URL Slug Concurrency Control for Single-Click Workflows

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Solution Overview

Problem

In single-click environments, user and device errors can lead to multiple single-click URLs associated with contradictory workflows being activated simultaneously, resulting in wasted power and processing resources, and potential errors in action execution.

Innovation Solution

The system uses a slug encoded in URLs to indicate whether an action is controlled for concurrency, preventing the action from being processed if a concurrent action is already being executed. This is achieved by communicating with a remote database to determine if the action is locked, using distributed locking to control concurrency across web instances.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If single-click URLs are used to expedite actions, then user convenience and processing speed are improved, but the risk of contradictory workflows being executed simultaneously increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaction execution speedVSAvoidworkflow execution correctness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check by examining a specific bit in the slug portion of the URL to determine if the associated action is controlled for concurrency before executing the action. This preliminary identification allows the system to prepare for potential concurrency conflicts in advance, checking the remote database for locked actions and preventing contradictory workflows from being executed simultaneously, thus maintaining reliability while preserving the speed benefits of single-click URLs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If concurrency control checks are implemented, then execution correctness is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconcurrency control accuracyVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by focusing concurrency control checks only on specific actions that are marked as controlled for concurrency. By examining a particular bit in the slug portion of the URL, the system identifies only those actions that require concurrency control, rather than implementing universal checks on all actions. This selective approach reduces processing overhead and system complexity while maintaining reliability for critical actions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If distributed locking is used to control concurrency, then workflow correctness is improved, but network communication overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedistributed system consistencyVSAvoidnetwork communication energy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check of the remote database to determine whether an action is locked before attempting to execute it. By checking the lock status in advance through a quick database query, the system可以避免 unnecessary network communication and action execution attempts. This preliminary action reduces network traffic and energy consumption while maintaining distributed system consistency through the locking mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4546170A1Preventing double actions in a single-click environment
Publication Date: 2025.04.30 CAPITAL ONE SERVICES LLC
  • EP4546170A1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4546170A1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4546170A1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

In some implementations, a web instance may receive an indication of an event associated with a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes a slug. The web instance may determine, using an indicator encoded in the slug, that the URL is associated with an action that is included in a concurrency control group. The web instance may communicate with a remote database to determine whether the concurrency control group is locked. The web instance may selectively trigger execution of the action based on whether the concurrency control group is locked.