Asynchronous Collaboration Server Using Tree-Structured Content Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collaboration in an online environment is challenging due to data transfer variations, leading to timing discrepancies among devices, making synchronized interactions, such as joint musical performances, difficult to achieve effectively.
Innovation Solution
A collaboration content-generating server that stores collaboration content in a database with a tree structure, allowing for the receipt of additional content from user devices and generating new content based on base and additional content received at different times, enabling asynchronous collaboration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If collaboration is conducted in an online space with data transfer, then geographical distance constraints are removed, but timing synchronization deteriorates due to data transfer variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing base content and additional content separately in a database before actual collaboration occurs. User devices can download and cache this content in advance, so that when collaboration happens, the content is already available locally, eliminating timing synchronization issues caused by data transfer variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration content is segmented into a base content and multiple additional contents, which are stored and transmitted separately. This segmentation allows each part to be managed independently, with user devices downloading them at different times without affecting the overall synchronization, thus resolving the timing disagreement problem while maintaining geographical accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If real-time synchronization is attempted in online collaboration, then interaction quality improves, but system complexity increases due to timing coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary that manages the base content and additional contents centrally. Instead of requiring direct timing coordination between user devices, the server mediates the collaboration by storing and distributing content segments, significantly reducing the timing coordination complexity while maintaining high interaction quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates local copies of the base content and additional contents on user devices. These copies are stored locally and can be accessed without real-time network synchronization, simplifying the system architecture by eliminating the need for complex timing coordination mechanisms while preserving interaction quality.
3Productivity
If additional contents are received at different times from multiple user devices, then asynchronous collaboration is enabled, but content integration becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The content is segmented into a base content and multiple additional contents with clear hierarchical relationships. The database stores these segments with their associated metadata, enabling automatic integration when additional contents are received at different times. This segmentation approach enables asynchronous collaboration while simplifying the integration process through structured organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The base content and additional contents are prepared and stored in the database in advance with their integration relationships predefined. When user devices receive these contents asynchronously, the integration logic is already established, reducing the complexity of real-time content integration while maintaining high collaboration flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A collaboration content-generating server that generates collaboration content item in an asynchronous manner includes a database configured to store a collaboration content including a base content corresponding to a root node and a plurality of additional contents corresponding to a plurality of nodes divided from and connected to the root node in a tree structure; an additional content receiving unit configured to receive, from a first user device, a node selected by the first user device and a first additional content that is supplementary to a first collaboration content corresponding the selected node; and a collaboration content generating unit configured to generate a second collaboration content based on the first additional content and the first collaboration content. The collaboration content is generated based on the base content and the plurality of additional contents received at different times from a plurality of user devices.