Systems and method for representing relationships between units of information manageable by a hardware/software interface system

• US 20050050537A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thompson, J. Patrick, Nori, Anil K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,483,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information (“Items”) in a hardware/software interface system for a computer system, said method comprising interconnecting said Items with a plurality of Relationships and managing said Relationships at the hardware/software interface system level. Each Relationship constitutes, at the hardware/software interface system level, a mapping between a pair of Items that said Relationship interconnects. Moreover, each Relationship may have properties of its own distinct and separate from the properties of the Items it interconnects.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information (“

Items”

) in a hardware/software interface system for a computer system, said method comprising interconnecting said Items with a plurality of Relationships and managing said Relationships at the hardware/software interface system level.

2. The interface system of claim 1 wherein each Relationship from among said plurality of Relationships constitutes, at the hardware/software interface system level, a mapping between a pair of Items that said Relationship interconnects.

3. The interface system of claim 2 wherein each Relationship has properties.

4. The interface system of claim 3 wherein each Relationship comprises a property (Target) for the identification of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

5. The interface system of claim 4 wherein each Relationship further comprises a property (IsOwned) for the ownership of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

6. The interface system of claim 3 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common value for a common property.

7. The interface system of claim 3 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common property.

8. The interface system of claim 3 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having the same Item type.

9. The interface system of claim 3 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common parent Item type.

10. The interface system of claim 3 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items based on a user-defined parameter.

11. A computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions for a hardware/software interface system for a computer system, wherein said hardware/software interface system manipulates a plurality of discrete units of information (“

Items”

), said Items interconnected by a plurality of Relationships managed by said hardware/software interface system.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein each Relationship from among said plurality of Relationships constitutes, at the hardware/software interface system level, a mapping between a pair of Items that said Relationship interconnects.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein each Relationship has properties.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein each Relationship comprises a property (Target) for the identification of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein each Relationship further comprises a property (IsOwned) for the ownership of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common value for a common property.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common property.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having the same Item type.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common parent Item type.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items based on a user-defined parameter.

21. A hardware/software interface system, for use in a computer system, for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information (“

Items”

), wherein said Items interconnected by a plurality of Relationships managed by said hardware/software interface system.

22. The interface system of claim 21 wherein each Relationship from among said plurality of Relationships constitutes, at the hardware/software interface system level, a mapping between a pair of Items that said Relationship interconnects.

23. The interface system of claim 22 wherein each Relationship has properties.

24. The interface system of claim 23 wherein each Relationship comprises a property (Target) for the identification of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

25. The interface system of claim 24 wherein each Relationship further comprises a property (IsOwned) for the ownership of said Relationship'"'"'s target Item.

26. The interface system of claim 23 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common value for a common property.

27. The interface system of claim 23 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common property.

28. The interface system of claim 23 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having the same Item type.

29. The interface system of claim 23 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items having a common parent Item type.

30. The interface system of claim 23 wherein the hardware/software interface system automatically establishes a Relationship between each pair of Items based on a user-defined parameter.