Email Attachment Pre-fetching for Scroll Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices experience significant delays in displaying email attachments due to server processing time and network speed, with existing solutions only pre-fetching the initial data chunk, leading to continued waiting periods as users scroll through documents.
Innovation Solution
A method where an initial request is sent to a server to access and reconstruct a graph structure of the attachment, with the initial chunk of data being downloaded and stored on the device before display, and subsequent chunks are automatically requested and downloaded in the background as the user scrolls, ensuring immediate viewing without delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the attachment data is divided into multiple chunks and only the initial chunk is pre-fetched, then the initial display can proceed, but the user continues to wait several seconds before the next chunk data is available for viewing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically requesting and downloading subsequent data chunks in the background before the user actually needs to view them. When the user scrolls to the end of the current chunk, the next chunk is already downloaded and ready for immediate display, eliminating waiting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by seamlessly transitioning between data chunks. As one chunk is being displayed, the next chunk is being downloaded in the background, ensuring uninterrupted viewing experience without idle waiting periods between chunks.
2Reliability
If the attachment viewer waits for complete attachment download before display, then all data is available for viewing, but the user experiences significant delays of 20-30 seconds
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment data is segmented into multiple manageable chunks that can be downloaded and displayed incrementally. The initial chunk is downloaded and displayed immediately, providing quick access to content, while subsequent chunks are loaded on-demand as the user scrolls, balancing speed with data availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary download of the initial data chunk before the user needs to view it, allowing immediate display without waiting for complete attachment download. Subsequent chunks are pre-loaded in the background as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for downloading an attachment to a portable electronic device's attachment viewer includes: sending an initial request from the attachment viewer to a server in response to receiving an email including the attachment by the device; from the server, accessing a graph structure representing a map of the attachment previously built on the server; reconstructing the graph structure in response to the request and encapsulating the graph structure in data having an attachment viewer readable format; (i) downloading successive chunks of the data from the server to the attachment viewer responsive to successive requests; (ii) storing each of the successive chunks on the device prior to display thereof; (iii) displaying the successive chunks on the device and automatically downloading respective next chunks of the data from the server; and (iv) while chunks remain to be downloaded from the server performing (i) to (iii).