Patent Publication Number: US-11024149-B2

Title: User action triggered reminder message transmission

Description:
This Patent Application is a Divisional Application of application Ser. No. 15/151,443 filed on May 10, 2016 and application Ser. No. 15/151,443 is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) Application of application Ser. No. 13/567,074 filed on Aug. 5, 2012 that is issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,333,945 on May 10, 2016, and application Ser. No. 13/567,074 is a Divisional Application and claims the Priority Date of application Ser. No. 12/386,908 filed on Apr. 23, 2009 by a common Inventor of this Application. The Disclosures made in the patent application Ser. Nos. 12/386,908, 13/567,074 and 15/151,443 are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to the systems, the devices and methods for preventing a device user from forgetting and losing important personal items as the user moves between different locations. More particularly, this invention is related to a reminder device implemented with a trigger for triggering an audio output for pronunciation of a designated reminder message upon a specific reminder-required activity. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The problem of forgetting important person items when a person moves from one location to another becomes very annoying. It is desirable to provide a device to remind a person to check important personal items such as wallet, cellular phone, coat, eye glasses, airline ticket, passport, etc., before leaving for next destination such that forgetting and losing important personal items may be prevented. 
     Many Patents and Patent Applications have disclosed reminder devices. However, such devices are generally related to reminding a person to carry out certain activities such as take medications, at particular time of the day. The device for providing reminder messages at designated times is however not practically useful for reminding a person to check and prevent the loss of important personal items due to the fact that the activities are usually taking place at different times of the day. A reminder message that is provided at fixed time according to a predefined schedule generally will not satisfy the requirement of timely providing a requirement message when such reminder messages are necessary and required because a pending event or activities is soon to take place. 
     In Published US Application 20070129888, a spatially associated personal reminder system is disclosed. The device enables users to create reminders and associate those reminders with entering/exiting particular trigger areas. A user&#39;s portable computing device triggers an alert/displays a reminder based upon a user entering and/or exiting a trigger area. A user interface supported by the portable computing device allows a user to terminate the reminder so it will not trigger again, to defer the reminder so it triggers again after an elapsed time, to reset the reminder so that it triggers again only if a user leaves the area and then returns, to request a last chance, causing the portable computing device to remind the user again upon exiting the area to ensure the user did not forget to act upon the reminder, or to edit the reminder. The user interface also enables users to graphically define trigger areas within the physical world to be associated with personal digital reminders using geo-spatial imagery. 
     However, such system and method is still limited in the practically usefulness due to the facts that the reminder messages are related to particular locations. A person often travels to very different kinds of places that have different geo-spatial imagery. The triggering of a digital reminder depending on locations and the characteristics that are spatially associated will not effectively resolve the problems faced by a typical device user. 
     Therefore a need still exists to provide new and improve system to resolve the difficulties and limitations discussed above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide new and improved devices, systems, and method to provide reminder messages by anticipating and detecting activities or events that would generally require a reminder message. A reminder message device is provided with detector or sensor to detect such activities or events to trigger the delivery of such reminder messages. The delivery of such messages may be in different forms including textual display of a short message on a wireless communication device, an audio pronunciation, or a voice mail that a person may listen privately on a cellular phone a device with an earphone. 
     Specifically, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a novel device for detecting an event related to entering or driving a car to travel to a destination. Detector and sensors are provided to detect activities of opening a car door by using a electronic car key, turning on the roof light when entering into the car, or pushing down the gas pedal to accelerate the car to a certain speed that results an initial acceleration and movement of a device carried on the car to at certain speed. A reminder message is delivered when sensing or detecting such events or activities. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is to detect a user&#39;s activity in preparing to leave a place to travel to next destination. The activities include placement of a car key in a pocket or purse and then taking the car key from the pocket or purse. The activities may include pulling up a handle of a wheeled luggage or turning on a cellular phone after an airplane is landed before the passengers are ready to leave the airplane cabinet. The activities may also include turning off a notebook computer and place the computer into a luggage. These typical activities provide indications that a reminder message may be necessary because a person is preparing to leave. A reminder device in this invention is provided with sensors or detectors to detect such events or activities to deliver reminder messages. 
