Application Disabling Routine for PC Resource Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Personal computers experience performance degradation over time due to applications that continuously run and consume resources without providing a justifiable benefit, making it difficult for users to identify and address the cause, leading to ineffective solutions that may further degrade the system.

Innovation Solution

A routine that identifies resource-consuming applications without a justified benefit by evaluating data from external sources, such as remote databases and reputation services, and disables their ability to start or utilize resources without user input, employing a system comprising an application list generator, decision engine, and application disabling module to selectively disable undesirable applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If applications are allowed to run continuously to provide functionality, then user convenience and application availability are improved, but system resource consumption increases and performance degradation occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication availabilityVSAvoidsystem resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary evaluation of applications before they are allowed to run automatically. External data sources are queried in advance to assess application reputation and potential harm, and this pre-evaluation result is stored in a database. When the system needs to determine whether to disable an application, the pre-stored evaluation data is retrieved and used for quick decision-making, avoiding the need for continuous real-time analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If users manually identify and remove problematic applications to fix performance issues, then system performance is improved, but user time consumption increases and system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem performanceVSAvoiduser time consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically identifies and disables problematic applications without requiring user intervention. The routine continuously monitors system performance, queries external data sources for application reputation information, and autonomously makes decisions about which applications to disable based on predefined criteria. This self-service approach eliminates the need for users to manually diagnose and fix performance issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a feedback loop where performance data from the computer system is continuously collected and used to trigger evaluations of applications. When an application's behavior or reputation indicates potential harm, the system receives feedback about the performance degradation and automatically adjusts by disabling the problematic application. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables continuous self-regulation of system health.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If aggressive methods like system restore or full backup restoration are used to fix performance issues, then system performance may be improved, but data loss risk increases and system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem performanceVSAvoiddata loss risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and isolates problematic applications from the overall system without affecting other components. Instead of performing aggressive system-wide operations like restore or backup restoration, the routine specifically targets and disables only the identified problematic applications, leaving the rest of the system intact. This selective extraction approach minimizes potential data loss and system disruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Productivity

If the system continuously monitors and evaluates applications to prevent resource consumption, then system performance is maintained, but computational overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem performanceVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8781985B2Addressing system degradation by application disabling

Publication Date: 2014.07.15 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

In some embodiments, a routine is executed that identifies one or more applications that consume resources of the computer without a benefit that justifies such consumption, with the routine comprising evaluating at least some data from a source external to the computer, and an ability of the one or more identified applications to start on the computer absent user input requesting or authorizing use of such an application is disabled. In some embodiments, the external source of data may, for example, comprise a remote database identifying potentially undesirable applications and/or a remote software reputation service. In some embodiments, a routine is executed that identifies one or more applications that consume resources of the computer without a benefit that justifies such consumption and that also identifies one or more resources or utilities that utilize the one or more applications. An ability of the one or more identified applications to start on the computer absent user input requesting or authorizing use of such an application is disabled, and an ability of the one or more resources or utilities to attempt to utilize the one or more applications absent user input requesting or authorizing such an attempt is also disabled.