Abstract:
A method and system communicate a signal correspond to a message to an input/output device, such as a messaging mouse, and activate a colored light so that a user can be notified of the arrival of an important message even when he is away from the computer desk or when the computer&#39;s screen is blanked or off. The color of the light may be associated with a certain message. If a few concurrent messages arrive, the colors associated with these messages can sequentially change in a cyclic order. The colored light continues to shine until the user activates a reset.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Messaging communication is becoming more and more important, sometime demanding instant responses. As a result, a user needs to frequently check his computer for new messages or new events. To relieve the user&#39;s burden of constantly checking for new messages or new events, current solutions flash a text description at the corner of a computer screen when a new message or a new event arrives. However, the user can see these indications only if he is at the computer desk, the screen is on, and the mail application is launched. Further, the user must be close enough to the computer to read the text description in order to find out the identity of the sender. In other words, the user cannot know the status of an expected email message if he is in a different part of the room. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    A method for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device includes providing a user interface that allows a user to assign one or more signals to one or more characteristics of one or more messages received using a message application. Upon receiving a message, the method determines a characteristic of the message, determines a signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the message, communicates the signal to the input/output device, and activates one or more of a plurality of light emit diodes (LEDs) on the input/output device to generate a colored light corresponding to the signal. 
         [0003]    A system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device includes a computer that includes a processor executing instructions for providing a user interface that allows a user to assign one or more signals to one or more characteristics of one or more messages received using a message application. The instructions further include, upon receiving a message, determining a characteristic of the message, determining a signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the message, and communicating the signal to the input/output device. The computer further includes the input/output device that includes a plurality of light emit diodes (LEDs). One or more of the plurality of LEDs are activated to generate a colored light corresponding to the signal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    Exemplary embodiments of the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device will be described in detail with reference to the following figures, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and wherein: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  illustrates exemplary hardware components of a computer that may be used in connection with the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary input/output device that includes a plurality of light emit diodes (LEDs); 
           [0007]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for setting up new events; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for communicating signals corresponding to messages to the input/output device; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  shows another exemplary method for communicating a signal corresponding to an identity of a message sender to the input/output device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    Before one or more embodiments of the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device are described in detail, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device are not limited in their application to the details of construction, the arrangements of components, and the arrangement of steps set forth in the following detailed description or illustrated in the drawings. The method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to the input/output device are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates exemplary hardware components of a computer  100  that may be used in connection with the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device  140 . 
         [0012]    The computer  100  includes a connection with a network  118  such as the Internet or other type of computer or telephone network. For example, the network  118  connects the computer  100  with a messaging server  120 , such as an email server, to obtain information related to a message. The computer  100  typically includes a memory  102 , a secondary storage device  112 , a processor  114 , a display device  110 , the input/output device  140  (also referred to as messaging input/output device  140 ), and other input/output devices  116 . 
         [0013]    The memory  102  may include random access memory (RAM) or similar types of memory. The secondary storage device  112  may include a hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive, or other types of non-volatile data storage, and may correspond with various databases or other resources. The processor  114  may execute instructions to perform the method steps described herein. These instructions may be stored in the memory  102 , the secondary storage  112 , or received from the Internet or other network  118 . The display device  110  may include any type of device for presenting visual image, such as, for example, a computer monitor, flat-screen display, or display panel. 
         [0014]    The messaging input/output device  140  and input/output devices  116  may include any input device for entering data into the computer  100 , such as a keyboard, keypad, cursor-control device, touch-screen (possibly with a stylus), or microphone, and any type of output device for presenting data in hard copy format and for providing data in audio form, such as a printer or a speaker. The computer  100  may include multiple input devices, output devices, and display devices. 
         [0015]    The input/output device  140  may be a mouse (also referred to as messaging mouse or messaging center mouse) or any other device that is capable of inputting data into the computer  100  and displaying a signal to a user. The input/output device  140  bilaterally communicates  130  with the computer  100  using, for example, a universal serial bus (USB). Alternatively, the input/output device  140  communicates  130  with the computer  100  wirelessly, using, for example, Bluetooth technology. The input/output device  140  may be placed remotely from the computer  100 . The input/output device  140  includes an input/output circuitry  142 , other circuitry  144 , and a plurality of light emit diodes (LEDs), such as a RED LED  152 , a GREEN LED  154 , and a BLUE LED  156 . The three LEDs can generate an infinite number of colors by varying the intensity of one or more LEDs to generate a color mix. 
         [0016]    Although the computer  100  is depicted with various components, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer  100  can contain additional or different components. In addition, although aspects of an implementation consistent with the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device are described as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on or read from other types of computer program products or computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, including hard disks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM; a signal embodied in a carrier wave from the Internet or other network; or other forms of RAM or ROM. The computer-readable media may include instructions for controlling the computer  100  to perform a particular method. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary input/output device  140  that includes LEDs  152 ,  154 ,  156 . The exemplary input/output device  140  also includes a left button  172 , a right button  174 , and a mouse body  176  that is translucent on its top and/or one or more sides to display the colored lights generated from the LEDs. 
