Smart Event Paging via Page-State String
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial process control and automation systems face challenges in efficiently managing and prioritizing event notifications, particularly in scenarios with intermittent communication, large event lists, and the need for scalability, where events must be uploaded in prioritized order and with minimal server state dependency.
Innovation Solution
A smart event paging system utilizing a 'page-state' string to track the state of event requests, allowing for scalable and reliable delivery of prioritized events across any amount of time and with communication disruptions, by passing the page-state string between the event server and client device and returning it with each new event request.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If events are uploaded in prioritized order with minimal server state dependency, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for page-state string management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a page-state string as an intermediary mechanism that carries state information between client device and event server. This string includes event range identifiers and pagination state, allowing the client to resume event retrieval after communication interruptions without requiring the server to maintain client-specific state, thus improving reliability while keeping server complexity low
Solution Approach 2:
The client device maintains a local copy of the page-state string and uses it to track event retrieval progress. By copying and persisting this state information locally, the system enables reliable event delivery across communication interruptions without requiring the server to store client state, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system supports scalability across multiple servers, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to state management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts state management from the server side and embeds it within the page-state string that travels with each request. This extraction allows any server in a distributed system to handle any client's event retrieval without requiring server-specific state storage, thereby improving scalability while keeping individual server complexity low
Solution Approach 2:
The page-state string serves multiple functions: it tracks event retrieval progress, identifies event ranges, and enables stateless server operation. This multi-functional design allows the same mechanism to support both scalability and simplified state management across distributed servers, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity
3Productivity
If event paging size is increased to reduce number of requests, then productivity is improved, but loss of information increases due to potential communication interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the event retrieval process into manageable pages identified by event range identifiers in the page-state string. Each page represents a discrete chunk of events that can be independently retrieved and tracked, allowing the system to balance between larger page sizes for efficiency and smaller sizes for reduced loss risk during communication interruptions
4Ease of operation
If the system maintains minimal server state dependency, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability worsens due to communication interruption handling
Solution Approach 1:
The client device performs preliminary actions by calculating and maintaining the page-state string locally before communication interruptions occur. This preliminary state management enables the client to resume event retrieval reliably after interruptions without requiring the server to maintain state, thus achieving both ease of server operation and reliable event delivery
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (500) includes receiving (501) a first event request message (411) from a client device (150). The method also includes retrieving (503) one or more first events that have most recently occurred since a previous event request and that have not already been provided to the client device, up to a first event paging size and a first event history age limit. The method further includes determining (505) that one or more second events are within the first event history age limit and have not already been provided to the client device but are in excess of the first event paging size. The method also includes populating (507) a page-state string to indicate the one or more second events. The method further includes generating (509) a first response message (412) including the one or more first events and the page-state string. In addition, the method includes sending (511) the first response message to the client device.