     Briefly, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention discloses a reminder message device that is provided for triggering by an event or an activity to deliver a reminder message. In a preferred embodiment, the reminder message device is integrated with an electronic door opener for a car and triggered by a door-opening signal of the electronic door opener to deliver a reminder message. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message device is integrated with a roof light inside the car and is triggered by turning on of the roof light in opening a car door for delivering the reminder message. In another preferred embodiment, the reminder message device is implemented in a wireless communication device such as a cellular phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device and is triggered by a turning of operation of the wireless communication device for delivering the reminder message. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message device is implemented in car key that includes a light sensor. The reminder message is triggered by a sudden change of an intensity of light detector by the light sensor to deliver the reminder message. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message device is implemented with a portable electronic device that includes a global position system (GPS) to detect a motion of a certain speed to deliver the reminder message. Another preferred embodiment, the reminder message device is implemented with a portable electronic device by including an accelerometer to detect an acceleration to deliver the reminder message. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message device is disposed on a pull-up handle of a wheeled luggage that includes an accelerometer to detect a pull-up operation of the pull-up handle to deliver a reminder message. 
     In summary reminder message device for delivering a reminder message is disclosed in this invention. The reminder message device includes a reminder message delivering circuit provided for triggering by a reminder-message event or activity to deliver a reminder message. In an exemplary embodiment, the reminder message delivering circuit is triggered to deliver an audio output of the reminder message. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message delivering circuit is triggered to deliver a text message for receiving by a wireless communication device as a short message (SM). In another embodiment, the reminder message delivering circuit is triggered to deliver a message to a wireless communication device as a phone message of as a voice mail message. In an exemplary embodiment, the message delivering circuit is triggered by an activity of a user when preparing to leave for another destination. In another exemplary embodiment, the message delivering circuit is triggered by an event indicating a device user is moving at a certain speed or acceleration in moving from one location to a destination. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an electronic door opener for a vehicle integrated with a reminder message device of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is an reminder message device integrated with a roof light inside a car for providing reminder message to a driver and passengers in the car when the car door is opened and the roof light is turned on. 
         FIG. 2B  is a reminder message device for plugging into a cigarette lighter in a car that is turned on as an ignition key is turned to startup a car for provide a reminder message to a driver and passengers in the car. 
         FIG. 3A  shows a reminder message device implemented together with a cellular phone as a special feature of the cellular phone. 
         FIG. 3B  shows a portable electronic device implemented with a reminder message processor that includes a reminder-message requirement detector to detect a reminder message required activity. 
         FIG. 3C  shows a portable electronic device implemented with a reminder message processor that includes a reminder-message requirement detector such as an accelerometer detect a reminder message required activity. 
         FIG. 3D  shows a portable electronic device such as an electronic car door opener implemented with a reminder message device that includes a light sensor. 
         FIG. 4  shows a reminder message device implemented with a luggage that has a pull-up handle and reminder message device has an accelerometer to detect the pull-up motion of the pull-up handle when the user of the luggage is ready to leave. 
