Location Manager for Cross-Device Content Resumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience when switching between computing devices to access content items, as existing technologies do not effectively preserve the user's experience, requiring manual searching for the previous location, especially when using different devices or applications.
Innovation Solution
A method that stores and synchronizes location information across multiple computing devices, allowing users to continue content items from the exact location where they left off, using a location manager that generates and updates this information, either through a remote server or peer-to-peer communication, ensuring seamless access across various devices and applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If location information is stored locally in each application, then the user can continue content from the previous location in that specific application, but the location information cannot be accessed by different applications or computing devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a location manager as an intermediary component that centralizes the storage and management of location information. Instead of each application storing location data independently, the location manager serves as a universal mediator that all applications can access. This resolves the contradiction by enabling cross-application and cross-device location information access through a centralized repository, while the standardized interface keeps the system complexity manageable.
2Loss of time
If the user manually searches for the previous location in content items, then no additional storage infrastructure is needed, but the user experiences time loss and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically tracking and storing the user's location in content items as they use them. The location manager continuously monitors content access and saves position information without requiring user intervention. When the user returns to the same content on any device, the system automatically retrieves and applies the stored location, eliminating manual searching and reducing time loss.
3Adaptability or versatility
If location information is stored on a remote server, then access across multiple computing devices is enabled, but network dependency and synchronization complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The location manager implements self-service by automatically handling all synchronization operations without requiring user intervention. When content is accessed on different devices, the location manager autonomously retrieves location information from the remote server, applies it to the current content, and updates the server with new location data. This automation resolves the contradiction by enabling cross-device access while hiding the synchronization complexity from the user.
Data Source
AI summary
A content management system stores location information indicating a location within a content item where a user exited from or last-accessed the content item. This location information is synchronized or otherwise shared between or among a plurality of devices associated with the user. With this information stored on or accessible to these multiple devices, the system enables the user to start from that location when subsequently accessing the content item on any of these devices. The user's experience with the content item is thus preserved over time and independently of the device on which the content item is accessed.