Notification Postponement During Unavailability Periods

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing notification systems on devices like mobile phones often disturb users during unavailability periods, such as at night, and rely on user input for 'Do Not Disturb' settings, which can lead to missed notifications or unnecessary silencing.

Innovation Solution

A method that determines if a notification should be postponed until the user becomes available, using criteria like the end of a scheduled unavailability time period or user interaction with the device, ensuring notifications are not disruptive during unavailability but are still delivered when the user is available.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If notifications are output during unavailability time period, then user is informed of important events, but user is disturbed during unavailability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification deliveryVSAvoiduser disturbance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by detecting unavailability time periods in advance (through calendar events, Do Not Disturb settings, or usage patterns) and proactively postponing notifications scheduled during these periods. This prevents disturbance before it occurs while ensuring notifications are delivered when the user is available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The notification delivery system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time detection of user availability. Notifications are postponed when unavailability is detected and delivered when availability is detected, making the system adaptive rather than static.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Object-affected harmful factors

If notifications are silenced during unavailability time period, then user disturbance is avoided, but user may miss important notifications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser disturbanceVSAvoidmissed notifications

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary mechanism (postponement queue) that holds notifications during unavailability periods instead of simply silencing them. This intermediary storage ensures notifications are preserved and delivered later when the user is available, preventing information loss while avoiding disturbance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by monitoring user availability status and using this information to control notification delivery. When availability is detected (through calendar updates, DND setting changes, or usage patterns), the system feedbacks by delivering the postponed notifications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If device monitors user availability continuously, then notification timing is optimized, but battery consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification timingVSAvoidbattery consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous monitoring, the system uses periodic checks for availability changes by listening for calendar updates, DND setting changes, or usage pattern modifications. This periodic approach maintains notification timing optimization while significantly reducing battery consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS11323956B2Method for operating a device during an unavailability time period

Publication Date: 2022.05.03 ORANGE SA

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for operating a device characterized in that it comprises the following steps of, performed by a processing unit of the device:determining (a) that a notification is to be outputted through a user interface of the device during an unavailability time period;postponing (b) outputting said notification until after the occurrence of an event indicative of the availability of a user of the device.