Legislative Code Versioning via Embedded Optical Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Print volumes of legislative code lack essential information to help readers understand changes and determine the current version, as they may be outdated and do not provide easy access to prior or later versions, and lack mechanisms to identify specific updates since publication.
Innovation Solution
A legislative code versioning system that embeds computer-readable addresses (CRAs) into print volumes, allowing users to link to digital versions with redlined changes, enabling access to current and historical versions, and allowing users to select and print updated portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If print volumes are published periodically to reflect changes in legislative code, then the legislative code is made accessible in a stable format, but the content becomes outdated between publication cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds computer-readable optical codes (QR codes, barcodes) into the print volume that link to digital versions of the legislative code. This adds a digital dimension to the traditional print medium, allowing users to access current online versions while maintaining the stability of the physical publication format.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computer-readable optical codes as an intermediary between the print volume and the digital legislative code database. These codes serve as bridges that connect the stable physical medium to the dynamic digital content, enabling users to access updated information without compromising the integrity of the print format.
2Loss of information
If annotations identify laws that changed particular sections of legislative code, then changes are tracked, but readers must read the identified laws to understand how the code changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the legislative code that includes the print volume content plus additional metadata about changes. Users can access this digital copy through the embedded optical codes, where change information is presented in a more accessible format with markings indicating differences between versions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the change tracking information from the constraints of print to the flexibility of digital format. The digital version provides change markings and comparative views that are difficult to implement in print, allowing readers to understand changes without having to read through entire amended laws.
3Ease of operation
If readers use print volumes to access legislative code, then they have a physical reference, but they have no way of knowing whether the volume includes current information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds computer-readable optical codes that provide feedback to users about the current status of the legislative code. When scanned, these codes direct users to digital versions where they can see the most current information and understand what changes have occurred since the print volume was published.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical codes serve as intermediaries that connect the static print volume to the dynamic digital database. This intermediary mechanism allows users to verify currency of information and access updates without abandoning the physical reference they already have.
4Loss of information
If computer-readable optical codes are embedded in print volumes, then users can access current digital versions, but the publication medium becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the publication medium multi-functional by combining traditional print capabilities with digital connectivity features. The same print volume serves both as a standalone physical reference and as a gateway to digital resources, maximizing the utility of the publication without requiring separate systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A legislative code versioning system that overcomes various technical deficiencies is described herein. For example, the system can allow users to see which specific updates to a printable copy of a legislative code have occurred since the creation of that printable copy. A computer-readable address that, when read by a computing device, links the computing device to a digital version of the printable copy may be embedded into the publication. The digital version can be depicted in a content page in a network-accessible publication format that displays redlines, annotations, markings, or other representations of change that track differences between two or more versions of the legislative code. Alternatively or in addition, the same or a separate embedded CRA can, when read, link a user device to an unmarked publication of the legislative code.