Using a local wireless link, such as a Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BT BR/EDR) link or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link, to connect a computing device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer or a laptop computer to an accessory device such as speakers or to a printer has become a standard measure. Such local wireless links are equally applicable for connecting any computing device to accessories of different type, such as sensor devices that provide environmental information, home appliances and even industrial equipment or systems. In particular, the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) forms a framework that is estimated to introduce a vast number of accessory devices that are accessible by basically any computing device via a local wireless links.
One class of accessory devices that represent the IoT includes accessory devices that are arranged to provide sensory data. As an example, such sensory data may comprise e.g. environmental information obtained from a sensor that may be included in or coupled to the accessory device, and the sensor may be arranged to measure an environmental characteristic (such as ambient temperature, air pressure, air humidity, CO2 level, etc.). As another example, the sensory data from the accessory device may comprise sensory information that is indicative of a vital sign of a person or an animal (such as temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, etc.).
In an environment that includes a high number of accessory devices that provide sensory data, the computing device may continuously receive a vast amount of information, only part of which carries meaningful information to a user or users of the computing device. Consequently, continuously providing the received information e.g. via a display of the computing device may result in an information overload that likely contributes the user(s) of the computing device to miss some important pieces of information. In particular, in case of sensory data that is descriptive of an environmental characteristic or a vital sign of a person or an animal, the user(s) may be primarily interested in detecting any out-of-the-ordinary piece of information (a change in air pressure, a change in heart rate) without constantly directing their full attention to the display screen.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds