Browser Highlighting Service for Contextual Content Retrieval

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for information retrieval on the internet, such as bookmarks, lack context and stability, are inefficient for sharing and often require cumbersome steps for users to access relevant content, and existing content organization techniques are flawed due to reliance on human analysis or manipulation by content authors.

Innovation Solution

A highlighting service that allows users to select and annotate content within a web browser without installing additional software, enabling easy retrieval and sharing of highlighted portions, and uses user-generated highlights to determine document relevance for improved search results.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If bookmarks are used for information retrieval, then users can save and access URLs, but bookmarks lack context and stability, making retrieval inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontext informationVSAvoidinformation retrieval efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the URL into multiple components (domain name, path, query parameters) and stores them separately in a database, allowing individual components to be modified independently while preserving the overall bookmark structure and adding contextual information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the user's browser and the web content, which intercepts HTTP requests, modifies URLs by adding tracking parameters, and manages bookmark data storage and retrieval, thereby adding context and stability to bookmarks

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If traditional bookmarking methods are used, then URLs can be saved, but sharing and accessing content requires cumbersome steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent sharing easeVSAvoidtime to access content

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing URLs into standardized components and storing them in a database with associated metadata before sharing is needed, so that when sharing occurs, the bookmark can be quickly retrieved and restored without requiring cumbersome manual steps

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a copy of the URL structure in a standardized format stored in the database, which can be independently manipulated and shared without affecting the original URL, enabling easy copying and sharing of bookmark references

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If content organization relies on human analysis or author manipulation, then content can be categorized, but the process is flawed and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent organization efficiencyVSAvoidcontent organization accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables bookmark components and content to self-organize through automated database operations, where URLs are automatically parsed, categorized, and structured without requiring manual human analysis or author intervention, thereby improving both efficiency and reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11763344B2SaaS for content curation without a browser add-on

Publication Date: 2023.09.19 CHANDRA ROHIT

AI summary

SaaS for content portion selection a.k.a. content curation using conventional web browsers with no software installation: for enabling a user to select portions of content are disclosed. The user selected portions of content, or references to them, are stored in a repository and are made available for subsequent viewing to a potentially larger universe of users. Neither group of users: the ones selecting the portions of content, nor those viewing the previously selected portions of content, need to install any special software to avail all these benefits.