Instant Messaging Notification Consolidation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Notifications in instant messaging (IM) systems occupy bandwidth that could be used for other communications, and existing systems often send multiple notifications that may not be necessary, leading to inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

A method that reduces communications in IM conversations by sending a single confirmation message for multiple events, delaying notifications to infer earlier events, and combining notifications when appropriate, such as sending a single message that includes both a read notification and a typing start notification if another message is sent within a predetermined time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple notifications are sent to confirm IM events, then the user receives timely confirmations, but bandwidth is consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification delivery confirmationVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple notification events into a single notification message. When multiple IM events occur within a predetermined time window, the system merges their confirmations into one consolidated notification, reducing the number of separate communications while ensuring all events are acknowledged.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a predetermined time window before sending notifications. By waiting for this time window to elapse without receiving further events, the system can confidently send a single notification that covers all events within that period, avoiding the need for immediate separate notifications for each event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of energy

If notifications are delayed to reduce communications, then bandwidth is saved, but user experience may suffer due to undue delay

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth consumptionVSAvoidnotification delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the timing of events. The predetermined time window is configured to balance between reducing notification frequency and maintaining timely delivery, adapting to the natural rhythm of IM conversations without causing undue delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If a single notification confirms multiple events, then the number of communications is reduced, but the complexity of handling multiple events increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoidevent tracking and consolidation logic

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system automatically tracks and consolidates events without requiring manual intervention. The predetermined time window mechanism self-manages the collection of events and triggers the consolidated notification automatically, reducing the operational complexity despite the increased logical processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP1881658B1Method and device for handling notifications in instant messaging systems

Publication Date: 2008.07.09 BLACKBERRY LTD

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AI summary

To reduce the communications in an IM conversation between two devices (102, 104, 106), two or more IM events of the conversation at the first device are confirmed by sending to the second device a single IM communication that confirms the most recent of the events. In order that the user of the second device not experience undue delay in receiving the confirmation, the method may be applied where the time interval between any two consecutive ones of the events is less than a predetermined time.