         FIG. 5  is flowchart to show the process steps carried out by a reminder message processor implemented in a reminder message device. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart to show the process steps carried out by a reminder message device implemented with a door lock. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart to show the processes carried out by a reminder message implemented on an electronically activated device with a sensor to detect a user action on the electronically activated device to transmit a reminder message to a reminder message display or announce device. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart to show the processes carried out by a reminder message implemented on a mechanically activated device with a sensor to detect a user action on the mechanically activated device to transmit a reminder message to a reminder message display or announce device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  shows and exemplary embodiment of an electronic door opener  100  for a vehicle of the present invention. The electronic door opener  100  includes a door control signal transmitter  105  to transmit door control signals to either unlock or lock a door of a vehicle  110 . The electronic door opener  100  further includes a reminder message processor  115  with a pronunciation audio port  118  to pronounce a reminder message when the user of the electronic door opener operate the electronic door opener  100  either to lock or unlock the door of the vehicle  110 . The electronic door opener  100  further includes a user interface  120  to allow the user of the door opener  100  to designate specific reminder messages to remind the user of the door opener not to forget either the personal items or important events. The reminder message may include message to remind the user of the electronic door opener about personal items such as wallet, cellular phone, passport, eyeglasses, or any items that the user of the electronic door opener may forget when opening the door of a vehicle to drive to another location. The messages may be changed or inputted to the reminder message processor  115  depending on the circumstances that would demand such reminder message. 
       FIG. 2A  shows an alternate embodiment of a reminder message device  150  integrated with a roof light  155  having outer screws for screwing onto the roof light adapting outlet. The reminder message device further includes a timer  160  for setting a predefined time delay to allow a driver to enter and sitting in the car then pronounce a reminder message to reminding the driver or passenger(s) of the car not to forget to check the personal items. Generally, the roof light  155  is turned on when the door car is opened and the roof light will usually stay on for a short time period. As the power is on, the reminder device  150  is turned on also to pronounce designated reminder messages to remind a driver or a passenger of the vehicle about personal items or important event. 
       FIG. 2B  is a perspective view for showing an alternate embodiment of reminder message device  170  that includes a cigarette lighter plug  175  for plugging into a cigarette lighter in a car. As the ignition key of the car is turned on, it also turn on the cigarette lighter thus providing power to the reminder message device  170  to pronounce the reminder messages for reminding the person sitting in the car before the car is driven off not to forget important personal items. 
       FIG. 3A  shows another exemplary embodiment of a reminder message device  180  implemented together with a cellular phone  185  as a special feature of the cellular phone  185 . The cellular phone is usually turned on when an airplane is landed and the passengers are ready to leave the airplane cabinet. As the cellular phone  185  is turned on, the reminder messages may be presented to the cellular phone user either as a short message (SM) displayed on the screen of the cellular phone. Alternately, the reminder message may be directly pronounced from the phone as an audio output. Or, alternately, the reminder message device may just send a ring to the cellular phone for the cellular phone user to push a button to listen to the reminder messages as a voice mail. The cellular phone user thus receives the reminder messages as private messages instead of directly pronouncing the messages in the public place. The reminder message device may be integrated with other kinds of portable electronic devices in addition to a cellular phone, such as a personal digital assistance (PDA), a digital camera, a global-position system (GPS) device, an iPod, a portable DVD device, or any other kind of portable electronic devices. The reminder messages device implemented with these devices may be turned on soon as these devices is turned on to provide the reminder messages either as direct audio output, a text message in the form of a short-message or a voice mail message that a device user can listen as a private message from these devices. 
       FIG. 3B  shows another exemplary embodiment of a reminder message device implemented in a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistance (PDA), a digital camera, a global position system (GPS) device, or any other types of portable electronic devices. The portable electronic device  200  is implemented with a reminder message processor  210 . The reminder message processor  210  includes a reminder-message requirement detector  215  to detect a reminder message required activity. The detection of such activity may include the detection of a signal transmitted to a car to unlock a car door or to open or close a garage door. Such activities would often require the pronunciation of a reminder message because the device of the portable electronic device  200  is probably driving from one location to another location. The reminder message processor  210  may include a user interface to allow a user to input or designate reminder message required activities and reminder messages. For instance, a cellular phone often includes a GPS for detecting the location of the user. When the GPS detects the rate of location change of the user as the user of the phone is riding in the car is greater than the walking speed, then a reminder message may be pronounced because the user of the cellular phone is now moving from one location to another in a vehicle and a reminder message may be necessary. 
