Central Application Collating Scattered Signals

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users are overwhelmed by scattered signals across multiple computer applications, leading to missed or forgotten important information, which can result in personal or financial harm due to the inability to collate and prioritize these signals effectively.

Innovation Solution

A central application that collates signals from various peripheral applications based on predetermined rules, storing them in memory and presenting them in a display for actionable input, using a secure bidirectional channel to communicate with access-restricted applications and autonomously execute responses when necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users rely on multiple peripheral applications to generate and display signals, then each application can provide specialized functionality, but the signals become scattered and difficult to manage across different applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctionality of peripheral applicationsVSAvoidmanagement of scattered signals

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines scattered signals from multiple peripheral applications into a unified notification center. The central application aggregates notifications from various sources (messaging apps, email, alerts, etc.) and presents them in a single organized interface, allowing users to manage all signals in one location rather than switching between applications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The notification center acts as an intermediary between peripheral applications and the user. It receives signals from multiple applications, processes and organizes them according to predetermined rules (prioritization, grouping, filtering), and presents them in a unified manner, mediating the interaction between diverse applications and the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If all signals are presented simultaneously to the user, then the user has complete information available, but the user becomes overwhelmed and may miss important signals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of signal informationVSAvoiduser cognitive load

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The notification center applies local quality by organizing signals according to their specific characteristics and importance. Different signals are prioritized, grouped, or highlighted based on their nature (urgent vs. non-urgent, type of application, time sensitivity), allowing important signals to stand out while less critical ones are organized separately.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters such as priority levels, grouping categories, and display timing to manage information presentation. Signals are assigned different priority parameters, grouped by various criteria (application type, urgency, time), and presented in a sequence that reduces cognitive load while maintaining information completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If important signals require immediate user action, then timely response is critical, but scattered signals across multiple applications make it difficult to identify and respond to them quickly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetimeliness of response to important signalsVSAvoidtime to identify and respond to signals

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The notification center performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and organizing signals before they reach the user. It applies predetermined rules to prioritize, group, and flag important signals in advance, so that when the user accesses the notification center, critical information is already highlighted and ready for immediate action, reducing response time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Ease of operation

If alerts are displayed for a limited period of time, then the display interface remains clean and uncluttered, but the user may forget or lose access to the signals after the time expires

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleanliness of display interfaceVSAvoidretention of signal information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The notification center implements partial retention by keeping signals accessible beyond their initial display period. While temporary alerts may expire from the active notification area, the system retains the ability to recover or re-present these signals through the unified interface, providing excessive action by allowing users to access historical notifications even after they would normally expire.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10891250B2Application for collating scattered signals in a computer system

Publication Date: 2021.01.12 BANK OF AMERICA CORP

AI summary

Aspects of the disclosure relate to computer applications for collating scattered signals in a computer system. The computer system may include a processor, memory, display, and a plurality of applications. The plurality of applications may include a central application and a plurality of peripheral applications. The peripheral applications may generate signals. The central application may access the signals generated by the peripheral applications. The central application may collate the signals and store the collated signals. The central application may present the collated signals on the display. The collated signals may be actionable in the central application. Actions performed in response to the collated signals in the central application may be conveyed to the peripheral application from where the collated signal originated.