US20180053364A1 - System and method for customized message playback - Google Patents

Abstract

Various aspects of a system and method for customized message playback are disclosed herein. The system includes a first electronic device, which is configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of a first user. Thereafter, one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of the first user are determined. One or more media items are retrieved from a plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes. The retrieved one or more media items are played back at the first electronic device for the first user and/or a pre-registered second electronic device for a second user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
• None.
FIELD
• Various embodiments of the disclosure relate to data communication and media processing. More specifically, various embodiments of the disclosure relate to a system and method for customized message playback.
BACKGROUND
• Various electronic devices, such as security or surveillance systems, may be used in premises, such as a household, an office, or an industrial establishment, to secure entrances, occupants, and/or other valuable goods in the premises. The electronic devices may also serve to interface between visitors and occupants of the premises. For instance, when a visitor arrives at household premises, the visitor may press a doorbell button at an entrance of the premises, which may output a bell or tune from the doorbell to an occupant of the household premises. When the bell or tune is played, the occupant may become aware of the arrival of a visitor at the household premises. In certain scenarios, the doorbell may be integrated with the security or surveillance system of the premises. For example, a camera (such as a CCTV camera) associated with a surveillance system may capture images of the visitor. The captured images of the visitor may be displayed to the occupant of the premises via an electronic device situated inside the premises or associated with the occupant. However, such existing systems may not provide a user-centric experience customized to both the visitor and the occupant(s) of the premises. An advanced eco-system may be required to not only enhance security of the premises, but also provide a platform that may augment usability of a smart security system while providing an enhanced experience to the end-users.
• Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.
SUMMARY
• A system and method for customized message playback substantially as shown in, and/or described in connection with, at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
• These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary electronic device for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a first exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a second exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a third exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E depict flow charts that illustrate a method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
• FIG. 7 depicts a flow chart that illustrates another method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The following described implementations may be found in the disclosed method and system for customized message playback. Exemplary aspects of the disclosure may include a system that may include a first electronic device. The first electronic device may include one or more circuits configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of a first user. Thereafter, one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of the first user may be determined. One or more media items may be retrieved from a plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes. The one or more media items may be retrieved to be played back at the first electronic device for the first user and/or a pre-registered second electronic device for a second user.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the first electronic device may correspond to a smart door bell, a security device, a smart door, an electronic security lock, and/or a surveillance system. The one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of the first user may correspond to facial features, a voice sample, a clothing pattern, an emotional state, and/or a current activity of the first user. The one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of the first user may further correspond to one or more objects held or worn by the first user.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the one or more attributes of the first user may include an identity of the first user (user identification), a profession of the first user, an event associated with the first user, and/or a date-of-interest associated with the first user. The one or more attributes may further include a type of relationship of the first user who may be a visitor of a premises and the second user who may be an occupant of the premises. In addition, the one or more attributes may include a visit history of the first user, a pre-configured schedule of visit of the first user to the premises, and/or a purpose of previous visits of the first user to the premises or other premises.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the first electronic device may be configured to capture one or more images or video of the first user by use of an image-capturing unit. The one or more images or video may be used for detection of the one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of the first user. The first user may be identified based on detected one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of the first user. In accordance with an embodiment, the first user may be identified based on recognition of a combination of facial features and a voice sample of the first user.
• In accordance with an embodiment, different media items from the retrieved one or more media items may be played back at the first electronic device for the first user and the pre-registered second electronic device associated with the second user. In addition, the first electronic device may be configured to communicate an alert message to the pre-registered second electronic device for play back at the pre-registered second electronic device associated with the second user. The alert message may include a first media item from the retrieved one or more media items. The first electronic device may receive a second media item from the second electronic device in response to the communication of the alert message to the second electronic device. The received second media item may be played back at the first electronic device for the first user (such as the visitor).
• In accordance with an embodiment, a current location information of the pre-registered second electronic device associated with the second user and/or one or more other pre-registered electronic devices associated with one or more other users (such as occupants of a premises) may be received. The current location information may be received from the pre-registered second electronic device and the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices. In accordance with an embodiment, the location information may be received from a cloud server, via a communication network.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the retrieval of the one or more media items from the plurality of media items may be further based on the current location information. The current location information may indicate a presence or an absence of the pre-registered second electronic device and/or the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices associated with one or more other users of the premises, at a preset location of the premises.
• In accordance with an embodiment, one or more other media items may be retrieved from the plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes associated with the first user. The one or more other media items may be retrieved when the received current location information indicates that the pre-registered second electronic device is present at one of a plurality of preset locations of known users. One of the retrieved one or more other media items may be played back on a specific network device associated with the one of the plurality of preset locations. Such play back may be controlled by the first electronic device.
• In accordance with an embodiment, a first set of network devices may be selected from a plurality of network devices to communicate a message including a media item from the retrieved one or more media items. The plurality of network devices may be installed at different locations. The selection of the first set of network devices may be based on the determined one or more attributes and the received current location information of the second electronic device. The first set of network devices may be associated with a first group of users known to the second user. The play back of the media item on the first set of network devices may be controlled based on pre-configured instructions. The pre-configured instructions may be pre-stored at the first electronic device, received from the second electronic device, or retrieved from a cloud server. In addition, a specific network device from the plurality of network devices may be selected to communicate a customized message. The customized message may include a pre-selected media item in accordance to a date-of-interest associated with a user of the selected specific network device.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the first electronic device may be configured to determine whether to grant an access to the premises of the second user. The determination of whether to grant the access may be based on the determined one or more attributes and/or a result of a temporal analysis of the determined one or more attributes by use of a machine learning technique. Alternatively, in accordance with an embodiment, an authorization instruction may be received from the second electronic device to automatically unlock a door to grant an access to the premises of the second user.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 1, there is shown anexemplary network environment100. Theexemplary network environment100 may include a firstelectronic device102 and afirst user104 who may visit a pre-specified location orpremises120 at which the firstelectronic device102 is installed. There is further shown a secondelectronic device106aand asecond user108a. Thesecond user108amay be an occupant of thepremises120 and may be associated with the secondelectronic device106a.
• Theexemplary network environment100 may further include one or more other electronic devices of other occupants of thepremises120, such as a thirdelectronic device106band a fourthelectronic device106c. There is shown athird user108b, who may be associated with the thirdelectronic device106b, and afourth user108c, who may be associated with the fourthelectronic device106c. There is further shown aserver110 and a plurality ofnetwork devices112. The plurality ofnetwork devices112 may include afirst network device112a, asecond network device112b, and athird network device112c. Users, such as a firstremote user114a, a secondremote user114band a thirdremote user114c, may be associated with respective network devices from the plurality ofnetwork devices112, as shown.
• There is further shown afirst communication network116 and asecond communication network118. Thefirst communication network116 may connect the firstelectronic device102 with other electronic devices in thepremises120, such as the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c, and theserver110. Thesecond communication network118 may connect the firstelectronic device102 and the plurality ofnetwork devices112.
• The firstelectronic device102 may be a smart door bell, a security device, a smart door, an electronic security lock, and/or a surveillance system. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be installed at (or associated) with thepremises120. The firstelectronic device102 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code to provide an audio-visual interface to thefirst user104, recognize thefirst user104, and play back a custom message to thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to automatically open a door of thepremises120 based on the recognition of thefirst user104. The firstelectronic device102 may also be configured to transmit custom messages and/or alerts to the secondelectronic device106a, such as a smartphone, or one or more other electronic devices, which may be pre-registered to receive such messages or alerts.
• The secondelectronic device106amay include suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code configured to receive alerts and/or custom messages from the firstelectronic device102 when thefirst user104 visits thepremises120. The secondelectronic device106amay include an application, which may facilitate to set various configuration settings associated with the firstelectronic device102 and the plurality ofnetwork devices112. The secondelectronic device106amay be registered with the firstelectronic device102 and/or theserver110, by use of the application pre-installed at the secondelectronic device106a. During or after the registration, thesecond user108amay set the various configuration instructions, via a user interface of the application. In accordance with an embodiment, thesecond user108amay correspond to an occupant or resident of thepremises120 associated with the firstelectronic device102.
• The thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106cmay be similar to that of the secondelectronic device106a. The thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106cmay also be registered with the firstelectronic device102 and/or theserver110, by use of the application pre-installed at the secondelectronic device106a. Alternatively, the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106cmay be registered by separate applications that may be pre-installed at the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c. Examples of the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106cmay include, but not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile device, a wearable device, a tablet computer, a laptop, and/or a personal computer.
• In accordance with an embodiment, thethird user108bassociated with the thirdelectronic device106band thefourth user108cassociated with the fourthelectronic device106cmay be co-occupants of thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, thethird user108band thefourth user108cmay be family members of thesecond user108athat may reside at thepremises120. Alternatively, thethird user108band thefourth user108cmay refer to friends or neighbors of thesecond user108a.
• Theserver110 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to receive a registration request from the secondelectronic device106a. Theserver110 may also receive registration requests from the one or more other electronic devices, such as the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c. The registration requests may enable an electronic device to be registered for receipt of customized alerts and/or messages based on pre-configured instructions associated with communication of these messages. Theserver110 may be configured to store a plurality of media items. In addition, theserver110 may store a repository of facial images, voice samples, and visitor history logs of known users or previous visitors of thepremises120. Theserver110 may further store a repository of attributes in an associative relation to one or more preset possible physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of a user. Theserver110 may be implemented a web server, a database server, a file server, an application server, a set of distributed servers or cloud servers. Theserver110 may be implemented by use of several technologies that are well known to those skilled in the art.
• The plurality ofnetwork devices112 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to play back pre-specified media items. In accordance with an embodiment, each of the plurality ofnetwork devices112 may be installed in (or associated) with premises of a respective user of that network device. For instance, thefirst network device112amay be installed at premises associated with the firstremote user114a. Similarly, thesecond network device112band thethird network device112cmay be respectively installed at premises associated with the secondremote user114band the thirdremote user114c. In accordance with an embodiment, each of the plurality ofnetwork devices112 may be similar to the firstelectronic device102. The plurality ofnetwork devices112 may correspond to a smart door bell, a security device, a smart door, an electronic security lock, and/or a surveillance system provided at the premises of a respective remote user.
