Mobile Device Sign Acknowledgement via Proximity Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing signs, particularly those warning of life-threatening hazards, face challenges in being noticed, read, and complied with by the public due to their reliance on written warnings and minimal visual cues.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a mobile device to detect an electronic source associated with a sign, which sends a notification to the device, prompting the user to acknowledge the sign's content, ensuring they are physically proximate and engaged with the information, through a network and remote server, enabling tracking of acknowledgment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional written signs with visual cues are used, then the sign can be displayed in the environment, but the user may not notice, read, or comply with the sign content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the user and the sign. The mobile device receives notifications about sign content, displays it to the user, and tracks acknowledgment status. This intermediary solves the reliability problem by ensuring users actually see and acknowledge sign content, while keeping the original sign structure simple and unchanged.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by tracking whether users have acknowledged the sign content. The mobile device monitors if the user has viewed and acknowledged the notification, providing feedback about compliance status. This feedback mechanism ensures that the sign's message is not only delivered but actually received and acknowledged by the user.
2Loss of information
If electronic notifications are sent to mobile devices, then user acknowledgment can be tracked, but additional devices and network infrastructure are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the mobile device's existing multi-functionality. The same mobile device that users already carry and use for communication is also used to receive sign notifications, display content, and track acknowledgment. This universal approach avoids adding dedicated specialized devices, reducing infrastructure complexity while ensuring information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's own mobile device to deliver and track sign acknowledgment. The mobile device serves itself by using its existing notification and display capabilities to present sign content to the user and automatically track whether the user has acknowledged it, eliminating the need for separate tracking infrastructure.
3Reliability
If users are required to acknowledge sign content, then compliance can be ensured, but the process becomes more time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system requires only a simple acknowledgment action from the user, such as viewing the notification or pressing a button, rather than requiring full comprehension or complex responses. This partial action approach ensures compliance with minimal time investment, balancing reliability of acknowledgment with efficiency of the process.
Data Source
AI summary
A user is enabled to use a mobile device to electronically acknowledge information relating to a sign encountered by the user within the user's environment. The mobile device detects a signal transmitted by an electronic source placed on or near the sign and register with a remote server. The registration may include an identifier of the electronic source and an identifier of the mobile device. In response to the registration, the mobile device receives content associated with the electronic source, and displays that content in a notification on a display of the mobile device. The user may then acknowledge the notification via a prompt on the display. The mobile device receives input from the user acknowledging the notification, and sends an acknowledgement message to the remote server.