Persistent Object Middleware for External Content Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Accessing and interacting with content stored in external data repositories is challenging in cloud computing environments due to fragmentation across multiple data sources and limited tools for access and collaboration, particularly in on-demand database services like online social networks.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that allows on-demand database services to connect with external content management data sources through middleware components, creating a persistent object that represents the external content object, enabling seamless access, sharing, and interaction without moving or replicating the content, and using a universal API for authentication and security traversal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If content is stored across multiple data repositories in cloud computing, then content availability and accessibility are improved, but connection and search difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent availabilityVSAvoidconnection difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a content management data source as an intermediary layer between users and multiple external data repositories. This intermediary provides a unified interface that abstracts the complexity of connecting to various external systems, allowing users to access content from multiple repositories through a single standardized connection point without needing to understand or manage the underlying complexity of each individual repository.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If content is stored across multiple data repositories, then content accessibility is improved, but collaboration difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent accessibilityVSAvoidcollaboration difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges access to multiple external data repositories into a single unified content management data source. By combining the functionality of multiple separate systems into one integrated interface, the patent enables users to access and collaborate on content from various repositories simultaneously through a single standardized platform, thereby improving collaboration ease while maintaining broad content accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If tools for accessing external content are limited, then system simplicity is maintained, but access capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidaccess capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal content management data source that provides multi-functional access capabilities. This single standardized interface can connect to and access content from multiple different external data repositories, email systems, and other data sources, thereby enhancing access capability and versatility while maintaining system simplicity through a unified approach rather than requiring multiple specialized tools.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11250055B2Systems and methods for providing access to external content objects

Publication Date: 2022.02.15 SALESFORCE INC

AI summary

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems and computer program products for database system communications with external content management data sources. In some implementations, the data sources are identified in a user interface. An authorization selection enables authorization of a given identified data source, and a customization selection enables customization of one or more search settings for searching content of the data source. Persistent objects representing content objects of the data sources can be stored in one or more databases. A database search can be performed on both native database files and the persistent objects.