Unified Event Notification System for Multi-Source Alerting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users often miss important events, such as birthdays and anniversaries, when not logged into social or professional networking services, and lack the time or resources to acknowledge these events.
Innovation Solution
A system that aggregates events from multiple sources, including native address books and social/networking services, to automatically generate reminders and allow users to send electronic wishes or purchase gifts, intelligently determining relevant events and communication channels based on user behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users rely on social networking services to alert them of important events, then they can receive notifications without storing events at a single location, but they must be logged in to receive notifications and may still miss events when not logged in
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple event sources (social networking services, professional networking services, personal calendars, address books) into a unified event management system. This merging allows users to aggregate events from diverse locations while maintaining reliable notification delivery through a centralized platform that doesn't require continuous login to multiple services.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary event management system that acts as a mediator between various event sources and the user. This intermediary aggregates events from multiple sources, manages notification delivery independently of user login status to individual services, and provides a unified interface for users to receive and respond to event notifications.
2Reliability
If users receive notifications of important events, then they can be alerted of events, but they may not have the time or resources to acknowledge these events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to pre-configure automated responses and gift selections in advance of events. Users can set up default actions for different event types (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays) and specify preferred gift options or acknowledgment messages beforehand, eliminating the need to manually respond to each event notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service automation where the system automatically sends acknowledgments and gifts on behalf of users based on pre-configured preferences. The event management system autonomously handles the acknowledgment process by selecting appropriate gifts from user-defined options and transmitting them through chosen channels without requiring user intervention at the moment of the event.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system aggregates events from multiple sources, then it can provide comprehensive event coverage, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the event management system into distinct functional modules: an event aggregation module that collects events from multiple sources, an event filtering module that identifies important events based on user preferences, a notification module that delivers alerts, and an automated response module that handles acknowledgments and gifts. This segmentation reduces system complexity by organizing functions into independent, manageable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal event management platform that handles multiple event types (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, work events) from diverse sources (social networks, professional networks, personal calendars) through a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems for each event source and type, reducing overall system complexity.
4Ease of operation
If the system provides automated gift purchasing and electronic wish generation, then users can easily acknowledge events, but the system requires intelligent determination of relevant events and appropriate communication channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system learns from user interactions with event notifications and automated responses. User preferences, acknowledgment patterns, and gift selections are fed back into the system to refine event filtering criteria and improve the intelligence of event relevance determination and communication channel selection over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts system parameters such as event importance thresholds, notification timing, and communication channel preferences based on user behavior patterns and historical data. The intelligent determination algorithms modify these parameters to optimize event relevance and acknowledgment effectiveness, balancing automation capability with system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention relate to event notifications on an end-user device of events that are important to a user of the device. The user is typically subscribed to a service that pulls events from a plurality of sources indicated by the user. The sources include a native address book on the device, a social network(s), a professional network(s), and/or another remote location(s) on the Internet. Around the occurrence of an event, the service allows for automatically generating an electronic wish and for purchasing a gift to be presented to one or more recipients associated with the event. The service can transmit the content in various forms and can include a monetizing scheme. The service is able to intelligently determine which events are important to the user such to alert the user of only those relevant events, and to intelligently select an appropriate channel for transmitting the content.