         [0018]    The input/output device  140  may serve as a messaging center. Messaging software may be executed by the processor  114  on the computer  100  to provide instructions to perform the method steps for communicating signals corresponding to messages to the input/output device  140 . Alternatively, the messaging software may be executed by a processor (not shown) on the input/output device  140   
         [0019]    First, the messaging software provides a user interface that allows a user to assign different colors to important messages, such as an email or instant messaging (IM) message from an individual or a calendar event. The messages are received using, for example, one or more messaging providers, such as Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Mail, AIM, and the like. The user may also assign different blink patterns to different messages. For example, email or IM messages may receive a solid pattern, whereas calendar events receive a blink pattern. 
         [0020]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate exemplary user interfaces  300  and  400 , respectively, for setting up new events. For example, referring to  FIG. 3 , the user can assign color RED  342  to an inbox email  310  from John.doh@hp.com  330  arriving on Yahoo Mail  320 . The user may optionally assign the same color to email or IM messages sent by the same sender using different messaging providers. For example, inbox mails  310  from John.doh@hp.com  330  will be assigned color RED  342  whether it arrives on Microsoft Outlook  324 , Yahoo Mail  320 , Gmail  322 , or AOL Mail (not shown). Alternatively, the user may assign a certain color to all email messages arriving on a specific messaging provider. For example, any email arriving on Outlook  324  may be assigned color ORANGE (not shown). The user may set a new event  390  using the user interface  300  or may click on “Done”  380  to exit. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , examples of the calendar event  412  include a payment due date, a birthday of a relative or friend, and an appointment. Such a calendar event  412  may come from Yahoo calendar  420 , Outlook calendar  422 , or other messaging providers&#39; calendar. The user may, for example, assign color BLUE  444  to May 2, 2008, which is mortgage payment due date  468 . The event in this example happens every month  462  and is recurring  460 . Events may occur at various frequencies including every year, every week, and every two weeks. In this example, the calendar event  412  is assigned a blink pattern  472 . The user may assign different patterns to an event, such as a solid pattern (grayed out in  FIG. 4 ) and various blink patterns. The user may set a new event  490  using the user interface  400  or may quit by clicking on “Done”  480 . 
         [0022]    The messaging software can run in the background to detect when a new message arrives. Upon receiving a message, the messaging software determines a characteristic of the message, such as an identity of an email or IM sender or a calendar event. The identity of an email or IM sender may be determined by matching the email or IM address of the sender with a profile saved on the messaging provider&#39;s database. The messaging software may ask the user to provide a user name and password in advance to access the messaging server to obtain the profile. 
         [0023]    Next, the messaging software determines a signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the message. The signal may be a specific color and a blink pattern assigned by the user. Using the above examples, when an email from John.doh@hp.com arrives on Yahoo Mail, the messaging software determines that the signal is RED with a solid pattern. Likewise, when the date of May 2, 2008 arrives, the messaging software determines that the signal is BLUE with a blink pattern. 
         [0024]    The messaging software then communicates the signal to the input/output device  140  and activates one or more of the LEDs on the input/output device  140  to generate a colored light corresponding to the signal. The color of the light is generated by a certain mix of the RED, GREEN, and BLUE light intensities, which can form an infinite number of colors. The three LEDs are close to each other to form the required color mix. The colored light shines through a translucent top and sides of the input/output device  140 . As a result, the user can determine, at a distance from the computer  100 , the sender of an email and an important date, by observing the color and blink pattern of the light on the input/output device  140 . The user can be notified of the existence of important messages even when he is not sitting in front of the computer or the computer&#39;s screen is blanked. 
         [0025]    More then one message can be shown at once by sequentially changing the colored light from one color to another until a reset is activated by the user. Email is used as an example, but the colored signal light can be used for different types of messaging. 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method  500  for communicating signals corresponding to messages to the input/output device  140 . The method  500  starts  510  by providing a user interface that allows a user to assign one or more signals to one or more characteristics of one or more messages received using a message application (block  512 ). Next, upon receiving a message, the method  500  determines a characteristic of the message (block  520 ), determines a signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the message (block  522 ), communicates the signal to the input/output device (block  530 ), and activates one or more of the plurality of LEDs on the input/output device to generate a colored light corresponding to the signal (block  540 ). The method  500  may sequentially change the colored light when multiple messages are received (block  540 ). The method  500  stops generating the colored light when a reset is activated (block  542 ). The method  500  ends at  550 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method  600  for communicating a signal corresponding to an identity of a message sender to the input/output device  140 . The method  600  starts  610  by allowing a user to assign, for example, color RED to emails from John.doh@yahoo.com (block  612 ). The method  600  determines when such an email arrives in the inbox (block  620 ). If an email from John.doh@yahoo.com arrives (block  630 ), the method  600  determines the corresponding signal (block  640 ) and communicates the signal to the messaging mouse  140  to turn on the RED LED  152  (block  650 ). The RED LED  152  in the messaging mouse  140  is activated (block  660 ). The method  600  continues to generate the RED LED  152  until a reset is activated (block  670 ) and the RED LED is turned off (block  680 ). The method  600  ends at  690 . 
         [0028]    In the foregoing detailed description, systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device are described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the present specification and figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The scope of the method and system for communicating signals corresponding to messages to an input/output device is to be further understood by the numbered examples appended hereto, and by their equivalents. 
         [0029]    Further, in describing various embodiments, the specification may present a method and/or process as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments.