Automatic Online Content Attribution Fading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users cannot automatically schedule or gradually remove their attribution from online content without manually deleting it, which limits their ability to control publicity and personalization associated with their posts over time.
Innovation Solution
A method for automatically fading online user content, allowing users to set a fading time indication for their digital content, which can be anonymized or deleted after a specified period, ensuring that attribution is removed without disrupting the content's availability to others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users manually delete their posted content to remove attribution, then user attribution is removed from content, but the content itself is also deleted and users cannot control the timing or gradual removal of attribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content into two independent components: the content itself and the user attribution. This allows the attribution to be removed separately from the content, enabling users to control attribution removal without deleting the underlying content. The system maintains separate data structures for content storage and attribution tracking, allowing independent manipulation of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by allowing users to pre-configure fading parameters and schedules for their content before posting. Users can set desired fading durations, timing, and conditions in advance, and the system automatically executes the attribution removal according to these pre-set parameters without requiring manual intervention at the time of removal.
2Extent of automation
If users set automatic fading for their content, then attribution removal timing and control are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling users to independently configure and manage their own content fading parameters without requiring system administrator intervention. Users can set their preferred fading durations, schedules, and conditions, and the system automatically processes these requests using user-provided parameters, making the complexity manageable through decentralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by allowing users to define specific fading parameters such as duration, timing, and conditions for different types of content. The system stores these parameters and dynamically adjusts attribution visibility based on the elapsed time and meeting of specified conditions, enabling flexible automation without requiring complex hard-coded logic for each scenario.
3Loss of information
If content is made available to the public immediately after posting, then content visibility is maximized, but user privacy control over time is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by automatically evaluating content attribution visibility at regular intervals based on the user-defined fading parameters. The system checks whether the current time exceeds the fading duration from the posting time and automatically adjusts attribution visibility accordingly, creating a time-based periodic control mechanism that balances initial visibility with eventual privacy protection.
Data Source
AI summary
Automatically fading online user content may include receiving digital content from a first user, the digital content associated with a first user-defined fading time indication; posting the digital content at a first time; associating, using the one or more computing devices, the first user-defined fading time indication with the digital content; receiving, at a second time, from a second user, a request to view the digital content, the second time being after the first time and the second user being distinct from the first user; determining the availability of the digital content based at least in part on the difference between the second time and the first time and the first user-defined fading time indication; and when the determined availability includes availability of one or more aspects of the digital content to the second user, providing for display to the second user the available one or more aspects.