Dynamic Clipping System for Live Web Content Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems lack an efficient method for users to clip and share specific areas of interest from web pages, requiring manual refresh and re-authoring to maintain current content, which is cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to define an area of interest, create a clip containing associated content, and present it in a clipping page, which can be edited, stored, and shared, with the option to refresh content based on a selectable scheme, using a clipping application that includes a focus engine for content identification, a render engine for presentation, and a state engine for managing content updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional editing tools are used to clip and save content to a clipboard, then the content can be pasted into another document, but the user must clip and paste the content again if it is modified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a live clipping system that maintains a dynamic link between the original content source and the clipped content. Instead of copying content statically to a clipboard, the system creates a reference that automatically updates when the source content changes, eliminating the need to re-clip modified content.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing the clipping relationship and storing reference information (URL, area of interest coordinates) in advance. This preliminary setup enables automatic content updates without requiring subsequent manual intervention when content changes.
2Reliability
If a user manually requests a refresh of a web page to view current content, then the content is updated, but the process requires user intervention each time
Solution Approach 1:
The clipping system implements self-service by automatically detecting and retrieving updated content from the source URL without requiring user intervention. The system monitors the clipped content source and performs automatic refreshes, making the content self-updating and eliminating manual refresh operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple areas of interest are selected and saved separately, then each area can be managed individually, but the authoring process requires creating a new document and precise positioning and layout of content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal clipping page format that can contain multiple clippings from different sources and areas of interest. This unified structure eliminates the need for separate documents for each clipping, allowing multiple areas of interest to be managed in a single standardized format with automatic layout.
4Adaptability or versatility
If selected areas are transferred or shared by transferring the document and content, then the content can be shared with other users, but re-authoring and potentially re-transferring the document is required to update the selected areas with current content
Solution Approach 1:
The system shares clippings by transferring reference information (URLs, area of interest definitions) rather than static content copies. This enables recipients to access and view clippings locally while the system maintains live connections to source content, allowing automatic updates without re-authoring or re-transferring documents.
Data Source
AI summary
An area of interest can be defined in a content presentation and a clip can be created that contains content associated with the area of interest. The clip can be presented with other clippings in a clipping page where it can be edited by a user. The clipping page can be stored as a web page or other content source, so that the clipping page can be shared with other users. The clippings can be refreshed in accordance with a selectable refresh scheme.