• Thefirst communication network116 may include a medium through which the firstelectronic device102 may communicate with the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106b, the fourthelectronic device106c, and/or theserver110. Thefirst communication network116 may be implemented by one or more wireless communication technologies known in the art. Examples of thefirst communication network116 may include, but not be limited to, a Bluetooth based network, a Wi-Fi based network, a Light-Fidelity (Li-Fi) based network, a short-range wireless communication network, and/or a Wi-Max based network. In accordance with an embodiment, thefirst communication network116 may include a cellular network, Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, and/or the Internet.
• Thesecond communication network118 may include a medium through which the firstelectronic device102 may communicate with the plurality ofnetwork devices112. Thesecond communication network118 may be implemented by one or more wireless communication technologies known in the art. Examples of the wireless communication networks may include, but not limited to, the Internet, an Intranet, a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN), and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN).
• Thepremises120 may correspond to residential or commercial building, an establishment, or a space that may include an entrance that may be monitored by the firstelectronic device102, by use of one or more cameras or microphones.
• In operation, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to capture one or more images or video of thefirst user104 by use of an image-capturing unit. The firstelectronic device102 may be further configured to capture (or record) voice samples of thefirst user104. The one or more images, such as facial images, video, and/or the voice samples of thefirst user104 may be captured when thefirst user104 visits thepremises120, and is detected in a close proximity to the firstelectronic device102.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. The one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of thefirst user104 may correspond to facial features, a voice pattern, a clothing pattern, an emotional state, a current activity of thefirst user104, and/or one or more objects held or worn by thefirst user104. The captured one or more images, video, and/or the voice samples of thefirst user104 may be used for detection of the one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of thefirst user104.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to identity thefirst user104 based on detected one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, thefirst user104 may be identified based on recognition of a combination of facial features and the captured voice sample of thefirst user104. Further, the firstelectronic device102 may employ one or more machine learning techniques to recognize thefirst user104 based on previous facial images and voice samples of thefirst user104, captured during his/her previous visit to thepremises120.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to determine one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. The one or more attributes of thefirst user104 may include an identity of the first user104 (based on the identification), a profession of thefirst user104, an event associated with thefirst user104, and/or a date-of-interest, such as a birthday, a marriage anniversary date, associated with thefirst user104. The one or more attributes may further include a type of relationship of the first user104 (who may be a visitor of the premises120) and thesecond user108a(who may be the occupant of the premises120).
• In accordance with an embodiment, the one or more attributes may include a visit history of thefirst user104 and/or a pre-configured schedule of visit of thefirst user104 to thepremises120. The one or more attributes may also include a purpose of previous visits of thefirst user104 to thepremises120 or premises of others users, such as the firstremote user114aor the secondremote user114b, associated with respective network devices of the plurality ofnetwork devices112. Such information related to the visit history, the pre-configured schedule, and the purpose of previous visits, may be centrally stored in a cloud server, such as theserver110.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to retrieve one or more media items from the plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. The one or more media items may be retrieved from theserver110 or an inbuilt storage device of the firstelectronic device102. Thereafter, the firstelectronic device102 may play back a media item from the retrieved one or more media items for the first user104 (such as the visitor), based on the preset configuration instructions. In other words, based on the preset configuration instructions, custom chimes may be played that may uniquely identify a visitor, such as thefirst user104. Such custom chimes may be one of the retrieved one or more media items. Further, the firstelectronic device102 may communicate at least one of the retrieved one or more media items to the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a, such as a smartphone, of thesecond user108a(such as the occupant) for play back on the secondelectronic device106a. Further, in accordance with an embodiment, a playlist may be preset to playback certain chimes for a visitor, such as thefirst user104. The preset playlist may be pushed to the firstelectronic device102 at run-time from an application pre-installed at a smartphone, such as the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a. The preset playlist may be edited or customized for different visitors, such as thefirst user104. Alternatively, in accordance with an embodiment, one or more media items, such as chime sounds or selected songs, may be directly pushed from the application pre-installed at the smartphone, such as the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a, or from a home network or a cloud server, such as theserver110, to the firstelectronic device102, such as the smart door bell.
• In accordance with an embodiment, different media items from the retrieved one or more media items may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 and/or the pre-registered secondelectronic device106afor thesecond user108a. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to communicate an alert message to the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a. The alert message may include a first media item from the retrieved one or more media items. The secondelectronic device106amay be configured to play back the first media item received from the firstelectronic device102.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may receive a second media item from the secondelectronic device106ain response to the communication of the alert message to the secondelectronic device106a. The received second media item may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104. Alternatively, in accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may not receive the second media item from the secondelectronic device106a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, current location information of the pre-registered secondelectronic device106aand/or one or more other pre-registered electronic devices, such as the thirdelectronic device106band/or the fourthelectronic device106c, may be received. In accordance with an embodiment, the current location information may be received directly from the secondelectronic device106aand the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices, via thefirst communication network116. In accordance with an embodiment, the current location information may be retrieved from theserver110. In such an embodiment, the secondelectronic device106aand the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices may periodically communicate respective location information to theserver110. The firstelectronic device102 may then receive (or retrieve) such location information from theserver110.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the retrieval of the one or more media items by the firstelectronic device102 may be further based on the received current location information. The one or more occupants of thepremises120, such as thesecond user108a, thethird user108band thefourth user108c, may be associated with the secondelectronic device106aand/or one or more other pre-registered electronic devices, as shown inFIG. 1. The current location information may indicate a presence or an absence of the one or more occupants of thepremises120 at a preset location (such as preset location of installation of the first electronic device102) of thepremises120.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may transmit the first media item from the retrieved one or more media items to the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices, such as the thirdelectronic device106b. The transmission may be performed when the secondelectronic device106ais irresponsive to the communicated alert message or media items. That is, if the secondelectronic device106adoes not respond within a pre-specified time from the communicated first media item, the firstelectronic device102 may re-transmit the first media item to the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices.
• In accordance with an embodiment, one or more other media items may be retrieved from the plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes associated with thefirst user104. The one or more other media items may be retrieved when the received current location information of the secondelectronic device106aindicates that thesecond user108ais present at one of a plurality of preset locations of known users. The preset location of the known users may correspond to a location of a network device from the plurality ofnetwork devices112.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may control play back of the retrieved one or more other media items on a specific network device associated with the one of the plurality of preset locations. For instance, the current location information of the secondelectronic device106amay indicate that thesecond user108amay be present at a location associated with premises of the firstremote user114a. Thus, the firstelectronic device102 may transmit the one or more other media items to thefirst network device112aand control play back of the one or more other media items on thefirst network device112a. For instance, the firstremote user114aassociated with thefirst network device112amay correspond to a friend of thesecond user108a. A customized message, such as “<thefirst user104> is standing outside <thesecond user108a> home <thepremises120>”, may be mandatorily played out on thefirst network device112a. Thesecond user108apresent at the location associated with premises of the firstremote user114a, may become aware of the visit of thefirst user104 at thepremises120 of thesecond user108a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to determine whether to grant an access to thepremises120 of thesecond user108a. The determination of whether to grant the access may be based on the determined one or more attributes and/or a result of a temporal analysis of the determined one or more attributes by use of a machine learning technique. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may receive an authorization instruction from the secondelectronic device106ato automatically unlock a door to grant an access to thepremises120 of thesecond user108a.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary electronic device for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 2 is explained in conjunction with elements fromFIG. 1. With reference toFIG. 2, there is shown the firstelectronic device102. The firstelectronic device102 may include aprocessor202, amemory204, and one ormore transceivers206. The firstelectronic device102 may further include an input/output (I/O)device208. The I/O device208 may include adisplay screen210, an image-capturingunit212, amicrophone214, and aspeaker216. The firstelectronic device102 may also include a user recognition circuitry218.
• In accordance with an embodiment, theprocessor202 may be communicatively coupled to thememory204, the one ormore transceivers206, the I/O device208, and/or the user recognition circuitry218, via a system bus. Though shown as a part of the firstelectronic device102, the I/O device208 may be implemented as a separate component that may be communicatively coupled to the firstelectronic device102.
• Theprocessor202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to execute a set of instructions stored in thememory204. In accordance with an embodiment, theprocessor202 may be configured to perform operations associated with the firstelectronic device102, based on execution of the set of instructions stored in thememory204. Theprocessor202 may be implemented, based on a number of processor technologies known in the art. Examples of theprocessor202 may be an X86-based processor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, and/or other processors or control circuits.
• Thememory204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or interfaces that may be configured to store a set of instructions executable by theprocessor202. Thememory204 may be further configured to store pre-selected media items retrieved from a plurality of media items for play back at various electronic devices. Thememory204 may also store pre-configured instructions associated with the communication and play back of custom messages, such as specific media items, and/or alerts on the various electronic devices. Examples of implementation of thememory204 may include, but not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Flash memory, and/or a Secure Digital (SD) card.
• The one ormore transceivers206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to communicate with the secondelectronic device106a, the one or more pre-registered other electronic devices, via thefirst communication network116. The one ormore transceivers206 may be further configured to communicate with the plurality ofnetwork devices112, via thesecond communication network118. The one ormore transceivers206 may implement known technologies to support at least one of wireless, mesh, clustered-node, or peer-to-peer (P2P) communication. The one ormore transceivers206 may include, but are not limited to, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, Bluetooth (BT), near-field communication (NFC), and/or a local buffer. The one ormore transceivers206 may communicate via wireless communication with networks, such as the Internet, an Intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN). The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communication standards, protocols and technologies, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Long Term Evolution (LTE), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (such as IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for email, instant messaging, and/or Short Message Service (SMS).
• The I/O device208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code for various input and output devices that may be configured to communicate with theprocessor202. The I/O device208 may be configured to receive an input from a user (such as the first user104). The input from thefirst user104 may correspond to a voice command or voice sample captured by themicrophone214. Examples of the input devices may include, but are not limited to, the image-capturingunit212, such as a camera or a camcorder, themicrophone214, a touch screen, a motion sensor, a light sensor, and/or a docking station. The I/O device208 may also be configured to provide an output to thefirst user104. The output may correspond to audio and/or video output that may correspond to play back of the retrieved one or more media items, via thedisplay screen210 and/or thespeaker216, for thefirst user104. The play back may be a customized play back in response to the identification of thefirst user104, based on the combination of voice/facial features of thefirst user104. Examples of the output devices may include, but may not be limited to, thedisplay screen210, a projector screen, and/or thespeaker216.
