Application-Selectable Interface for Content Discovery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional operating systems require users to manually launch and check multiple applications to find new content, which is time-consuming, resource-intensive, and often results in wasted effort when no new content is available.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an application-selectable user interface that provides reports for each application, allowing users to quickly determine which applications have new content and select them directly, without the need for manual launching and content retrieval.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If users manually launch and check multiple applications to find new content, then users can view application content, but it takes significant time and effort

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenew content discoveryVSAvoidtime to check applications

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically launching applications and retrieving content before the user needs to view it. The application selector receives and processes content from multiple applications in advance, preparing reports that indicate what new content is available, so when the user wants to check applications, the work has already been done.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary system (the application selector with report generation capability) is introduced between the user and the applications. Instead of the user directly launching and checking each application, the intermediary automatically retrieves content, generates reports about new content, and presents these reports to the user, thereby eliminating the need for manual application launching and content checking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If users manually launch and check multiple applications to find new content, then users can view application content, but computing and bandwidth resources are expended

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenew content discoveryVSAvoidcomputing and bandwidth resources

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by selectively retrieving and processing only the content that has changed or is new, rather than retrieving all content from all applications. The report generation focuses on identifying and presenting only the new or updated content, thereby reducing the total amount of data that needs to be transmitted and processed compared to checking all application content comprehensively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of information

If users manually launch applications to check for new content, then users can see what is new, but all time and resources are wasted if no new content is available

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenew content informationVSAvoidwasted time and resources

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by generating and presenting reports that inform users about new content availability before they launch applications. These reports provide feedback on what content has changed or is new based on comparisons with previous states, allowing users to make informed decisions about which applications to launch and avoiding the waste of time and resources on applications with no new content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11126333B2Application reporting in an application-selectable user interface

Publication Date: 2021.09.21 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

This document describes techniques for application reporting in an application-selectable user interface. These techniques permit a user to view reports for applications in a user interface through which these applications may be selected. By so doing, a user may quickly and easily determine which applications to select based on their respective reports and then select them or their content through the user interface.