Manipulating sets of hierarchical data

• US 10,255,311 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lower48 IP, LLC (Lower48 Analytics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Robert T. Jenkins, Virginia T. Jenkins
• Inventors: LeTourneau, Jack J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US14/870,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20160162528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 707797
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and/or systems for manipulating hierarchical sets of data are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of merging at least a first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to yield a third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first, second, and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies being in the form of a labeled tree hierarchy, the method comprising:

accessing instructions from one or more physical memory devices for execution by one or more processors;

executing instructions accessed from the one or more physical devices by the one or more processors;

storing, in at least one of the physical memory devices, signal values, including numerical signal values, resulting from having executed the instructions on the one or more processors;

wherein the accessed instructions to merge complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies; and

wherein executing the merging instructions further comprising;

accessing from the one or more physical memory devices, a first numerical signal value corresponding to the first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second numerical signal value corresponding to the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first and second numerical signal values based, at least in part, on a stored ordered association between numerical signal values and labeled tree hierarchies, wherein each complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to be merged has a corresponding unique numerical signal value;

combining the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value to yield a third numerical signal value; and

generating the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy based, at least in part on the third numerical signal value, using the stored ordered association between the numerical signal values and the labeled tree hierarchies; and

wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises using the stored ordered association to produce one or more numerical signal values to represent the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy after the generation of the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and storing the one or more produced numerical signal values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored one or more produced numerical signal values are stored as one or more digital signal values.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises displaying the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value are in the form of one or more digital signal values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies are in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises converting the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to complex two dimensional hierarchies in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies includes at least one null label signal value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises converting the at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies that includes at least one null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy without a null label signal value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises converting the complex two dimensional hierarchy without the null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy in the form of a binary edge labeled tree.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the merging instructions further comprises converting the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies trees to complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies in the form of binary node labeled trees.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second numerical signal values comprise binary numerical signal values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second numerical signal values are converted to binary numerical signal values.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored ordered association is stored in memory as a table.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical memory devices also store a database or a portion thereof and wherein the first, second and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies correspond to content in the database.

14. An apparatus for merging at least a first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to yield a third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first, second, and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to be in the form of a labeled tree hierarchy, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors coupled to one or more physical memory devices to store executable instructions and to store binary digital signal quantities as physical memory states, wherein the executable instructions being accessible from the one or more physical memory devices for execution by the one or more processors; and

the one or more processors able to store in at least one of the physical memory devices, binary signal quantities, if any, that are to result from execution of the instructions on the one or more processors, wherein the accessed executable merger instructions to generate complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies; and

wherein the merger instructions further to;

access from the one or more physical memory devices, a first numerical signal value to correspond to the first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second numerical signal value to correspond to the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first and second numerical signal values to be based, at least in part, on a stored ordered association between numerical signal values and labeled tree hierarchies, wherein each complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to be merged to have a corresponding unique numerical signal value;

combine the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value to yield a third numerical signal value; and

generate the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy based, at least in part, on the third numerical signal value and the stored ordered association between the numerical signal values and the labeled tree hierarchies, and wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to;

use the stored ordered association to produce one or more numerical signal values to represent the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy after the generation of the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and store the one or more produced numerical signal values.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the stored one or more produced numerical signal values are to be stored as one or more digital signal values.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to display the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value are to be in the form of one or more digital signal values.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies are to be in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to complex two dimensional hierarchies in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies is to include at least one null label signal value.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies that is to include at least one null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy without a null label signal value.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the complex two dimensional hierarchy without the null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy in the form of a binary edge labeled tree.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies in the form of binary node labeled trees.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first and the second numeral values are to comprise binary numerical signal values.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the first and the second numeral values are to binary numerical signal values.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the stored ordered association is to be stored in memory as a table.

41. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more physical memory devices also store a database or a portion thereof and wherein the first, second and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies correspond to content in database.

27. An article for merging at least a first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to yield a third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first, second, and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to be in the form of a labeled tree hierarchy, the article comprising

a non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon:

wherein the instructions being accessible from the non-transitory storage medium to store as physical memory states on one or more physical memory devices, the one or more physical memory devices coupled to one or more processors able to execute the instructions stored as physical memory states, the one or more physical memory devices also able to store binary digital signal quantities, if any, as physical memory states, that are to result from execution of the instructions on the one or more processors,

wherein the executable merger instructions to generate complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies; and

wherein the merger instructions further to;

access from the one or more physical memory devices, a first numerical signal value to represent correspond to the first complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and a second numerical signal value to represent correspond to the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy, the first and second numerical signal values to be based, at least in part, on a stored ordered association between numerical signal values and labeled tree hierarchies, wherein each complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy to be merged to have a corresponding unique numerical signal value;

combine the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value to yield a third numerical signal value; and

generate the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy based, at least in part on, the third numerical signal value, and the stored ordered association between the numerical signal values and the labeled tree hierarchies, and wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to;

use the stored ordered association to produce one or more numerical signal values to represent the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy after the generation of the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy and store the one or more produced numerical signal values.

28. The article of claim 27, wherein the stored one or more produced numerical signal values are to be stored as one or more digital signal values.

29. The article of claim 27, the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to display the third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchy.

30. The article of claim 27, wherein the first numerical signal value and the second numerical signal value are to be in the form of one or more digital signal values.

31. The article of claim 27, wherein the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies are to be in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

32. The article of claim 27, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies to complex two dimensional hierarchies in the form of binary edge labeled trees.

33. The article of claim 27, wherein at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies is to include at least one null label signal value.

34. The article of claim 33, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least one of the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies that is to include at least one null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy without a null label signal value.

35. The article of claim 34, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the complex two dimensional hierarchy without the null label signal value to a complex two dimensional hierarchy in the form of a binary edge labeled tree.

36. The article of claim 27, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the at least the first and the second complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies trees to complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies in the form of binary node labeled trees.

37. The article of claim 27, wherein the first and the second numerical signal values are to comprise binary numerical signal values.

38. The article of claim 27, wherein the merger instructions being further executable by the one or more processors to convert the first and the second numeral values are to be converted to binary numerical signal values.

39. The article of claim 27, wherein the stored ordered association is to be stored in memory as a table.

42. The article of claim 27, wherein the one or more physical memory devices also store a database or a portion thereof and wherein the first, second and third complex two dimensional graphical hierarchies correspond to content in the database.