Availability Manager for Telecommunications Endpoint User Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in determining the availability of telecommunications endpoint users across various communication media and endpoints, especially in global enterprises with complex and non-uniform information systems, leading to delays in connecting the right group of people for collaborative efforts.
Innovation Solution
The availability manager calculates user availability based on discrete rules and continuous functions, considering factors like time since last action, current session status, and expected session duration, to select the most appropriate communication medium for a group conference, thereby ensuring accurate and efficient user participation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated availability determination is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an availability manager as an intermediary component that automatically determines user availability by monitoring communication sessions and applying rules. This mediator handles the complexity of availability assessment internally, presenting a simple interface to the collaboration system while improving productivity through automated user selection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple communication media are supported, then adaptability is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The availability manager is designed as a universal system that handles multiple communication media (voice, instant messaging, email, etc.) through a single unified approach. It applies consistent rules and monitoring mechanisms across different media types, making availability detection straightforward despite supporting diverse communication channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies homogeneous assessment rules uniformly across different communication media. The same availability determination logic and time-based rules are used regardless of whether the user is engaged in voice calls, instant messaging, or other communications, simplifying the measurement process while maintaining adaptability to various media.
3Speed
If real-time availability determination is implemented, then speed is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary availability assessment by continuously monitoring communication sessions and pre-determining user availability status. This advance preparation allows the collaboration system to quickly connect users when needed, improving response speed while minimizing collaboration delays through proactive availability management.
Solution Approach 2:
The availability manager implements continuous feedback by monitoring ongoing communication sessions and updating user availability status in real-time. This feedback mechanism ensures accurate, up-to-date availability information is available immediately when collaboration is initiated, optimizing both speed and timing.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for determining, for each candidate communication medium, the availability of one or more telecommunications endpoint users for participating in a communication session of interest (i.e., either new or existing) via the evaluated medium. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, an availability manager determines the availability based on (i) one or more discrete rules, or (ii) one or more continuous functions, or both. The continuous functions are specified with respect to the time that has elapsed since a previous session, the time remaining in an active session, and the expected duration of a new session. Once it has determined the availability of one or more participants in the communication session, the availability manager of the illustrative embodiment transmits one or more signals to a call-processing server, which then sets up the participants on the session via the appropriate communication medium such as voice, instant messaging, and so forth.