Virtual Storage Interface for Dynamic Workflow Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computing systems present a static view of stored documents, which does not adapt to different user workflows, limiting the ability to dynamically change the storage structure to match the current workflow, leading to suboptimal document organization and retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that detect the accounting workflow type and build a virtual storage interface using an index on documents, allowing the organization structure to change based on the workflow, providing a dynamic and workflow-specific view of documents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a static file system interface is used to hide hardware locations, then the system provides stable and simple document access, but the interface cannot adapt to different user workflows and leads to suboptimal document organization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transforming the static file system interface into a dynamic virtual storage interface that automatically reorganizes based on detected workflow types. The interface structure changes according to the current workflow context (e.g., accounting, legal, medical workflows), allowing the same physical storage to present different organizational views to users without modifying the underlying hardware or persistent file system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual storage interface as an intermediary layer between the user and the physical storage device. This intermediary translates different workflow requirements into virtual folder structures while maintaining a single unified physical storage backend, thereby providing adaptability without requiring multiple separate storage systems or complex workflow-specific interfaces.
2Productivity
If documents are stored in contiguous regions of physical storage, then storage efficiency and performance are improved, but the static hierarchy cannot optimize for different retrieval patterns and workflows
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically reorganizes the virtual presentation of documents based on the detected workflow type. When a user initiates a specific workflow (e.g., accounting audit, legal discovery), the virtual storage interface automatically restructures the document hierarchy to group relevant documents together, optimizing retrieval efficiency for that particular workflow without physically moving documents or altering the underlying contiguous storage regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the document access interface into workflow-specific virtual folders while maintaining a unified physical storage structure. This segmentation allows different workflow types to access and retrieve documents from the same physical storage in optimized ways, with each workflow seeing a customized virtual organization that segments documents relevant to that workflow type.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the file system interface presents a fixed hierarchy, then the system structure remains simple and stable, but it cannot dynamically reorganize documents to match current workflow needs
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual storage interface acts as an intelligent intermediary that handles the complexity of dynamic reorganization automatically. Users interact with a simplified interface that appears stable and intuitive, while the intermediary layer detects workflow types and translates these into appropriate virtual folder structures. This abstraction hides the complexity of dynamic reorganization from the user, maintaining ease of operation while enabling adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting the workflow type and reorganizing the virtual storage interface without requiring user intervention. The system monitors workflow context, identifies the appropriate organizational structure, and dynamically creates or switches to the relevant virtual folder hierarchy automatically, eliminating the need for users to manually reorganize documents while maintaining interface simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Generating a storage interface includes receiving a request for documents, detecting an accounting workflow type corresponding to request, and identifying a document organizational structure matching the accounting workflow type. Further, a virtual storage interface is built using an index on the documents and according to the document organizational structure, and presented.