Embedded Application Data Merge Visibility Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Embedded applications face limitations in accessing and managing multiple documents on a user's computer, leading to issues like restricted multi-window viewing, 'blinking' documents, and inability to save documents, complicating the mail merge process for mass mailings.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allows an embedded application to control the software application to be invisible during the data merge process, identify newly created documents, and store them on a backend device, using a frontend device to perform data merges while the software application is accessed by the embedded application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an embedded application opens multiple documents during a data merge process, then the documents are created and personalized, but the user interface becomes cluttered with multiple visible windows causing viewing restrictions and blinking documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the embedded application communicates with the host application through a defined interface to control document visibility and window management. This mediator layer allows the data merge process to proceed with multiple documents while preventing them from cluttering the user interface, resolving the conflict between productivity and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the visibility parameter of documents during the data merge process. Documents are created with a hidden or minimized state rather than being fully visible, allowing the merge operation to process multiple documents efficiently while maintaining a clean user interface. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by decoupling document creation from document visibility
2Extent of automation
If an embedded application runs a software application to perform mail merge, then data can be merged into documents, but the embedded application cannot trigger document saving or suppress blinking documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the host application automatically performs document saving and window management tasks that would otherwise require user intervention. The embedded application triggers the save operation through the interface, and the host application autonomously handles the document persistence and interface state management, enabling reliable automated processing
Solution Approach 2:
The interface between the embedded and host applications serves as an intermediary that enables the embedded application to reliably trigger document saving. Through this mediated communication channel, the embedded application can initiate save operations that are reliably executed by the host application, resolving the limitation around document save functionality
3Ease of operation
If the software application is made invisible during the data merge process, then user interface issues are resolved, but the user cannot monitor the document creation process
Solution Approach 1:
The interface acts as an intermediary that provides feedback mechanisms to the user about the document creation process. Even though the documents themselves are hidden to maintain interface cleanliness, the mediator layer can provide status information, progress indicators, or logs that keep the user informed about the merge process, thus resolving the information loss concern
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and method in accordance with the presently claimed invention call embedded application to merge values into documents using applications on frontend devices. In some embodiments, the frontend application may be placed in an outplace view so that it will not be visible on the output viewed by the user. Further, in some embodiments, the front end device may trigger the saving of the documents that are created by the front end application.