System and method for representing content in a file system

• US 20040236769A1
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Czerwinski, Mary P., Robertson, George G., Meyers, Brian R., Baudisch, Patrick M., Smith, Gregory R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A system and method for representing content state in a file system is provided. A file system includes a unique database object that is representative of the object content. The unique database object serves as a link container and includes a plurality of links to additional unique database objects that are properties of the representation of content. The link container database object also maintains additional fields that define additional properties for the representation of content.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a file system in which objects are represented as unique items, a method for managing information comprising:

generating a first unique item in the file system corresponding to a representation of content and including one or more fields associated with the representation of content, wherein at least one field corresponds to a link to at least one additional unique item utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the first unique item.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first unique item includes a plurality of links to unique items utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the first unique item.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first unique item includes a link to a second unique item corresponding to a separate representation of content, and wherein the second unique item includes a link to at least one additional unique item utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the second unique item

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a record of the display of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and includes links to at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first unique item maintains at least one attribute embodying an appearance of the one or more software applications in the record of the display.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to an electronic document corresponding to the instantiated software application.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to the instantiated software application.

8. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first unique item includes at least one attribute embodying time stamp information corresponding to a time when the record of the display was last updated.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a concept history and includes links to at least one unique item embodying a distinct version of the concept.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first unique item maintains an attribute embodying a concept relationship for every distinct version of the concept represented as a link in the first unique item.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the concept is an electronic document.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a user association of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and includes links to at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications in the user association.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the first unique item maintains at least one attribute embodying an appearance of the one or more software applications in the user association.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the first unique item maintains an attribute embodying a relationship between the one or more software applications in the user association.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to an electronic document corresponding to the instantiated software application.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to the instantiated software application.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

18. A computer system including a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computer system operable to perform the method recited in claim 1.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable components for managing information associated with a computer system, the computer-readable components comprising:

a unique file system object corresponding to a representation of content and including one or more fields associated with the representation of content, wherein at least one field corresponds to a link to at least one additional unique file system object utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the unique file system object.

20. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the first file system object includes a plurality of links to additional unique file system objects utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the unique file system object.

21. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein at least one of the additional unique file system objects corresponds to a representation of content and includes to at least one additional unique file system object utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the additional unique file system object.

22. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the first unique file system object corresponds to a record of the display of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and includes links to at least one unique file system object corresponding to the one or more software applications in corresponding to the record of the display.

23. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the link to the at least one unique file system object corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to an electronic document corresponding to the instantiated software application.

24. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications associated with the record of the display corresponds to a link to the instantiated software application.

25. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the unique file system object includes at least one attribute embodying an appearance of the one or more software applications in the record of the display.

26. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the unique file system object corresponds to a concept history and includes links to at least one unique file system object embodying a distinct evolution of the concept.

27. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the unique file system object maintains an attribute corresponding to the concept relationship between every distinct evolution represented as a link in the unique file system object.

28. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the concept is an electronic document.

29. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the first unique file system object corresponds to a user association of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and links to at least one unique file system object corresponding to the one or more software applications in the user association.

30. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the unique file system object maintains an attribute embodying a relationship between the one or more software applications in the user association.

31. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the unique file system object maintains properties associated with the display of the one or more software applications in the user association.

32. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the link to the at least one unique file system object corresponding to the one or more software applications in the user association corresponds to a link to an electronic document corresponding to the instantiated software application.

33. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the link to the at least one unique item corresponding to the one or more software applications in the user association corresponds to a link to the instantiated software application.

34. In a computer system having a file system in which objects are represented as unique items, a method for managing information comprising:

obtaining a request to make a representation of content in the computer system file system;

generating a first unique item in the file system corresponding to the selected representation of content, the first unique item including one or more fields associated with the representation of content, wherein at least one field corresponds to a link to at least one additional unique item utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the first unique item;

obtaining a request to recall the representation of content associated with the first unique item;

recalling the first unique item in the file system; and

recalling the at least one additional unique item utilized in conjunction with the representation of content by the first unique item.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a concept history and wherein recalling the first unique item includes recalling a linked unique item describing concept version history.

36. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a record of the display of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and wherein recalling the first unique item includes recalling a linked unique item for each of one or more software applications included in the record of the display.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein recalling the first unique item further includes recalling a plurality of properties describing appearance of each of the one or more software applications included in the record of the display.

38. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a concept history and wherein recalling the second unique item includes recalling links to at least one unique item embodying a distinct version of the concept.

39. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the first unique item corresponds to a user association of one or more software applications displayed on a graphical display of the computer system and wherein recalling the first unique item includes recalling a linked unique item for each of one or more software applications included in user association.

40. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 34.

41. A computer system including a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computer system operable to perform the method recited in claim 34.