Asynchronous Meeting Platform Reduces Network Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional synchronous meetings restrict participation to attendees present at the scheduled time, preventing asynchronous engagement and leading to information gaps for absentees, and are burdensome in terms of scheduling and network resources.

Innovation Solution

A communication platform enables asynchronous meetings where participants can engage at convenient times, posting content such as text, audio, and video through a virtual space, with notifications and threaded discussions, reducing the need for real-time attendance and minimizing scheduling conflicts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If synchronous meetings are scheduled at a particular time and date, then real-time collaboration and immediate feedback are enabled, but individuals unable to attend miss information and cannot participate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation delivery reliabilityVSAvoidparticipation flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts meeting modes based on participant availability and preferences, allowing transitions between synchronous and asynchronous participation. Participants can join meetings in real-time when available and contribute asynchronously when unavailable, maintaining both information reliability and participation flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The meeting is segmented into multiple participation modes: synchronous real-time interaction and asynchronous recorded interaction. This segmentation allows different participants to engage in different modes according to their availability, ensuring everyone can contribute while maintaining information delivery reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If synchronous meetings require all attendees to be present at the same time, then real-time discussion and decision-making are facilitated, but scheduling conflicts and network resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecision-making efficiencyVSAvoidscheduling time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Meeting content, including presentations and discussions, is recorded and made available in advance for asynchronous consumption. Participants can review materials before the scheduled meeting time, reducing the need for extended real-time discussions and enabling faster decision-making without requiring everyone to be present simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The meeting process continues asynchronously through recorded content and follow-up discussions, eliminating gaps caused by scheduling conflicts. Participants can engage with meeting materials continuously at their convenience, maintaining productivity without requiring synchronized attendance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Ease of operation

If synchronous meetings are held, then immediate interaction and collaboration occur, but network bandwidth and system resources are heavily consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration convenienceVSAvoidnetwork resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates recorded copies of meeting content that can be distributed and consumed asynchronously. Instead of requiring all participants to simultaneously access high-bandwidth real-time streams, copies are made available for on-demand viewing, significantly reducing network resource consumption while maintaining collaboration convenience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Adaptability or versatility

If asynchronous meetings allow participants to engage at different times, then participation flexibility and inclusivity improve, but real-time feedback and immediate collaboration are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipation flexibilityVSAvoidfeedback speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements structured feedback mechanisms including polls, surveys, and threaded discussions that enable asynchronous participants to provide and receive feedback efficiently. While not instantaneous, these mechanisms maintain adequate feedback speed for decision-making while preserving participation flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11700223B2Asynchronous collaboration in a communication platform

Publication Date: 2023.07.11 SALESFORCE INC

AI summary

Asynchronous collaboration via a communication platform is described. A message representative of an asynchronous meeting can be displayed via a user interface of a communication platform. The user interface can include an affordance to enable a user to add a snippet of content to the asynchronous meeting. In response to detecting an actuation of the affordance, an input user interface that includes an option to record or upload the snippet of content can be displayed. The snippet of content can be received from a client of a user associated with the asynchronous meeting and can be associated with other snippet(s) of content added by other user(s) associated with the asynchronous meeting. A preview summary of snippet(s) of content associated with the asynchronous meeting can be displayed in association with the message, wherein each snippet of content is viewable via a thread associated with the message.