Topic-Based Story Channels for Online Content Organization

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional online systems do not allow users to conveniently view stories organized by topic, hashtag, or group of users without extensive searching or navigation, limiting the user experience in content sharing.

Innovation Solution

The online system organizes stories into channels based on topics, hashtags, or user groups, enabling users to view related content sequentially without searching, with features like trending channels, collaborative channels, and user-specific content curation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If stories are organized by author in conventional online systems, then users can view content from specific users they follow, but users cannot conveniently view stories organized by topic, hashtag, or group without extensive searching or navigation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconvenience of viewing topic-based contentVSAvoidtime spent on searching and navigation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the content organization system into two complementary structures: traditional author-based feeds and new topic/hashtag/group-based channels. This segmentation allows users to access content through multiple organizational dimensions simultaneously, resolving the contradiction by providing dedicated pathways for topic-based viewing without disrupting the existing author-follow model.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces channels as an intermediary layer between users and stories. These channels act as mediators that aggregate stories from multiple authors based on topic, hashtag, or group criteria, eliminating the need for users to manually search through individual author feeds to find topic-related content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If users navigate through individual user profiles to find related content, then they can access specific user posts, but they cannot view a continuous sequence of related stories from multiple users

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent discovery efficiencyVSAvoidnavigation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges stories from multiple individual user profiles into unified topic-based channels. By combining content from numerous authors around a common theme, hashtag, or group, the system creates a consolidated view that maintains content diversity while simplifying access, allowing users to discover related stories in a single continuous sequence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The channel structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a content aggregator, a navigation hub, and a discovery mechanism. A single channel provides universal access to topic-related content regardless of which user posted it, eliminating the need for separate navigation to individual profiles while maintaining the ability to trace content back to its sources.

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

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system provides author-based content feeds, then users can follow specific users, but the system lacks organized collections of stories by topic or hashtag

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent organization flexibilityVSAvoidtopic-based content organization
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent adds a new organizational dimension to the content system. Instead of only organizing content by author (one dimension), it introduces topic, hashtag, and group-based channels as additional dimensions. This multi-dimensional organization allows the same story to be accessible through multiple pathways, enhancing adaptability without losing the original author-based structure.

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

Data Source

PatentUS11960562B1Channels of content for display in an online system
Publication Date: 2024.04.16 LOT NETWORK INC
  • US11960562B1 patent drawing
  • US11960562B1 patent drawing
  • US11960562B1 patent drawing

AI summary

Ephemeral stories allow users of an online system, such as a social networking system, to share content for a pre-determined temporary length of time. Channels group and organize stories based on content. Topic-based channels allow contain stories that have related content. Hashtag- and sticker-associated channels contain stories that include particular hashtags or stickers, respectively. User-specific channels contain content tailored by the online system for display to a particular user based on preferences and history. Collaborative channels are channels that are private to a specific group of users. The use of channels improves the online experience by grouping stories by content, thereby facilitating users' interaction with similar content.