Per-stage Pipeline Agent Assignment for Communication Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication pipelines lack customization options across multiple stages, leading to limited agent availability and increased complexity in managing and administering these pipelines.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system where agents are assigned per stage, with an enforcement mechanism ensuring only one agent per stage, allowing for simplified agent logic and greater customization options, and enabling agents to be registered for multiple stages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple agents are assigned to a single stage, then agent availability increases, but agent logic complexity increases and predictability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveagent availabilityVSAvoidagent logic complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the agent assignment by dividing the pipeline into distinct stages, with each stage having its own dedicated agent. This segmentation prevents multiple agents from being assigned to the same stage, thereby maintaining simple and predictable agent logic while still providing customization across multiple stages of the pipeline.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If agents are assigned per stage, then agent logic is simplified and predictability improves, but customization options are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovepredictabilityVSAvoidcustomization options
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by adding dimensional expansion - allowing a single agent to be assigned to multiple different stages across the pipeline. This dimensional change enables customization options to increase while maintaining the one-agent-per-stage rule, thus preserving predictability and simple agent logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If dynamic resource adjustment is implemented, then system adaptability to demand increases, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem adaptabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the system automatically monitors pipeline stage status and dynamically assigns available agents to stages that need them. This self-service approach enables the system to adapt to changing demands without requiring complex manual configuration or management intervention, thus achieving adaptability while controlling system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3375179B1Per-stage assignment of pipeline agents
Publication Date: 2019.11.20 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3375179B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3375179B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~3
  • EP3375179B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The customization of communication pipelines having multiple stages. For each stage, a set of agents is identified as available for adding to that stage. Furthermore, any stages that already have an agent assigned are identified. In response to receiving a user selection of an agent to be assigned to a particular stage that does not already have an agent assigned, the selected agent is assigned to the stage. An enforcement agent enforces that there be only one agent assigned at most to each stage. Assignments of agents are made per stage. This allows the functionality of the agent to be simplified more towards augmenting the functionality of the stage. Accordingly, the logic of the agent is simplified, thereby making it more likely that there will be a healthy quality of agents available to select from for each stage.