System, method and apparatus for data management with rules on containers for collections of data

• US 10,417,182 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Nicholls
• Original Assignee: Charles Nicholls
• Inventors: Nicholls, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Sheree N
• Application Number:
  US15/241,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20180052836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 707804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

System, method and apparatus are provided for creating and managing programmable rules on containers for collections of data items presented through the operating environment. This invention gives a container (folders or enhanced containers) the ability to be more than a straight-forward receptacle to contain a collection of data objects and other sub-containers. The invention provides for adding a data item into a container system, collecting information from the data item and any pre-existing metadata, matching the information to a container using the container'"'"'s rules, and if any matching containers are found, filing of the data item proceeds into any candidate locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically filing data objects into containers comprising:

providing an interface for a user to;

a) add and edit inclusion rules defining which data objects are included in a container and exclusion rules defining what data objects are excluded from a container;

b) correlate inclusion and exclusion rules to new and existing containers in a data system organized by containers;

storing records of the inclusion and exclusion rules and the correlated containers in a database;

monitoring Operating System events signifying addition of a new data object into the data system;

upon addition of a data object into a data system organized by containers;

a) collecting pre-existing metadata from the data object;

b) extracting key information from content of the data object;

c) analyzing the key information by interpreting and classifying content to create enhanced metadata;

d) querying the database by performing phrase matching of the pre-existing metadata and enhanced metadata on the inclusion and exclusion rules;

e) retrieving a set of containers correlated with matching inclusion and exclusion rules;

f) said computer, automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in any and all matching containers on a data storage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if no matching containers are found, one or more new containers are created and automatic storing of a persistent copy of the data object proceeds in the one or more new containers on a data storage.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in any and all matching containers, requiring a user to approve each matching container.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

before automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in the one or more new containers, requiring a user to approve each matching container.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one container, allowing a user to manually store a persistent copy of the data object in a container on a data storage.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one new container, allowing a user to manually store a persistent copy of the data object in a container on a data storage.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one new container, automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in a default container on a data storage.

8. A computer-implemented method for automatically filing data objects into containers comprising:

providing an interface for a user to;

a) add and edit inclusion rules defining which data objects are included in a container and exclusion rules defining what data objects are excluded from a container;

b) correlate inclusion and exclusion rules to new and existing containers in a data system organized by containers;

storing records of the inclusion and exclusion rules and the correlated containers in a database;

monitoring Operating System events signifying addition of a new data object into the data system;

upon addition of a data object into a data system organized by containers;

a) collecting pre-existing metadata from the data object;

b) extracting key information from content of the data object;

c) analyzing the key information by interpreting and classifying content to create enhanced metadata;

d) creating an enhanced data object by adding the pre-existing metadata and enhanced metadata as object attributes;

e) querying the database by performing phrase matching of the pre-existing metadata and enhanced metadata on the inclusion and exclusion rules;

f) retrieving a set of containers correlated with matching inclusion and exclusion rules;

g) said computer, automatically storing a persistent copy of the enhanced data object in any and all matching containers on a data storage.

9. An apparatus for automatically filing a data object in a container comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to at least perform:

providing an interface for a user to;

a) add and edit inclusion rules defining which data objects are included in a container and exclusion rules defining what data objects are excluded from a container;

b) correlate inclusion and exclusion rules to new and existing containers in a data system organized by containers;

storing records of the inclusion and exclusion rules and the correlated containers in a database;

monitoring Operating System events signifying addition of a new data object into the data system;

upon addition of a data object into a data system organized by containers;

a) collecting pre-existing metadata from the data object;

b) extracting, by a processor, key information from content of the data object;

c) analyzing the key information by interpreting and classifying content to create enhanced metadata;

d) querying the database by performing phrase matching of the pre-existing metadata and enhanced metadata on the inclusion and exclusion rules;

e) retrieving a set of containers correlated with matching inclusion and exclusion rules;

f) said apparatus, automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in any and all matching containers on a data storage.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein if no matching containers are found, one or more new containers are created and automatic storing of a persistent copy of the data object proceeds in the one or more new containers on a data storage.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

before automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in any and all matching containers, requiring a user to approve each matching container.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

before automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in the one or more new containers, requiring a user to approve each matching container.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one container, allowing a user to manually store a persistent copy of the data object in a container on a data storage.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one new container, allowing a user to manually store a persistent copy of the data object in a container on a data storage.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the user does not approve of at least one new container, automatically storing a persistent copy of the data object in a default container on a data storage.