     Alternately,  FIG. 3C  shows that portable electronic device  230  may include an accelerometer  235  to detect an acceleration, e.g., when a car is driven off initially with an acceleration greater than a threshold value, and turning on the reminder message device to provide reminder messages in different forms such as a text message, a direct voice reminder or a voice mail message. 
       FIG. 3D  shows a portable electronic device such as an electronic car door opener  240 . The electronic car door opener is implemented with a reminder message device  245  that includes a light sensor  248 . As a user of the electronic car door opener  240  ready to leave a room, the electronic car door opener  240  is either placed into a pocket or a purse or alternately the car door opener is taken out from a pocket or a pulse. The light sensor will detect a sudden light intensity change. The sudden large amount of light intensity change provide a signal to the reminder message device  245  to turn on and provide the reminder messages in either a text message, a direct pronounce voice message, or a voice mail type of message. 
       FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of a reminder message device of this invention implemented with a luggage  250  that has a pull-up handle  255 . A reminder message device  260  is formed as part of the pull-up handle by placing the reminder message device  260  as part of the top bar  265  of the pull-up handle. The reminder message device further includes an accelerometer to detect the pull-up motion of the pull-up handle  255  when the user of the luggage is ready to leave. The accelerometer of the reminder message device  260  can be further turned on as the luggage is placed in a car and the car is driven off. Acceleration of the car together with the luggage is detected by the accelerometer included in the reminder message device  260  to turn on the reminder message device to provide the reminder message as a text message, a direct pronounce voice message or a voice mail type of message. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart for illustrating the processes of implementing in a portable electronic device to trigger the pronunciation a reminder message to a user of the portable electronic device. The process starts (step  300 ) with a user of an electronic device input through a user interface designated activity and corresponding reminder messages (step  305 ). Then the electronic device starts a process of detecting of a reminder message required activity according to the designated activity inputted by the device user (step  310 ). The reminder message required activity might include activity of opening of a garage door or turn on the ignition key of a car, etc. Upon the detection of the reminder message required activity, the reminder message processor activate the audio output port to pronounce the reminder messages as inputted and designated by the electronic device user (step  315 ), then the process ends (step  320 ) and return to the step of detecting whether there is a reminder message required activity again (step  310 ). 
     According to above descriptions, this invention discloses a method to deliver a reminder message. The method includes a step of triggering a delivery of the reminder message upon detecting or sensing a reminder message required event-or-activity to prevent a person from forgetting or losing a person item. In an exemplary embodiment, the step of sensing the reminder message required event-or-activity includes a step of detecting or sensing an activity when the person preparing to leave a place for a next destination. In another exemplary embodiment, the step of sensing the reminder message required event-or-activity includes a step of detecting or sensing an activity when the person preparing to drive a motor vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the step of sensing the reminder message required event-or-activity includes a step of detecting or sensing an activity when the person turning on a wireless communication device after an airplane is landed. In an exemplary embodiment, the step of sensing the reminder message required event-or-activity includes a step of detecting or sensing an activity when the person preparing to leave an airline cabinet. In an exemplary embodiment, the step of sensing the reminder message required event-or-activity includes a step of detecting or sensing an event when the person is traveling in a motor vehicle over a certain speed or having an initial acceleration when the motor vehicle starts to drive to reach a certain traveling speed. In another exemplary embodiment, the reminder message is delivered optionally in different kinds of messages as a text short message, a direct audio pronunciation message, a phone message, or a voice mail message. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart to show the process steps carried out by a reminder message device implemented with a door lock. To start the operation (step  400 ), the reminder message device implemented in door lock has a sensor to detect a key inserted into the key hole to open the door (Step  410 ). Upon a detection of the key turning to open the door, the user action triggered signal transmission is activated (step  420 ) and a reminder message triggering signal is transmitted from the reminder message device and received by a reminder message display or announce device (step  430 ). The reminder message display or announce device receives the user action triggered message to display or announce a pre-recorded reminder message (step  440 ). The user then acknowledges that the reminder message is received and that the actions indicated in the reminder message is accomplished (step  450 ) before the processes are ended (step  460 ). An acknowledge and action-completed message may also be transmitted from the reminder message display or announce device back to the reminder message device implemented with the door lock. Alternately, the acknowledge and action-completed message may also be transmitted from the reminder message display or announce device to a different message device as preset on the reminder message display or announce device. