Group Identifier for Cross-Device Missed Call Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users with multiple communication devices face challenges in managing unique identifiers for each device, leading to inconvenience in tracking calls, blocking undesired callers, and synchronizing settings across devices, especially for hearing-impaired users who rely on video relay services.
Innovation Solution
A communication system that assigns a group unique identifier to a user group of devices, allowing a single acknowledgement of missed calls to be transmitted to a remote server, which then clears the notification across all devices in the group, simplifying the management of calls and settings across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each communication device is individually managed with separate user accounts and unique identifiers, then each device can operate independently, but users face the burden of tracking multiple login credentials and identifiers across devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual device identifiers into a single group identifier that represents a collection of communication devices. Users can send messages to or receive messages from the group identifier, and the system automatically routes communications to the appropriate individual devices. This eliminates the need for users to manually track and manage multiple unique device identifiers, login credentials, and contact information for each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The group identifier serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a unique identifier for the entire device collection, a routing mechanism for incoming communications, and a notification trigger for all member devices. This universal identifier replaces the need for separate management of individual device identifiers, contact information, and message routing for each device in the group.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a user has multiple communication devices with individual unique identifiers, then each device can be used for video calls, but users must inform others of all identifiers and others must keep track of several identifiers when dialing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual device identifiers into a single group identifier that represents the entire collection of communication devices. Callers can contact the user by dialing this single group identifier regardless of which specific device the user currently has or will answer on. The system automatically routes the incoming call to the appropriate individual device within the group, eliminating the need for callers to know or track multiple unique device identifiers.
3Ease of operation
If communication devices are individually managed, then each device maintains its own settings and contacts, but users must repeat actions like blocking callers, changing settings, or adding contacts on each device separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of individual device settings into a centralized group level. Users can block callers, change settings, add contacts, and perform other maintenance actions once at the group identifier level, and these changes are automatically applied to all individual devices within the group. This eliminates the need to repeat actions on each device separately and ensures consistent settings across the entire device collection.
4Reliability
If missed calls are notified on individual devices only when users are in proximity, then each device independently tracks its own calls, but users may not be aware of missed calls on devices they are not currently using
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the missed call notification system across all individual devices into a unified group-level notification system. When a call is missed on any device in the group, all other devices in the group receive a notification about the missed call. This ensures that users are always aware of missed calls regardless of which specific device the call was directed to or which device they are currently using, providing reliable cross-device notification coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses and methods for notifying a group of communication devices about a missed call are disclosed. Each communication device is associated with a group identifier that is shared with all the communication devices in a group. Each communication device is also associated with an individual identifier that is unique to that communication device. An unanswered communication to the group identifier is received on all the communication devices in the group. A first communication device transmits to a remote server an acknowledgement notification that the unanswered communication related to the group identifier has been acknowledged by the user. A clear indicator indicating that the unanswered communication has been acknowledged is transmitted from the remote server to all the devices in the group except the first communication device. Each of the communication devices receiving the clear indicator can then clear its indicator that notifies the user of a missed call.