Mutation Clustering for Document Persistence

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Solution Overview

Problem

Editing tools in electronic content creation applications face processing bandwidth constraints and increased storage and latency issues due to high granularity in document mutations, especially in networked collaborations among multiple users.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that combine multiple document mutations into contextual mutation clusters, allowing for efficient data transmission and storage by identifying classes of mutations like translation, rotation, and resizing, and enabling redoing or undoing of these clusters upon user input, with validation and logging on a server.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If multiple document mutations are stored with high granularity, then user actions are accurately tracked, but storage capacity is consumed and communication latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemutation tracking precisionVSAvoidstorage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple fine-grained document mutations into coarse-grained mutation clusters that represent complete user actions. Instead of storing each individual mutation (e.g., each character insertion, deletion, or modification), the system groups related mutations that occur within a time window and are associated with the same user action, thereby reducing storage requirements while preserving the essential information about user intent and action semantics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the stream of document mutations into distinct clusters based on temporal boundaries and action semantics. By introducing time windows and action-based grouping criteria, the system divides the continuous stream of mutations into manageable segments that can be stored and transmitted more efficiently, reducing overall storage capacity consumption while maintaining the ability to reconstruct user actions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If multiple document mutations are stored with high granularity, then user actions are accurately tracked, but communication data stream latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemutation tracking precisionVSAvoidcommunication latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple fine-grained mutations into single coarse-grained mutation clusters that represent complete user actions. This consolidation reduces the total number of mutations that need to be transmitted over the network, thereby decreasing communication data stream latency while still accurately representing user actions through the clustered mutation data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary clustering and consolidation of mutations on the client side before transmission to the server. By pre-processing the mutation stream to group related mutations together and remove redundant information, the system reduces the amount of data that needs to be communicated, thereby reducing communication latency before the data even leaves the client device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple users collaborate on a document, then collaboration functionality is enabled, but processing bandwidth constraints are exceeded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration capabilityVSAvoidprocessing bandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines mutations from multiple users into unified mutation clusters that represent coordinated actions. By grouping related mutations from different users that occur within the same time window and affect the same document regions, the system reduces the total volume of mutation data that needs to be processed and transmitted across the network, thereby addressing processing bandwidth constraints while maintaining multi-user collaboration functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Loss of information

If large set of concatenated actions is stored, then user can access previous document versions, but storage capacity is consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument version accessibilityVSAvoidstorage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple fine-grained mutations into coarse-grained mutation clusters that represent complete user actions. This consolidation allows the system to store fewer, more meaningful units of document history, reducing storage capacity requirements while maintaining the ability for users to access and review previous document versions through the clustered action data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11275492B1Persistence strategy for applications

Publication Date: 2022.03.15 REALTIMEBOARD INC

AI summary

A method including combining multiple mutations of a document into a mutation cluster based on a contextual purpose for the mutations is provided. The method includes forming a proposal for modifying the document based on the mutation cluster, transmitting the proposal to a server for validation, storing the proposal in a proposal log when the server validates the proposal, and redoing or undoing the mutation cluster on the document upon an input from a user. A system and a non-transitory storage medium including instructions to perform the above method are also provided.