File Change Batching for Responsive Add-In Content Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing software add-ins are overwhelmed by unrestrained data streams, leading to degraded application performance and unresponsive user interfaces due to inefficient communication and processing of large content sections instead of individual edits.

Innovation Solution

A system that filters and batches changes made to a file, regulating the rate of updates between an application and an add-in using thresholds and criteria, such as change frequency and elapsed time, to improve communication efficiency and reduce unnecessary traffic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If applications communicate large sections of content to add-ins for every edit, then add-ins can process comprehensive content data, but application performance degrades and user interface becomes unresponsive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent processing completenessVSAvoidapplication responsiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments content changes into individual edit events rather than transmitting entire paragraphs or sections. The application monitors changes at a granular level and communicates only the specific edited portions to the add-in, reducing data volume while maintaining processing completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by transmitting only the necessary portion of content changes to the add-in. Instead of sending complete sections, the system sends selective subsets of changes based on what the add-in actually needs to process, reducing unnecessary data communication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Speed

If add-ins process every content change immediately, then data is communicated in real-time, but processing resources are inefficiently used

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate frequencyVSAvoidprocessing resource efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic action by batching multiple content changes together before communicating with the add-in. Instead of immediate one-to-one communication for each edit, the system accumulates changes over a period and transmits them in batches, reducing communication frequency while maintaining data completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing and filtering content changes before communication. The application monitors and evaluates changes in advance, determining which changes warrant add-in processing and preparing the data in advance, thus avoiding unnecessary real-time processing overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of information

If applications send all content changes to add-ins, then no data is lost, but communication traffic overwhelms the system

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent change completenessVSAvoidcommunication data volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential content change information that the add-in needs to process. The application filters out redundant or unnecessary change data and communicates only the critical portions, maintaining information completeness for processing while reducing overall communication volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by tailoring the communication data to the specific needs of the add-in. Different types of changes are communicated with different levels of detail based on what each add-in requires, optimizing data volume while ensuring each add-in receives sufficient information for its function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3724837B1Enhanced processing and communication of file content for analysis
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3724837B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3724837B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3724837B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

The following disclosure provides a system that filters and batches changes to improve communication between an application and an add-in. In some embodiments, the application batches a threshold number of changes made to a section of content. Using a threshold regulates the rate of updates to the add-in. In some embodiments, changes can be filtered based on the type of change (e.g. text changes, style changes, etc.) or the type of input that caused the change (e.g. keyboard input, cut and paste command, etc.). Filtering changes can reduce traffic between the application and the add-in, preventing the add-in from being overwhelmed and improving application responsiveness.