Mapping Supplemental Content Layers Between Textbook Editions

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Solution Overview

Problem

When new editions of textbooks are published, the dynamically aggregated content from previous editions is lost, depriving initial readers of the benefits of user-generated and related supplemental content.

Innovation Solution

An electronic publishing platform maps and correlates content items between source and target documents, generating indexes to transfer supplemental content layers from the target document to the source document, ensuring initial readers gain access to dynamically-generated content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If new editions of textbooks are published with updated content, then the content is improved and updated, but the dynamically aggregated supplemental content from previous editions is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent qualityVSAvoidsupplemental content

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a mapping between content items in the new edition (source document) and the previous edition (target document), copying the dynamically aggregated supplemental content layers from the target document to the source document. This allows the new edition to inherit and preserve the valuable user-generated and related content from the previous edition while maintaining content updates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary mapping and correlation of content items between editions before the new edition is fully released. By pre-establishing the relationships between source and target document content items, the supplemental content can be automatically transferred and made available to initial readers of the new edition.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If content items are correlated between source and target documents to map supplemental content layers, then the supplemental content is preserved and transferred, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupplemental content preservationVSAvoidcontent mapping system

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the content mapping process into distinct components: content item correlation, index generation, and supplemental content layer mapping. Each component handles a specific aspect of the transfer process, making the overall complex task manageable and maintainable through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces indexes as an intermediary mechanism between source and target documents. These indexes store the correlation relationships between content items, serving as a mediator that enables the mapping of supplemental content layers without requiring direct complex interactions between the full document structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9542392B2Mapping published related content layers into correlated reconstructed documents

Publication Date: 2017.01.10 CHEGG

AI summary

An electronic publishing platform maps supplemental content layers associated with one or more paired target documents, such as user-generated content layers associated with the paired target documents, into a source document. The publishing platform correlates content items in the source document to content items in the paired target documents. Based on the correlation, the publishing platform generates indexes mapping the source document content items to the paired target document content items. The publishing platform uses the indexes to map supplemental content layers associated with the paired target document to the source document.