Primary User Identification for Cross-Device Settings Propagation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Online systems face challenges in maintaining consistent user settings across multiple client devices, leading to inconsistent content presentation and reduced user interaction when multiple users share a single device, as settings stored on one device are not transferred to other devices.

Innovation Solution

The online system identifies a primary user based on login requests and retrieves their settings from the client device to associate with their user profile, ensuring consistent content presentation across devices by storing and using those settings when the primary user accesses the system from another device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If settings are stored locally on the client device, then content presentation is personalized for users accessing from that device, but settings cannot be transferred to other client devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepersonalization capabilityVSAvoidsettings transferability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent copies user settings from the client device to the online system's user profile. The settings are replicated and stored on the online system, allowing them to be accessed and applied when users log in from different devices, thus resolving the transferability issue while maintaining personalization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The online system acts as an intermediary between the client device and multiple users. It receives settings from the client device, stores them in the user profile, and then applies them when users access the system from various devices, enabling settings transfer without direct device-to-device communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If the online system retrieves settings stored on the client device, then settings can be applied across devices, but the retrieved settings may not apply to various users of the online system sharing the device

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesettings transferabilityVSAvoidincorrect settings application

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the settings data by associating it with specific user profiles rather than treating it as a single monolithic set. Each user's settings are stored separately in their profile, allowing the system to retrieve and apply the correct settings for each user individually, preventing incorrect settings application.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by storing settings in the user profile during the login process or when settings are first created. This advance preparation ensures that when users access the system from any device, their personalized settings are already available in their profile, eliminating the need to retrieve settings from the client device at access time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If multiple users share a single client device, then device resources are utilized efficiently, but user settings cannot be maintained consistently across different users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice utilization efficiencyVSAvoiduser-specific personalization

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments user data and settings into individual user profiles, allowing multiple users to share the same client device while maintaining distinct personalized settings for each user. The system identifies the current user and applies their specific settings, enabling both efficient device sharing and user-specific personalization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic settings application by detecting which user is currently logged in and automatically applying that user's personalized settings from their profile. This dynamic adaptation allows the same device to provide customized experiences for different users without requiring separate physical devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10523780B2Determining a primary user of a client device and propagating settings of the primary user from the client device to an online system

Publication Date: 2019.12.31 META PLATFORMS INC

AI summary

An online system propagates settings from a user's client device to the online system itself for the user. If multiple users of the online system use the client device, the online system propagates settings of a primary user of the client device to the online system, but does not propagate settings of other users of the client device to the online system. The online system logs accesses to the online system each day from the client device of each user. A user having a maximum number of logged days accessing the system and accessing the online system for at least 50% of the logged days is determined to be the primary user by the online system. The online system may use determination that a user is a primary user of the client device for associating actions with the user, selecting content for the user, and identifying the user.