Metadata Copy Attachment for Collaboration Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collaboration systems face issues with object attachments, where attribute changes to an attached object can inadvertently grant access to unauthorized users, leading to security and access control challenges.
Innovation Solution
The system implements a method to attach one object to another by creating lightweight metadata copies without copying content, allowing for secure access management and propagation of access control lists, enabling attachments by reference or copy, and maintaining referential integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the system copies full object metadata including content identifiers when attaching objects, then complete object information is preserved, but system overhead and memory consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments object data into two distinct parts: content identifiers (stored in the attachment metadata) and actual content (stored in the original object). This segmentation allows the attachment to reference only the essential identifying information rather than duplicating the entire object, thereby reducing memory consumption while preserving complete object information through the content identifier reference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a selective copying mechanism where only metadata (content identifiers) are copied during attachment, not the actual object content. This partial copying approach preserves the ability to identify and access the original object completely while minimizing the quantity of data stored in the attachment relationship.
2Reliability
If the system creates deep copies of objects with all their attachments when an object is modified, then data integrity is maintained, but processing time and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the content identifier from the full object and stores it in the attachment metadata. When an object is modified, only the attachment metadata (containing the content identifier reference) needs to be updated, not the entire object hierarchy. This extraction approach maintains data integrity through the persistent content identifier reference while dramatically reducing the processing time and computational overhead of object modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a shallow copying strategy where only the content identifier reference is copied in the attachment metadata, not the entire object structure. This allows the system to maintain data integrity through the immutable content identifier while avoiding the time-consuming process of deep copying entire object hierarchies during modifications.
3Ease of manufacture
If the system stores content directly in attachment metadata, then attachment operations are simple, but access control and security management become complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the content identifier from the full object and stores it separately in the attachment metadata, while the actual content remains in the original object with its existing access control mechanisms. This separation maintains simple attachment operations (storing just the identifier) while preserving the existing access control and security management of the original object, avoiding the complexity of managing access controls for copied content.
Solution Approach 2:
The content identifier acts as an intermediary between the attachment metadata and the actual object content. This intermediary allows simple attachment operations (storing the identifier) while maintaining the complex access control and security management of the original object through the identifier reference, without directly coupling the attachment structure with the content access control mechanisms.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the system allows attribute changes to attached objects, then objects remain dynamic and up-to-date, but unauthorized access risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a reference-based attachment system where the attachment metadata contains a content identifier that references the original object. This allows the attached object to remain dynamic and up-to-date (adaptability) as the original object can be modified, while unauthorized access risk is controlled through the existing access control mechanisms of the original object. The content identifier acts as a secure reference that maintains the access control policy without creating additional access vectors.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer that is programmed with software attaches one object (“from-object”) to another object (“to-object”) by preparing a new duplicate of certain metadata in the from-object, without copying any content of the from-object. The new duplicate metadata is stored in memory for use in identifying the from-object and the to-object as being attached. If the from-object itself has any existing attachments, e.g. to a group of additional objects, there already exists a group of existing metadatas that form existing attachments between the from-object and the group of additional objects. In such a case, the computer still prepares, without content copying, a group of new metadatas to identify the relationship between a corresponding additional object and the from-object. Some embodiments also identify the to-object within each metadata in the group of new metadatas, thereby to identify a path of objects through which an additional object is accessible.