Controlling notification delivery and control access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current connected cooking appliances provide notifications and controls indiscriminately, regardless of user location or activity, leading to awkward user experiences and inefficient resource usage.

Innovation Solution

An adaptive method and apparatus that determine notification delivery and control access schemes based on user location, activity, and interaction, using predefined rules and sensor data to optimize salience and accessibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If notifications and controls are provided indiscriminately regardless of user location or activity, then all users receive all notifications and controls, but user experience becomes awkward and resource usage becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser experienceVSAvoidresource usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by customizing notification delivery and control access based on individual user context (location, activity, interaction state). Each user receives notifications and controls tailored to their specific situation rather than a uniform approach, improving ease of operation while reducing unnecessary resource consumption from irrelevant notifications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts notification delivery schemes and control access schemes based on real-time user context data. The delivery scheme changes depending on user location, activity type, and interaction state, making the system adaptive rather than static, thereby optimizing both user experience and resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If users must monitor cooking status through smartphones when next to the appliance, then remote monitoring is enabled, but the interaction becomes awkward and unnecessary

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveremote monitoring capabilityVSAvoidmonitoring convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines the appropriate delivery destination for notifications based on real-time user context. When a user is detected to be physically present at the appliance (through location or interaction data), the system directs notifications to the appliance's local display rather than the smartphone, eliminating awkward remote monitoring while preserving remote capability when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary decision-making layer that routes notifications appropriately between the appliance display and smartphone based on user context. This intermediary logic analyzes user location and activity data to determine the most appropriate delivery channel, resolving the contradiction between remote monitoring capability and local monitoring convenience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If notifications are provided without considering user context or location, then simple delivery mechanisms can be used, but the system lacks adaptability to different user situations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification delivery mechanismVSAvoidcontext-awareness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves context-awareness through dynamic determination of delivery schemes based on user data. The complexity is managed by implementing adaptive logic that processes user context information (location, activity, interaction state) to automatically select appropriate notification channels, making the system versatile without requiring overly complex manual configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from user context data (location, activity, interaction state) to continuously adjust notification delivery behavior. This feedback loop enables the system to adapt to different user situations automatically, achieving high adaptability through data-driven decision-making rather than complex predefined rules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4356206B1Controlling notification delivery and control access
Publication Date: 2025.08.13 VERSUNI HLDG BV
  • EP4356206B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4356206B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

There is provided a computer-implemented method for controlling an apparatus wirelessly connected to one or more external devices, the method comprising: acquiring (102) data associated with a current location of each of one or more users and data associated with an activity being performed by each of the one or more users; determining (104) at least one of a delivery scheme for delivering a notification at one or more destinations and an access scheme for providing control access of the apparatus, based on the data associated with the current location of each of the one or more users, the data associated with the activity being performed by each of the one or more users, and a context of the notification.