Persistent Document Collections for Cross-App Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face inefficiencies when working with documents over time, as they must repeatedly search for or manually navigate through multiple document libraries to access the same set of documents, lacking a streamlined method to manage and access persistent document collections.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for creating and managing persistent document collections, allowing users to group documents, store them in a data store, and enable external applications to access and modify these collections, with features for adding, modifying, and synchronizing documents, along with specifying attributes like storage space and access permissions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If users repeatedly search or manually navigate through multiple document libraries to access the same set of documents, then users can locate the documents, but users waste time and effort on repeated searches and manual navigation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime spent on repeated searches and manual navigationVSAvoidease of accessing documents

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates persistent document collections that pre-group documents by user-defined criteria before users need to access them. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for repeated searches and manual navigation, as users can directly access their personalized document collections whenever needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The persistent document collection acts as an intermediary layer between the user and the underlying document libraries. Instead of users directly navigating through multiple libraries, the system provides a unified collection view that mediates access to documents from various sources, simplifying the user interaction model.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If users manually track which varying libraries contain documents of interest, then users can locate documents, but users face complexity in tracking and navigating multiple libraries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of locating documentsVSAvoidcomplexity of tracking multiple libraries

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges access to documents from multiple varying libraries into a single unified persistent collection. Users no longer need to track which library contains which document, as the system consolidates all relevant documents into one accessible location, reducing the complexity of managing multiple library references.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The persistent document collection serves as a universal access point that can contain documents from any number of underlying libraries. This multi-functional collection structure allows users to access diverse document sources through a single interface, eliminating the need for separate tracking mechanisms for each library.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system allows external applications to access and manage persistent document collections, then document accessibility and functionality are enhanced, but system complexity and security management increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccessibility to external applicationsVSAvoidcomplexity of managing external access

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic access control for persistent document collections, allowing external applications to access and modify documents based on configurable permissions. The access rights can be adjusted over time without changing the underlying collection structure, enabling flexible integration with various external applications while maintaining security management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10430470B2Techniques for managing persistent document collections

Publication Date: 2019.10.01 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for creating and managing persistent document collections. A data store is used for storing one or more persistent document collections. A content management application is used for managing documents for users, for creating one or more persistent document collections of a sub-set of the documents upon user request, and for storing the one or more persistent document collections in the data store. Users can create one or more persistent document collections from a sub-set of the documents. Users can also modify the one or more persistent document collections. A requested portion of one or more persistent document collections can be output upon request from an external application so that the external application can download one or more of the documents that are represented by the persistent document collection for further modification by the user.