Hierarchical Document Revision Timeline Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current document revision history display systems lack a hierarchical structure, making it difficult to navigate and understand complex revision histories, and often limit user interaction to simple undo operations without providing sufficient context for series of revisions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate a timeline object with marker objects associated with data objects, allowing users to configure applications based on the information stored in these objects, enabling a graphical user interface for navigating and filtering revision histories, and playing back video content to provide context.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If user operations are displayed in a flat list without hierarchical grouping, then all operations are visible and accessible, but navigation becomes difficult and information overload occurs in complex applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flat list of user operations into hierarchical groups based on temporal proximity and operational context. Operations are organized into clusters representing distinct editing sessions or logical groups, with parent groups containing child operations. This segmentation reduces the visible complexity while maintaining access to all operations through expandable/collapsible structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the previously flat operation list. By adding levels of organization (parent groups, child operations, sub-operations), the system transforms a one-dimensional list into a multi-dimensional structure that allows users to navigate from high-level summaries down to individual operations, effectively managing large numbers of operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If only basic undo operations are implemented, then the system remains simple, but the ability to utilize revision history information is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal revision history system that supports multiple operation types beyond simple undo. The system can restore operations, modify operations, analyze operations, and export operations. This multi-functionality is achieved through a unified data structure and control mechanism that handles various operation types consistently, reducing the need for separate specialized systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that provide users with information about revision history operations. The system displays operation metadata, group hierarchies, and contextual information that help users understand and utilize the revision history. This feedback enables users to make informed decisions about which operations to restore or modify.
3Loss of information
If a simple list of revisions is displayed, then the display mechanism remains simple, but users lack sufficient information to understand why revisions were made
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of revision history data into hierarchical groups before display. Operations are pre-clustered based on temporal and contextual criteria, and metadata is pre-processed to highlight important information. This preliminary action reduces the need for complex real-time processing during display and ensures that contextual information is readily available to users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by providing different levels of detail for different operations or operation groups. Important operations receive more detailed contextual information, while routine operations can be displayed more succinctly. This selective detail provision maintains information quality without uniformly increasing display complexity across all operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and technique for displaying a document's workflow history are disclosed. The system includes a graphical user interface for displaying one or more graphical representations of events generated by an application configured to edit a document. Each of the events generated by the application may be stored in a data structure that is associated with one or more portions of the document. The data structure may also be associated with a digital image that reflects the state of the document at the time the event was generated and one or more frames of digital video captured substantially simultaneously with the generation of the event. The system may display the stored events via graphical representations in the graphical user interface that represent a portion of the total document workflow history. A user may navigate through the graphical events based on a hierarchical algorithm for clustering events.