Digital Archive System Anchor File Linking and Annotation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Digital scrapbooks, both physical and digital, often become unmanageable as they grow, and details about items and their relationships are lost over time, making it difficult to preserve and access sentimental content effectively.

Innovation Solution

A digital archive system that allows users to designate anchor files, link related files, annotate relationships, filter by file type, and manage access rights, enabling users to organize and preserve digital mementos like images, audio, and text files within a user-friendly interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital scrapbooks are maintained to preserve digital mementos, then sentimental content can be preserved, but the collections become large and difficult to manage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepreservation of sentimental contentVSAvoidmanageability of collections
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the digital collection into organized collections with hierarchical structures, allowing users to divide large collections into manageable groups. This segmentation enables better organization and retrieval of digital mementos while preserving their sentimental value.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary indexing system that connects digital files to physical objects and collections. This intermediary layer provides metadata and relationships between items, making the collection manageable by creating a structured framework for organizing and navigating digital mementos.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If digital scrapbooks are maintained over time, then memories can be preserved, but details about items and interrelationships become lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepreservation of memoriesVSAvoidloss of details and interrelationships
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by creating metadata and indexing information at the time of file ingestion and organization. This preliminary documentation captures details about items and their relationships before they are stored, ensuring that information is preserved and readily accessible in the future.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms through search and retrieval functions that allow users to query the collection and view detailed information about items and their relationships. This feedback loop ensures that information remains accessible and can be reviewed over time, preventing loss of details.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If users link files to anchor files to organize content, then accessibility is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility of contentVSAvoidlinking system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by allowing users to easily link files to anchor files through intuitive user interface operations. The system automatically maintains the linking relationships and provides automated retrieval functions, reducing the need for users to manually manage complexity while maintaining accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8849864B2Digital archive systems, methods and computer program products for linking linked files
Publication Date: 2014.09.30 BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION(US)
  • US8849864B2 patent drawing
  • US8849864B2 patent drawing
  • US8849864B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A digital archive system includes a plurality of digital files and a user interface that allows a user to designate any one of the files as an anchor file and to link other ones of the files to a designated anchor file. The user interface allows a user to annotate each file linked to an anchor file with information describing the respective file and any relationship between the anchor file and the respective linked file. The content of an anchor file and all files linked thereto can be displayed via the user interface.