User Availability Status Prediction and Dynamic Update

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems struggle to accurately determine a user's availability status, especially when users have back-to-back meetings, as automated calendar-based systems fail to provide granular updates on when one meeting ends and another begins, leading to difficulties in determining when a user is available for communication.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that use historical and real-time data to predict a user's availability status, allowing for automatic updates and enabling partial availability status determination, which indicates whether a user can interact during events, even if they are participating in them.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If automated calendar-based approach is used to set availability status, then availability status can be updated automatically, but the system cannot provide granular updates on when one meeting ends and another begins

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic availability status updateVSAvoidgranular availability timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the availability status into multiple granular states (available, partially available, busy, unavailable) rather than using a single binary state. This allows the system to provide detailed timing information about when users become available between meetings while maintaining automatic updates through calendar integration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The availability status is made dynamic by continuously monitoring calendar events and updating the status in real-time based on meeting start and end times. The system transitions between different availability states dynamically as meetings begin and end, providing granular timing information without requiring manual user input.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If user sets availability status manually, then granular control over status is achieved, but communication efficiency decreases due to manual updates required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegranular availability status controlVSAvoidcommunication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring the user's calendar and updating the availability status without requiring manual intervention. The system independently determines when a user transitions between available and busy states based on scheduled meetings, eliminating the need for manual status updates while maintaining accurate, granular availability information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If user has back-to-back meetings all day, then productivity is maintained, but availability status becomes unclear for communication needs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous meeting schedulingVSAvoidavailability timing information

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by proactively determining and communicating availability status before communication is needed. By continuously monitoring the calendar and predicting availability based on scheduled meetings, the system provides advance information about when a user will be available, allowing others to plan communications appropriately without waiting for manual status updates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10574602B2Predicting and updating availability status of a user

Publication Date: 2020.02.25 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Predicting and notifying availability status of a user may include determining, using a processor, an availability status of a user according to historical data for the user and automatically updating the availability status of the user using the processor.