Automated Unavailability Notification for Wireless Call Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users often fail to inform callers of extended unavailability through updated voicemail greetings, as callers frequently hang up without listening, leading to repeated callbacks and increased call volume for wireless carrier networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an automated unavailability notification system within wireless carrier networks that allows subscribers to set up and deliver automatic SMS, MMS, or RCS messages to callers, informing them of extended unavailability, even if they don't listen to voicemail greetings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users update their voicemail greetings to indicate unavailability, then callers are informed of extended unavailability, but callers hang up without listening to the greetings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated notification system that acts as an intermediary between the user and callers. When a caller initiates a call, the system automatically sends an SMS or email notification to the caller before the call is connected, informing them of the user's unavailability. This intermediary notification ensures the unavailability information is delivered without requiring the caller to listen to voicemail greetings, thereby resolving the contradiction between information delivery and call time consumption.
2Productivity
If callers receive automated unavailability notifications, then repeated callbacks are reduced, but network resources are consumed by sending notifications
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by sending unavailability notifications to callers before they complete their call attempts. When a caller receives an automated notification informing them of the user's unavailability, they are less likely to make repeated callback attempts. This preliminary notification reduces the overall number of calls handled by the network, thereby decreasing network resource consumption despite the initial cost of sending the notification.
3Loss of information
If users set up automated unavailability notifications, then caller information is effectively communicated, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal notification system that can deliver unavailability information through multiple channels (SMS and email) using a single automated framework. The system integrates with existing telephony infrastructure and messaging services, allowing it to perform multiple functions (detecting unavailability, selecting appropriate notification channel, sending notification) through a unified mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems for each notification method, thereby managing system complexity while effectively communicating unavailability information.
Data Source
AI summary
Automated unavailability response for call handling is used to notify an incoming caller that a subscriber is unavailable to answer the incoming call. An incoming call that is initiated from an originating caller device is received at a network server for routing to a terminating user device of a specific subscriber. A user profile of the specific subscriber that includes one or more unavailability notification settings for the incoming call is retrieved from a user profile database. An unavailability notification message is selected from a data store based at least on the one or more unavailable notification settings. The unavailability notification message is sent from the network server to the originating caller device.