Content Player User-Specific Metadata Segmentation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Content players face difficulties in altering content instances while preserving user-specific information for multiple users, as existing systems cannot selectively affect user-specific information for one user without impacting others during operations like deletion or movement.

Innovation Solution

A content player system that associates and identifies user-specific information for multiple users, allowing operations to be performed such that the information for the requesting user is altered without affecting other users, by prompting users to select identifiers or log in, and managing user-specific metadata like placeholders and protection statuses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a content player performs operations like deletion or movement on content instances, then the content can be managed and reorganized, but user-specific information for multiple users is affected unintentionally

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent management operationVSAvoiduser-specific information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments user-specific information by creating separate data structures for each user (e.g., userA-specific information, userB-specific information). When a content operation is performed, the system identifies which user initiated the operation and applies the operation only to that user's segmented information, preventing unintended effects on other users' data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies local quality by making user-specific information associated with each content instance have different properties or states based on the user. For example, protection status, watch history, or playback position are maintained locally for each user, allowing selective modification without affecting other users' local information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If user-specific information is associated with content instances, then personalized content experience is enabled, but complexity of managing multiple users' data increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-user content personalizationVSAvoiduser-specific information management
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements universality by creating a unified content instance that can serve multiple users simultaneously, each with their own user-specific information. The content instance acts as a universal container that adapts to different users through associated metadata, allowing one content object to fulfill multiple user-specific functions without requiring separate copies for each user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies the nested doll principle by embedding user-specific information within the content instance structure. Each content instance contains nested user-specific data (e.g., userA-specific information, userB-specific information) that can be independently accessed and modified, allowing hierarchical organization that reduces overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Measurement precision

If the system prompts users to select identifiers or log in to identify user-specific information, then accurate user identification is achieved, but operation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser identification accuracyVSAvoiduser identification time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing user identification mechanisms (such as login sessions or device associations) before content operations are needed. User-specific information is pre-linked to identified users, so when operations occur, the system can quickly determine which user's information to modify without requiring real-time identification prompts, thus reducing operational delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2689322B1Handling user-specific information for content during content-altering operations
Publication Date: 2020.09.02 DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • EP2689322B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2689322B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2689322B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A content player receives user-specific information from different users and associates the information with content. Subsequently, the player receives a request to perform a content-altering operation. In response, the player performs the operation such that the information for the requesting user is affected, but not the information for other users. The information may include a placeholder, an indication as to whether the content and/or the entire content has been accessed, a protection status indicating whether or not the content can be deleted, and so on. The information may be added to and/or configured to accompany and/or otherwise be associated with the content. The player may identify the user so that different information for different users can be associated with the content for the respective user, such as by prompting the user to select an identifier from a list or perform a "log in."