Multi-Device Notification Synchronization via Silent Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing notifications across multiple devices is inefficient due to the need to review equivalent notifications on each device individually, as they lack unified metadata for synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows a client device to modify notifications on one device and transmit a silent notification to other associated devices, enabling equivalent notifications to be modified or dismissed across all devices in a user account group, using an identity service, push notification service, and offline storage for secure and reliable communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user owns multiple devices with application copies installed, then the user can access applications on different devices according to situation, but notifications related to the application are received and presented on each device individually, requiring significant time and effort to review all notifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges notification management across multiple devices by implementing a centralized notification system. When a notification is received on one device, it is synchronized to other devices in the user's device group, allowing the user to review and manage all notifications from a single device, thereby eliminating redundant notification review time while maintaining multi-device accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a notification server as an intermediary between the application and multiple client devices. The server receives notifications from the application provider and distributes them to all devices in the user's device group. This intermediary enables centralized notification management, allowing users to review notifications on one device while they are automatically propagated to other devices, resolving the contradiction between multi-device access and notification review efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If modifications are made to notifications on one device, then the user can manage notifications conveniently on that device, but equivalent notifications on other devices remain unchanged, requiring the user to repeat modifications on each device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges notification state management across multiple devices by implementing bidirectional synchronization. When a user modifies a notification on one device (such as dismissing, archiving, or marking as read), the modification is automatically propagated to equivalent notifications on other devices in the device group. This ensures that notification management actions performed on one device are reflected across all devices, eliminating redundant manual modifications and improving overall management efficiency.
3Productivity
If a centralized notification system is implemented across multiple devices, then notification management efficiency is improved, but secure point-to-point communication between devices requires additional authorization and protection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a notification server as an intermediary that handles secure communication between devices. The server manages device group memberships, authenticates devices, and facilitates secure notification transmission. By centralizing security management on the server, individual device-to-device communication protocols are simplified while maintaining robust authorization and protection mechanisms, thus improving notification management efficiency without excessively increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where devices provide authorization tokens and authentication credentials to the notification server. The server uses this feedback to manage device group memberships and control notification distribution. This feedback-based authorization system enables secure multi-device communication while keeping the security management centralized and manageable, balancing productivity improvement with acceptable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Modifying a notification on one client device can trigger the generation and transmission of a silent notification to another client device that is associated with the same user account. The silent notification can include instructions to query for and modify a similar notification, if present, on the other client device. Silent notifications that are undeliverable can be stored in offline storage and delivery can be reattempted at a later point in time.