User Attribute Customization via Dominant and Cooperative Modules

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Solution Overview

Problem

Entertainment systems face challenges in providing a customized user experience for multiple users without requiring login information, as existing solutions often override individual preferences or fail to merge attributes effectively.

Innovation Solution

An entertainment system with a user identification module to automatically detect users and a dominant attribute module to express exclusive attributes, along with a cooperative attribute module to merge user-specific attributes, providing a customized experience based on identified users without the need for login information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the system combines personalized media preferences of multiple users to form composite settings, then the system can accommodate multiple users, but it becomes unclear which user-specific attributes should be expressed and which should be overridden

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAbility to accommodate multiple usersVSAvoidComplexity of attribute merging logic

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments user attributes into two distinct categories: dominant attributes (expressed exclusively from one user) and cooperative attributes (merged from multiple users). This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing clear rules for handling different types of attributes, reducing the complexity of the merging logic while maintaining adaptability to multiple users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different merging strategies to different types of attributes based on their nature. Dominant attributes (such as audio output device selections) are handled exclusively from one user, while cooperative attributes (such as media item selections) are merged from multiple users. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by tailoring the attribute handling approach to the specific characteristics of each attribute type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If the system automatically identifies users and customizes settings without login information, then ease of operation is improved, but the system cannot accurately determine which user preferences to apply

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAutomatic user identification without loginVSAvoidAccuracy of user preference detection

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses RFID tags as portable copies of user identity and preference information. These tags contain encoded user identifiers that enable the system to automatically identify users and retrieve their stored preference profiles without requiring login credentials. This copying approach resolves the contradiction by providing accurate user identification through portable digital representations of user identities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs feedback mechanisms to detect and respond to the presence of RFID tags, automatically identifying users and retrieving their preference profiles. The system continuously monitors for RFID tags in proximity and dynamically adjusts settings based on the identified user's preferences, resolving the contradiction between automatic operation and accurate preference detection through continuous feedback loops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system expresses only dominant user attributes when multiple users are present, then individual user preferences are preserved, but the system fails to provide a merged experience that accommodates all users

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAbility to preserve individual user preferencesVSAvoidSpeed of providing merged user experience

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments attributes into dominant and cooperative categories, allowing the system to simultaneously preserve individual user preferences for dominant attributes while efficiently merging cooperative attributes from multiple users. This segmentation enables parallel processing of different attribute types, resolving the contradiction between preserving individual preferences and providing a merged experience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial merging action by selectively merging only cooperative attributes while leaving dominant attributes unchanged. This partial action approach resolves the contradiction by applying the merging process only where appropriate (cooperative attributes) while preserving individual preferences for attributes that should remain exclusive (dominant attributes), thereby efficiently providing a merged experience without unnecessary processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2617002B1User-specific attribute customization

Publication Date: 2019.10.30 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

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AI summary

User-specific attribute customization is provided by an entertainment system including a user identification module to identify one or more users within an operative range of the entertainment system, and a dominant attribute module to automatically express exclusive user-specific attributes of a dominant user when the dominant user is one of two or more identified users within the operative range of the entertainment system. The entertainment system further includes a cooperative attribute module to automatically express merged user-specific attributes of a first user and a second user when the first user and the second user are two of two or more identified users within the operative range of the entertainment system.