• Thedisplay screen210 may comprise suitable circuitry and/or interfaces that may be configured to display image and/or video output to thefirst user104. Thedisplay screen210 may be configured to receive one or more input actions from thefirst user104, via a touch sensitive screen. Such one or more input actions may be received from thefirst user104, by means of a virtual keypad, a stylus, a touch-based input action, and/or a gesture. In accordance with an embodiment, the one or more input actions may not be required from thefirst user104. Thedisplay screen210 may be realized through several known technologies such as, but not limited to, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display, Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, plasma display, and/or Organic LED (OLED) display technology, and/or other display.
• The image-capturingunit212 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code for capture of one or more images or video of a visitor (such as the first user104) of thepremises120. The one or more images may be captured to determine one or more facial features of thefirst user104 for use in identification of thefirst user104 based on face recognition. In accordance with an embodiment, the image-capturingunit212 may correspond to a front-facing camera or a video recorder of the firstelectronic device102, to capture the one or more images. Examples of the image-capturingunit212 may include, but not limited to, a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) based image-sensor, and/or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) based image-sensor. A person skilled in the art may understand that the image-capturingunit212 may or may not be provided as in-built unit in the firstelectronic device102.
• Themicrophone214 may comprise suitable circuitry and/or interfaces to receive an audio input. The audio input may correspond to a voice sample of thefirst user104. The voice sample of thefirst user104 may be recorded by themicrophone214 to perform voice based recognition of thefirst user104. Further, thefirst user104 may be enabled to record a voice message for thesecond user108athrough themicrophone214. The voice message, so recorded, may be played back on the secondelectronic device106afor thesecond user108a. A person skilled in the art may understand that themicrophone214 may or may not be provided as an in-built unit in the firstelectronic device102.
• Thespeaker216 may comprise suitable circuitry and/or interfaces to generate an audio output for thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, thespeaker216 may be configured to play back a customized message for thefirst user104 based on recognition of thefirst user104. The customized message may include a media item retrieved from the plurality of media items based on the detected one or more attributes of thefirst user104. A person skilled in the art may understand that thespeaker216 may or may not be provided as an in-built unit in the firstelectronic device102.
• The user recognition circuitry218 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of a visitor (such as the first user104) of thepremises120. Further, the user recognition circuitry218 may be configured to determine an identity of the visitor based on a combination of facial features and voice sample of the visitor (such as the first user104).
• In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 may be a part of theprocessor202. Alternatively, the user recognition circuitry218 may be implemented as a separate processor or circuitry in the firstelectronic device102. In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 and theprocessor202 may be implemented as an integrated processor or a cluster of processors that perform the functions of the user recognition circuitry218 and theprocessor202. In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 may be implemented as a set of instructions stored in thememory204, which upon execution by theprocessor202 may perform the functions of the user recognition circuitry218.
• In operation, the user recognition circuitry218 of the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Theprocessor202 and/or the user recognition circuitry218 may be configured to capture one or more facial images and voice samples of thefirst user104. The user recognition circuitry218 may identify thefirst user104 based on a combination of facial recognition (by use of the one or more facial images) and voice recognition (by use of the voice sample).
• In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 may transmit the one or more facial images and the voice sample to theserver110 for recognition. The one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics may be determined based on the identification of the user and/or analysis of the image of thefirst user104. Thereafter, theprocessor202 may determine one or more attributes associated with the one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Further, theprocessor202 may retrieve one or more media items from the plurality of media items stored on theserver110. The retrieval of the one or more media items may be based on the one or more attributes of thefirst user104. Thereafter, theprocessor202 may play back a media item from the retrieved one or more media items for thefirst user104 via thedisplay screen210 and thespeaker216 based on the pre-specified configuration instructions stored in thememory204.
• In accordance with an embodiment, theprocessor202 may communicate the retrieved one or more media items including another media item to the pre-registered secondelectronic device106afor play back on the secondelectronic device106a. In accordance with an embodiment, different media items from the retrieved one or more media items may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 and/or the pre-registered secondelectronic device106afor thesecond user108a. An exemplary scenario of identification of thefirst user104, determination the one or more attributes of thefirst user104, and custom message playback based on the one or more attributes is explained inFIG. 3.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the retrieval and playback of media items may also be based on location information of the pre-registered electronic devices. An exemplary scenario for custom message playback based on the location information of the pre-registered electronic devices is explained inFIG. 4. Further, custom messages may be sent to specific network devices based on events and/or date-of-interest associated with a user of that network device. In addition, custom messages may be sent for playback to a first set of network devices that may be selected from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 based on current location information of the secondelectronic device106a. An exemplary scenario of custom message playback on the specific network device and/or a first set of network devices of the plurality ofnetwork devices112, is explained inFIG. 5.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a first exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 3, there is a shown a firstexemplary scenario300, which is described in conjunction with elements fromFIGS. 1 and 2. The firstexemplary scenario300 includes the firstelectronic device102 that may be installed in the premises120 (FIG. 1; not shown inFIG. 3). There is shown thefirst user104 who may visit thepremises120, the secondelectronic device106aand thesecond user108aassociated with the secondelectronic device106a.
• The firstexemplary scenario300 may also include theserver110 and thefirst communication network116. As shown inFIG. 3, thefirst communication network116 may connect the firstelectronic device102, the secondelectronic device106a, and theserver110. Further, the firstelectronic device102 is shown to include thedisplay screen210, the image-capturingunit212, themicrophone214, and thespeaker216. As shown inFIG. 3, the firstelectronic device102 may perform processingsteps302a,302b,302c,304,306a, and308b. Further, the secondelectronic device106amay perform processingsteps306b,308a, and310.
• In accordance with the firstexemplary scenario300, the secondelectronic device106amay include an application installed therein to interface with the firstelectronic device102, such as a smart security device or a smart doorbell device. Thesecond user108amay provide an input, via the user interface of the application, to register the secondelectronic device106aat theserver110 and/or the firstelectronic device102. To that end, the secondelectronic device106amay transmit a registration request to the firstelectronic device102 and/or theserver110. The request may also include pre-specified configuration instructions set by thesecond user108a.
• For example, the pre-specified configuration instructions may include a list of the one or more attributes that may be used as criteria for media item retrieval or play back. Further, the pre-specified configuration instructions may include pre-specified conditions and pre-selected media items to be played back for visitors or pre-registered occupants as per pre-specified conditions and identification of the visitors. For instance, in a condition where thefirst user104 corresponds to a friend or family member, a welcome tune, such as “Welcome my friend Peter”, may be played back to the visitor, such as thefirst user104. Another tune, such as “Peter is standing outside, open the door”, may be played back to the occupant, such as thesecond user108a.
• The registration may enable the secondelectronic device106ato interface with the firstelectronic device102 installed at thepremises120. The registration of the secondelectronic device106amay enable the secondelectronic device106ato receive custom messages and/or alerts from the firstelectronic device102. Further, the registration may enable the secondelectronic device106ato transmit media items to other electronic devices for storage or play back on that electronic device.
• In accordance with an embodiment, when thefirst user104 visits thepremises120, the firstelectronic device102 may detect arrival of a visitor based on a pre-specified proximity of thefirst user104 to the firstelectronic device102. In accordance with an embodiment, an input on the firstelectronic device102, such as a press a push button (not shown) may indicate an arrival of thefirst user104 at thepremises120. The firstelectronic device102 may prompt thefirst user104 to provide a voice sample through themicrophone214. In addition, the image-capturingunit212 may capture one or more images of thefirst user104.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 of the firstelectronic device102 may be configured to determine one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. The one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics may be determined based on facial recognition, voice recognition, and visit trend analysis. The facial recognition, voice recognition, and visit trend analysis steps are illustrated inFIG. 3, as processingsteps302a,302b, and302c, respectively.
• At processingstep302a, the user recognition circuitry218 of the firstelectronic device102 may send the captured one or more images, such as facial images, of thefirst user104 to theserver110 for analysis. Theserver110 may store a repository of facial images of known users. Theserver110 may apply one or more pattern detection or face detection techniques and/or one or more image processing techniques to identify one or more facial features of thefirst user104. Thereafter, the one or more facial features may be compared with pre-stored facial features in the repository of facial images to determine an identity of thefirst user104.
• The user recognition circuitry218 may receive the identified one or more facial features and determined identity of thefirst user104 from theserver110. In addition to the one or more facial images, the user recognition circuitry218 may also transmit one or more full-length images (that capture complete body or a portion of the body) of thefirst user104 to theserver110 for analysis. Based on the one or more full-length images, theserver110 may determine one or more other physiological and/or behavioral characteristics, such as a clothing pattern, an emotional state, a current activity of thefirst user104, and/or one or more objects held (such as books, knife, or other objects) or worn by thefirst user104. The clothing pattern may indicate a profession, such as a doctor, a postman, or age of thefirst user104. Theserver110 may transmit these determined physiological and/or behavioral characteristics to the firstelectronic device102.
• At processingstep302b, the user recognition circuitry218 may send the captured voice sample of thefirst user104 to theserver110 for analysis. Theserver110 may include a repository of voice samples of known users. Theserver110 may apply one or more sound filters on the voice sample of thefirst user104 to obtain an audio signature of the voice sample. Thereafter, theserver110 may compare the obtained audio signature of the voice sample of thefirst user104 with pre-stored audio signatures of the voice samples of known users stored in the repository of voice samples. Based on the comparison of audio signatures, theserver110 may determine the identity of thefirst user104. Theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may receive the identity of thefirst user104 from theserver110, via thefirst communication network116. The identity of thefirst user104 may be determined and cross-checked based on a combination of facial recognition (based on the one or more facial images) and voice recognition (based on the voice sample).
• At processingstep302c, the user recognition circuitry218 of the firstelectronic device102 may transmit a request to theserver110, via the one ormore transceivers206, for analysis of a visit trend of thefirst user104. The request may include the identity of thefirst user104, current date and time, and the determined one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104 in the present visit to thepremises120. Theserver110 may include a repository of attributes of known users correlated with identity of the known users and visit history log of previous visits of the known users to thepremises120 and/or other premises of other known users.
• On receipt of the request from the user recognition circuitry218, theserver110 may use the identity of thefirst user104 to retrieve records associated with thefirst user104 from the visit history repository. The retrieved records may include visit history log of the previous visits of thefirst user104 to thepremises120 and the correlated one or more attributes of thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, theserver110 may analyze the visit history log to determine past trends of the one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Further, theserver110 may correlate the presently determined one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104, received from the firstelectronic device102, with past trends determined from the analyzed visit history log.
• Based on the correlation, theserver110 may determine one or more current attributes of thefirst user104 in accordance with the received one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. The user recognition circuitry218 and/or theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may receive the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104, from theserver110. Further, theserver110 may update visit history repository including the visit history log associated with thefirst user104 to include details related to the current visit of thefirst user104 to thepremises120. The details related to the current visit of thefirst user104 may include the determined one or more current attributes of thefirst user104.
