Videophone Automatic Answering and Recording Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing videophone systems lack automatic answering and recording functions, leading to inconvenience and missed important video calls, which hinders their popularization and application.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for automatic answering and recording in videophone services, where the called terminal automatically answers video calls, plays a prerecorded message, and records audio and video of the calling user, with options for delayed answering, time limitations, and user-controlled recording and playback.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If videophone systems implement automatic answering and recording functions, then user convenience and call management capability are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecall management convenienceVSAvoidsystem structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic answering and recording without requiring manual user intervention. When a call comes in, the system automatically answers, plays prompting messages, and records the conversation based on pre-set rules, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous user operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Users can pre-configure answering rules, recording parameters, and prompting messages before calls occur. The system stores these settings in advance and automatically executes them when calls are received, eliminating the need for real-time decision-making during calls.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the system records all incoming video calls automatically, then important calls are not missed, but loss of time for manual operation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecall capture reliabilityVSAvoidmanual operation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically determines whether to record a call based on pre-configured criteria (such as caller ID, time of day, or call priority) without requiring users to manually initiate recording for each call, thus ensuring reliable capture of important calls while minimizing manual time investment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to users about recorded calls through notifications and allows users to review recordings on-demand. This feedback mechanism helps users understand which calls were automatically recorded, enabling them to verify that important calls were captured without needing to manually monitor each call.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system provides comprehensive automatic answering and recording features, then user experience is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice functionalityVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system integrates multiple functions (automatic answering, message playing, conversation recording, and call management) into a unified videophone platform. By making the core system multi-functional, it provides comprehensive services without requiring separate dedicated devices for each function, thus improving versatility while controlling overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2391100B1Method and apparatus for answering and recording automatically in visual telephone service
Publication Date: 2016.06.15 ZTE CORP
  • EP2391100B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2391100B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2391100B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for implementing automatic answering and recording in videophone services. The method comprises: when a video call is coming, a called terminal automatically answering the call and playing a prerecorded automatic answering prompting message to a calling user; and the called terminal recording audio and video of the calling user and ending the call after the recording is completed. The present invention has solved the problem that a videophone has no automation answering and recording function in prior art. Thus, the user can answer selectively video calls at anytime and anywhere, important video calls can be automatically recorded, and video calls which are inconvenient to be answered can be answered automatically by choosing various videos, thereby greatly improving usability of a mobile terminal and fine reputation of user experience in the 3G era.