Relay App Incoming Call Notification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current relay applications for users with speech, hearing, and vision disabilities often result in missed incoming call notifications due to standard notification systems that prioritize other alerts, leading to delayed or missed call notifications, as these systems do not provide real-time alerts and do not log calls in the user's device call log.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a priority-based notification system using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions that establish real-time or near real-time notifications and log incoming calls, even if no voice session is established, allowing users to manage calls through chat sessions within the relay application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard notification systems are used for relay applications, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but notification reliability deteriorates and loss of information increases due to missed or delayed call notifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary notification system that bridges the relay application and the operating system's priority notification infrastructure. This intermediary layer receives call notifications from the relay application and republishes them through the OS notification channel, ensuring reliable delivery without requiring the relay application itself to become complex. The intermediary acts as a translator between the simple relay app and the robust OS notification system.
2Loss of time
If priority-based notifications are implemented, then notification reliability is improved and loss of time is reduced, but device complexity increases due to the need for additional notification infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the existing operating system notification infrastructure to serve multiple purposes: delivering regular app notifications and delivering time-critical call notifications. By publishing call notifications through the same OS notification channel that handles other system alerts, the system achieves priority delivery without building a separate notification infrastructure. This multi-functional use of the notification system eliminates the need for additional complexity.
3Reliability
If VoIP sessions are established for call notifications, then notification reliability and real-time alerting are improved, but loss of energy increases due to maintaining active sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic notification delivery through the OS notification infrastructure rather than maintaining continuous VoIP sessions. Call notifications are delivered at specific moments when calls are actually incoming, using the OS notification system's inherent periodic polling and delivery mechanism. This approach achieves real-time alerting when needed while avoiding the continuous energy consumption of maintaining persistent VoIP connections during idle periods.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for providing enhanced incoming call notifications for users who utilized a relay application designed for those with speech, visual, or hearing impairments or disabilities. An indication that a calling party is attempting to initiate an incoming call intended for a receiving party that utilizes a relay application that assists users having hearing, visual, or speech disabilities is received by an intermediate party. A chat session is established utilizing the relay application between the intermediate party and the calling party. Additionally, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) session is established that does not include a voice session. Upon the chat session being terminated from within the relay application, the VoIP session is terminated.