• At processingstep304, theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve one or more media items from a plurality of media items based on the determined one or more current attributes of thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, theserver110 may store a repository of media items including the plurality of media items. Theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may send a query for retrieval of the one or more media items toserver110. The query may include the determined one or more current attributes. Alternatively, the plurality of media items may be stored in thememory204 of the firstelectronic device102. Theprocessor202 may retrieve the one or more media items from thememory204, in such a case. Examples of the one or more attributes may include, but not limited to, an identity of thefirst user104, a profession of thefirst user104, an event associated with thefirst user104, a date-of-interest associated thefirst user104. The one or more attributes may further include a type of relationship between thefirst user104 and thesecond user108a, a visit history of thefirst user104. In addition, the one or more attributes may include a pre-configured schedule of visit of thefirst user104 to the premises, and/or a purpose of visit of previous visits of thefirst user104 to thepremises120 or other premises.
• For example, the one or more attributes may indicate that the identity of thefirst user104 is “Peter”. Thus, the one or more retrieved media items may be customized for “Peter”, such as a custom tone and a welcome message for “Peter”, based on the pre-specified preferences. In another example, if thefirst user104 may be an individual with a profession of “postman” (determined based on the clothing pattern), thefirst user104 may be greeted accordingly. Further, a custom media item may be retrieved and played back in this case, which may instruct thefirst user104 to place the new mails and/or periodicals in a mailbox. A password or location of a key of the mail-box may be provided to thefirst user104 through the custom message in case thefirst user104 may be identified as a trusted/known postman based on the visit trend analysis.
• In another example, if an event and/or date-of-interest associated with thefirst user104 match with the current date and/or time of identification, a media item may be accordingly selected from the plurality of media items for play back to thefirst user104, via thespeaker216. Examples of such events and/or date-of-interest may include, but not limited to, a birthday, an anniversary, and/or an academic or sports performance of thefirst user104. For instance, a birthday tune may be selected from the plurality of media items, in case thefirst user104 has a birthday on the day of visit to the premises, a previous day (belated birthday), or a next day (upcoming birthday).
• In another example, the media items retrieved from the plurality of media items may be based on a type of relationship between thefirst user104 and thesecond user108a. For instance, three relationship types, such as family-and-friends, neighbors, and acquaintances/others, may be specified by thesecond user108avia the user interface of the pre-installed application. Accordingly, different media items may be retrieved for thefirst user104 who may belong to a particular relationship type. In addition, the retrieval of media items from the plurality of media items may also be based on the visit history of thefirst user104, pre-configured visit schedule, and/or purpose of previous visits of thefirst user104 to thepremises120. For instance, a technician of a consumer electronic good, such as a television, refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine, and/or dish washer, may periodically visit thepremises120 to undertake service of the consumer electronic good installed in thepremises120. The periodicity may be quarterly or annual based on service requirement of the consumer electronic good and a service contract of thesecond user108awith the technician's organization. Thus, once the technician is recognized and visit schedule and purpose of visit of the technician correlate with details of previous visits stored in the visit history log, custom media items may be retrieved for the technician. For example, a welcome message followed by details associated with the relevant consumer electronic goods may be provided as an audio/video output to the technician through the firstelectronic device102. The details associated with the consumer electronic goods may be retrieved from theserver110, which may store a repository that may maintain such information.
• In accordance with an embodiment, once the one or more media items are retrieved at processingstep304, theprocessor202 may transmit the one or more media items to pre-registered one or more electronic devices. The secondelectronic device106amay be an example of such electronic device, which may be pre-registered to receive custom messages and/or alerts from the firstelectronic device102. Theprocessor202 may transmit the retrieved one or more media items to the secondelectronic device106a, via thefirst communication network116, through the one ormore transceivers206. The one or more media items may be transmitted for playback at the secondelectronic device106a.
• At processingstep306a, theprocessor202 may playback a media item from the retrieved one or more media items for thefirst user104 on the firstelectronic device102. The selection of the media item for the playback to thefirst user104 may be based on one or more pre-configured instructions or preferences received from the secondelectronic device106a, during pre-registration of the secondelectronic device106a. Video content of the media item may be played back on thedisplay screen210, while audio content of the media item may be played back through thespeaker216 of the firstelectronic device102.
• For the secondelectronic device106a, at processingstep306b, the secondelectronic device106amay also receive at least one of the retrieved one or more media items for playback to thesecond user108a(the occupant of the premises120) on the secondelectronic device106a. The play back may be based on one or more pre-configured instructions or preferences of thesecond user108aset during pre-registration of the secondelectronic device106a. The secondelectronic device106amay playback the received media item to thesecond user108a, via a user interface of the application, of the secondelectronic device106a. In accordance with an embodiment, different media items from the retrieved one or more media items may be played back on the firstelectronic device102 and the secondelectronic device106a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, instead of (or in addition to) transmitting the one or more media items, theprocessor202 may transmit an alert message to the secondelectronic device106a, at theprocessing step304. The alert message may include a first media item from the retrieved one or more media items. The first media item may be selected from the one or more retrieved media items based on the one or more attributes of thefirst user104 and/or one or more pre-specified preferences of thesecond user108a. For instance, a particular media item may be selected and sent as the alert message when thefirst user104 is of a specific type, such as, a technician, a neighbor, or a friend, and so on. Hence, when such pre-specified type of thefirst user104 visits the premises, thesecond user108amay be sent a particular media item as a special alert on the secondelectronic device106a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the alert message may also include a voice message or an audio/visual (NV) message recorded by thefirst user104 by use of the firstelectronic device102. Further, on receipt of the alert message including first media item, the secondelectronic device106amay transmit a second media item to the firstelectronic device102, as illustrated inprocessing step308a. The second media item may be pre-specified by thesecond user108afor playback to thefirst user104 of a specific type who visits thepremises120. The transmitted second media item may be received by the firstelectronic device102 and played back to thefirst user104, via thedisplay screen210 and thespeaker216. In accordance with an embodiment, the second media item may include a pre-configured message that may welcome thefirst user104. The second media item may also include a voice message, a text message, and/or an NV content provided by thesecond user108aby use of the secondelectronic device106a, for playback on the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104.
• As shown inFIG. 3, the secondelectronic device106amay present a facial image of thefirst user104 via a display screen of the secondelectronic device106a. Further, in case thefirst user104 provides a message (such as a voice or an NV message) through the firstelectronic device102, the secondelectronic device106amay receive such message from the firstelectronic device102. The received message (such as the voice or NV message) may be presented to thesecond user108a, via the display screen and/or speakers of the secondelectronic device106a. The secondelectronic device106amay prompt thesecond user108a, via a user interface of the secondelectronic device106a, to grant thefirst user104 an access to the premises. Based on an input of thesecond user108ato the prompt, the secondelectronic device106amay transmit an authorization acceptance or a deny instruction to the firstelectronic device102 to remotely open a door or reject opening of the door to grant or deny thefirst user104 an access to thepremises120. The transmission of the authorization (or access grant) instruction to the firstelectronic device102 by the secondelectronic device106ais illustrated inFIG. 3 by processingstep310.
• In accordance with an embodiment, on receipt of the authorization acceptance instruction, the firstelectronic device102 may automatically unlock the door to grant access to thepremises120 for thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may also be configured to automatically determine whether to grant thefirst user104 an access to thepremises120. The automatic determination of whether to grant the access may be based on the determined one or more attributes and/or a temporal analysis of the determined one or more attributes (by analyzing visit history log) by use of machine learning techniques. The firstelectronic device102 may automatically unlock the door of thepremises120 based on the automatic determination. For instance, if thefirst user104 is a trustworthy person (such as a known technician) who visits thepremises120 quarterly, based on the temporal analysis of the one or more attributes, the firstelectronic device102 may grant access to such a user. Alternatively, the firstelectronic device102 may send the result of the automatic determination to secondelectronic device106afor confirmation. If thesecond user108aalso agrees and grants a permission to thefirst user104 to access thepremises120, the secondelectronic device106amay accordingly send an indication to the firstelectronic device102. The firstelectronic device102 may accordingly control the unlocking of the door of thepremises120 for thefirst user104.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a second exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 4, there is a shown a secondexemplary scenario400, which is described in conjunction with elements fromFIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The secondexemplary scenario400 includes the firstelectronic device102 that may be installed in thepremises120 and thefirst user104 who may visit thepremises120. There is further shown the secondelectronic device106a, thesecond user108aassociated with the secondelectronic device106aand theserver110. In addition, there is shown inFIG. 4, the one or more other electronic devices, such as the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c. The one or more other electronic devices are shown to be associated with one or more other users, such as thethird user108band thefourth user108c, respectively.
• The secondexemplary scenario400 may also include thefirst communication network116. Thefirst communication network116 may connect the firstelectronic device102, the secondelectronic device106a, the one or more other electronic devices, and theserver110. As shown inFIG. 4, the firstelectronic device102 may perform processingsteps404,406,408a. Further, the secondelectronic device106amay perform processingsteps402aand408b. The thirdelectronic device106bmay perform processingsteps402band408c, while the fourthelectronic device106cmay perform processingsteps402cand408d. Further, theserver110 may perform processingstep402d.
• In accordance with an embodiment, during or after the pre-registration of the secondelectronic device106a, thesecond user108amay select other electronic devices and/or network devices that are to be pre-registered for a customized message playback. Further, thesecond user108amay set configuration instructions, via the pre-installed application in the secondelectronic device106a, for selection of appropriate media items in pre-specified conditions and play back of these media items at pre-registered devices (described in detail below). For instance, thesecond user108amay select the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106cas the other pre-registered electronic devices. For the purpose of the secondexemplary scenario400, the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106b, and the fourthelectronic device106cmay be considered as the pre-registered electronic devices.
• In accordance with an embodiment, thefirst user104 may visit the premises120 (FIG. 1) of thesecond user108aand use the firstelectronic device102 installed in thepremises120 to send a custom message/alert to thesecond user108a. The firstelectronic device102 may detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Thefirst user104 may be identified based on a combination of facial recognition (based on one or more facial images of the first user104) and voice recognition (based on voice samples of the first user104). Thereafter, one or more attributes associated with thefirst user104 may be determined based on the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104.
• In accordance with an embodiment, when thefirst user104 visits the premises, the firstelectronic device102 may transmit a notification to each pre-registered electronic device. The notification may indicate the arrival of a new user (such as the first user104) at thepremises120 and request for location information related to the pre-registered electronic devices which receives the notification. For instance, in the current scenario, the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106b, and the fourthelectronic device106care the pre-registered electronic devices. Each of these pre-registered electronic devices, may transmit their respective location information to the firstelectronic device102. The transmission of the respective location information by each of the pre-registered electronic devices, is illustrated as processingsteps402a,402b, and402c, respectively.
• Further, theserver110 may periodically collect location information from each pre-registered electronic device. In accordance with an embodiment, theserver110 may also receive the notification associated with the arrival of thefirst user104 at thepremises120. On receipt of the notification, theserver110 may also transmit the last updated location information associated with each pre-registered electronic device. The transmission of the last updated location information of the various pre-registered electronic devices from theserver110 to the firstelectronic device102 is illustrated as processingstep402dinFIG. 4.
• As shown inFIG. 4, at processingstep404, the firstelectronic device102 may receive the location information from one or more pre-registered electronic devices and/or theserver110. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may verify the location information received from each of the pre-registered electronic devices with the location information of the corresponding pre-registered electronic device received from theserver110. Further, in a scenario where location information is not received from a pre-registered electronic device, the firstelectronic device102 may use the last updated location information of that pre-registered electronic device, as received from theserver110.
