Client Device Notification Display Triggered by Channel Change

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing television notification systems fail to ensure that viewers see important notifications, as they often require active navigation through menus or may be missed if the TV is off or not in use, and persisting notifications can obscure programming.

Innovation Solution

Notifications are transmitted to a client device and stored until a viewer-initiated action, such as a channel change, occurs, at which point they are displayed with varying degrees of prominence based on urgency, ensuring visibility without interrupting programming.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If notifications are displayed immediately upon receipt, then the notification is visible to the viewer, but the notification may be missed if the television is powered off or no one is watching

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification visibilityVSAvoidnotification delivery timing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The notification is prepared and stored in advance on the client device before the viewer actually views it. The system pre-loads notification data into local storage, so when a channel change occurs, the notification is immediately available for display without requiring real-time network delivery or viewer presence at the moment of receipt.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If notifications are stored and require active navigation through a menu system, then the notification is preserved, but the viewer may never see the notification without active navigation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification preservationVSAvoidnotification access

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system automatically detects viewer presence and triggers notification display without requiring the viewer to manually navigate to a menu. The client device monitors for channel changes and automatically presents the notification at the appropriate moment, making the system self-activating based on viewer behavior patterns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If notifications are configured to persist indefinitely, then the notification is guaranteed to be seen, but the notification may obscure programming being viewed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification delivery guaranteeVSAvoidprogramming obstruction

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The notification display is dynamic and context-aware, automatically activating only when a channel change is detected. The notification appears temporarily at the moment of channel transition when the viewer's attention is naturally directed to the screen, then disappears without requiring indefinite persistence or manual dismissal, thus avoiding obstruction of ongoing programming.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS7543319B2Presenting notifications in response to viewer-initiated actions

Publication Date: 2009.06.02 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Notification data is received and stored at a client device. A notice represented by the notification data is then displayed to the television viewer when a channel change event is detected. The notification data may also include data that indicates how the notice is to be displayed.