Incoming Call Processing via Accessing Mark Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face disturbances from unimportant calls and miss important ones due to the limitations of existing call management solutions, such as the inconvenience of turning off fixed phones, the cost and inefficiency of secretary services, and the complexity of maintaining blacklists and whitelists.

Innovation Solution

A method for processing incoming calls by setting an accessing call mark in the called terminal, allowing it to determine whether to process calls based on the mark, and using whitelists and blacklists to control incoming calls more flexibly, with two modes: one using the calling number as the mark and another using an accessing code.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the user turns off the terminal device to avoid unimportant calls, then the disturbance from unimportant calls is eliminated, but the user may miss important calls

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisturbance from unimportant callsVSAvoidability to receive important calls

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring an accessing call mark in the terminal device before receiving calls. When a call arrives, the terminal checks whether the calling number matches the pre-set accessing call mark. This allows the user to block unimportant calls in advance while ensuring that important calls from authorized numbers can still reach the user, thus resolving the contradiction between avoiding disturbance and maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the user keeps the terminal on to receive important calls, then the ability to receive important calls is maintained, but the user is disturbed by unimportant calls

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to receive important callsVSAvoiddisturbance from unimportant calls

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different calling numbers. Instead of uniformly blocking or accepting all calls, the terminal device applies a specific attribute (accessing call mark) to identify which calls should be permitted. This allows the terminal to maintain reliability for important calls while selectively filtering out unimportant calls, thus resolving the contradiction between receiving important calls and avoiding disturbance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the user uses the secretary service to convert calls into short messages, then the disturbance from calls is reduced, but the communication is no longer real-time and messages may be delayed or lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisturbance from incoming callsVSAvoiddelay or loss of short messages

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies inversion by reversing the conventional approach. Instead of converting calls into messages (as the secretary service does), the patent filters calls at the source by checking the accessing call mark. This allows important calls to reach the user in real-time while blocking unimportant calls before they cause disturbance, thus resolving the contradiction between reducing disturbance and maintaining real-time communication without message delay or loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Object-affected harmful factors

If the user sets a whitelist of authorized calling numbers, then the ability to block unimportant calls is improved, but the maintenance of the whitelist becomes complicated and flexible access is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblocking of unimportant callsVSAvoidmaintenance of whitelist

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by simplifying the access control mechanism from a complex whitelist maintenance system to a single accessing call mark parameter. Instead of requiring users to manually add and remove numbers from a whitelist, the system uses a single mark that can be configured once. This reduces the operational complexity while maintaining the ability to block unimportant calls, thus resolving the contradiction between blocking effectiveness and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8345853B2Method for processing an incoming call

Publication Date: 2013.01.01 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A method for processing an incoming call, includes: an accessing call mark being preset in a called terminal; the called terminal, on receiving a call initiated by a calling party, determining whether the call contains the accessing call mark of the called terminal; if the call contains the accessing call mark of the called terminal, the called terminal putting through the call; otherwise, the called terminal terminating the call. The invention may solve the problems caused by various methods used in the prior art to avoid being disturbed by phone calls, such as missing important calls, extra service fee, partial protection against harassing telephone calls, and etc. The solution may ensure that the called user will not be disturbed by unimportant calls or harassing calls when the called user does not want to be disturbed, while ensuring that the called user will not miss any important call.