Automatic Location Updates in Communication Mood Messages
Solution Overview
Problem
Mood messages in packet-based communication systems, used to convey location information, often become outdated due to user forgetfulness, leading to inaccurate representations of a user's location, especially in systems where users travel frequently.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where a user terminal automatically determines its location, stores it, generates a visual indication of this location, and embeds it into a mood message, which is then transmitted and displayed to contacts, ensuring the location information is kept up to date without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users manually update mood messages to reflect location information, then the system maintains simplicity and low resource usage, but the location information becomes outdated due to user forgetfulness
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-updating of location information through mood messages. The communication client automatically retrieves current location data from location information and updates mood messages without requiring user intervention, making the system self-maintaining and eliminating the reliability issue of manual updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically obtaining location information and preparing updated mood messages before users would need to manually update them. This proactive approach ensures location accuracy is maintained continuously without waiting for user action.
2Reliability
If the system automatically updates mood messages with location information, then location accuracy is maintained, but network traffic and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic updates of mood messages with location information rather than continuous transmission. The communication client updates mood messages at intervals or when location changes occur, reducing unnecessary network traffic while maintaining adequate location accuracy for user needs.
3Quantity of substance
If mood messages are kept short and text-based, then network overhead is reduced and display space is minimized, but the ability to convey rich location information is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of mood message format from purely text-based to include visual indicators. Location information is represented through visual symbols or icons that convey spatial meaning efficiently, maintaining brevity while enhancing the information content about user location without significantly increasing data transmission requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Communicating location information for a first user of a first communication client from a first user terminal over a communications system to a second user terminal is described. A second communication client executed by the second user terminal displays a list of contacts associated with a second user of the second communication client that comprises a first contact representing the first user. The first user terminal determines a location of the first user and stores the determined location in a store of the first user terminal. The first communication client reads the stored location from the store. The first communication client further generates a message comprising a visual indication of the location read from the store and transmits the message to the second user terminal. The visual indication of the location is displayed on the second user terminal in the contact list in association with the first contact.