Location-Based Inquiry Routing for Offline Information Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online information retrieval systems struggle to access and provide accurate responses to specific inquiries when the information is not readily available online, particularly for tacit knowledge, time-bounded requests, or information that cannot be made generally available online.
Innovation Solution
An information system that utilizes a processor-based system with a memory to maintain an information location map, which includes a geographical or virtual environment map, to locate points of interest. The system processes user inquiries by generating metadata, determining user locations, and identifying relevant points of interest, then shares inquiries with nearby user devices to gather responses, which are notified back to the original user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If online search engines and platforms are used to retrieve information, then information accessibility is improved, but the system cannot access tacit knowledge, time-bounded requests, or offline information that cannot be made generally available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that bridges online search capabilities and offline information sources. The system uses location-based intermediaries (nearby users, local devices) to access information that cannot be directly retrieved online, thereby resolving the contradiction between online accessibility and offline information access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to information retrieval by incorporating location data and geographic mapping. Instead of solely relying on keyword-based online search, the system queries information based on physical proximity to points of interest, enabling access to localized offline information through a new dimensional approach.
2Reliability
If the system queries a large number of user devices to find responses, then response accuracy is improved, but system complexity and query processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by prioritizing queries to user devices based on their proximity to the point of interest. Instead of uniformly querying all devices, the system focuses on locally relevant devices first, improving response accuracy while reducing the overall scope of queries needed to find reliable information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary filtering and prioritization of target devices before executing full queries. By pre-identifying and ranking devices based on location relevance and historical reliability, the system reduces the complexity of the querying process while maintaining high response accuracy through focused, targeted queries.
3Loss of information
If the system expands the search radius to find more potential respondents, then information coverage is improved, but query time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the search radius based on real-time conditions such as query urgency, information type, and available responsive devices. The system can expand or contract the geographic query range dynamically, optimizing the balance between information coverage and query time without requiring a fixed, potentially excessive search radius.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic expansion of the search radius in stages rather than a single exhaustive query. By conducting initial queries in a focused area and progressively expanding to broader regions only if necessary, the system achieves comprehensive information coverage while minimizing overall query time through staged, periodic expansion actions.
Data Source
AI summary
An information system for question answering, information retrieval, and location discovery. The information system is configured to receive an input inquiry from an input user device, generate input inquiry metadata from the input inquiry, determine an input location of the input user device, and determine one or more points of interest within a first predetermined distance from the input location. The system is further configured to detect output user devices within a predetermined output distance from the one or more points of interest, share the input inquiry with the detected output user devices, and receive one or more responses from the output user devices within the predetermined output distance from the one or more points of interest.