Portable Terminal Call Blocking with User State Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional call blocking methods in portable terminals do not account for user state or emergency situations, leading to inconvenience for both callers and callees, as they lack the ability to manage call connections based on user-defined blocking periods or states.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows portable terminals to set and manage call blocking periods, transmit user state information, and store caller information, enabling controlled call connections and blocking based on user-defined settings and emergency situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a portable terminal is set to block an incoming call, then the user can avoid interruptions during sleeping, meeting, driving, etc., but the caller cannot make a call with the user and needs to repeatedly call until the user releases the blocking function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the called terminal proactively send user state information to the calling terminal before the caller attempts to call. This allows the caller to know in advance whether the called party is available, preventing repeated unnecessary calling attempts and saving time for both parties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by establishing a communication channel where the called terminal sends user state information back to the calling terminal. This feedback mechanism allows the caller to make informed decisions about whether to place a call, eliminating the need for repeated calling attempts.
2Ease of operation
If a portable terminal blocks all incoming calls, then the user can avoid interruptions, but the user cannot receive emergency calls or calls from important contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the call blocking function adaptive rather than static. The terminal dynamically adjusts its blocking behavior based on the caller's identity and the user's current state information. Important contacts can reach through even when blocking is active, while unknown callers are blocked, thus maintaining reliability for emergency calls while preserving the blocking function's effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different blocking rules to different callers. Instead of a uniform blocking policy, the system treats important contacts differently from unknown callers. This allows emergency calls from known contacts to penetrate the blocking barrier while maintaining the blocking function for other callers.
3Loss of information
If a portable terminal provides detailed user state information to callers, then callers can make informed decisions about calling, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential user state information needed for calling decisions (such as whether the user is sleeping, in a meeting, or driving) and sends this condensed information to callers. This selective extraction approach provides sufficient information for callers to make informed decisions without requiring a complex system that manages and transmits all possible user state details.
Data Source
AI summary
A method in a call system connects and blocks a call in a portable terminal. A call blocking time period is set. An elapsed time period is measured from a time point when the call blocking time period is set. A determination is made as to whether the measured time period exceeds the set call blocking time period if the portable terminal receives a call connection request from an external terminal. If the measured time period does not exceed the set call blocking time period, the call connection is blocked and information regarding time period, calculated by subtracting the measured time period from the set call blocking time period, is transmitted to the external terminal that requested the call connection.