Terminal Notification Management via Cloud Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current push notification systems incur high processing and communication costs on servers due to the need to deliver notifications to all user terminals and require server-side determination for each notification, and PC applications cannot display notifications effectively using OS mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus that communicates with cloud storage and a cloud server to manage notification information, using user identification to determine and display notifications on terminal devices without relying on OS push notifications, by storing and managing notification information sets and using a Web API server to associate user IDs with notification IDs for targeted notification display.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If push notifications are transmitted to all user terminals via silent push notification and server-side determination is performed for each notification, then notification delivery is achieved, but server processing costs and communication costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification deliveryVSAvoidserver processing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having the terminal device obtain notification information sets from cloud storage and determine display targets locally before actual notification display. The terminal device proactively retrieves notification information including user identification information and determination conditions, performs server determination locally, and stores results in advance, thereby avoiding repeated server communications for each notification delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the determination function from the server side and relocates it to the terminal device. By obtaining notification information sets containing determination conditions and performing local evaluation, the terminal device independently determines which notifications to display, extracting the heavy processing burden from the server and reducing server processing costs and communication overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If push notifications are transmitted to all user terminals, then all users can receive notifications, but communication costs increase with the number of notifications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification coverageVSAvoidcommunication cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by having the terminal device obtain only the notification information sets relevant to specific user identification information from cloud storage, rather than receiving all notifications pushed to all terminals. The terminal device selectively retrieves and processes only the notifications applicable to its associated users, reducing unnecessary communication while maintaining comprehensive coverage for targeted users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Adaptability or versatility

If OS push notification mechanism is used, then notification display is enabled on mobile devices, but PC applications cannot display notifications effectively

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplatform compatibilityVSAvoidnotification display capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by implementing a notification mechanism that operates independently of OS-specific push notification features. The terminal device directly obtains notification information from cloud storage and displays notifications through its own determination logic, making the solution universally applicable across different platforms including PC applications, mobile devices, and web browsers without relying on platform-specific OS mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11588916B2Information processing apparatus, method of controlling information processing apparatus, and information processing system

Publication Date: 2023.02.21 CANON KK

AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a first obtaining unit configured to obtain a notification information set from a cloud storage, a second obtaining unit configured to transmit user ID information of a user using the information processing apparatus to a cloud server, and to obtain notification ID information transmitted from the cloud server in response to the transmitted user ID information, and a determination unit configured to determine the notification information included in the notification information set obtained by the first obtaining unit and corresponding to the notification ID information obtained by the second obtaining unit as notification information of a display target.