Journal-Based Digital Ink Conflict Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collaboration systems for documents with digital ink on computing devices face challenges in managing conflicts and user experience, particularly in peer-to-peer networks where equal treatment of all users is essential for a seamless collaboration experience, and centralized processing approaches increase complexity and processing time.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a journal-based approach to manage digital ink collaboration, where each computing device processes handwriting input and communicates journal entries across a network, linking entries based on identification information and time, allowing for branching and linking of entries to handle concurrent inputs from multiple devices, thereby maintaining document integrity and user equality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized processing is used to manage digital ink collaboration, then conflict resolution capability is improved, but processing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized conflict resolution function into distributed peer-to-peer operations. Each device independently resolves conflicts using local journal entries and timestamp-based sequencing, eliminating the need for a central server to process and arbitrate all collaboration conflicts. This segmentation reduces processing complexity while maintaining conflict resolution capability through decentralized autonomous operation.
2Reliability
If document locking is used to prevent conflicts, then conflict elimination is improved, but user collaboration flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback through timestamp-based conflict detection and resolution. Each device monitors journal entries from other devices, detects conflicts through timestamp comparison, and automatically resolves them by sequencing operations chronologically. This feedback mechanism eliminates conflicts without requiring document locking, maintaining collaboration flexibility while ensuring data consistency through real-time conflict awareness and automatic resolution.
3Reliability
If master-slave user hierarchy is implemented, then conflict mediation is improved, but user equality and experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates equipotential conditions by treating all peer devices equally in the collaboration network. Each device operates with the same journal-based conflict resolution capabilities and timestamp-based sequencing authority, eliminating hierarchical master-slave relationships. This equipotential approach maintains conflict mediation reliability through standardized autonomous operations while ensuring user equality and adaptable collaboration experiences for all participants.
4Ease of operation
If annotation layers with centralized processing are used, then handwriting collaboration is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling each peer device to independently process and resolve conflicts using local journal entries and timestamp-based sequencing algorithms. Devices autonomously manage their own annotation layers without requiring centralized processing intervention, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining ease of handwriting collaboration. The self-service mechanism allows parallel processing of multiple annotation layers across the distributed network.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and computer program product for use in managing collaboration on documents having digital ink on a network of computing devices is disclosed. Each computing device has a processor and at least one system application for processing handwriting input under control of the processor. The system application displays, on a display associated with one of the computing devices, a document having digital ink based on a journal of the document, defines the journal to have journal entries associated with at least handwriting input to the document represented by the digital ink, and communicates the journal entries of the journal with one or more of the other networked computing devices displaying the document. The handwriting input associated with the journal entries is handwriting input to the document via the input interface of any of the computing devices displaying the document based on the communicated journal entries.