 100 but it may also be arranged, externally to the apparatus 100, for example as an external SMS receiver.

The apparatus furthermore comprises a message composing part 230 for composing a message to be transmitted. This message composing part may be the touch screen keyboard of the photo frame. However, other implementations may be envisaged, such as a digital plotting board with handwriting recognition connected to the photoframe or a voice recognizer.

To send a message, users can either enter the phone number or email address of the destination. Alternatively, the user selects a picture on the photo frame of whom they would like to send the message to. The picture has a phone number or email address assigned to it. According to a further alternative, the user may enter the phone number or email address of the destination by placing an RFID tag on the photoframe. The RFID tag has an ID and with a look-up mechanism the corresponding phone number or email address is retrieved. While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

For example, the present invention may be implemented in an apparatus other than a digital photoframe, such as a light-emitting device connected to or embedded in a TV- set.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to SMS/MMS messages and emails but it may be implemented for any type of messages.

Furthermore, the categorizer 130 may be omitted. In this case, the matching table 170 comprises the mapping of keywords in the message content to graphic elements and/or light characteristics. In case that the message content comprises a certain keyword present in the matching table 170 the controller controls the display so that the corresponding graphical element 180 is displayed and/or controls the light emitter 160 to emit light with the corresponding characteristic. Instead of using a visual output for conveying aspects of a received message to the user, other types of output may be used, such as sound.

Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored/distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus (100) for controlling an output for indicating a content type of a received message, the apparatus comprising: an assessment arrangement (120) for assessing a content of the received message; and - a controller (140) for selectively controlling a characteristic of the output based on the assessed content, the characteristic representing the content type of message.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a categorizer (130) for categorizing the message as being of one or more of the content types based on the assessed content and wherein the controller is adapted for controlling the characteristic in accordance with the one or more content types.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the assessment arrangement is adapted for parsing the received message.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted for controlling the display of one or more graphical elements based on the assessed content.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted for controlling a characteristic of emitted light based on the assessed content.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the light characteristic is one or more of the group of: light color, flashing, blinking, brightness and amount of light emitting surface being lit.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising a light emitter (160) for emitting the light arranged at different sides of a display (150) where the content of the message is displayed.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted for controlling the output characteristic to be generated concurrently with the message.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a user interface for enabling a user to personalize the characteristic of the output.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted for controlling the characteristic also based on one or more of the following characteristics: message sender, message urgency, message importance and number of unread messages.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a translator (200) for translating jargon and/or emoticons to traditional text and/or traditional text to jargon and/or emoticons.

12. Method for controlling an output for indicating a content type of a received message, the method comprising the steps of: assessing a content of the received message; and selectively controlling a characteristic of the output based on the assessed content, the characteristic representing the content type of message.

13. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the steps of claim 11 , when said program is run on a computer.

14. A computer program as claimed in claim 12 embodied on a computer readable medium.

15. A carrier medium carrying the computer program of claim 12.