Event Communication System Using Intermediary Mediator for Privacy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Organizers of events face challenges in communicating timely and efficient last-minute changes to participants without revealing their mobile numbers, due to concerns about privacy, cost, and the risk of spam or unwanted messages.
Innovation Solution
The GATHER™ service allows event organizers to send SMS alerts to participants without learning their texting numbers, using a GATHER™ number that is deleted after the event, ensuring privacy and preventing further dissemination of participants' numbers, and enabling two-way communication without revealing participants' details to the organizer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If organizers collect participants' mobile numbers to send timely communications, then communication efficiency improves, but participant privacy and security are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (event management platform) that acts as a mediator between organizers and participants. The platform stores participants' contact information securely and provides anonymized communication channels, allowing organizers to send messages without directly accessing or storing participants' personal phone numbers, thus resolving the contradiction between communication efficiency and privacy protection
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the communication process into distinct functional layers: the organizer layer (sending messages), the platform layer (managing data and routing), and the participant layer (receiving messages). This segmentation ensures that no single entity has access to both the message content and the participants' personal information, thereby maintaining privacy while enabling efficient communication
2Reliability
If organizers use traditional calling methods to communicate changes, then information delivery is reliable, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical one-by-one calling system with an automated digital messaging system. Organizers can compose a single message that is automatically distributed to all participants through the platform's notification system, eliminating the time-consuming manual process of contacting each participant individually while maintaining reliable delivery through read receipts and delivery confirmation features
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring communication templates, participant lists, and delivery schedules. When an organizer needs to communicate changes, the message can be queued and automatically distributed at the optimal time, ensuring reliable delivery without requiring the organizer to spend time on the actual calling process
3Adaptability or versatility
If participants share their texting numbers with organizers, then two-way communication is enabled, but risk of spam and unwanted messages increases
Solution Approach 1:
The platform serves as a trusted intermediary that controls the flow of communication. All messages between organizers and participants are routed through the platform, which filters and monitors content to prevent spam. Participants can communicate with organizers without exposing their personal numbers, as the platform handles number masking and message filtering
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preliminary anti-actions by pre-configuring spam filters, content moderation rules, and access control mechanisms before any communication occurs. The platform validates message content and sender credentials in advance, blocking potential spam before it reaches participants, thus enabling flexible communication while preventing harmful messages
Data Source
AI summary
An organizer may send information relating to an event to participants via text messaging without having participants' texting numbers. Particularly, organizer may be associated with a texting number. Organizer sets event's start/end times, and provides email addresses for event invitees. Email requests invitees' texting numbers to participate in event. Texting numbers are stored, and encrypted respectively as identifiers. Organizer's message for participants is sent as text message to participants' texting numbers between event's start/end, and may be sent as if the message originated from organizer's texting number. When event ends, participants' texting numbers are deleted unless a participant participates in organizer's later ending event. In response to invitation to organizer's later event, a received participant's texting number may be encrypted as later identifier, and compared with identifier from earlier event. If a match, organizer's text message sent to participant during prior event is included in organizer's or participant's conversational history.