Multi-Channel Actionable Notification Aggregation with Unified Responses

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges in managing actionable notifications across multiple message channels and tools, as existing platforms often require cumbersome manual scanning and lack flexibility in notification formats and communication modes, limiting the reach of notifications.

Innovation Solution

A software-implemented notification service that aggregates actionable notifications across platforms, extracts action items from unstructured messages, and sends unified notification messages via various communication modes, allowing responses to be processed and populated back to the original channels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If notifications are sent across multiple message channels and tools, then the reach and coverage of notifications is improved, but the complexity of managing and tracking notifications increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification reachVSAvoidnotification management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges notifications from multiple message channels and tools into a unified notification system. The notification service aggregates actionable notifications across different platforms (Teams, Slack, email, SMS) and presents them through a single unified inbox interface, allowing users to manage all notifications in one place rather than switching between multiple channels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The notification service provides universal functionality by supporting multiple communication modes (in-app notifications, email, SMS text messages, voice calls) and multiple message channels (Teams, Slack, email, SMS) through a single unified system. This multi-functional approach allows the same notification infrastructure to handle diverse communication protocols and platforms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If users manually scan multiple message channels for actionable notifications, then all notifications can be detected, but the time and effort required increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification detection completenessVSAvoidtime to manage notifications

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The notification service performs self-service by automatically monitoring multiple message channels and tools for actionable notifications without requiring user intervention. The system autonomously extracts action items from unstructured messages, categorizes them, and presents them in the unified inbox, eliminating the need for users to manually scan through multiple channels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The notification service acts as an intermediary between multiple message channels and the user. It intermediates the complex process of monitoring, extracting, and presenting notifications by introducing a centralized service layer that handles all communication with various platforms (Teams, Slack, email, SMS) and translates their diverse notification formats into a unified presentation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of manufacture

If predefined notification types are used, then the implementation is simplified, but the flexibility to meet diverse user needs is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification implementation easeVSAvoidnotification format flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The notification service implements dynamic adaptability by automatically adjusting notification formats based on the communication mode and channel. The system dynamically generates appropriate response options and formats for each notification type (event invitations, task assignments, polls) and adapts to different platforms (Teams, Slack, email, SMS) without requiring manual configuration, thus maintaining ease of implementation while achieving high flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If platform-specific notification formats are used, then integration with platform tools is improved, but the ability to reach non-platform users is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplatform integration reliabilityVSAvoidrecipient reach

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The notification service achieves universality by supporting multiple communication modes (in-app notifications, email, SMS, voice calls) and multiple message channels (Teams, Slack, email, SMS) through a single unified system. This allows notifications to reach both platform users and non-platform users equally well, as the system can deliver notifications through various channels depending on the recipient's availability and preferences.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12407640B2Universal actionable notifications

Publication Date: 2025.09.02 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A notification service may act as an intermediary between message channels and/or other sources of actionable notifications and/or action items contained in messages, aggregating actionable notifications for a given recipient across multiple message channels and/or across multiple tools or services, sending notification messages with selectable response options to the recipient in a unified format, and processing the user's responses, e.g., by transmitting the responses back to the applicable sources.