Message Deferral Queue for Context-Aware Notification Timing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current digital messaging platforms lack the ability to effectively defer messages to actionable times and situations, leading to forgotten or misplaced messages due to manual marking methods that do not consider user habits and situational context.

Innovation Solution

A messaging system that allows users to request message deferral with annotations, utilizing machine learning to observe and learn user habits and patterns, recommending optimal deferral times and situations based on message features and situational context.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If messages are delivered immediately upon arrival, then message delivery speed is improved, but message importance may be compromised due to overwhelming users with non-critical notifications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery speedVSAvoidmessage importance
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary classification of incoming messages before delivery, analyzing message characteristics and user context in advance to determine optimal delivery timing. This preliminary action allows the system to delay delivery of non-critical messages while ensuring timely delivery of important messages, thereby preserving message importance while maintaining delivery speed for critical communications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The message queue serves as an intermediary component between message arrival and message delivery. Messages are deposited into the queue where they undergo processing and prioritization before being delivered to the user. This intermediary mechanism enables the system to control delivery timing based on message importance and user availability, resolving the contradiction between immediate delivery and importance preservation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If all messages are delivered to users, then information completeness is improved, but user distraction increases due to excessive notifications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoiduser distraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different delivery qualities to different messages based on their characteristics and the recipient's context. Critical messages receive immediate delivery with high priority, while non-critical messages are delayed or batched. This local differentiation of delivery quality ensures information completeness for important messages while reducing distraction from less important ones.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes delivery parameters such as timing, priority level, and delivery method based on message characteristics and user state. By adjusting these parameters, the system can deliver complete information when necessary while minimizing distraction during periods when the user is unavailable or overwhelmed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If message delivery is delayed for prioritization, then message importance is improved, but delivery time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage importanceVSAvoiddelivery time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary prioritization and classification of messages as they arrive, organizing them into queues based on importance and urgency. This preliminary action enables the system to deliver messages in optimal order without excessive delays, as the sorting and prioritization work is done in advance rather than requiring lengthy delays for analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The message queue operates continuously, constantly processing and delivering messages based on their priority levels. This continuous operation ensures that important messages are delivered promptly without unnecessary delays, while maintaining an ongoing process that efficiently manages the flow of all messages through the system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP3769276B1Situational message deferral
Publication Date: 2026.04.29 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3769276B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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  • EP3769276B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Examples are disclosed that relate to deferring a message based upon a target situation for message presentation. One example provides a computing device including an output subsystem including one or more output devices, an input subsystem including one or more user input devices, and a logic device. The computing device further includes memory storing instructions executable by the logic device to receive a message from a remote computing system, output a notification of the message via the output subsystem, and receive via the input subsystem a request for a deferral of the message, the request for the deferral including an annotation to be stored for a later presentation with the message.