• At processingstep406, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve one or more media items from the plurality of media items stored in theserver110. Alternatively, if the plurality of media items is stored in thememory204 of the firstelectronic device102, theprocessor202 of firstelectronic device102 may retrieve the one or more media items from thememory204. In accordance with an embodiment, the retrieval of the one or more media items may be based on the one or more attributes of thefirst user104 and/or the current location information of each of the pre-registered electronic devices. The current location information of a pre-registered electronic device may indicate presence or absence a user associated with the pre-registered electronic device at a preset location of thepremises120.
• The firstelectronic device102 may transmit the retrieved one or more media items to one or more of the pre-registered electronic devices, based on the received location information of each of the re-registered electronic device. For instance, the one or more retrieved media items (or a pre-selected media item from the retrieved one or more media items) may be sent to a pre-registered electronic device present at the location of thepremises120 of thesecond user108a. The firstelectronic device102 may play back one of the retrieved media items for thefirst user104. The play back on the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 may be based on the configuration instructions pre-specified by thesecond user108a. That is, a custom message including the media item selected from the one or more retrieved media items for thefirst user104 may be played back on the firstelectronic device102, as illustrated inprocessing step408a.
• As shown inFIG. 4, a selected media item from the retrieved one or more media items may be played back on each of the pre-registered electronic devices. The playback of the selected media item on the pre-registered electronic devices, such as the secondelectronic device106a, the thirdelectronic device106b, and the fourthelectronic device106c, is illustrated in processingsteps408b,408c, and408d, respectively. The selection of the pre-selected media item from the retrieved one or more media items and the playback of the selected media item may be based on the location information of the respective pre-registered electronic device.
• For instance, thesecond user108aand thefourth user108cmay be present at thepremises120. In this case, at processingstep406, the firstelectronic device102 may send a first media item to the secondelectronic device106aand a second media item to the fourthelectronic device106c. In accordance with an embodiment, the first pre-selected media item sent to the secondelectronic device106amay be different from the second media item sent to the fourthelectronic device106c, based on pre-specified configuration instructions. For example, the first media item sent to the secondelectronic device106amay include a tune preferred by thesecond user108a. The second media item may include a tune preferred by thefourth user108cthat may be sent to the fourthelectronic device106c. The secondelectronic device106aand the fourthelectronic device106c, may playback the received first media item and the second media item, for thesecond user108aand thefourth user108c, respectively, as illustrated in processingsteps408band408d.
• In accordance with an embodiment, based on the location information of the secondelectronic device106a, the firstelectronic device102 may initially send one of the one or more retrieved media item to the secondelectronic device106a. The media item may be a customized media item for thesecond user108a, such as with a custom tune (“Hi John <thesecond user108a>, Peter <thefirst user104> is standing outside the door of your home <thepremises120>”). If no response is received from the secondelectronic device106aby the firstelectronic device102 within a pre-specified time interval, the firstelectronic device102 may select and send another media item to the fourthelectronic device106c. The fourthelectronic device106cmay be chosen for the transmission of the other pre-specified media item based on the location information of the fourthelectronic device106cthat may indicate its presence at the location of thepremises120. The other pre-specified media item sent to the fourthelectronic device106cmay be customized for thefourth user108c(another occupant), such as “John<thesecond user108a> is not responding; Peter<thefirst user104> is standing outside the door of your home <thepremises120>”). The communicated media item, in both the cases, may include a message that may indicate that thefirst user104 has arrived at thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, a specific media item or tune may be played for a specific user based on the user identification.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the pre-registered electronic devices that may be present at the location of thepremises120 may perform the associated processing steps of media item playback (that is, processingsteps408b,408c, and408d). For instance, as per the aforementioned example, the secondelectronic device106aand the fourthelectronic device106c, may be present at thepremises120. Hence, respective media items from the one or more retrieved media items may be received by the secondelectronic device106aand the fourthelectronic device106c. Further, the secondelectronic device106aand the fourthelectronic device106cmay play back the received media items, as shown in the processing steps408band408d, respectively. However, if the thirdelectronic device106bis not present at the location of thepremises120, the thirdelectronic device106bmay not receive a media item. Hence, the thirdelectronic device106bmay not perform the corresponding media play back step, illustrated by theprocessing step408c.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a third exemplary scenario for implementation of the disclosed system and method for customized message playback, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 5, there is a shown a thirdexemplary scenario500, which is described in conjunction with elements fromFIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The thirdexemplary scenario500 includes the firstelectronic device102 that may be installed in thepremises120 and thefirst user104 who may visit thepremises120. There is also shown the secondelectronic device106a, thesecond user108aassociated with the secondelectronic device106a, and theserver110. There is further shown inFIG. 5, the plurality ofnetwork devices112 that may include thefirst network device112a, thesecond network device112b, and thethird network device112c. Thefirst network device112amay be associated with the firstremote user114a, while thesecond network device112bmay be associated with the secondremote user114b. Thethird network device112cmay be associated with the thirdremote user114c.
• The thirdexemplary scenario500 may also include thefirst communication network116 and thesecond communication network118. Thefirst communication network116 may connect the firstelectronic device102, the secondelectronic device106a, and theserver110. Thesecond communication network118 may connect the firstelectronic device102 and the plurality ofnetwork devices112. As shown inFIG. 5, the firstelectronic device102 may perform processingsteps504,506,508 and510ato510c. Further, the secondelectronic device106amay perform processingsteps502 and510b. The first set ofnetwork devices514 may perform processingsteps510c, while thesecond network device112band thethird network device112care shown to performprocessing steps512aand512b, respectively. The thirdexemplary scenario500 also depicts a first set ofnetwork devices514 that may include one or more network devices from the plurality ofnetwork devices112. For instance, the first set ofnetwork devices514 is shown to include thesecond network device112band thethird network device112c.
• In accordance with an embodiment, thesecond user108amay provide input on the secondelectronic device106a, via the user interface of the pre-installed application, for registration of each network device of the plurality ofnetwork devices112. Further, thesecond user108amay specify one or more rules for grouping of the network devices into various logical groups. For example, one or more network devices may be grouped into a first group associated with friends and family members of thesecond user108a. One or more other network devices may be grouped into a second group associated with neighbors of thesecond user108a.
• In addition, thesecond user108amay specify rules related to selection or play back of media items for network devices that belong to different groups. For instance, messages/alerts related to a visit by a user (such as the first user104) to thepremises120 of thesecond user108amay also be sent to each network device that belongs to a friends and family group, such as the first set ofnetwork devices514. This may be the case when thesecond user108ais out of station. Further, the messages/alerts related to a visit of thefirst user104 of a specific type (such as a postman) may be sent to each network device that belongs to group of network devices belonging to neighbors of thesecond user108a. For instance, through the playback of custom messages/alerts, the neighbors may be requested to keep the mail and/or periodicals related to the occupants of thepremises120 of thesecond user108a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, thefirst user104 may visit thepremises120 of thesecond user108aand use the firstelectronic device102 installed in the premises to send a custom message/alert to thesecond user108a. The firstelectronic device102 may determine one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Thefirst user104 may be identified based on a combination of facial recognition (based on one or more facial images of the first user104) and/or voice recognition (based on voice sample of the first user104). The firstelectronic device102 may then determine one or more attributes of thefirst user104 based on the determined one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics, as explained inFIGS. 1 and 3.
• In accordance with an embodiment, when thefirst user104 visits the premises of thesecond user108a, firstelectronic device102 may transmit a notification to the secondelectronic device106aindicating arrival of a new user. The notification may further request the secondelectronic device106ato transmit current location information associated with the secondelectronic device106ato the firstelectronic device102. As shown inFIG. 5, at processingstep502, the secondelectronic device106amay transmit the current location information associated with the secondelectronic device106ato the firstelectronic device102.
• At processingstep504, the firstelectronic device102 may receive the current location information associated with the secondelectronic device106afrom the secondelectronic device106a. At processingstep506, the firstelectronic device102 may select the first set ofnetwork devices514 from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 for transmission of custom messages/alerts. The selection of the first set ofnetwork devices514 from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 may be based on the current location information and/or pre-specified configuration instructions received from the secondelectronic device106a. For instance, the location information of the secondelectronic device106amay indicate that thesecond user108ais out of station. Further, the pre-specified configuration instructions may indicate that network devices of family and friends are to be grouped together and notified about visitors to thepremises120 during the time thesecond user108ais out of station. Thus, in this case, the first set ofnetwork devices514 selected from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 may correspond to the group of network devices associated with friends and family members of thesecond user108a.
• As shown inFIG. 5, at processingstep508, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve one or more media items from the plurality of media items stored at theserver110. Alternatively, theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve the one or more media items from thememory204, in case thememory204 stores the plurality of media items. The retrieval of the one or more media items may be based on the received location information and/or the one or more attributes of thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve media items for play back at different electronic devices and/or network devices.
• For example, the firstelectronic device102 may play back one of the retrieved media items for thefirst user104, based on the one or more attributes and the current location of thesecond user108a. The selection of media item from the one or more media items for play back on the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 may be based on pre-specified configuration instructions by thesecond user108a. That is, a custom message including the media item selected from the one or more retrieved media items for thefirst user104 may be played back on the firstelectronic device102, as illustrated inprocessing step510a. Further, if thesecond user108ais determined as out of station based on the location information, an appropriate media item may be retrieved from the plurality of media items based on the one or more attributes. If the one or more attributes indicate that thefirst user104 is a known/trustworthy individual, the retrieved media item may indicate to thefirst user104 that thesecond user108ais out of station.
• In addition to the media items retrieved for thefirst user104, the firstelectronic device102 may also retrieve media items for thesecond user108abased on the location information of the secondelectronic device106a. If thesecond user108ais determined to be present at thepremises120 associated with thesecond user108a, a selected media item may be sent to the secondelectronic device106a. The reception and play back of the selected media item by the secondelectronic device106a, is illustrated by processingstep510b. Alternatively, if the location information indicates that thesecond user108ais present at premises of a known user, such as the firstremote user114a, a custom message associated with the known user may be retrieved based on the one or more attributes. That is, the retrieved media item may include a custom greeting for the known user and thesecond user108aand also indicate the type of thefirst user104 and other attributes of thefirst user104. This retrieved media item may be sent to the network device (such as thefirst network device112a) of the known user (such as the firstremote user114a). The reception and playback of the pre-specified media item by thefirst network device112ais illustrated by processingstep510c.
• The playback of the pre-specified media item on thefirst network device112amay be controlled based on pre-specified configuration instructions received along with the communicated media item, from the firstelectronic device102. In accordance with an embodiment, the pre-specified configuration instructions may be received from the secondelectronic device106a(ofsecond user108a) during pre-registration of thefirst network device112aand/or the secondelectronic device106a. For instance, the pre-specified configuration instructions may direct thefirst network device112ato playback a portion of the received media item and then playback an alert tone. Further, thefirst network device112amay be directed to send the received media item to an electronic device, such as a smartphone, of the firstremote user114aif no response is received from the firstremote user114awithin a predefined time interval.
• In accordance with an embodiment, another media item may be retrieved for play back on the first set ofnetwork devices514. The other media item may indicate the one or more attributes (such as type of thefirst user104, purpose of visit, etc.) and also include a custom message for users of the first set ofnetwork devices514. For instance, the custom message may include a preferred tune or greeting for each user of the first set ofnetwork devices514. The selection of first set ofnetwork devices514 from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 based on the location information of thesecond user108ais explained above in processingstep506. In accordance with an embodiment, the other media item may be selected from the one or more retrieved media items based on the current location information of thesecond user108aand the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. For instance, the first set ofnetwork devices514 include network devices of friends and family who may receive custom messages and alerts when thesecond user108ais out of station. Hence, when the location information of thesecond user108aindicates that thesecond user108ais out of town, the firstelectronic device102 may send custom messages/alerts to the first set ofnetwork devices514. The first set ofnetwork devices514 may playback the received message and/or pre-specified media item for the secondremote user114band the thirdremote user114c, as illustrated by processingstep510c.