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart to show the process steps carried out by a reminder message device implemented with an electronically activated device. To start the operation (step  500 ), the reminder message device implemented in the electronically activated device has a sensor to detect a user action to activate the electronically activated device (Step  510 ). Upon a detection of the user&#39;s action, an optional check is carried out to determine if there is a time delay after the user&#39;s action is set to determine a time for transmitting a user action triggered signal (step  515 ). At the end of the time delay, the user action triggered signal transmission is activated (step  520 ) and a reminder message triggering signal is transmitted from the reminder message device and received by a reminder message display or announce device (step  530 ). The reminder message display or announce device is activated to display or announce a pre-recorded reminder message (step  540 ). The user then acknowledges that the reminder message is received and that the actions indicated in the reminder message is accomplished (step  550 ) before the processes are ended (step  560 ). 
     An exemplary the electronically activated device may comprise a garage door opener. As a user ready to leave for work in the morning or coming back from work in the evening, the user push a button of a garage door opener to open and close the garage door. A user action triggered transmission of reminder message may be activated to remind a person the user of the garage door opener of the tasks or objects that required to be reminded. The reminder message may be displayed or announced on a cell phone of the user with a pre-recorded message or images transmitted to the cell phone as the user triggered transmitted reminder messages. The garage door opener is only one example among many of the electronically activated devices of this invention. Different kinds of electronically activated devices, such as a television, computer, a car door opener, a gaming device, etc., may also be implemented with the reminder message device to provide timely and pre-recorded reminder messages either by the user or by another third party so that the reminder message may be effectively delivered at the right moment to the user. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart to show the process steps carried out by a reminder message device implemented with a mechanically activated device. To start the operation (step  600 ), the reminder message device implemented in the mechanically activated device has a sensor to detect a user action to activate the mechanically activated device (Step  610 ). Upon a detection of the user&#39;s action, as an option, a check is carried out to determine if there is a time delay after the user&#39;s action is set to determine a time for transmitting the user action triggered signal (step  615 ). At the end of the time delay, the user action triggered signal transmission is activated (step  620 ) and a reminder message triggering signal is transmitted from the reminder message device and received by a reminder message display or announce device (step  630 ). The reminder message display or announce device is activated to display or announce a pre-recorded reminder message (step  640 ). The user then acknowledges that the reminder message is received and that the actions indicated in the reminder message is accomplished (step  650 ) before the processes are ended (step  660 ). 
     For example, a mechanically activated device may be an oven that is turned on by a mechanically turn knob to turn on the oven to bake a cake for thirty minutes. The oven is implemented with a reminder device to detect the user action to turn on the oven. Then a time delay of thirty minutes is set for transmitting the user action triggered signal to either a cell phone of other kinds of reminder message display of announcement device such as a land-lined telephone, a television or an alarm device to remind the user to the time is up for turning off the oven. 
     Another exemplary mechanically active device may comprise a door lock. When a door lock is unlocked and remains unlocked to a preset length of period, i. e., a preset time delay, a reminder message signal transmission is activated. A reminder message signal is transmitted to a cell phone or an alarm device to notify a user that the door is unlocked for a time period according to a pre-set time delay. A similar reminder message may also be pre-set for an electronically operated garage door opener to notify a user that a garage door is opened for a prolong period of time. 
     Although the present invention has been described in terms of the presently preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting. Various alternations and modifications will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all alternations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.