Online Document Commenting Visibility Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing online document commenting systems lack flexibility in displaying comments, often showing them to all users regardless of their commenting needs, which can clutter the interface and detract from the reading experience.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that monitor user interactions to identify commenting behaviors, convert non-preset document formats to a preset format, and display comment information only when a user actively comments, using modules for identification, format conversion, and comment display to ensure targeted comment visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If comment information is displayed to all users, then the commenting function is provided, but the interface becomes cluttered and reading experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommenting function availabilityVSAvoidinterface clutter

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making comment visibility user-specific rather than uniform across all users. The system identifies commenting users and displays comments only to them, while hiding comments from non-commenting users. This creates different visibility qualities for different user groups, resolving the contradiction between providing commenting functionality and avoiding interface clutter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If comment information is displayed to all users, then the commenting function is provided, but the flexibility of displaying comments is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommenting function availabilityVSAvoiddisplay flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making the comment display state changeable based on user behavior. The system dynamically adjusts comment visibility according to whether the user has performed commenting actions, transitioning between visible and hidden states. This dynamic approach enhances display flexibility while maintaining the commenting function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If comment information is displayed to all users, then the commenting function is provided, but targeted comment delivery is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommenting function availabilityVSAvoidtargeted comment delivery

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making comment visibility user-specific rather than uniform across all users. The system identifies commenting users and displays comments only to them, while hiding comments from non-commenting users. This creates different visibility qualities for different user groups, resolving the contradiction between providing commenting functionality and avoiding interface clutter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11436403B2Online document commenting method and apparatus

Publication Date: 2022.09.06 TIANJIN BYTEDANCE TECH CO LTD

AI summary

The present application provides an online document commenting method and apparatus. In an embodiment of the method, an operation of a user on a display interface is monitored, and a commenting behavior of commenting on a first document is recognized. The format of the first document is acquired when the commenting behavior is recognized, and the format of the first document is determined whether a pre-set format. The format of the first document is converted in order to generate a second document when the format of the first document is not the pre-set format, wherein the format of the second document is the pre-set format. The comment information regarding the second document is received and displayed. By means of the method, it is possible to present comment content to a user having a comment requirement, and not present the comment content to a user having no comment requirement.