System and method for storing conceptual information

• US 20020147697A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schreiber, Robert Walter
• Granted Patent: US 7,016,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for storing conceptual information. The system stores concepts as a single object. The object includes all information relating to the concept. Therefore, the object is a self-defining object. A request for any information included in the concept may retrieve the entire object. The object may store the information as a hierarchy. The hierarchy may be navigated in a plurality of directions. The concept may be a color.

Claims

1. A system for managing conceptual information, comprising:

hierarchical data container creating means for creating at least one hierarchical data container;

hierarchical data list creating means for creating at least one hierarchical data list that comprises the at least one hierarchical data container;

storing means for storing data in the at least one hierarchical data container; and

wherein the data stored by the at least one hierarchical data list comprises a concept.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the concept is stored as a single entity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the concept is a color.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the color is defined according to a three dimensional color space.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the color is defined according to red, green, and blue attributes of the color.

6. A system for managing conceptual information, comprising:

a hierarchical data container creating module that creates at least one hierarchical data container;

a hierarchical data list creating module that creates at least one hierarchical data list that comprises the at least one hierarchical data container;

a storing module that stores data in the at least one hierarchical data container; and

wherein the data stored by the at least one hierarchical data list comprises a concept.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the concept is stored as a single entity.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the concept is a color.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the color is defined according to a three dimensional color space.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the color is defined according to red, green, and blue attributes of the color.

11. A processor readable medium comprising processor readable code for managing conceptual information, comprising:

hierarchical data container creating code that causes a processor to create at least one hierarchical data container;

hierarchical data list creating code that causes a processor to create at least one hierarchical data list that comprises the at least one hierarchical data container;

storing code that causes a processor to store data in the at least one hierarchical data container; and

wherein the data stored by the at least one hierarchical data list comprises a concept.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the concept is stored as a single entity.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the concept is a color.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the color is defined according to a three dimensional color space.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the color is defined according to red, green, and blue attributes of the color.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the concept is stored as a single entity.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the concept is a color.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the color is defined according to a three dimensional color space.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the color is defined according to red, green, and blue attributes of the color.

16. A method for managing conceptual information, comprising the steps of:

creating at least one hierarchical data container;

creating at least one hierarchical data list that comprises the at least one hierarchical data container;

storing data in the at least one hierarchical data container; and

wherein the data stored by the at least one hierarchical data list comprises a concept.