User-Defined Section Properties for Presentation Navigation and Access Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing presentation applications lack advanced organizational and access control features for slides, limiting user flexibility in structuring and managing electronic presentations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing user-defined properties for sections in electronic presentations, allowing authors to configure titles, access control, and other properties that enable advanced navigation, printing, and access management during both authoring and presentation phases.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If sections are implemented as simple grouping mechanisms for thumbnail images, then navigation among slides is improved, but user flexibility and advanced organizational capabilities are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation among slidesVSAvoiduser flexibility in organizing presentations
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the presentation into sections with distinct organizational properties. Each section can be independently configured with custom properties such as titles, icons, and access control settings, allowing users to divide the presentation into meaningful segments that serve different organizational and access management purposes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a new dimension to section organization by introducing user-definable properties beyond simple grouping. Sections can now have custom properties including titles, icons, background colors, and access control data, transforming sections from basic organizational containers into versatile, customizable presentation elements with multiple attributes

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

2Adaptability or versatility

If user-definable properties are added to sections, then adaptability and organizational capabilities are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveorganizational capabilitiesVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal section property system that can accommodate multiple types of properties (titles, icons, access control, formatting) within a single unified section structure. This multi-functional approach allows the same section mechanism to handle diverse organizational needs without requiring separate complex systems for each property type

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides self-service capabilities through automatic generation of section properties. When a section is created, the system automatically generates default properties and structures, reducing the manual configuration burden on users while still allowing extensive customization when needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If access control data is implemented for sections, then security and access management are improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess controlVSAvoiduser interaction
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring access control data at the section level before users interact with the content. Access permissions, authentication requirements, and user rights are established in advance for each section, allowing the system to automatically enforce security policies without requiring complex real-time decisions during user interaction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2316059B1Sections of a presentation having user-definable properties
Publication Date: 2020.09.02 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2316059B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2316059B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2316059B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In general, this disclosure describes techniques that employ user-defined values of properties of sections of an electronic presentation. As described herein, a user may configure a presentation to include a plurality of sections. Each of the sections includes zero or more slides of the electronic slide presentation. In addition to the slides associated with each section, each of the sections is associated with one or more properties having values that can be defined by an author of the presentation. Because the values of the properties of the sections are user-definable, these properties may, in some implementations of these techniques, enable the author of the presentation to use the sections in ways not possible in presentation applications that merely use sections as a means of grouping thumbnail images of slides for navigation among slides in an authoring interface.