Remote Administration of Mixed Ownership Digital Content

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing digital content management systems face challenges in remotely administering mixed ownership digital content items stored on personal computing devices, where some content belongs to the user and some to other entities, especially in semi-connected environments with intermittent network connectivity.

Innovation Solution

A content item storage and synchronization system that identifies and allows remote administration of owned content items by sending signals to synchronization agents on non-owner devices, enabling deletion of owned content items without manual classification, using a source synchronization replica and ownership identification criteria.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If digital content is replicated to personal computing devices for local access, then availability and access speed are improved, but control and security over owned content deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess speedVSAvoidcontrol over content

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments content items into owned and non-owned categories using ownership indicators, allowing differential control mechanisms. Owned content items can be remotely administered while non-owned items remain accessible, resolving the contradiction between access speed and control by applying different rules to different segments of content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements local quality by storing ownership indicators and administrative controls specifically on devices that need them (personal computing devices and service devices). This allows control mechanisms to be applied locally where needed without affecting overall system performance or access speed to non-owned content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If all digital content is deleted from a personal computing device, then security and ownership control are improved, but loss of user's own content occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveownership controlVSAvoiduser content

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts the ownership identification mechanism (ownership indicators) from the content items themselves and stores it separately in metadata or associated data structures. This allows the system to identify and selectively administer only owned content items without affecting user's personal content, effectively taking out the control mechanism from the bulk content operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If manual classification of content ownership is implemented, then accuracy of content identification is improved, but system complexity and user burden increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent identification accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically generating and managing ownership indicators without requiring manual user input. The service device automatically tracks content ownership based on upload sources and relationships, eliminating the need for manual classification while maintaining high identification accuracy. This resolves the contradiction by automating the process rather than requiring complex manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by establishing ownership indicators at the time content is uploaded or created, rather than requiring later manual classification. The service device proactively tracks and records ownership information as content moves through the system, eliminating the need for subsequent manual sorting or classification efforts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10579642B2Techniques for administering comingled content items

Publication Date: 2020.03.03 DROPBOX INC

AI summary

Techniques for assisting owners to remotely administer their digital content items stored at non-owners' personal computing devices. The techniques involve identifying owned content items from among content items stored in a synchronization replica that is synchronized with synchronization replicas at the non-owners' personal computing devices. The techniques further involve allowing owners to remotely perform certain administrative actions on owned content items. For example, in response to a command initiated at an owner's personal computing device, a network signal or signals can be sent to a synchronization agent installed on the non-owners' personal computing devices to automatically remove all owned content items from the synchronization replicas at the non-owners' personal computing devices. For example, the generation and sending of such signal can be performed by an online content item storage and synchronization service that synchronizes a server-stored synchronization replica with the synchronization replicas at the non-owners' personal computing devices.