Secure Form Data Synchronization Across Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face the challenge of duplicating data entry across different computing devices due to incompatibility and redundancy, particularly when dealing with complex forms like tax forms, which require extensive input and calculation, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that establish a secure communication session between computing devices to transfer source data, match it based on predefined criteria, and calculate values for form fields, thereby populating them automatically, reducing the need for manual data entry and minimizing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If users manually enter data into forms on multiple computing devices, then data can be populated on each device, but data entry time increases and redundancy occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of the form data structure on each computing device and establishes a mapping between the master form data and device-specific form instances. This allows data to be replicated across devices without manual re-entry, resolving the contradiction by enabling instant data propagation while eliminating duplicate entry time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a mediation layer that manages data synchronization between computing devices and form instances. This intermediary mechanism automatically transfers and maps data from source devices to destination devices, eliminating the need for manual data entry while maintaining data consistency across the distributed system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If computing devices are designed for specific uses, then device functionality is optimized, but compatibility with other devices decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal form data structure that can be instantiated on diverse computing devices with different configurations. By defining a common data schema and mapping mechanism, the system enables forms to function consistently across smartphones, tablets, and desktops without requiring device-specific customization, thus improving compatibility while maintaining ease of deployment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If forms are made complex to handle various data requirements, then form functionality is enhanced, but data population time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes data mappings, validation rules, and calculation logic before the form is instantiated on a computing device. By preparing the form infrastructure in advance with pre-configured data structures and transformation rules, the system enables rapid data population without requiring complex real-time processing, thus reducing form population time while maintaining full form functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for populating a field on a form. The method includes: establishing a communication session between a first computing device and a second computing device; receiving, from a user of the first computing device, a selection of source data; transferring, over the secure communication session, the source data from the first computing device to the second computing device; matching, based on a matching criterion, the source data to the field in the second computing device; calculating, after matching the source data to the field, a value for the field based on the matching criterion and the source data; and populating the field with the value.