Mass Notification System Priority Queues and Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mass-notification systems face challenges such as duplicate notifications, high message queue volumes, and inefficient priority handling, leading to recipient dissatisfaction and increased costs, particularly during large events.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for initiating mass notification events that include bidirectional messaging to multiple recipients via different contact methods, utilizing a suppression database to prevent duplicates and optimize message delivery, with features like hierarchical communication preferences and acknowledgment status messaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If messages are queued for processing during large events, then message delivery is ensured, but system processing time and recipient wait time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the message queue into multiple priority levels (high, medium, low priority queues) rather than using a single FIFO queue. This allows critical emergency messages to be processed immediately while non-urgent messages are handled in background queues, resolving the contradiction between ensuring all messages are delivered and minimizing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the processing parameter of message priority based on message type and situation. By assigning different priority levels to different message categories, the system can adjust processing speed and resource allocation, ensuring reliable delivery of all messages while minimizing wait time for high-priority communications.
2Productivity
If priority numbering is used to handle message queues, then some messages can be delivered first, but priority may be meaningless without proper context
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification and context assignment to messages when they are first received, storing metadata about message type, urgency, recipient importance, and situation context. This preliminary action ensures that when priority numbering is applied, it is based on comprehensive contextual information rather than arbitrary assignment, making the priority system meaningful and effective.
3Adaptability or versatility
If recipients receive notifications through multiple communication modes, then notification coverage is improved, but duplicate notifications occur causing recipient dissatisfaction
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where each recipient's notification status is tracked across multiple communication channels. When a recipient successfully receives a notification through one channel (e.g., SMS), the system receives feedback and suppresses duplicate notifications through other channels (e.g., email, voice call), thereby maintaining high notification coverage while eliminating annoying duplicates.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for initiating mass notification events. The notification events may include unidirectional or bidirectional messaging to a plurality of recipients. Events are provisioned to include a set of recipients and a message to be delivered to those recipients. The events are provided to a set of topic channels. Individual ones of communication method handlers are caused to subscribe to one or more of the topic channels.