Patent US10178972 Consumer Sleep Technology

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Apple Inc.

Patent US10178972

Issued 2019-01-15

Adjusting Alarms Based On Sleep Onset Latency

In some implementations, a mobile device can adjust an alarm setting based on the sleep onset latency duration detected for a user of the mobile device. For example, sleep onset latency can be the amount of time it takes for the user to fall asleep after the user attempts to go to sleep (e.g., goes to bed). The mobile device can determine when the user intends or attempts to go to sleep based on detected sleep ritual activities. Sleep ritual activities can include those activities a user performs in preparation for sleep. The mobile device can determine when the user is asleep based on detected sleep signals (e.g., biometric data, sounds, etc.). In some implementations, the mobile device can determine recurring patterns of long or short sleep onset latency and present suggestions that might help the user sleep better or feel more rested.

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3 Independent Claims

1. A method, comprising: detecting, by a computing device, performance of sleep ritual activities; determining, by the computing device, completion of a sleep ritual, wherein the sleep ritual includes one or more sleep ritual activities performed before sleep; calculating, by the computing device, a sleep onset latency duration based on a difference between an intended sleep time associated with the completion of the sleep ritual and an actual sleep time; obtaining, by the computing device, calendar information describing a calendar event scheduled for a second time; determining, by the computing device, whether adjusting an alarm set for a first time based on the sleep onset latency duration provides a sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time; and setting, by the computing device, a new alarm to account for the sleep onset latency duration in response to a determination that adjusting the alarm based on the sleep onset latency duration provides the sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause: detecting, by the computing device, performance of sleep ritual activities; determining, by the computing device, completion of a sleep ritual, wherein the sleep ritual includes one or more sleep ritual activities performed before sleep; calculating, by the computing device, a sleep onset latency duration based on a difference between an intended sleep time associated with the completion of the sleep ritual and an actual sleep time; obtaining, by the computing device, calendar information describing a calendar event scheduled for a second time; determining, by the computing device, whether adjusting an alarm set for a first time based on the sleep onset latency duration provides a sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time; and setting, by the computing device, a new alarm to account for the sleep onset latency duration in response to a determination that adjusting the alarm based on the sleep onset latency duration provides the sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time.
14. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause: detecting, by a computing device, performance of sleep ritual activities; determining, by the computing device, completion of a sleep ritual, wherein the sleep ritual includes one or more sleep ritual activities performed before sleep; calculating, by the computing device, a sleep onset latency duration based on a difference between an intended sleep time associated with the completion of the sleep ritual and an actual sleep time; obtaining, by the computing device, calendar information describing a calendar event scheduled for a second time; determining, by the computing device, whether adjusting an alarm set for a first time based on the sleep onset latency duration provides a sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time; and setting, by the computing device, a new alarm to account for the sleep onset latency duration in response to a determination that adjusting the alarm based on the sleep onset latency duration provides the sufficient waking duration prior to the calendar event at the second time.