Messaging Attachment Redundancy Detection via Fingerprint Directory

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The repeated transmission of redundant content items in messaging services leads to increased power consumption, storage demands, and network bandwidth usage, as current systems lack efficient methods to detect and avoid transmitting previously sent attachments.

Innovation Solution

A messaging content management system that generates fingerprints for attachments and uses a fingerprint directory to determine if an attachment has been previously sent, thereby avoiding unnecessary transmissions by skipping the attachment if a match is found.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If attachments are transmitted to all messaging service users without redundancy detection, then all users can receive the attachment, but network bandwidth usage increases and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment delivery completenessVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by generating fingerprints of attachments before transmission and storing them in a fingerprint directory. When a new attachment is to be sent, the system first checks if its fingerprint already exists in the directory, avoiding redundant transmissions before they occur. This preliminary detection mechanism prevents unnecessary power consumption while ensuring all users receive unique attachments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a messaging content management system as an intermediary between users and the messaging service. This intermediary manages attachment transmissions by checking fingerprints against the directory, determining which attachments need to be sent, and coordinating the transmission process. This mediator optimizes network bandwidth usage and power consumption while maintaining complete delivery of unique attachments to all users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If attachments are transmitted to all messaging service users without redundancy detection, then all users can receive the attachment, but network bandwidth usage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment delivery completenessVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system generates and stores attachment fingerprints in advance in a fingerprint directory. Before transmitting any attachment, the system performs a preliminary check to see if the attachment's fingerprint already exists in the directory. This preliminary action identifies redundant attachments, allowing the system to skip their transmission and thereby reduce network bandwidth usage while still ensuring all users receive unique attachments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The messaging content management system acts as an intermediary that manages the attachment transmission process. It checks fingerprints against the directory, determines which attachments are redundant, and coordinates transmissions only for unique attachments. This intermediary function optimizes network bandwidth usage by eliminating redundant data transmission while maintaining complete delivery of necessary content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of energy

If the system checks for attachment redundancy using fingerprints, then redundant transmissions are avoided, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidmessaging system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the redundancy detection functionality from the individual user devices and places it in a centralized messaging content management system. Instead of each device implementing complex fingerprint comparison logic, the system extracts this function to a central authority that maintains the fingerprint directory. This reduces device complexity while still achieving the energy savings from avoiding redundant transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The messaging content management system serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of fingerprint generation, storage, and comparison. By centralizing these complex operations in a dedicated system rather than distributing them across all user devices, the patent reduces the complexity burden on individual devices while maintaining the energy efficiency benefits of redundancy detection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3939216B1Reducing avoidable transmissions of electronic message content
Publication Date: 2024.03.13 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3939216B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3939216B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3939216B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Techniques for electronic messaging including identifying a first user-indicated attachment associated with a message to a recipient body, and determining that the first user-indicated attachment is redundant, such that a fingerprint for the first user-indicated attachment corresponds to a second user-indicated attachment. In some examples, the determination results in a sending device presenting a notification that the first user-indicated attachment is redundant with an attachment previously sent to or sent by a recipient user. In some examples, the determination results in a recipient device presenting a description of the message that includes an indication that the first user-indicated attachment is redundant and selectively enabling a user-initiated operation related to presentation of the message. In some examples, the determination results in transmitting to an end-user device an indication that the first user-indicated attachment is redundant.