Customizable Media Auto-Reply for Mobile Telephony
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current voicemail systems do not provide callers with information about the reason for a mobile user's unavailability, leading to anxiety and potential disruptions for the callee, as generic greetings do not inform callers of the callee's status during specific events like meetings or driving.
Innovation Solution
A customizable media auto-reply system that uses an auto-reply server to provide callers with user-specified media messages during specified time periods or events, such as 'in a meeting' or 'driving', by initiating call forwarding to the auto-reply server, which plays a pre-recorded message to the caller, thereby informing them of the callee's unavailability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If generic voicemail greetings are used, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the caller does not receive information about the callee's unavailability reason
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures multiple customizable media messages with different unavailability reasons (e.g., meeting, driving, traveling) before the caller contacts the callee. When the callee becomes unavailable, the system automatically selects and plays the appropriate pre-configured message based on the current event context, eliminating the need for real-time decision-making and reducing system complexity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an auto-reply server as an intermediary between the caller and callee. This server handles the complex logic of selecting appropriate unavailability messages, managing event contexts, and coordinating with calendar systems, thereby isolating the complexity from the user's device and simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Reliability
If the callee answers all calls immediately, then the caller receives timely response, but the callee experiences disruptions during important events
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to callers through customized media messages that explain the callee's unavailability reason and expected return time. This feedback mechanism maintains communication reliability by keeping callers informed without requiring the callee to answer each call, thereby preventing disruptions during important events while still managing caller expectations effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the callee's current event context. When the callee is engaged in an important event, the system automatically activates the appropriate unavailability message. When the event ends, the system automatically deactivates it and returns to normal call handling, providing adaptive response without manual intervention.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the callee does not answer calls during events, then disruptions are minimized, but the caller experiences anxiety and uncertainty
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares multiple customized media messages in advance, each corresponding to a specific unavailability reason (meeting, driving, traveling, etc.). These messages are pre-configured with appropriate tone, duration, and content, allowing the system to immediately play the relevant message when an event occurs, thereby reducing caller anxiety without requiring the callee to answer the call.
Data Source
AI summary
An auto-reply service provides to callers event-specific audiovisual media messages that were custom recorded on the callee's mobile-telephony device. The auto-reply service selects the media messages at least in part based on an event schedule associated with the callee.