AUTOMATIC PRIORITIZATION AND DELIVERY OF AUDIO-VISUAL NOTIFICATIONS OPTIMIZED FOR USER WORKFLOW

Technical Field

This application is directed to the field of information processing and workflow analysis, and more specifically to workflow aware prioritization and delivery of audio-visual notifications for a set of mobile, web or desktop user applications.

Background of the Invention

Mobile, web and desktop push notifications delivered to users from applications and services have become a core feature of modern information exchange. Notifications started as calendar reminders and have since evolved to include features like images and interactive buttons. A broadly accepted categorization distinguishes between four types of push notifications based on content:

  1. Transactional notifications – Associated with events or specific time periods (e.g., shipment delivery notifications).
  2. Promotional notifications – Directly or indirectly inviting a user to engage in new activities (e.g., sales offers).
  3. User lifestyle or communications related notifications – Notifications about unread emails or friend activities in social applications.
  4. System notifications – New application features, updates, or permission notifications.

Summary of the Invention

The system described herein manages push notifications by buffering multiple notifications, then sorting them based on their relevance to the user and the user’s workflow. The notifications are delivered in an order that corresponds to their sorted relevance. This includes buffering notifications in a queue, classifying them, and scoring them based on various factors including user settings, emotional states, and user activities.

Claims

  1. A method of managing push notifications for a user, comprising:

    • Buffering a plurality of notifications in a queue, initially ordered by notification generation timestamps.
    • Sorting the notifications based on their relevance to the user’s workflow.
    • Determining an opportune time and delivery format for the notifications based on user activity.
    • Reordering the notifications according to their urgency and delivering them accordingly.

  2. The notifications may include categories such as user notifications, transactional notifications, promotional notifications, and system notifications, and their relevance may depend on properties such as time sensitivity, user settings, and emotional states captured by wearable devices.

  3. Notifications may be delivered in various formats (audio or visual) based on the user’s attention and preferences.

Detailed Description

The proposed system optimally manages notifications by assessing the relevance of notifications based on user activities and interactions. For instance, when a user is engaged in specific tasks such as attending a meeting or browsing, notifications related to those activities are prioritized.

User interaction and workflow are continuously monitored to refine notification delivery. The system may incorporate multiple applications (e.g., news, email, calendaring systems) that generate notifications according to contextual relevance, ensuring that users receive only the most pertinent alerts.

Examples of delivery optimization strategies include:

  • Delivering notifications during natural pauses in user activity.
  • Adjusting notification formats based on the urgency and timing relative to user availability.