Inter-Widget Communication Server for Dynamic Content Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing widgets are static and independent, unable to share information or dynamically adjust their content based on user preferences or other widgets, leading to inefficient use of space and limited functionality.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an Inter-Widget Communication (IWC) system that allows widgets to communicate and form hierarchical relationships, enabling data-sharing and scheduling controls through an IWC Server and Widget Servers, allowing widgets to derive content from each other and adjust their display timing and duration based on user-defined settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If widgets are made independent and static, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability and information sharing capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that enables communication and information sharing between widgets without requiring direct widget-to-widget interaction. The server receives requests from widgets, processes them, and returns appropriate responses, thereby maintaining widget independence while enabling adaptability and information sharing capabilities.
2Loss of information
If widgets continuously display content, then information availability is improved, but space efficiency and user experience deteriorate due to clutter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic display behavior where widgets appear and disappear based on scheduled times and durations. Instead of continuously occupying space, widgets are displayed only when relevant information is available or when scheduled to appear, improving space efficiency while maintaining information availability through timed updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes widget display behavior dynamic by allowing widgets to adjust their presence based on real-time conditions, user preferences, and information relevance. Widgets can dynamically appear, update content, and disappear rather than maintaining a static continuous presence, optimizing both space utilization and information delivery.
3Ease of operation
If widgets are configured with fixed initial settings, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to changing user preferences and other widgets deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where widgets receive information from user interactions, other widgets, and server responses to dynamically adjust their content and behavior. The server collects feedback from multiple sources and uses it to update widget content in real-time, allowing widgets to adapt to changing user preferences while maintaining simple initial configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes widgets multi-functional by enabling them to serve multiple purposes: displaying initial configured content, receiving and processing information from other widgets, adapting to user preferences, and responding to scheduled events. This universality allows widgets to maintain simple initial setup while becoming highly adaptable to various conditions and user needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus enabling inter-widget communication and control uses a central server to receive selected widgets and settings associated with at least one widget, wherein the received settings are used to at least partly determine the settings of the other selected widgets according to a pre-defined relationship between or among the widgets.