Muted Device Notification Feedback Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users often inadvertently mute their lines during voice calls, leading to unnoticed muted conditions that result in delayed realization and repeated communication, as existing systems lack effective notifications for such situations.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that detect when a primary speaker is providing audio input while the voice data link is muted, and provide notifications to the primary speaker through various modalities such as visual, audible, or haptic means, ensuring they are aware of the muted state, even if they are not attentive to visual cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a user mutes their line during a voice call, then the user can prevent their audio from being transmitted, but the user becomes unaware of the muted state leading to communication delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by detecting when the primary speaker is providing audio input while the voice data link is muted, then providing notifications to alert the speaker of the muted condition. This feedback loop resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable audio transmission control while simultaneously informing the user of the muted state, preventing communication delays.
2Loss of information
If the system provides visual notifications for muted state, then the user can be informed of the muted condition, but the user may miss the notification if not attentive to visual cues
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multiple notification modalities including visual, audible, and haptic means to alert the user of the muted state. This multi-functional approach ensures that regardless of the user's attentiveness to any single modality, at least one notification method will effectively convey the muted state information, resolving the contradiction between information delivery and notification reliability.
3Reliability
If the system uses multiple notification modalities (audio, visual, haptic), then the user can be reliably notified of the muted state, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages existing device components (display, speaker, vibration motor) to provide multiple notification modalities without adding significant complexity. By repurposing existing self-service capabilities of the device, the system achieves reliable multi-modal notification while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment provides a method, including: detecting, at a device, a primary speaker is providing audio input; detecting, at the device, a voice data link providing audio of the primary speaker to another speaker is muted; and providing a notification to the primary speaker that the voice data link is muted. Other aspects are described and claimed.