Central Management Unit for Mobile Terminal Environmental Alerts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for providing information to mobile terminals in communication networks require equipping devices with sensing capabilities or manual profile creation, and users must actively indicate their location to receive relevant information, which is inefficient and limited in providing timely and user-specific environmental data.

Innovation Solution

A central management unit connected to a database of environmental information retrieves location-specific data and compares it to user-defined profiles, transmitting alerts only when conditions exceed or drop below set threshold values, allowing for real-time, user-specific information delivery to mobile terminals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the mobile terminal is equipped with sensing devices to obtain environmental information, then the information can be obtained directly at the mobile device, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation availabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensing function is extracted from the mobile terminal and relocated to fixed environmental monitoring stations. The mobile terminal only needs to receive and display information, not generate it through sensors. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining information availability while eliminating the need for complex sensing devices in the mobile terminal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A network system acts as an intermediary between environmental sensors and the mobile terminal. Sensors at fixed locations transmit data through the network to the mobile device, eliminating the need for the mobile terminal to have its own sensors while maintaining real-time information availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the user manually indicates their location to obtain environmental information, then the information can be provided, but the ease of operation decreases and time is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accuracyVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically determines the mobile terminal's location using network-based positioning (cell tower triangulation, GPS) without requiring user input. The terminal self-identifies its location, and the system automatically retrieves and provides relevant environmental information, eliminating manual location indication while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously tracks and stores the mobile terminal's location information in advance, so when environmental data is requested, the location is already known and information can be immediately provided without requiring the user to manually indicate their position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If environmental information is continuously transmitted to the mobile terminal, then the user receives timely updates, but the quantity of information increases causing unnecessary messages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation delivery speedVSAvoidinformation quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of information transmission from continuous to event-driven, sending data only when environmental parameters exceed or fall below user-defined thresholds. This maintains timely notification of critical changes while dramatically reducing the quantity of unnecessary information transmitted during normal conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of transmitting all environmental data continuously, the system selectively transmits only the specific information that exceeds user-defined thresholds or is currently relevant to the user's location and profile, providing sufficient information for decision-making without overwhelming the user with excessive data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Ease of operation

If generic environmental information is provided to all users, then the system is simple to operate, but the adaptability to individual user needs decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoiduser-specific information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements user-specific profiles with personalized thresholds, preferred information types, and location preferences. Each user receives environmental information tailored to their individual needs and concerns, such as different pollution thresholds for asthma patients versus general users, while the underlying system remains operationally simple through automated profile management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP1976310B1Method for providing information to a mobile terminal and central management unit
Publication Date: 2016.11.09 VODAFONE GMBH
  • EP1976310B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for providing information to a mobile terminal (2) of a communication network, wherein a central management unit (4) is connected to a database (8) containing environmental information, wherein the central management unit (4) receives an indication on the present location of the mobile terminal (1), retrieves information relating to the indicated location from the database (8) and transmits a message relating to the retrieved information to the mobile terminal (2), characterized in that the indication of the present location of the mobile terminal (1) is received at the central management unit (4) from a network unit (3) and that the information retrieved from the database (8) is compared to entries of a personal profile (7) at the central management unit (8). Furthermore a central processing unit (4) for the use in this method is described.