Adaptive Telephone Number Dialing via Context Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in determining the correct telephone numbers to call, as existing systems lack efficient methods to anticipate and present relevant contact information, leading to significant time spent on preparing calls.
Innovation Solution
A context-driven, adaptive technique that monitors user context, including temporal, spatial, environmental, and physiological factors, to dynamically generate and update a list of telephone numbers for easy access, such as in a speed-dial list, based on user habits and changing circumstances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a user manually looks up telephone numbers from a contact list, then the user can find the correct number to call, but the user spends significant time preparing to make calls
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively generating and presenting a list of relevant telephone numbers to the user before the user actually needs to make a call. The system monitors user context (documents open, time of day, location) and pre-computes which contacts are most likely to be needed, presenting them in advance so the user doesn't have to manually search through the entire contact list when call time arrives.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system presents a static speed-dial list, then the user can quickly access frequently called numbers, but the list cannot adapt to changing user needs or context
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring user context (which documents are open, time of day, geographic location) and using this information to dynamically update the presented telephone number list. The system receives feedback from the environment and adjusts its output accordingly, making the list adaptive to changing user needs while maintaining relatively simple implementation through standard monitoring capabilities.
3Loss of information
If the system monitors multiple context factors (temporal, spatial, environmental), then the telephone number list becomes highly relevant to user needs, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the context monitoring into distinct, independent factors: temporal context (time of day, day of week), spatial context (geographic location, time zone), and environmental context (documents open, current activity). Each factor is monitored separately and then combined to generate the final telephone number list. This segmentation reduces complexity by allowing each monitoring component to be simple and modular while achieving comprehensive relevance through their combination.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique is disclosed that enables a context-driven, adaptive technique for generating a list of telephone numbers. The technique of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention seeks to dynamically anticipate what telephone numbers a user might want to dial—even before the user knows—and presents the names of the parties and their telephone numbers to the user at his or her terminal. In particular, the technique monitors a user, the user's locale, and one or more terminals in that locale; selects one or more telephone numbers from a master set of numbers, based on the monitored information; and presents the selected numbers to the user—for example, in the form of a speed-dial list or a one-touch dial list. The user can then examine the presented telephone numbers and decide if he or she wants to call one of them. The technique can be implemented at the user's computer, telephone, private branch exchange, or other device in the relevant telecommunications system.