Document Management System with Satellite Node Caching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing document management systems face challenges in managing electronic documents across geographically dispersed offices or facilities, particularly in multi-user environments where ownership and access permissions change, and where satellite offices may be temporarily offline, making it difficult to ensure access to the most recent document versions.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that stores electronic documents in a common repository with ownership information managed by a master node, allowing multiple owners and enabling access and replication control across satellite nodes, even when some documents are locally stored without replication, ensuring seamless access and authorization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If centralized storage or replication of electronic documents is employed for multiple offices, then access to documents is improved across the enterprise, but difficulty in managing ownership and access permissions increases in multi-user environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to documentsVSAvoidownership and access permission management

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments document management by introducing satellite servers that locally cache documents for specific offices or users. This divides the centralized storage system into distributed segments, allowing local access without requiring constant central authorization management for every access request.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces satellite servers as intermediary components between the central document management system and local users. These intermediaries cache documents locally and handle access requests, reducing the complexity of direct centralized permission management while maintaining security through the master-satellite server architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If ownership of electronic documents is restricted to a single satellite office or user, then access control is simplified, but ability to share and collaborate on documents across multiple offices deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess controlVSAvoiddocument sharing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system adds a new dimension to ownership by implementing hierarchical ownership where documents can have a master owner at the central server level and multiple satellite servers can access and cache copies. This multi-level ownership structure allows simplified local access control while enabling broad document sharing across the enterprise network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If satellite offices are allowed to temporarily go offline, then operational flexibility is improved, but ability to access most recent document versions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoffline operation capabilityVSAvoiddocument version synchronization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by having satellite servers cache document versions locally before going offline. This advance local storage ensures that even when disconnected from the central server, satellite offices can continue to access and work with the most recent document versions available, maintaining operational flexibility without losing version synchronization capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Speed

If documents are replicated to satellite servers for local access, then access speed is improved, but document integrity and version control complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument access speedVSAvoidversion control

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where satellite servers periodically check for document updates from the master server and synchronize their local caches. This feedback loop maintains document integrity and version control across the distributed system, allowing fast local access while ensuring documents remain synchronized with the central repository.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9063932B2Apparatus, method and article to manage electronic or digital documents in a networked environment

Publication Date: 2015.06.23 VERTAFORE

AI summary

Systems and methods of electronic or digital document management allow satellite offices, sites or facilities to replicate some documents in a shared or common electronic document repository, while storing other documents only locally, while allowing document management functions seamlessly across an enterprise independent of whether the electronic or digital documents or files are replicated to a shared or common repository, for instance a central electronic or digital document repository.