Bookmark Identification in Shared Content Access Lists
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Solution Overview
Problem
In shared content access systems among multiple content player devices, users often become confused about which bookmarks belong to which users or content players, reducing the usefulness of bookmarks due to lack of clear identification.
Innovation Solution
Content players associate bookmarks with identification information that specifies the requestor, such as the content player or user who generated the bookmark, and present this information when displaying the content access list, allowing clear differentiation between user and content player contributions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If bookmarks are shared in a content access list among multiple content players, then the quantity of available content markers increases, but the clarity of bookmark ownership deteriorates causing user confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (identification information field) that mediates between the shared bookmark system and individual users. This intermediary carries ownership metadata that bridges the gap between collective bookmark availability and individual user attribution, allowing the system to maintain both shared access and clear ownership without direct conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds another dimension to the bookmark data structure by incorporating identification information that specifies the requestor. This transforms a two-dimensional problem (bookmark presence/absence) into a three-dimensional solution (bookmark presence + ownership attribution), enabling the system to simultaneously provide shared access and individual identification without trade-offs.
2Ease of operation
If identification information is added to each bookmark to specify the requestor, then bookmark differentiation improves, but the complexity of the bookmark data structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the identification information with the existing bookmark data structure in a unified field. Rather than creating separate parallel structures for bookmark data and ownership data, the solution combines them into a single integrated bookmark entry, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining differentiation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The identification information field serves multiple functions simultaneously: it differentiates bookmark owners, enables proper attribution when content is accessed, and provides metadata for filtering or sorting bookmarks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate fields or structures, thereby limiting the increase in overall complexity.
3Loss of information
If all bookmarks are presented in the content access list, then complete information availability improves, but the difficulty of locating relevant bookmarks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system uses the identification information within bookmarks to dynamically organize and present them. The feedback loop allows the system to automatically group, filter, or highlight bookmarks based on their ownership attributes, making relevant bookmarks easier to locate while maintaining complete information availability in the underlying data structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A content player accesses content via a content access list shared by a network of players. The content is stored by one or more of the players. One or more of the players may be thin clients that can access content stored by other players but cannot themselves store content. The content access list lists available stored content. The content player associates a bookmark with the content and includes identification information that identifies the requestor related to generation of the bookmark. When the content player presents the content access list, bookmarks associated with content included in list are also be along with the identification information. In some implementations, the requestor related to generation of the respective bookmark may be the content player that generated the bookmark, the specific user that entered input that prompted generation of the bookmark, and/or a combination thereof.