Context Synchronization Indicator for Disparate Applications
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In the healthcare industry, users face challenges in ensuring context synchronization across disparate applications, leading to potential misdiagnosis and errors due to the lack of an efficient method to determine if multiple applications are displaying information for the same patient, with existing solutions being either error-prone manual checks or complex automated protocols like CCOW.
Innovation Solution
A single user interface that periodically polls information from multiple applications to determine synchronization state, using color and/or icons to indicate whether applications are displaying data for the same entity, providing continuous feedback and eliminating the need for manual checks or complex notification mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual checking of each application is performed to ensure context synchronization, then user control and awareness are improved, but time consumption and error probability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring and detecting context synchronization states across multiple applications without requiring user intervention. The indicator system autonomously polls applications, compares context information, and updates visual indicators to reflect synchronization status, freeing the user from manual checking while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring application contexts and providing real-time visual indication of synchronization state through color-coded icons. This feedback loop allows users to immediately see whether applications are synchronized without manual verification, eliminating time loss while maintaining accuracy through automated detection.
2Loss of time
If automated synchronization protocols like CCOW are implemented, then time consumption is reduced, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary indicator application that acts as a mediator between multiple applications and the user. Instead of implementing complex synchronization protocols within each application, the indicator application polls applications for context information and determines synchronization state, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining automated functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses copying by retrieving and comparing context information from multiple applications without requiring deep integration or protocol implementation. The indicator application creates copies of context data (such as patient identifiers) from each application and compares them to determine synchronization, avoiding the complexity of implementing full synchronization protocols.
3Reliability
If CCOW protocol notification mechanisms are used to force application updates, then synchronization reliability is improved, but user control over data loss is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator application performs self-service by autonomously detecting context changes through periodic polling and user-initiated updates. Instead of forcing application updates through notification mechanisms, the system allows applications to maintain their own state while the indicator application independently monitors and reports synchronization status, preserving user control while ensuring reliability.
4Reliability
If multiple applications are monitored for context synchronization, then comprehensive oversight is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator application implements universality by providing a single multi-functional solution that can monitor any number of applications for context synchronization. The system uses a standardized approach of polling applications for context information and comparing key identifiers, making it universally applicable across different application types without requiring application-specific monitoring logic, thus managing complexity while maintaining comprehensive oversight.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a method to indicate context synchronization of applications on a computer desktop that polls information from disparate applications and provides an indication of whether or not the information is synchronized. The disclosure uses an application located on each workstation that performs the “polling” and displays the synchronization state. The present disclosure does not involve a server process. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.