Document Object Graph for Relevant Information Retrieval

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional document hosting systems face challenges in efficiently representing and searching for relationships among documents and user profiles due to cumbersome folder hierarchies that become outdated and impractical as organizations grow, leading to inefficiencies in locating relevant information.

Innovation Solution

The system generates an object graph comprising interconnected nodes representing relationships among documents, folders, and user profiles, calculating relevance scores based on user queries or inputs to provide efficient access to relevant information without manual reorganization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a folder hierarchy is used to organize documents, then documents can be structured and categorized, but the system becomes impractical and slow to search as the organization grows and the hierarchy becomes multilayered and outdated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of searching for informationVSAvoidcomplexity of information structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from a static folder hierarchy to a dynamic graph-based information structure that automatically adapts as documents are added or modified. The graph structure dynamically updates relationships between documents, users, and projects without requiring manual reorganization, resolving the contradiction by making the system both easy to search and adaptable to growth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimensional approach by representing documents, users, and projects as nodes in a graph with multiple relationship types (edges), rather than organizing them in a single-dimensional folder hierarchy. This multi-dimensional graph structure enables efficient searching across diverse relationships while avoiding the complexity of deep nested folders.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a curated folder hierarchy is maintained to represent organizational structure, then information can be organized by topic, but the structure becomes outdated quickly as projects change and teams reorganize

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability of information structureVSAvoidtime to reorganize information structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-updating graph structure that automatically maintains itself as documents are added, modified, or deleted. The system autonomously updates relationships between nodes without requiring manual intervention, making the information structure continuously adaptable while eliminating the time cost of manual reorganization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent pre-establishes a flexible graph framework that can accommodate any organizational structure upfront, eliminating the need for subsequent reorganization. The graph structure is designed to naturally adapt to changing projects and teams without requiring preliminary manual restructuring efforts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If documents are organized in strict folder hierarchies, then each document belongs to one folder, but relationships among documents in different folders cannot be represented

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to represent relationships among documentsVSAvoidcomplexity of representing cross-folder relationships
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal graph structure where nodes (documents, users, projects) can have multiple types of relationships simultaneously. Each node can be connected to multiple other nodes through different edge types, enabling the representation of diverse relationships without requiring complex folder nesting or multiple classification systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260056962A1Identifying relevant information within a document hosting system
Publication Date: 2026.02.26 DROPBOX INC
  • US20260056962A1 patent drawing
  • US20260056962A1 patent drawing
  • US20260056962A1 patent drawing

AI summary

This disclosure generally covers systems and methods that identify relevant information for a user based on an object graph for documents and other files hosted by a document hosting system. In particular, certain embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods generate an object graph comprising interconnected nodes representing relationships among documents and other files on the document hosting system. Using the object graph, the disclosed systems and methods can identify relevant information and provide results or recommendations corresponding to that information based on a query or on user input, respectively.