Multi-Channel Alert System with Device Override
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Solution Overview
Problem
In today's connected world, there is a challenge in ensuring that urgent communications are promptly received, as devices and channels compete for attention, and users may miss notifications due to devices being left behind or turned off at critical moments.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating and transmitting emergent event alerts across various devices and channels, including the use of override operations to ensure alerts are received, even if devices are not initially set up to notify users, by identifying relevant devices and channels and employing techniques such as coded SMS messages or HTTP transmissions to override device settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users rely on a single device for notifications, then device simplicity is maintained, but notification reliability deteriorates when the device is left behind or turned off
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple devices (mobile phone, tablet, computer, smartwatch) into a unified notification system where alerts are distributed across all devices. This merging approach ensures that if one device is unavailable, the notification can still be delivered through another device, thereby improving notification delivery reliability without significantly increasing user-perceived complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system makes the notification infrastructure universal by enabling multiple device types to serve the same notification function. Each device can independently receive and display emergent event alerts, allowing the system to adapt to different user contexts and locations while maintaining consistent notification delivery
2Reliability
If device settings are configured for user control, then user privacy and control are improved, but alert delivery reliability deteriorates when devices are silenced or left in another room
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring multiple devices with notification capabilities before an emergent event occurs. When an alert needs to be delivered, the system can immediately push notifications to available devices without requiring real-time user configuration changes, thus maintaining both user control and delivery reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cloud-based notification service as an intermediary between the alert source and user devices. This mediator manages the distribution of notifications across multiple devices, handling routing and delivery logic without requiring users to manually configure each device, thereby preserving user control while improving delivery reliability
3Reliability
If multiple channels are used to transmit alerts, then notification coverage is improved, but system complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects which devices and channels to use for notification delivery based on real-time conditions such as device availability, network connectivity, and user context. This dynamic approach allows the system to expand notification coverage across multiple channels when needed while conserving energy by using fewer channels when sufficient, thereby balancing notification coverage with energy consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible, multi-channel alert system is described herein. A technique for implementing such can include generating an emergent event alert in response to notification of an emergent event, identifying a plurality of devices to transmit the emergent event alert, determining at least one device among the plurality of devices requiring an override operation to output the emergent event, identifying a plurality of channels to connect to the devices, transmitting the emergent event alert over the plurality of channels, and initiating the override operation on the at least one device.