Peripheral Device Cooperative Application for Unified Notification Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current information communication terminals require separate service applications for each peripheral device, leading to different cooperation schemes, reduced usability, and increased development and user effort due to the inability to collectively manage notification settings across multiple devices.

Innovation Solution

A peripheral device cooperative application manages setting values for multiple devices through a unified database, allowing service applications to transmit and receive data across various devices in an N:M relationship, enabling unified notification settings and reduced development efforts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate service applications are prepared for each peripheral device, then data transmission and reception can be achieved between specific service applications and peripheral devices, but the device complexity and development effort increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission reliabilityVSAvoidservice application complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a universal service application that can cooperate with multiple types of peripheral devices through a unified connection scheme. Instead of requiring separate service applications for each peripheral device, the universal service application establishes connections using standardized protocols, enabling one service application to serve multiple device types while maintaining reliable data transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the connection management functionality into a dedicated connection management unit that handles peripheral device connections independently from the service application logic. This separation allows the service application to remain simple while the connection management unit handles the complexity of establishing and managing connections with various peripheral devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If separate setting databases are maintained for each service application, then notification settings can be managed for specific device pairs, but the ease of operation and user convenience decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification setting accuracyVSAvoidnotification setting convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate setting databases into a single unified setting database that stores notification settings for all service application-peripheral device combinations. This unified database allows users to manage notification settings in one place rather than navigating through multiple separate service applications, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining accurate settings for each device pair.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified setting database serves multiple service applications and peripheral devices simultaneously, providing a universal interface for notification management. Users can access and modify notification settings for any peripheral device through this single database, eliminating the need to switch between different service applications for setting management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If different connection schemes are used for each peripheral device, then specific communication requirements can be met, but the adaptability and versatility of the system are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidperipheral device compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a connection management unit as an intermediary between service applications and peripheral devices. This intermediary handles the complexity of different connection schemes and communication protocols, translating various peripheral device connection requirements into standardized interfaces that the service application can use uniformly. This maintains communication reliability for each device type while providing system-wide adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The connection management unit is designed with multi-functionality to handle various connection schemes and peripheral device types through a unified interface. It can adapt to different communication requirements of various peripheral devices while presenting a consistent connection method to the service application, thereby enhancing both adaptability and versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If multiple service applications are developed for different peripheral devices, then specific device functionality can be optimized, but the development effort and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice-specific functionalityVSAvoiddevelopment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables a single service application to provide optimized functionality for multiple peripheral device types through a universal connection scheme. The connection management unit handles device-specific communication protocols and requirements, allowing the service application to maintain optimized device-specific functionality without requiring separate applications for each device type, thereby reducing development time and effort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses template-based connection configurations and setting management that can be copied and adapted across different peripheral device types. Instead of developing entirely separate service applications for each device, the system allows developers to create a base service application template that can be replicated and customized for different device types, significantly reducing development effort while maintaining device-specific optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3226127B1Information communication terminal, peripheral device cooperation method, and program
Publication Date: 2022.03.30 NTT DOCOMO INC
  • EP3226127B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3226127B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3226127B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information communication terminal according to an aspect of the present invention includes a reception unit configured to receive setting values of notification setting for a plurality of connected peripheral devices; a peripheral device setting storage unit configured to store the received setting values of notification setting for the plurality of peripheral devices; a service application setting storage unit configured to store setting values of notification setting from a service application to the plurality of connected peripheral devices by using the setting values stored in the peripheral device setting storage unit as initial values; a control unit configured to assign a setting value of notification setting to transmission data on the basis of a setting value stored in the service application setting storage unit when the transmission data are received from the service application; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the transmission data to which the setting value of notification setting is assigned to at least one peripheral device.