Hierarchical Document Structure for Inline Content Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for presenting documentation in electronic formats either result in large, monolithic documents that are difficult to navigate or fragmented documents that require users to search for relevant information, failing to align with users' information-seeking behavior.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical document structure with dynamic chunking, where each hierarchical level is displayed along with its associated sub-levels, allowing for inline display of the entire hierarchy, and using a recursive document structure that can be transformed into flattened documents for efficient presentation and searching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entirety of the content is provided as a single monolithic document, then the document is complete and self-contained, but it becomes difficult to navigate and locate relevant information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monolithic document into hierarchical segments (levels) where content is organized into parent-child relationships. Each level represents a segmentable unit that can be independently displayed, allowing users to navigate through specific portions without viewing the entire document, thus resolving the contradiction between document completeness and navigation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical structure where lower-level content is nested within parent levels. This allows the document to maintain its complete hierarchical structure while enabling users to view and navigate at different levels of granularity, effectively combining document completeness with improved navigability.
2Ease of operation
If the document is fragmented into separate sections, then navigation between sections is simplified, but users must hunt and seek for different portions of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal hierarchical framework that serves multiple functions: it enables section-level navigation while also providing context through parent levels, and allows users to access any portion of interest without hunting. The hierarchical structure acts as a multi-functional navigation system that adapts to different information-seeking behaviors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a hierarchical dimension to the document structure, transforming the traditional linear or fragmented navigation into a multi-dimensional navigation system. Users can move vertically through hierarchical levels and horizontally through content at each level, providing multiple pathways to information and eliminating the need to hunt for content.
3Device complexity
If each level is displayed separately, then the presentation is simplified, but the context and relationship between levels are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds lower-level content within the context of parent levels using a nested hierarchical structure. When displaying content at any level, the system maintains references to parent and child levels, preserving the hierarchical context and relationships while keeping the presentation manageable through structured organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical level structure acts as an intermediary that connects separate content portions while maintaining their relationships. Each level serves as a mediator that provides context for its child content and is contextualized by its parent, thereby preserving hierarchical relationships without requiring complex cross-referencing.
4Device complexity
If a monolithic document structure is used, then storage is simplified, but storage requirements increase for large documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic document into hierarchical levels that can be stored and managed as separate units. This segmentation allows for more efficient storage by enabling selective loading and caching of specific levels based on user needs, reducing the memory footprint and storage requirements for large documents while maintaining a simple hierarchical storage structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an improved approach to implement authoring and presentation of information to users in electronic formats. The document may include multiple hierarchical levels, where the entirety of a given hierarchical level is displayed along with each sub-level that is associated with selected level. The contents of the entire hierarchy of any portion of a hierarchy can be displayed inline at any given level of the document.