Self Adapting Alert Device

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed that allow an electronic device to autonomously adapt one or more user alerts to the current operating environment of the electronic device. For example, some embodiments may include a method comprising providing a plurality of alert devices in an electronic device, determining an operating environment of the electronic device using a sensor of the electronic device, and actuating at least one of the plurality of alert devices that corresponds to the determined operating environment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic device comprising:
 a housing;   an alert-generation component in the housing;   a location sensor in the housing;   a proximity sensor in the housing; and   processing circuitry that is configured to adjust alerts generated by the alert-generation component based on data from the location sensor and the proximity sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the proximity sensor is configured to determine a proximity of a user to the housing. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic device defined in  claim 2  wherein the alerts generated by the alert-generation component are audible alerts and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to adjust the audible alerts from the alert-generation component based on the data from the location sensor and the proximity sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic device defined in  claim 3  wherein the location sensor is a global positioning system sensor, the electronic device further comprising:
 a motion sensor, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to adjust the alerts based on data from the location sensor, the proximity sensor, and the motion sensor. 
 
     
     
         5 . The electronic device defined in  claim 4  wherein the motion sensor is an accelerometer and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to adjust the alerts based on the data generated by the accelerometer. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the alert-generation component comprises a speaker and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to inhibit alerts from the speaker based on the data from the location sensor and the proximity sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the alert-generation component comprises a vibration-generating component that is configured to cause the electronic device to vibrate. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the alert-generation component comprises a light source that is configured to illuminate and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to not illuminate the light source based on the data from the location sensor and the proximity sensor. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic device defined in  claim 8  further comprising:
 an ambient light sensor, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to not illuminate the light source based on data from the ambient light sensor. 
 
     
     
         10 . An electronic device comprising:
 an alert-generation component;   a location sensor;   a proximity sensor; and   processing circuitry that is configured to activate the alert-generation component in response to data from the location sensor and the proximity sensor.   
     
     
         11 . The electronic device defined in  claim 10  wherein the alert-generation component is selected from the group of components consisting of: a vibration component, a speaker, and a light indicator. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic device defined in  claim 11  further comprising a housing, wherein the location sensor is configured to determine a location of the housing, wherein the proximity sensor is configured to determine a proximity of a user to the housing and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to activate the alert-generation component based on the location and the proximity. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic device defined in  claim 12  further comprising:
 an ambient light sensor in the housing, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine whether the housing is face-down on a surface based on data from the ambient light sensor. 
 
     
     
         14 . The electronic device in  claim 13  wherein the processing circuitry is configured to silence alerts in response to determining the housing is face-down on the surface. 
     
     
         15 . The electronic device defined in  claim 12  further comprising:
 a motion sensor in the housing, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to activate the alert-generation component based on data from the motion sensor. 
 
     
     
         16 . An electronic device configured to be used by a user, the electronic device comprising:
 a housing;   a vibration-generating component in the housing;   a speaker in the housing that is configured to emit sound through a port of the housing;   a first sensor in the housing that generates location data based on a location of the housing;   a second sensor in the housing that generates proximity data based on a proximity of the user to the housing; and   a processor that is configured to adjust vibrations generated by the vibration-generating component and sound emitted by the speaker based on the location data and the proximity data.   
     
     
         17 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16  further comprising:
 a motion sensor in the housing, wherein the motion sensor is configured to detect whether the housing is moving and wherein the processor is configured to prevent sound from being emitted from the speaker in response to determining that the housing is not moving. 
 
     
     
         18 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the processor is configured to silence audible alerts from the speaker and the vibration-generating component based on the location data and the proximity data. 
     
     
         19 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the processor is configured to enable audible alerts from the speaker based on the location data and the proximity data. 
     
     
         20 . The electronic device defined in  claim 19  wherein the processor is configured to enable the vibrations from the vibration-generating component based on the location data and the proximity data.