• In addition, the firstelectronic device102 may post a customized message on a social media profile of thesecond user108awhen thefirst user104 visits the premises of thesecond user108a. Further, certain play back rules may be applied to network devices of various groups of users based on characteristics or preferences of the users and/or their relationship with thesecond user108a. For instance, as an aged individual may be hard of hearing, network devices belonging to the aged individuals may play back media items at a high pitch and volume.
• In accordance with an embodiment, during the pre-registration, thesecond user108amay provide input related to events and date-of-interest of other users including users of the plurality ofnetwork devices112. Examples of such users may include the firstremote user114a, the secondremote user114b, and the thirdremote user114c. Examples of the events may include, but not limited to, a birthday, an anniversary, an academic performance, a sports performance, or a date associated with a personal or professional accomplishment. In accordance with an embodiment, thesecond user108amay provide custom greeting and tunes associated with different event types. Further, thesecond user108amay provide pre-specified configuration instructions based on preferences of the concerned users for appropriate selection of the custom greetings and tunes. Thus, the greetings and the tunes may be customized by thesecond user108a, by use of the secondelectronic device106a, based on the event and preferences of the concerned users.
• In accordance with an embodiment, certain media items may also be automatically retrieved and played back at a pre-scheduled date and time at a specific network device of the plurality ofnetwork devices112. Based on the date-of-interest of a user, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve a custom message including a pre-selected media item (such as a customized birthday greeting tune) for the user. The firstelectronic device102 may then select a network device associated with the concerned user and transmit the custom message including the pre-selected media item to that network device on the pre-scheduled data and time. For instance, as shown inFIG. 5, at processingstep512b, thethird network device112cmay receive the custom message including the pre-selected media item from the firstelectronic device102. Thethird network device112cmay then playback the received custom message, such as “Happy Birthday <Name: the thirdremote user114c>”, to felicitate the thirdremote user114c. In addition to transmitting the custom message to the network device of the concerned user (such as the thirdremote user114c), the firstelectronic device102 may also transmit a reminder message to the secondelectronic device106a. The reminder message may remind thesecond user108aof the event related to the concerned user (that is, the thirdremote user114c, in this case).
• A person with ordinary skill in the art will understand that theexemplary scenarios300,400, and500, are provided for illustrative purposes and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure may be implemented in various other scenarios with one or more variations, without departure from the scope of the disclosure.
• In accordance with an embodiment, thepremises120 may not be restricted to an official building or a residential complex associated with thesecond user108a. In accordance with an embodiment, the disclosure may be implemented for other premises, such as an airport, a railway station, bus-stands, ship ports, and other transportation terminals. For instance, thefirst user104 may correspond to a traveler and the firstelectronic device102 may correspond to an electronic device installed at a ticketing counter or check-in counter of the terminal. The firstelectronic device102 may automatically verify the identity of the travelers (such as the first user104) based on a combination of facial recognition and voice recognition for auto-check in. Further, custom messages or alerts may be delivered to electronic devices of relevant authorities in case of fraud or suspicion based on detection of one or more physiological and/or behavioral characterizes of the traveler. In addition, the firstelectronic device102 may be used in various other implementation scenarios. For instance, the firstelectronic device102 may be used as an automated office assistant or receptionist at an office premises that may be configured to playback custom messages to interface office bearers and visitors, such as during a client visit.
• FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E depict flow charts that illustrate a method to playback custom messages, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The method may be implemented in the firstelectronic device102. With reference toFIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E there are shownflow charts600A,600B,600C,600D, and600E, which are described in conjunction withFIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.FIGS. 6B, 6C, and6D depict flow charts that illustrate method steps which may be performed in parallel after the method steps of the flow chart ofFIG. 6A.FIG. 6E depicts a flow chart that illustrates method steps that may be performed after the method steps of the flow charts ofFIGS. 6B, 6C, and 6D. As shown inFIG. 6A, the method of theflow chart600A starts atstep602 and proceeds to step604.
• At step604, one or more images and voice samples of thefirst user104 may be captured for detection of the one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. In accordance with an embodiment, when thefirst user104 arrives at the premises, the user recognition circuitry218 may be configured to capture the one or more images (by use of the image-capturing unit212) and the voice samples (by use of the microphone214) of thefirst user104.
• Prior to the visit of thefirst user104, one or more electronic devices and/or network devices may be pre-registered at the firstelectronic device102 and/or theserver110. During the pre-registration of the secondelectronic device106a, thesecond user108amay set configuration instructions, via the pre-installed application in the secondelectronic device106a, for selection and playback of media items on electronic devices and/or network devices. Further, thesecond user108amay also register other electronic devices and/or network devices and group these pre-registered electronic devices and/or network devices. Thesecond user108amay also preset one or more rules related to the grouping of pre-registered network devices, such as the plurality ofnetwork devices112.
• At step606, one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104 may be detected. The detection of the one or more attributes of thefirst user104 has been explained inFIG. 1 andFIG. 3. At step608, one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104 may be determined. Theprocessor202 of the firstelectronic device102 may determine the one or more attributes of thefirst user104 based on the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics, as explained inFIG. 1 andFIG. 3.
• At step610, thefirst user104 may be identified. In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 may be configured to transmit the one or more images and the voice samples to theserver110. Theserver110 may identify thefirst user104 by use of facial recognition (based on one or more facial images) and voice recognition (based on voice samples). Thus, thefirst user104 may be identified based on a combination of facial recognition and voice recognition. In accordance with an embodiment, the user recognition circuitry218 may apply one or more machine learning techniques to identify thefirst user104, based on a repository of facial images and voice samples of known users.
• At step612, one or more media items may be retrieved from plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. A first pre-specified media item may be selected from the one or more retrieved media items for playback on the firstelectronic device102. Further, a second pre-specified media item (different from the first pre-specified media item) may be selected for play back on the secondelectronic device106a. The selection or play back of the first media item and the second media item may be based on pre-specified configuration instructions.
• With reference toFIG. 6B, the method of theflow chart600B may be performed in parallel to methods of theflow chart600C ofFIG. 6C and theflow chart600D ofFIG. 6D. Theflow chart600B progresses to step614afrom the step612 ofFIG. 6A.
• At step614a, different media items from the retrieved media items may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 and the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a. In accordance with an embodiment, the first media item may be played back at the firstelectronic device102. The first media item may be custom message for thefirst user104, such as “Welcome Peter <thefirst user104>”. Further, the second media item may be played back at the secondelectronic device106a. The second media item may include custom message, greetings, and tunes that may be preferred by thesecond user108aand may be based on determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. For example, a custom audio, such as “Hi John <thesecond user108a>, Peter <thefirst user104> is standing outside the door of your home <thepremises120>”, may be played at the secondelectronic device106a.
• Atstep616a, an alert message may be communicated to the pre-registered secondelectronic device106aby the firstelectronic device102. The alert message may include the first media item for play back on the secondelectronic device106afor thesecond user108a. For instance, thefirst user104 may record a voice mail message or an A/V message as an alert message for thesecond user108a.
• Alternatively, the alert message may be automatically generated by the firstelectronic device102 based on the type of thefirst user104 and/or other determined attributes of thefirst user104.
• Atstep618a, a second media item may be received from the secondelectronic device106afor playback on the firstelectronic device102, in response to the communicated alert message. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may receive the second media item from the secondelectronic device106a. The second media item may correspond to a response message by thesecond user108ato thefirst user104. The response message in the second media item may be in the form of an audio recording, a text message, and/or A/V content. An exemplary scenario of playback of media items on the firstelectronic device102 and the secondelectronic device106ais explained inFIG. 3.
• With reference toFIG. 6C, the method of theflow chart600C may be performed in parallel to methods of theflow chart600B ofFIG. 6B and theflow chart600D ofFIG. 6D. Theflow chart600C progresses to step614bfrom the step612 (FIG. 6A). Atstep614b, location information of the pre-registered secondelectronic device106aand/or other pre-registered electronic devices may be received. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may receive the location information of the secondelectronic device106aand/or the other pre-registered electronic devices from the respective electronic devices and/or theserver110. Examples of the other pre-registered electronic devices may include, but not limited to, the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c.
• Atstep616b, a first check may be performed to determine whether thesecond user108ais present at thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may check the current location information received from the secondelectronic device106ato determine whether the location of thesecond user108acoincides with that of thepremises120. In case thesecond user108ais determined to be present within thepremises120, step618bmay be performed, otherwise, step620bmay be performed.
• At step618b, a media item from the retrieved one or more media items may be transmitted to the secondelectronic device106a, based on the current location of thesecond user108a. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve the media item from plurality of media items based on the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. The firstelectronic device102 may transmit the retrieved media item to the secondelectronic device106a, present at thepremises120. The playback of the media item at the secondelectronic device106afor thesecond user108amay be controlled based on the pre-specified configuration instructions. In accordance with an embodiment, the control may pass to step630 (FIG. 6E) from the step618b.
• Atstep620b, a second check may be performed to determine whether one or more other users (such as thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) are present at thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may check the current location information received from the one or more other pre-registered electronic devices, such as the thirdelectronic device106band the fourthelectronic device106c. Based on this received current location information, the firstelectronic device102 may determine whether the location of one or more of the other users coincides with that of thepremises120. In case one or more of the other users (such as thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) are determined to be present in thepremises120, step622bmay be performed, otherwise, step624bmay be performed.
• At step622b, another media item may be transmitted to the other pre-registered electronic devices, based on the current location information of the one or more other users. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve the other media item from plurality of media items based on the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. The firstelectronic device102 may transmit the retrieved other media item to a specific electronic device of a user, present at thepremises120. For instance, if thethird user108bis present at thepremises120, the retrieved other media item may be transmitted to the thirdelectronic device106b. The playback of the other media item at the thirdelectronic device106b) of thethird user108bpresent within thepremises120, may be controlled based on the pre-specified configuration instructions. In accordance with an embodiment, the control may pass to step630 (FIG. 6E) from the step622b.
• At step624b, a third check may be performed to determine whether thesecond user108aand/or the one or more other users (such as thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) are present at premises of other known users. Based on the received current location information, the firstelectronic device102 may determine whether the location of thesecond user108aand/or one or more of the other users (such as, thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) coincides with that of a location of a network device associated with premises of other known user. In case thesecond user108aand/or another user (such as thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) are determined to be present at premises of a known user, step626bmay be performed, otherwise, step628bmay be performed.
• At step626b, a customized message may be posted on a social media profile of thesecond user108a. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may generate the customized message for thesecond user108abased on pre-specified configuration instructions. Thereafter, the firstelectronic device102 may post the generated customized message on the social media profile of thesecond user108a. The customized message may indicate an arrival of thefirst user104 at thepremises120 of thesecond user108a. Based on the posted customized message, thesecond user108aand one or more connections (such as friends, family members, and other acquaintances) of thesecond user108amay be notified of the visit of thefirst user104 at thepremises120.
