OS Notification Suspension During Screen Sharing

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Solution Overview

Problem

During screensharing sessions, notification messages such as instant messages, email previews, and security alerts can inadvertently be shared with participants, compromising privacy and security as they pop up on the presenter's screen.

Innovation Solution

The operating system, messaging application, and messaging server collaborate to suspend the display of notification messages during a screensharing session, storing any received messages for display after the session ends, ensuring that sensitive information is not shared with participants.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the instant messaging application displays notification messages on the user's screen for convenience, then the user can quickly see new messages, but sensitive information may be inadvertently shared during screensharing sessions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser convenience in viewing messagesVSAvoidprivacy leakage during screensharing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The notification display system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the screensharing state. When screensharing is detected, the system automatically suppresses notification displays; when screensharing ends, notifications resume normal display. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the system convenient for users during normal operation while protecting privacy during screensharing sessions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The instant messaging application acts as an intermediary between the operating system's notification system and the screensharing application. It receives screensharing state information from the operating system and mediates notification display accordingly, blocking notifications only when screensharing is active while maintaining normal notification behavior otherwise.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If the operating system displays all notification messages on the screen, then users receive complete information, but sensitive content is exposed to screensharing participants

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of notification informationVSAvoidexposure of sensitive information

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different display qualities to different notification messages based on the screensharing context. During screensharing, notifications are selectively suppressed or modified in their display behavior while non-sensitive notifications may still be displayed. This local differentiation allows the system to maintain information completeness for safe content while protecting sensitive information during screensharing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If notification messages are blocked during screensharing, then privacy is protected, but users miss receiving notifications during the session

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protection during screensharingVSAvoidmissed notifications during session

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by detecting the screensharing state before notifications are generated and proactively preventing their display. The instant messaging application monitors screensharing status and preemptively blocks notification displays when screensharing begins, ensuring privacy protection before any sensitive information could be exposed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the instant messaging application continuously monitors screensharing state from the operating system and adjusts notification behavior accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that notifications are blocked during screensharing and automatically resumed when screensharing ends, preventing information loss while maintaining privacy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10263930B2System and method for blocking notification messages during screen sharing

Publication Date: 2019.04.16 RIBBON COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING CO INC

AI summary

Systems and methods are disclosed for suspending notification messages at a presenter's computer during a presentation. For example, a method comprises: receiving, by an operating system of a computer, a first instruction from a screensharing application to suspend displaying notification messages by the operating system of the computer. The method further comprises sending visual media of a display screen of the computer by the operating system to the screensharing application during a screen sharing communication session. The method further comprises disregarding the request during the screen sharing communication session in accordance with the first instruction, in response to receiving a request from a first application to display a notification message on the display screen.