Managed Browser Collaboration Server for Cross-Application Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collaboration among team members using web applications that do not support collaboration or are not designed to work together becomes difficult, as changes and updates are not properly tracked, especially when applications like SAP Concur do not support collaboration, requiring team members to log directly into each application to view updates.
Innovation Solution
A computer system with a collaboration server and managed browsers that collect data on actions performed within web applications, generating notifications independent of the applications, which are then displayed to team members, providing a unified view of project changes across multiple web applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If team members use multiple web applications that do not support collaboration, then each application can be accessed independently, but tracking changes and updates across applications becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a collaboration server as an intermediary component that sits between multiple web applications and users. This server collects action data from various web applications, processes it, and generates unified notifications. The collaboration server acts as a mediator that enables cross-application tracking without requiring changes to the original web applications, thus resolving the contradiction by adding a coordinating layer rather than complicating individual applications.
2Ease of operation
If web applications generate their own notifications, then each application can notify users of its specific changes, but users must log into each application separately to view updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges notification functionality from multiple separate web applications into a single unified notification system. The collaboration server consolidates action data from various applications and presents it through a common interface, allowing users to view all updates in one place rather than logging into each application separately. This combining approach reduces the time users spend accessing updates while maintaining comprehensive notification coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration server provides a universal notification service that works across multiple different web applications. Instead of each application having its own dedicated notification system, the collaboration server creates a multi-functional platform that handles notifications for various application types (SaaS, custom, third-party) through a single interface, improving ease of operation and reducing access time.
3Reliability
If a collaboration system integrates with every web application, then comprehensive tracking is achieved, but the integration complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the collaboration system into distinct functional modules: a data collection layer that interfaces with web applications, a processing layer on the collaboration server, and a notification delivery layer. This segmentation allows the system to achieve comprehensive tracking through standardized interfaces while keeping implementation manageable by breaking down the complex integration task into smaller, independent components that can be configured separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration server acts as an intermediary that simplifies integration with web applications by providing standardized data collection mechanisms. Rather than requiring deep integration with each application's internal systems, the collaboration server collects action data through configurable methods (browser extensions, server hooks, APIs), making the system easier to implement while maintaining reliable tracking across diverse applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system includes client devices operated by users collaborating on a project, and a collaboration server. Each client device remotely accesses web applications via a managed browser to be used by the users collaborating on the project. The collaboration server cooperates with the managed browsers to receive from the managed browsers data corresponding to actions performed by each user within the web applications, generate notifications based on the actions performed by the users within the web applications, and cause the managed browsers to display the notifications. The notifications are generated independent from the web applications.