Unified Object Hierarchy for Consistent Cross-Device Computing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The organization of objects within a computing system as a disjointed, loosely aggregated set of object systems creates challenges in presenting a consistent computing environment across devices of varying capabilities, applying services such as synchronization and backup, and relating diverse objects due to incomplete cooperation among managing systems.
Innovation Solution
Organizing objects in an object hierarchy hosted by a computing environment host, allowing for uniform representation and management, enabling services to be applied consistently across all objects and devices, with a platform managing interactions between processes and the object hierarchy using a redeployable application runtime that mediates interactions between devices and the object hierarchy through a representation state transfer interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If objects are organized as a disjointed, loosely aggregated set of object systems, then each object system can manage its specific objects independently, but it becomes difficult to present a consistent computing environment across devices and to apply services uniformly to all objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple disjointed object systems into a unified object hierarchy where all objects (files, applications, user profiles, etc.) are organized under a single hierarchical structure. This unification allows consistent management and representation across different devices while maintaining the specialized functionality of individual object types through their respective nodes in the hierarchy.
Solution Approach 2:
The object hierarchy serves as a universal structure that can represent and manage diverse types of objects through a common interface. The hierarchy enables uniform application of services (synchronization, backup, etc.) across all object types while accommodating device-specific capabilities through adaptive rendering, making the system universally applicable across different computing platforms.
2Ease of operation
If a uniform object hierarchy is implemented to ensure consistent service application, then services can be applied uniformly to all objects, but the complexity of managing the hierarchy and adapting to device capabilities increases
Solution Approach 1:
The object hierarchy is segmented into distinct nodes representing different object types (files, applications, user profiles, etc.), each managed by specialized components. This segmentation allows uniform service application at the hierarchy level while distributing management complexity to specialized node handlers that understand their specific object types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components (object hierarchy manager, service providers, and rendering components) that mediate between the uniform object hierarchy and device-specific implementations. These intermediaries handle the complexity of hierarchy management and device adaptation, shielding users and services from underlying complexity while enabling uniform service application.
3Reliability
If the object hierarchy is delivered to various devices to represent the same computing environment, then consistency across devices is improved, but the overhead of deployment and synchronization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The object hierarchy is prepared and organized in advance on the home device before being delivered to other devices. Services such as synchronization and backup are pre-configured at the hierarchy level, allowing for efficient deployment to multiple devices without requiring time-consuming setup at each device. The preliminary organization enables rapid synchronization when devices connect to the network.
4Adaptability or versatility
If services are applied to objects by interfacing with each object system, then specific object operations can be performed, but the variation among object systems makes uniform service application difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces service providers as intermediary components that interface with the object hierarchy through a unified mechanism. These service providers translate uniform service requests into object-specific operations by interacting with the appropriate nodes in the hierarchy. This intermediary layer enables uniform service application while maintaining the ability to perform specialized operations for different object types.
Solution Approach 2:
The object hierarchy provides a universal interface that allows diverse services (synchronization, backup, search, etc.) to be applied uniformly to all objects regardless of their specific type. The hierarchical structure enables a single service mechanism to handle files, applications, user profiles, and other objects through consistent operations, eliminating the need for separate interfacing with each object system.
Data Source
AI summary
The diverse objects comprising a computing environment may be represented together as a deployable object hierarchy, which may facilitate the deployment, as well as the consistency, of a computing environment rendered by a plurality of devices. The processes within the computing environment often operate on the objects of the object hierarchy in a variety of ways, including simple operations (creation, reading, updating, and deleting) and more sophisticated operations (synchronizing, paginating, and caching), as well as with the object hierarchy in general. A platform may be devised to facilitate the various operations of the processes on the object hierarchy. The platform may be embodied, such as in an application runtime, and deployed to a variety of platforms to facilitate an equivalent execution of the processes on any type of device and consistent interactions with the object hierarchy.