• Atstep628b, one or more other media items may be retrieved from the plurality of media items based on the received location information and/or the determined one or more attributes. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve the one or more other media items from the plurality of media items based on the location information and the determined one or more attributes. The location information may indicate presence or absence of thesecond user108aand/or other users (such as thethird user108bor thefourth user108c) at a preset location of premises of a known user. For instance, if the location information of the secondelectronic device106aindicates that thesecond user108ais currently visiting a premise of a known user, such as the firstremote user114a, the retrieved media items may be specific to the firstremote user114aand thesecond user108a. The retrieved media items may include custom message (including indication of the attributes of the first user104), greetings, and tunes preferred by the firstremote user114a. Further, the firstelectronic device102 may transmit the specific retrieved media item to a network device associated with the firstremote user114a, such as thefirst network device112a, for play back. An exemplary scenario of the playback of pre-specified media items on a specific electronic device or networked device is explained inFIG. 5.
• With reference toFIG. 6D, the method of theflow chart600D may be performed in parallel to method of theflow chart600B ofFIG. 6B and 600C ofFIG. 6C. Theflow chart600D progresses to step614cfrom the step612 ofFIG. 6A.
• At step614c, a first set of network devices associated with a first group of known users may be selected. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may select the first set of network devices (such as the set ofnetwork devices514 ofFIG. 5) from the plurality ofnetwork devices112. The selection of the first set ofnetwork devices514 may be based on pre-specified configuration instructions. For example, the first set ofnetwork devices514 may include network devices of a group of individuals including family members and friends of thesecond user108a.
• In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may communicate messages to the first set ofnetwork devices514 based on location information of the secondelectronic device106aand the determined one or more attributes. For instance, if the location information indicates that thesecond user108ais out of station, network devices of family members and friends may be selected as the first set ofnetwork devices514. The firstelectronic device102 may then send customized messages including retrieved media items to the first set ofnetwork devices514 based on the determined one or more attributes of thefirst user104. For instance, if thefirst user104 is a technician, a particular media item associated with the technician profession may be retrieved and sent to the first set ofnetwork devices514 to inform appropriate friends or family members to attend to thefirst user104.
• At step616c, play back of the retrieved media item on the first set ofnetwork devices514 may be controlled based on pre-specified configuration instructions. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may control the playback of the retrieved media item on the first set ofnetwork devices514. The firstelectronic device102 may send the pre-specified configuration instructions (received from the secondelectronic device106aduring the pre-registration) to the first set ofnetwork devices514, along with the retrieved media item. The received media item may be played back on the first set ofnetwork devices514 in accordance with the pre-specified configuration instructions. For instance, a portion of the received media item may be played back iteratively for a given number of iterations followed by an alert tune. Thereafter, if no response is received from a given network device, such network device may be directed to send the received media item to an electronic device of an associated user, such as the firstremote user114a, for play back. The pre-specified media item may then be played back on the electronic device associated with the user of the network device. An exemplary scenario for the playback of pre-specified media item on the first set ofnetwork devices514 has been explained inFIG. 5.
• At step618c, a specific network device from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 may be selected for communication of a custom message. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may select the specific network device (such as thefirst network device112a) from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 for communication of the custom message based on pre-specified configuration instructions. The pre-specified configuration instructions may include details of events and a date-of-interest of users known to thesecond user108a. Examples of the events and/or date-of-interest may include, but not limited to, a birthday, an anniversary, an academic performance, a sports performance, and/or a professional or personal accomplishment. An exemplary scenario of transmission of custom message to a specific network device of a known user based on occurrence of an event and/or a date-of-interest of that known user has been explained inFIG. 5. A person skilled in the art may understand that step618cmay be performed before step616cof the method offlow chart600D (ofFIG. 6D) without departure from the scope of the disclosure.
• With reference toFIG. 6E, the methods of theflow charts600B (ofFIG. 6B),600C (ofFIG. 6C), and600D (ofFIG. 6D) may merge at step630, as shown. Theflow chart600E progresses to step630. At step630, an authorization instruction may be received from the secondelectronic device106a. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may receive the authorization instruction from the secondelectronic device106a. The authorization instruction may permit an automatic unlocking of a door of thepremises120 of thesecond user108ato grant thefirst user104 access to thepremises120. Thesecond user108amay provide the authorization instruction through the secondelectronic device106a, based on the presented facial image, voice message, and/or identification information. An exemplary scenario that depicts grant of access to thepremises120 by the firstelectronic device102, has been explained inFIG. 3.
• At step632, it may be determined whether to grant thefirst user104 an access to thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may determine whether to grant thefirst user104 access to thepremises120 of thesecond user108a. The determination may occur based on the determined one or more attributes and/or temporal analysis of the determined one or more attributes by use of the machine learning. An exemplary scenario of the automatic grant of access to thepremises120 of thesecond user108aby the firstelectronic device102 has been explained inFIG. 3. A person skilled in the art may understand that the step632 may be performed before step630. In such a case, a result of the decision to grant the access to thefirst user104 may be communicated by the firstelectronic device102 to the secondelectronic device106a. The secondelectronic device106amay prompt thesecond user108ato confirm and provide access to thefirst user104. If thesecond user108aconfirms the access, the authorization instruction may be transmitted (as explained in step630) and the door of thepremises120 may be automatically opened. Otherwise, thefirst user104 may have to provide further details for authentication, or thesecond user108amay transmit custom messages through the secondelectronic device106ato the firstelectronic device102. The custom messages may be played back to thefirst user104 by the firstelectronic device102, and a response (such as a voice message or an A/V response) may be received from thefirst user104 by the firstelectronic device102. The firstelectronic device102 may communicate this response to the secondelectronic device106aand thesecond user108amay decide whether to authorize thefirst use 104 based on the response. The control passes to end step.
• FIG. 7 depicts a flow chart that illustrates another method for play back of customized messages, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 7, there is shown aflow chart700, which is described herein in conjunction to elements fromFIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The method offlow chart700 may be implemented in the secondelectronic device106a. Theflow chart700 starts atstep702 and progress to step704.
• At step704, an input may be received to register the secondelectronic device106afor receipt of custom messages/alerts from the firstelectronic device102 on arrival of thefirst user104 at thepremises120. In accordance with an embodiment, the secondelectronic device106amay provide the input, via a user interface of the secondelectronic device106a. The user interface may correspond to the application pre-installed in the secondelectronic device106a.
• The registration of the secondelectronic device106amay enable the secondelectronic device106ato receive custom messages and/or alerts when a visitor (such as the first user104) arrives at thepremises120. During or after the registration of the secondelectronic device106a, thesecond user108amay provide an input to register other electronic devices, such as electronic devices of other residents of thepremises120. Examples of such other electronic devices may include the thirdelectronic device106bof thethird user108band the fourthelectronic device106cof thefourth user108c. Further, thesecond user108amay register one or more networked devices from the plurality ofnetwork devices112. During or after the registration, thesecond user108amay provide configuration input, as described next.
• At step706, another input may be received to set configuration instructions in the secondelectronic device106a. The configuration instructions may be set via the user interface of the secondelectronic device106a. The configuration instructions may include instructions for selection of one or more media items from a plurality of media items for playback on a pre-registered electronic device and/or a pre-registered networked device, upon arrival of thefirst user104. The configuration instructions may further include instructions for grouping of network devices from the plurality ofnetwork devices112 into one or more logical groups for playback of custom messages, as illustrated and explained inFIG. 5.
• At step708, the set configuration instructions may be transmitted to the firstelectronic device102 and/or theserver110. The firstelectronic device102 may store the received configuration instructions as pre-specified configuration instructions in thememory204. The pre-specified configuration instructions may control the retrieval of the one or more media items from the plurality of media items by the firstelectronic device102. Further, the pre-specified configuration instructions may control playback of pre-specified media items from the retrieved one or more media items on the firstelectronic device102, one or more pre-registered electronic devices, and/or one or more pre-registered network devices. In addition, the pre-specified configuration instructions may be used to select a set of network devices (or a single networked device) for transmission of custom messages by the firstelectronic device102.
• Atstep710, location information of the secondelectronic device106amay be transmitted to the firstelectronic device102. In accordance with an embodiment, the secondelectronic device106amay include a GPS module installed in it, which may be used to determine location co-ordinates associated with the secondelectronic device106a.
• At step712, a media item may be received from the firstelectronic device102. In accordance with an embodiment, the firstelectronic device102 may retrieve one or more media items from the plurality of media items based on the one or more attributes of thefirst user104. The firstelectronic device102 may communicate the media item, from the one or more retrieved media items, for play back on the secondelectronic device106a, based on the location information and pre-specified configuration instructions.
• At step714, the received media item may be played back on the secondelectronic device106a. In accordance with an embodiment, the secondelectronic device106amay play back the received media item for thesecond user108a. In accordance with an embodiment, the playback of the media item on the secondelectronic device106amay be controlled based on instructions received from the firstelectronic device102.
• At step716, an authorization instruction may be transmitted to the firstelectronic device102. The secondelectronic device106amay display a prompt on a display of the secondelectronic device106ato seek a permission from thesecond user108ato grant an access to thefirst user104 to thepremises120. Based on a user-input received from thesecond user108ain response to the prompt, the secondelectronic device106amay generate an authorization instruction, if thesecond user108aagrees to grant the permission. The secondelectronic device106amay transmit the authorization instruction to the firstelectronic device102, which in response to the receipt of the instruction may automatically open a door associated with an entrance of thepremises120. Thus, thefirst user104 may be granted an access to thepremises120, based on the receipt of authorization instruction at the firstelectronic device102. Control passes to endstep718.
• In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, a system for customized message playback is disclosed. The system (such as the first electronic device102 (FIG. 1)) may comprise one or more circuits (hereinafter referred to as the processor202 (FIG. 2)). Theprocessor202 may be configured to detect one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of the first user104 (FIG. 1). Thereafter, theprocessor202 may be configured to determine one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104. Further, theprocessor202 may retrieve one or more media items from a plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes. The retrieved one or more media items may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 and/or the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a(FIG. 1) for thesecond user108a(FIG. 1).
• Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium having stored thereon, a set of instructions executable by a machine and/or a computer for customized message playback. The set of instructions may cause the machine and/or computer (such as the first electronic device102 (FIG. 1)) to perform the steps that comprise detection of one or more physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of the first user104 (FIG. 1). Thereafter, one or more attributes associated with the detected one or more physiological and/or behavioral characteristics of thefirst user104 may be determined. Further, one or more media items may be retrieved from a plurality of media items in accordance with the determined one or more attributes. The retrieved one or more media items may be played back at the firstelectronic device102 for thefirst user104 and/or the pre-registered secondelectronic device106a(FIG. 1) for thesecond user108a(FIG. 1).
• The present disclosure may be realized in hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be realized in a centralized fashion, in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion, where different elements may be spread across several interconnected computer systems. A computer system or other apparatus adapted to carry out the methods described herein may be suited. A combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when loaded and executed, may control the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The present disclosure may be realized in hardware that comprises a portion of an integrated circuit that also performs other functions.
• The present disclosure may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features that enable the implementation of the methods described herein, and which, when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods. Computer program, in the present context, means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system with an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly, or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
• While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without deviation from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without deviation from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A system for customized message playback, said system comprising:

