Patent Publication Number: US-2015074538-A1

Title: Systems and methods for controlling operating modes of smart platforms

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,480, filed on Sep. 11, 2013, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,882, filed on Sep. 12, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,894, filed on Sep. 12, 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its respective entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF USE 
     This disclosure is generally directed to smart platforms, and more particularly to controlling operating modes of smart platforms based on a status change between the smart platforms and at least one external device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors hereof, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. 
     Smart platforms, such as smartphones and smart tablets, may operate in different operating modes. Different operating modes offer different applications, data, and user experience on the same smart platform. For instance, a smartphone may operate in a kid mode in which only a select few children-oriented applications are exposed to the user. In the kid mode, the user is not allowed to access contact information or business emails, so that the owner&#39;s important data is not accidentally modified. 
     A system for controlling operating modes on a smart platform should enable users to conveniently switch among different operating modes, while preserving the security and privacy that certain operating modes demand. Many existing systems and methods require users to navigate through layers of configuration options in order to switch among frequently-accessed operating modes, and therefore are cumbersome to operate. In some other systems, the configuration options are readily exposed to all users, hence forbidding users to discreetly switch among operating modes that are preferably kept in private. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the foregoing, systems and methods are provided for switching among operating modes on a smart platform. 
     According to one aspect of the disclosure, the smart platform can operate under a number of operating modes. The smart platform comprises an application interface, a detection module, and a service module. The application interface receives user input establishing a trigger profile for a first operating mode. The detection module monitors interactions between at least one external device and the smart platform. The detection module also detects a status change between the at least one external device and the smart platform. The service module determines whether the status change meets the trigger profile established for the first operating mode. If the status change meets the trigger profile for the first operating mode, the service module launches the first operating mode on the smart platform. 
     In some embodiments, the trigger profile is established by defining one or more interactions between the at least one external device and the smart platform for the first operating mode. The first operating mode defines a collection of data, applications, access rights, or operations on the smart platform. 
     In some embodiments, the service module launches the first operating mode by saving a current operating mode of the smart platform, exiting the current operating mode, retrieving a previously saved operating mode of the smart platform as the first operating mode, and entering the previously saved operating mode. 
     In some embodiments, the application interface receives user input establishing a trigger profile for a second operating mode of the smart platform and user input performing an operation on the smart platform. In response to determining that the performed operation in conjunction with the status change meets the trigger profile for the second operating mode, the service module launches the second operating mode. 
     In some embodiments, the status change is a change in the at least one external device&#39;s hot-plug connection or disconnection status with the smart platform, a change in location of the at least one external device using a location-based service, or an attenuation of a signal associated with the at least one external device. 
     In some embodiments, the service module exits the first operating mode in response to powering off a location-based service. 
     In some embodiments, the attenuation of the signal indicates relative distance between the at least one external device and the smart platform, powering on of the at least one external device, or powering off of the at least one external device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features of the disclosure, its nature and various advantages will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of an illustrative system architecture for an operating mode control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of an illustrative operating mode control system operating on a smart platform in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 3  shows a flow diagram for controlling operating modes of a smart platform in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     To provide an overall understanding of the disclosure, certain illustrative embodiments will now be described in connection with systems and methods for controlling operating modes of smart platforms. However, the systems and methods described herein may be adapted and modified as is appropriate for the application being addressed and that the systems and methods described herein may be employed in other suitable applications, and that such other additions and modifications will not depart from the scope thereof. 
       FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of an illustrative system architecture for an operating mode control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Smart platform  101  (or  102 ) includes detection module  111  (or  121 ), service module  112  (or  122 ), and application interface  113  (or  123 ). Application interface  113  allows a user to establish a trigger profile for an operating mode of smart platform  101 . Detection module  111  detects a status change between at least one external device (such as external device  103 ) and smart platform  101 . Service module  112  determines if the status change detected by detection module  111  matches the trigger profile established by the user, and launches or exits operating modes accordingly. In an example, external devices  103 ,  104 , and  105  may be car keys, power cords, earphones, Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices, Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards, Secure Digital (SD) cards, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, Near Field Communications (NFC) tags, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) tags, or Bluetooth® devices. 
     Connection  106  represents interactions between smart platforms  101  and  102  on the one hand, and external devices  103 ,  104 , and  105  on the other. In some embodiments, connection  106  may be a physical connection, a wireless connection, or a combination thereof between the external devices and the smart platforms. Detailed description of the interactions will be made apparent in view of  FIG. 2  below. 
       FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of an illustrative operating mode control system operating on a smart platform in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The smart platform may consist of one or more of control circuitry, display circuitry, storage circuitry, and user input circuitry. In particular, smart platform  101  is equivalent to smart platform  101  or  102  of  FIG. 1 , and external device  103  is equivalent to external device  103 ,  104 , or  105  of  FIG. 1 . In an exemplary embodiment, three modules can run on smart platform  101 : detection module  111 , service module  112 , and application interface  113 . Service module  112  may advantageously control the launching or exiting of operating modes by a standalone module  114  to launch or exit operating modes. 
     Application interface  113  receives user input to establish a trigger profile for an operating mode of smart platform  101 . In an embodiment, application interface  113  may be a settings or configuration page presented using display circuitry, in which a user can specify (1) an interaction between an external device and the smart platform, and (2) launching, exiting or other actions associated with an operating mode to be performed by service module  112  if the specified interaction occurs. Thereafter, the specified interaction and actions associated with the operating mode are encapsulated into a trigger profile for the operating mode, and the trigger profile is saved in storage circuitry of smart platform  101 . For instance, a user may configure the smart platform to enter into “home” mode (i.e., the action associated with an operating mode) if the smart platform and a car key are in proximity of each other and are both located at or near the coordinates of the user&#39;s home (i.e., the specified interaction). In this way, the user no longer needs to manually switch into the “home” mode and can instead rely on the automatically detected interaction between the smart platform and the car key to complete this transition seamlessly. 
     In some embodiments, the trigger profile may additionally specify a user input to the smart platform itself. The user input can be captured by user input circuitry of the smart platform. For example, a trigger profile for launching a kid mode on a smart phone may be specified as unplugging a charging cable while the volume-up button is pressed on the smart phone. Here, pressing the volume-up button is the additional user input required as part of the trigger profile. In this way, the ordinary operation of external devices or accessories (i.e., the charging cable) will not accidentally trigger a switch of operating modes. 
     Detection module  111  runs on control circuitry of smart platform  101  and monitors the interactions between external devices and the smart platform (e.g., interaction  106 ). The monitored interactions may include, but are not limited to, an attenuation of communication signals between the external device and the smart platform that falls below a threshold, an unplug action of earphone from the phone jack while the BACKSPACE button is pressed on the smart platform, or the smart platform&#39;s close proximity to a GPS-enabled watch. In some embodiments, detection module  111  registers an interaction as a status change between the external device and the smart platform, which is then provided to service module  112  for further processing. 
     Service module  112  continuously runs on the control circuitry of smart platform  101  in the background and receives established trigger profiles from application interface  113  as well as detected status change from detection module  111 . It then determines whether the detected status change meets the established trigger profile by comparing the detected status change against the pre-specified interactions in trigger profiles. If it is determined that the status change matches a particular trigger profile (as previously saved in storage circuitry), the actions specified in the particular trigger profile, such as launching a new operating mode, exiting the current operating mode, or other actions associated with the operating modes, will occur. In some embodiments, service module  112  may cause a notification to be displayed on the smart platform and allow the user to choose if the action as illustrated above should be performed. If, however, the status change does not match the trigger profile, no action will be performed. 
     In a preferred embodiment, launching the new operating mode involves saving the current operating mode on storage circuitry and exiting the current operating mode. In this way, user activities and modifications under the current operating mode can be preserved for future use. In another embodiment, launching the new operating mode involves retrieving a previously-saved operating mode from storage circuitry and entering the previously-saved operating mode. 
     In the exemplary embodiments described above, the switching of operating modes can be conveniently accomplished without a need to go through layers configuration options. 
     Another advantage of the present disclosure is that the trigger profiles can specify a set of low-profile interactions between external devices and the smart platform, such that the operating modes can be launched and exited in a discreet manner. In this way, the switching of operating modes is only known to and performed by the relevant users and therefore offers a more secure and private environment. For example, some smart tablet users who keep private information on a shared tablet may, out of an abundance of caution, wish to not let other users realize that such private information exists at all. In situations like this, the cautious user may utilize the systems and methods disclosed herein to discreetly switch the tablet into a private mode without raising unnecessary suspicion, as might be in the case of an ordinary password-protected log-in system. 
     The following exemplary embodiments serve to illustrate the principles of operation for the smart platform system as described in relation to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     I. Hot-Plug-Based Systems 
     An application interface displays configuration information relevant to controlling the operating modes (e.g., a “private” mode and a “public” mode) of a smart platform (e.g., a smartphone). In particular, the application interface may display an operating mode boot screen in order to guide a user to set up different operating modes and their respective trigger profiles on the smart platform. An external device (e.g., a USB charging cable) can be connected to the smart platform via a hot plug connection (e.g., a USB connection). When the external device is plugged in or out of the smart platform, a change of the hot-plug status can be detected by a detection module of the smart platform. In response, a service module that runs in the background receives the detected status change from the detection module, and causes the smart platform to be switched into a new operating mode. After completing the desired operations in the new operating mode, a user can either repeat the above steps, or enter a password to revert the smart platform back to its original operating mode, in accordance with the user&#39;s configuration in the application interface. 
     II. Location-Based Systems 
     An application interface operates in substantially the same manner as described above in relation to the first exemplary embodiment: Hot-plug-based Systems. One or more external devices may be capable of receiving and transmitting its own location using a Global Positioning System (GPS) or an equivalent location-based service. When the external devices move from location A to location B, a detection module of a smart platform (e.g., smartphone) detects the change in location of the external devices. In response, a service module that runs in the background receives the detected change in location from the detection module, and causes the smart platform to be switched into a new operating mode. In some embodiments, the smart platform may exit the new operating mode when the location-based service is powered off. Some smart platforms are also GPS-enabled. In such smart platforms, a relative location between the external devices and the smart platform can be detected and used to trigger the operating mode switch. For example, a GPS-enabled smartphone will enter a “stolen” mode when it is located more than one mile away from a GPS-enabled smart watch (i.e., the external device). In this manner, a stolen smartphone will be automatically locked down before the user realizes so, and without a need for the user to perform a remote lock-down operation. The manner in which the operating mode is switched from normal operation to “stolen” mode is thus more convenient for the user than existing technologies could provide. 
     III. Signal-Strength-Based Systems 
     An application interface operates in substantially the same manner as described above in relation to the first exemplary embodiment: Hot-plug-based Systems. An external device (e.g., a Bluetooth®-enabled car key) can be connected to a smart platform (e.g., smartphone) via a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth® communication). In one embodiment, when the external device is moving away from the smart platform, a detection module of the smart platform can detect the signal attenuation in the Bluetooth® communication link. As the signal strength attenuates below a threshold, a service module that runs in the background may receive a notification of the status change from the detection module, and causes the smart platform to be switched into a new operating mode. 
     In another embodiment, the signal attenuation may indicate the powering on or off of an external device, such that a new operating mode is launched when the external device is powered on, and exited when the external device is powered off. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of an illustrative process  300  for controlling operating modes of a smart platform, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. At  310 , the smart platform is turned on and operational. At  320 , the smart platform receives user input via application interface  113  running on user input circuitry to establish a trigger profile for an operating mode. The user input circuitry may be a keyboard, touchscreen, joystick, or any other input circuitry as understood by one skilled in the art. The user input may also be transferred from another media device connected with the smart platform, such as a computing device connected with a cell phone by USB cable, Wi-Fi communications, or the internet. At  330 , a detection module running on control circuitry of the smart platform, such as detection module  111 , monitors interactions between external devices and the smart platform. As described above in relation to  FIG. 2 , the interactions between external devices and the smart platform can take on many different forms, each of which may be explicitly defined in a trigger profile for a particular operating mode so that an interaction can be associated with the particular operating mode. At  340 , detection module  111  detects a status change between the external devices and the smart platform. In some embodiments, the status change may simply be a pre-defined interaction between at least one external device and the smart platform. In other embodiments, the status change represents a deviation from the existing state of communication between the at least one external device and the smart platform. Exemplary embodiments of the status change are illustrated above in relation to  FIG. 2 . At  350 , service module  112  running on the control circuitry of the smart platform determines whether the status change meets the trigger profile of any operating mode. If the status change meets the trigger profile of a particular operating mode, the operating mode is launched at  360 . On the other hand, if the status change does not meet any trigger profiles, service module  112  does not perform any actions and return to running in the background. At this point, detection module  111  will continue to monitor interactions between external devices and the smart platform, at  330 , and detect any future status changes. 
     While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be employed in practicing the disclosure. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the disclosure and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.