Wearable Notification Filtering via Portable Intermediary Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable devices face challenges in setting notification preferences due to their small size and limited input methods, making it difficult to manage notifications independently without external devices.

Innovation Solution

A portable device with a wireless communicator and controller that receives notification settings from a wearable device, allowing users to determine whether to transmit notifications based on sender, application, or content information, and a wearable device with an input device to set notification preferences via user input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If notification settings are managed on a portable device connected to the wearable device, then the wearable device can maintain a small size with limited input methods, but the user cannot directly control notification settings on the wearable device itself

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewearable device sizeVSAvoidnotification setting control
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The portable device serves as an intermediary between the user and the wearable device for notification setting management. The wearable device transmits notification information to the portable device, which then presents setting screens to the user for configuring notification preferences. This allows the wearable device to remain small while still enabling direct user control over notifications through the portable device interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the wearable device has direct input methods for setting notifications, then user control is improved, but the device complexity and size increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification setting controlVSAvoidinput device complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification setting functionality is extracted from the wearable device and handled by the portable device instead. The wearable device only needs to transmit notification information and receive setting commands, while the complex setting interface and input processing are moved to the portable device. This extraction reduces the wearable device complexity while maintaining user control capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of information

If all notifications are transmitted to the wearable device, then the user receives complete information, but the wearable device becomes overwhelmed with unnecessary notifications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification information completenessVSAvoidexcessive notifications
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Notification filtering is performed in advance before transmitting notifications to the wearable device. The portable device receives notification information from external sources, processes it through setting criteria (such as application, sender, or content-based filtering), and only transmits selected notifications to the wearable device. This preliminary filtering action prevents excessive notifications from overwhelming the wearable device while maintaining information completeness for important notifications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3627866B1Wearable device and method of setting reception of notification message therein
Publication Date: 2020.11.11 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3627866B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3627866B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3627866B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Provided are a portable device, a wearable device, and a system including the same for setting a reception of a notification message in the wearable device. The portable device includes: a wireless communicator configured to receive, from a wearable device via wireless communication, information regarding a notification setting; and a controller configured to identify an event and to determine, based on the received information, whether to transmit a notification to the wearable device in response to the identified event.