a first electronic device, wherein said first electronic device comprises circuitry configured to:

detect at least one of a physiological characteristic or a behavioral characteristic of a first user;

determine at least one attribute associated with at least one of said detected physiological characteristic or said detected behavioral characteristic of said first user;

retrieve a first media item from a plurality of media items based on said determined at least one attribute;

play back said first media item; and

communicate an alert message to a registered second electronic device associated with a second user, wherein said alert message includes said first media item, and wherein said first media item is played back at said registered second electronic device.

2. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said first electronic device corresponds to at least one of a smart door bell, a security device, a smart door, an electronic security lock, or a surveillance system.

3. The system according toclaim 1, wherein at least one of said detected physiological characteristic or said detected behavioral characteristic of said first user correspond to at least of facial features, a voice sample, a clothing pattern, an emotional state, a current activity of said first user, or at least one object wearable or held by said first user.

4. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said at least one attribute of said first user comprises at least one of an identity of said first user, a profession of said first user, an event associated with said first user, a date-of-interest associated with said first user, a type of relationship between said first user and said second user, a visit history of said first user, a scheduled visit of said first user to premises, or a purpose of visit associated with previous visits of said first user to said premises, and

wherein said first user is a visitor of said premises and said second user is an occupant of said premises.

5. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to capture at least one of an image or a video of said first user, and wherein said detection of at least one of said physiological characteristic or said behavioral characteristic of said first user is based on said capture of at least one of said image or said video.

6. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to identify said first user based on at least one of said detected physiological characteristic or said detected behavioral characteristic of said first user.

7. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to identify said first user based on a recognition of a combination of facial features and a voice sample of said first user.

8. The system according toclaim 1, wherein a second media item of said plurality of media items is played back by said registered second electronic device.

9. (canceled)

10. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to:

receive a third media item of said plurality of media items from said registered second electronic device, based on said communication of said alert message to said registered second electronic device, and

play back said received third media item.

11. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to receive, via a communication network, current location information of at least one of said registered second electronic device associated with said second user or a registered third electronic device associated with a third user,

wherein said reception of said current location information is from at least one or more of said registered second electronic device, said registered third electronic device, or a cloud server.

12. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said retrieval of said first media item is based on said received current location information that indicate one of a presence or an absence of at least one of said registered second electronic device or said registered third electronic device, at a location of premises.

13. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said circuitry is further configured to retrieve a fourth media item from said plurality of media items, based on said determined at least one attribute associated with said first user and said received current location information that indicate said registered second electronic device is present at one of a plurality of locations associated with known users.

14. The system according toclaim 13, wherein said circuitry is further configured to control play back of said retrieved fourth media item on a specific network device, wherein said specific network device is associated with said one of said plurality of locations.

15. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said circuitry is further configured to:

select a first set of network devices from a plurality of network devices, wherein said plurality of network devices are installed at different locations,

communicate a message that includes a fifth media item of said plurality of media items, based on said selection of said first set of network devices, said determined at least one attribute, and said received current location information of said registered second electronic device, wherein said first set of network devices are associated with a group of known users.

16. The system according toclaim 15, wherein said circuitry is further configured to control play back of said fifth media item on said first set of network devices based on instructions, and wherein said instructions are one of stored at said first electronic device, received from said registered second electronic device, or retrieved from the cloud server.

17. The system according toclaim 15, wherein said circuitry is further configured to:

select a specific network device from said plurality of network devices, and

communicate a customized message that includes a sixth media item of said plurality of media items, wherein said communication of said customized message is based on a date-of-interest associated with a fourth user of said selected specific network device.

18. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to receive an authorization instruction from said registered second electronic device to automatically unlock a door to grant an access to premises of said second user.

19. The system according toclaim 1, wherein said circuitry is further configured to determine whether to grant an access to premises of said second user based on at least one of said determined at least one attribute or a result of a temporal analysis of said determined at least one attribute, wherein said temporal analysis is based on a machine learning technique.

20. A method for customized message playback, said method comprising:

detecting, by a first electronic device, at least one of a physiological characteristic or a behavioral characteristic of a first user;

determining, by said first electronic device, at least one attribute associated with at least one of said detected physiological characteristic or said detected behavioral characteristic of said first user;

retrieving, by said first electronic device, a media item from a plurality of media items based on said determined at least one attribute;

playing back said media item; and

communicating an alert message to a registered second electronic device associated with a second user, wherein said alert message includes said media item, and wherein said media item is played back at said registered second electronic device.

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