Message System Clarifying Vague Terms via User Database Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vague terms in electronic messages can cause confusion and lead to additional message traffic as recipients attempt to clarify their meaning, as existing technologies lack effective methods to provide necessary context.

Innovation Solution

The method involves identifying vague terms in messages and accessing user-restricted databases associated with the sender or recipients to retrieve additional information, which is then provided to clarify the terms, with permission from the database owner, using a content database and resource engine to determine relevant information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional information is provided to clarify vague terms in messages, then understanding between users is improved, but system complexity increases due to database access requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage understandingVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (message system with resource engine) that automatically mediates between users by accessing user-restricted databases to retrieve clarifying information. This intermediary handles the complexity of database access, permission verification, and information retrieval, preventing users from directly implementing complex database access logic while ensuring reliable message clarification through automated information provision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If user-restricted databases are accessed to provide clarification information, then message clarity is improved, but user privacy protection requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage clarityVSAvoidprivacy risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing permission frameworks and access controls before any database access occurs. User-restricted databases are pre-configured with access permissions, and the message system verifies these permissions beforehand before retrieving clarifying information. This preliminary setup ensures that privacy protection measures are in place before information access, allowing message clarity improvement while maintaining user privacy through pre-established security protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If manual clarification methods are used for vague terms, then system simplicity is maintained, but communication efficiency decreases due to additional message traffic

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidcommunication efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically retrieving clarifying information from user-restricted databases without requiring manual user intervention. When a vague term is detected in a message, the system autonomously accesses the appropriate database, retrieves the clarifying information, and provides it to users. This self-service approach eliminates the need for back-and-forth clarification messages, significantly improving communication efficiency while the automated nature keeps the interface simple for users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3090389B1Providing additional information related to a vague term in a message
Publication Date: 2019.12.18 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3090389B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3090389B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3090389B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and apparatus related to providing additional information related to a vague term in a message. For example, in some implementations, one or more messages sent by a sender and received by one or more recipients may be identified, a vague term in the message may be identified, a user-restricted database may be identified that is associated with the sender or a recipient, and additional information related to the vague term may be determined from the user-restricted database. A vague term is a term which may have multiple meanings and that can be clarified with additional information. In some implementations, a user-restricted database may include additional information that is associated with the user and that may be utilized to replace the vague term with a clarified term.