Wireless Reminder Signal System for Mobile Device Ringer Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patrons often forget to silence their mobile devices during public performances, causing distractions and disruptions, and existing solutions like cell phone blocking devices pose safety and legal concerns due to their inability to filter calls and messages.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that sends a reminder signal to active mobile devices within a predetermined area, such as a theater, to alert users to change their ring settings, using a wireless communication network to identify and communicate with devices, ensuring that emergency signals can still pass through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If cell phone blocking devices are installed to suppress all mobile device operation, then ringers would not operate during performance, but emergency calls and important messages cannot get through
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different control characteristics to different types of communications. It sends reminder signals to all mobile devices in the predetermined area to silence ringers, but allows emergency calls and important messages to pass through unblocked. This selective approach addresses the contradiction by making the blocking action local and differentiated rather than universal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses reminder signals sent to mobile devices before and during the performance to feedback to users about the need to silence their ringers. This feedback mechanism helps patrons remember to quiet their devices without requiring actual blocking technology, thereby maintaining emergency communication capabilities while reducing ringer disturbances.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cell phone blocking devices are used to suppress mobile device ringers, then disruptions during performance are reduced, but safety and legal concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses reminder signals as an intermediary approach between the venue's desire to prevent disruptions and the need to maintain safety. Instead of directly blocking devices, the system sends reminder signals through the mobile network to alert users, which mediates the situation and avoids the safety and legal issues associated with direct blocking devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables mobile devices to remind themselves to silence their ringers by sending reminder signals directly to the devices. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external blocking devices, thereby resolving safety and legal concerns while still achieving the goal of reduced performance disruptions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If announcements are made to remind patrons to silence ringers, then some disruptions are reduced, but many patrons still forget to do so
Solution Approach 1:
The system sends reminder signals to mobile devices at predetermined times before the performance starts and during intermissions. This preliminary action ensures that patrons receive reminders at strategic moments when they are most likely to notice and act on them, thereby improving reminder effectiveness compared to general announcements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical approach of public announcements with electronic reminder signals sent directly to mobile devices through the wireless communication network. This substitution improves delivery reliability and attention capture, as direct device notifications are more effective than ambient announcements in getting patrons' attention.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system for sending a ring setting reminder to one or more mobile devices within a predetermined area are provided. The ring setting reminder may be a reminder signal sent to cell phones and other mobile devices within a movie theater complex or other predetermined area to remind the users of the mobile devices to silence the ringers of the mobile devices before the start of the movie or other event. The identification of the mobile devices may occur at the predetermined area or through a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network may be configured to identify the predetermined area within the wireless communication network, identify one or more of the mobile devices located within the predetermined area, and send the reminder signal to correspond with the start of an event at the predetermined area.