Service Coordination Control for Subscription-Based User Contracts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional service coordination mechanisms fail to appropriately control service coordination for users with different subscription contracts, leading to inefficiencies when services that can be mutually coordinated are subscribed to by users with varying contract setups.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus and method that includes a coordination service identification unit to identify and a service notification unit to notify services about their coordination status based on definition information, enabling or disabling coordination functions according to contract changes, ensuring appropriate service coordination reflecting the users' subscription status.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a generic service coordination mechanism is implemented, then service interaction problems can be solved, but service coordination cannot be appropriately controlled for each user with different subscription contracts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice coordination controlVSAvoidcoordination control mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the service coordination control by introducing user-specific subscription contract information. The coordination service identification unit divides the coordination control into individual user contexts, where each user's service coordination is determined based on their specific subscription contract. This allows different users to have different coordination controls for the same services, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity by making the system modular and user-specific rather than generic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by establishing subscription contracts before service coordination occurs. The system pre-defines which services can be coordinated for each user based on their subscription contract status. When service coordination is needed, the coordination service identification unit refers to these pre-established contract definitions to determine appropriate coordination. This preliminary setup allows the system to maintain simplicity while achieving user-specific adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If services are made available based on subscription contracts, then service flexibility is improved, but coordination control for different users becomes inappropriate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice availability controlVSAvoidcoordination control accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by having the coordination service identification unit continuously check subscription contract information when determining service coordination. The system receives feedback about which services are available based on user contracts and uses this feedback to accurately control coordination. The service notification unit then notifies the appropriate services of the coordination status based on this feedback loop, ensuring both flexibility and reliability in coordination control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making service coordination control user-specific rather than uniform. Each user's service coordination is tailored to their local context (subscription contract), allowing different users to have different coordination arrangements for the same services. This local customization ensures that service availability is flexible for each user while maintaining reliable and accurate coordination control specific to each user's contract.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If coordination options are presented to users, then service usability is improved, but inappropriate coordination options may be presented based on subscription status

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice coordination usabilityVSAvoidsubscription contract information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-determining which coordination options are appropriate for each user based on their subscription contract before presenting options to the user. The coordination service identification unit checks the subscription contract information in advance and identifies only the coordination options that are valid for that user's contract. This preliminary filtering ensures that the service notification unit only notifies services about coordination that is actually permitted, preventing inappropriate coordination options from being presented while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3806427B1Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method
Publication Date: 2024.07.03 RICOH CO LTD
  • EP3806427B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3806427B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3806427B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information processing apparatus (300) includes a coordination service identification unit (333), when to increase or decrease one or more services (200) that can be used by a user, configured to identify a second service that can be coordinated with a first service based on definition information defining coordination relationship settable between a plurality of services; and a service notification unit (334), when the coordination service identification unit (333) identifies the second service, configured to notify a service serving as coordination origin, information on a service serving as coordination destination, the service serving as the coordination origin and the service serving as the coordination destination selectable from the first service and the second service.