Structured Document Inheritance Using Persistent Field Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated detection and maintenance of semantic relationships between documents with varying content and formats is difficult due to variability in vocabulary and organizational structure, leading to inefficient and manual content exchange.
Innovation Solution
A system that assigns unique identifiers to structured documents, enabling programmatic access and persistent inheritance of content between documents, regardless of semantic relationships, by using a server to manage and update these links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated detection and maintenance of semantic relationships between documents is implemented, then content exchange efficiency is improved, but difficulty in detecting and measuring semantic relationships increases due to variability in vocabulary and organizational structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces unique identifiers as an intermediary layer between document content and the inheritance system. These identifiers serve as mediators that enable automated detection and linking of semantic relationships without requiring the system to understand or analyze the variable vocabulary and organizational structures of the documents themselves. The identifier acts as a bridge that simplifies the complexity of semantic relationship detection.
2Loss of time
If manual content exchange between documents is used, then accuracy of content maintenance is preserved, but loss of time increases due to manual intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a copying mechanism where content from source documents is copied to destination documents through unique identifier matching. The system copies not only the content itself but also the inheritance relationship metadata, enabling automated propagation of content updates across multiple documents without manual intervention. This copying approach maintains accuracy by preserving the original content while enabling full automation.
3Ease of operation
If unique identifiers are assigned to all fields in structured documents, then ease of operation is improved for programmatic access, but device complexity increases due to additional metadata management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document structure into distinct components: the original content fields and the inherited fields with unique identifiers. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by treating identifier assignment and content management as separate, independent operations. The unique identifiers are assigned to specific fields that need inheritance, rather than all fields, providing granular control and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method in a computing device includes: storing a first structured document including a first plurality of fields, respective first values for each of the first plurality of fields, and respective first unique identifiers for each of the first plurality of fields; storing a second structured document including a second plurality of fields, respective second values for each of the second plurality of fields, and respective second unique identifiers for each of the second plurality of fields; receiving, from a client computing device, an inheritance command including a source identifier selected from the second unique identifiers, and a destination identifier selected from the first unique identifiers; storing an inheritance indicator containing the source identifier, in association with the destination identifier; and inserting the second value corresponding to the source identifier into the first structured document, in association with the first field corresponding to the destination identifier.