Anonymous Bookmark Synchronization Without User Accounts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing information retrieval systems fail to seamlessly synchronize bookmarks across multiple devices without requiring personally identifiable information or explicit user account creation, limiting user convenience and privacy.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method that anonymously links identifiers across different devices using protocols like Diffie-Hellman key exchange, allowing users to create and access bookmarks without logging in, using secret keys derived from unique seeds, and synchronizing bookmarks without storing personally identifiable information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If bookmarks are synchronized across multiple devices using conventional methods, then user convenience is improved, but personally identifiable information must be stored and explicit user account creation is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebookmark synchronizationVSAvoidprivacy risk from storing personally identifiable information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces anonymous identifiers as an intermediary mechanism that enables bookmark synchronization without directly exposing or storing personally identifiable information. These identifiers act as mediators between the user's devices and the bookmark storage system, allowing recognition of the same user across devices while maintaining privacy protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes personally identifiable information from the bookmark synchronization process. Instead of storing or processing actual user identities, the system uses anonymized identifiers that cannot be traced back to specific users, thereby eliminating the privacy risk while preserving synchronization functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If users log in to create and access bookmarks, then bookmark synchronization is reliable, but user convenience is reduced due to required authentication steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebookmark synchronizationVSAvoiduser authentication requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing anonymous identifier associations with user accounts during device registration or first use. This preliminary setup enables automatic recognition and synchronization without requiring users to perform authentication steps during subsequent bookmark operations, making the process both reliable and convenient.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service by automatically managing anonymous identifier assignments and bookmark synchronization without requiring explicit user authentication. The system autonomously handles the recognition of user devices and the synchronization of bookmarks based on the pre-established anonymous identifier mappings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Object-affected harmful factors

If anonymous identifiers are used to link devices, then user privacy is protected, but device complexity increases due to implementation of key exchange protocols

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidimplementation of Diffie-Hellman key exchange

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex cryptographic mechanical systems with simplified identifier-based recognition. Instead of requiring full Diffie-Hellman key exchange implementations on user devices, the system uses pre-computed anonymous identifiers that can be easily exchanged and matched, significantly reducing computational complexity while maintaining privacy protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial cryptographic action by using only the essential identifier exchange component of key exchange protocols, without implementing the full complexity of Diffie-Hellman. This partial approach provides sufficient privacy protection for bookmark synchronization while avoiding the excessive computational burden of complete cryptographic key exchange.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9258279B1Bookmarking content for users associated with multiple devices

Publication Date: 2016.02.09 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. The method includes anonymously linking at least two different identifiers associated with two different requesting sources. The linking uses an identifier that does not include any personally identifiable information. A request is received from a user to create a bookmark for a resource that was presented on a first device having an associated first identifier. The bookmark or a reference to the bookmark is stored. Bookmarks associated with the user are synched across multiple requesting sources using the anonymous linking. After synching, a request to access saved bookmarks is received from a user when accessing a second different device. Based at least in part on the synched bookmarks, the bookmark is provided, or a link to the bookmark is provided, enabling presentation of a resource associated with the bookmark.