Chat Context Restoration Through Web and App Activity Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Interactions with generative AI models in chat-based interfaces often result in incomplete context restoration when resumed, as web pages and applications opened during conversations are not maintained or restored.

Innovation Solution

Storing data related to web and application activity during conversations and restoring this data when the conversation is resumed, ensuring a holistic experience by reopening relevant web pages and applications alongside queries and responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If only chat interface data is stored for thread restoration, then storage complexity is reduced, but context completeness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage complexityVSAvoidcontext completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments thread data into multiple categories: chat interface data, web page data, and application data. Each type of data is stored and managed separately, allowing the system to restore complete context without overwhelming storage complexity. The segmentation enables selective restoration of different data types based on user needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a nested data structure where thread data contains chat data, which in turn contains references to web page data and application data. This nested organization allows the system to maintain a hierarchical view of context, restoring from the outer thread level down to specific web pages and applications, thereby preserving complete context while managing storage efficiently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of operation

If web pages and applications are restored during thread resumption, then user experience continuity is improved, but system resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser experience continuityVSAvoidsystem resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing metadata about web pages and applications during the active thread session, including URLs, application identifiers, and state information. When the thread is resumed, this pre-stored information enables rapid restoration without requiring extensive real-time processing, thus improving user experience continuity while controlling resource consumption during the restoration phase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements partial restoration by selectively restoring only the web pages and applications that are most relevant to the thread context, rather than restoring all possible data. This selective approach ensures continuity of essential user experience elements while avoiding the excessive resource consumption that would result from restoring every possible web page and application associated with the thread.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Measurement precision

If thread data includes external web and application activity, then context accuracy is improved, but data management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontext accuracyVSAvoiddata management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces intermediary components that act as bridges between the chat interface system and external web/application systems. These intermediaries capture and standardize data from diverse external sources, converting them into a unified format that can be stored and managed within the thread data structure. This mediation layer improves context accuracy by capturing external activity while reducing data management complexity through standardization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms external web and application data into standardized parameters and metadata that can be efficiently stored and managed. By converting diverse external data formats into uniform parameter structures (such as storing web pages as URL strings with associated metadata and applications as identifier strings with state parameters), the system achieves high context accuracy while simplifying data management operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4632601A1Threading chats with application activity
Publication Date: 2025.10.15 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP4632601A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4632601A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4632601A1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

Examples relate to systems and methods for restoring threads including context of the threads outside of a chat interface. During a thread including multiple queries and responses, one or more of the responses may include links to web pages and/or to other applications (e.g., presentation applications, word-processing applications). During interactions with the thread, one or more of the links may be selected. The selection of the links causes the corresponding web pages to be loaded and/or the corresponding applications to be launched. The web pages that are opened and/or the applications that are launched during an ongoing thread are stored as thread data for the ongoing thread. Then, when the thread is resumed at a later time, not only is the chat interface populated with the prior queries and responses of the thread, but the web pages and/or applications are also restored.