Smart Alarm Deferral via Location-Based Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing appointment alarms often defer alerts for too long, leading users to miss appointments due to the default snooze feature extending past the required alert time, causing users to be late or miss events entirely.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device method that calculates the required alert time based on the user's location, travel time, and preparation time, setting a deferral duration to ensure the alarm activates no later than the required alert time, with incremental deferral durations and a final alarm that cannot be snoozed, alerting the user in a distinct manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the alarm uses a default snooze feature to defer the alert, then the user can sleep longer or delay waking up, but the alarm may activate too late and cause the user to miss the appointment
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of travel time and preparation time before the appointment occurs. By determining the required alert time in advance based on location data and historical travel patterns, the system ensures that even if the user snoozes the alarm multiple times, the final alert will occur early enough for the user to make the appointment on time.
Solution Approach 2:
The deferral duration is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system adjusts the maximum deferral duration based on real-time factors including current location, distance to appointment, estimated travel time, and required preparation time. This dynamic adjustment ensures the alarm provides sufficient warning while allowing flexible snoozing within safe time margins.
2Ease of operation
If the alarm allows multiple snooze deferrals, then the user has flexibility to wake up later, but the alarm may defer too long and activate past the required alert time
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the current time against the calculated required alert time and provides feedback to control the deferral duration. Each time the user snooses the alarm, the system recalculates whether additional deferral is safe based on current location and time remaining, ensuring the alarm activates with precise timing while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of deferral duration from a fixed default value to a dynamically calculated value based on multiple factors including distance to appointment, current speed of travel, estimated time of arrival, and required preparation time. This parameter transformation maintains user flexibility while ensuring timing precision.
3Device complexity
If the alarm uses a fixed deferral duration, then the system is simple to implement, but it cannot adapt to varying travel times and appointment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically calculating travel time using location data from GPS or other positioning systems, and by determining required preparation time based on historical data or user input. This eliminates the need for manual user configuration while providing customized, adaptive alert timing for each appointment.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm system integrates multiple functions including location tracking, travel time calculation, preparation time estimation, and dynamic deferral control into a single unified system. This multi-functionality allows the simple alarm mechanism to adapt to varying appointment requirements without increasing apparent user complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, executed by a computer, for deferring an alarm includes determining a user's location relative to an appointment, calculating a required alert time, and setting a deferral duration to less than or equal to a difference between a required alert time and a current time. In some embodiments, a final alarm is activated when the deferral duration has elapsed. The alarm may be deactivated when the appointment occurs or when the user arrives at the appointment location. In some embodiments, the travel time to the appointment is calculated and the mode of transportation is determined. The required alert time may correspond to an amount of time the user requires to prepare for the appointment or for departure to the appointment. A computer program product and computer system corresponding to the above method are also disclosed herein.