Push-to-talk gesture interface for direct call initiation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional push-to-talk (PTT) applications require users to navigate multiple levels of contact lists and interfaces to initiate communication, which is inefficient and consumes processing resources.

Innovation Solution

A PTT service that allows users to establish direct communication with contacts or groups from a PTT contact list view, recent activity view, or group list view using gestures, providing visual indicators for connectivity and voice volume, and enabling immediate termination of calls if quality of service is insufficient.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users navigate through multiple levels of contact lists and interfaces to initiate communication, then communication can be established, but the operation time increases and processing resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of communication initiationVSAvoidtime to establish communication

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays visual indicators of connectivity and voice volume in advance before the user initiates communication. This allows users to assess contact availability and connection quality beforehand, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple interfaces to verify connectivity status, thus reducing the time to establish communication while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If users navigate through multiple levels of contact lists and interfaces to initiate communication, then communication can be established, but processing resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of communication initiationVSAvoidprocessing resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and displays only the essential information (connectivity status and voice volume indicators) directly on the contact list view. This eliminates the need for users to access multiple nested interfaces, reducing the processing overhead associated with navigating through multiple UI levels while preserving the simplicity of initiating communication from the main contact list.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If visual indicators for connectivity and voice volume are provided, then users can assess call quality, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall quality assessmentVSAvoidinterface complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements localized visual indicators (connectivity icons and voice volume meters) specifically at the contact list level where users select contacts. This targeted approach provides call quality assessment functionality only where it is most needed, avoiding the addition of complex system-wide features. The indicators are integrated seamlessly into the existing contact list interface rather than adding separate complex monitoring systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9924333B2Push-to-talk service features

Publication Date: 2018.03.20 VERIZON PATENT & LICENSING INC

AI summary

A device provides a user interface that includes a list of push-to-talk contacts, and receives, via the user interface, a gesture indicating a request to establish a push-to-talk call with a particular contact in the list of push-to-talk contacts. The device initiates the push-to-talk call with another device associated with the particular contact, and the push-to-talk call is initiated with the other device based on the gesture and directly from within the user interface. The device provides for display a visual indicator associated with the push-to-talk call.