Predictive Response Time Analysis for Enterprise Email Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Businesses face inefficiencies due to uncertainty in response times for communications, such as emails, across enterprise communication systems, lacking a method to predict when a recipient will respond, which hinders timely information exchange and decision-making.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for determining predictive response time (PRT) across enterprise communication systems by analyzing various factors, including communication history, availability, and relationships between senders and recipients, to provide users with predictions on response likelihood and time, as well as alternative recipients who can forward or provide information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If businesses collect and store extensive data from multiple systems, then the amount of available information increases, but the difficulty of accessing and processing this data increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveamount of dataVSAvoidcomplexity of data access
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines data from multiple separate enterprise systems (email, calendar, contacts, task management) into a unified data structure that can be accessed through a single interface. This merging eliminates the need to query each system separately, reducing access complexity while maintaining comprehensive data availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal data access layer that handles multiple types of enterprise data (communications, scheduling, tasks, contacts) through a common processing mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows the system to retrieve and analyze diverse data types without requiring separate access methods for each data source.

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

2Productivity

If businesses analyze communication data to determine response times, then operational efficiency improves, but the time and resources required for data processing increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary data processing by pre-calculating and storing communication patterns, response times, and relationship metrics in a structured format. This advance preparation allows the system to quickly retrieve pre-analyzed data when predicting response times, rather than performing complex analysis in real-time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates simplified copies or representations of complex communication data, storing key metrics and patterns in a condensed format. These data copies enable rapid querying and analysis without requiring access to the full complexity of the original communication records.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If businesses implement comprehensive data collection across multiple systems, then the accuracy of predictive analytics improves, but the difficulty of integrating data from different sources increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of predictionVSAvoidcomplexity of data integration
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary data layer that sits between multiple enterprise systems and the predictive analytics engine. This intermediary layer standardizes data formats, handles data normalization, and manages integration logic, thereby improving prediction accuracy while shielding the analytics engine from integration complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10313291B2Method for determining predictive response time across enterprise communication systems
Publication Date: 2019.06.04 QUEST SOFTWARE INC
  • US10313291B2 patent drawing
  • US10313291B2 patent drawing
  • US10313291B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for determining predictive response time for electronic mail across enterprise communication systems is described. In particular, the method includes collecting and subsequently analyzing communications of a particular recipient in order to determine a probability of a sender receiving a response from the recipient. In the event a response is probable, the method also determines a time frame when a response may be sent. In situations where the recipient is non-responsive, the method also provides a list of alternate recipients that the sender can communicate with, whereby the alternate recipients are more responsive than the original recipient.