Computing Device Automatic Phone Call Inactivity Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computing devices lack the ability to automatically detect prolonged inactivity for phone calls, which may indicate a user's potential health or emergency situation, requiring manual intervention to initiate contact.
Innovation Solution
A method implemented in computing devices to determine the elapsed time since the last phone call, exceeding a threshold, to automatically identify and dial a preconfigured or dynamically selected phone number, and output a message or emergency alert.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the device automatically dials a preconfigured phone number upon receiving a user indication, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to automated detection and dialing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The device stores multiple phone numbers in advance and pre-configures them for automatic dialing. When inactivity is detected, the system automatically selects and dials the appropriate preconfigured number without requiring real-time user input, thus improving ease of operation while managing complexity through pre-planning
Solution Approach 2:
The device monitors its own usage patterns and automatically determines when inactivity thresholds are met. The system self-initiates the dialing process based on its own detected state, eliminating the need for external manual intervention and reducing operational complexity for the user
2Reliability
If the device monitors phone call activity continuously to detect inactivity, then the reliability of emergency detection is improved, but the use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring operations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the device checks phone call activity at periodic intervals. The system compares the current time against the last recorded call time at each interval, determining inactivity status only when needed. This periodic approach maintains reliable detection capability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring intensity and frequency are dynamically adjusted based on device state. During active periods, monitoring may be less frequent, while during suspected inactivity periods, the system may increase monitoring frequency to confirm emergency conditions, optimizing the balance between reliability and energy usage
3Speed
If the device automatically identifies and dials emergency contacts without user interaction, then the speed of emergency response is improved, but the loss of time for user verification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device pre-configures emergency contact information and dialing priorities before emergencies occur. When inactivity is detected, the system can immediately initiate dialing to the appropriate pre-selected contact without requiring time-consuming user verification, thus improving response speed while minimizing verification time loss
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of this disclosure are directed to determining, with a computing device, an amount of time that has elapsed since the computing device was last utilized for processing an outgoing or an incoming phone call. The computing device may determine that the amount of time that has elapsed exceeds a threshold time value. Responsive to the determination, the computing device may identify a phone number to call with the computing device, may establish a voice connection using the identified phone number, and may output a message using the voice connection.