Systems and methods for separating units of information manageable by a hardware/software interface system from their physical organization

• US 20050055380A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raman, Balan Sethu, Thompson, J. Patrick, Acharya, Srinivasmurthy P., Cameron, Kim
• Granted Patent: US 7,555,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a hardware/software interface system for a computer system for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information at a hardware/software interface system level (“Items”), said Items interconnected by Relationships and where Items have Relationships to other Items. One such relationship between Items may be for the purposes of logically denoting to the hardware/software interface system wether one Item is public and accessible or private and unaccessible to another Item.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions for a hardware/software 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.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein Item has a Relationship from itself to a second Item.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein the Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said second Item is a Category.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said first Item is a Category.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein said second Item is a Category.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said second Item is a Category.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said second Item is not an Item Folder or a Category.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said second Item is a Category.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said second Item does not have a Relationship to said first Item.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein a lack of a Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is private an inaccessible to said second Item.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein said second Item is a Category.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein said first Item is a Category.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein said second Item is a Category.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein said second Item is a Category.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein said second Item is not an Item Folder or a Category.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said second Item has a Relationship to said first Item.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein said second Item is a Category.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein said first Item is a Category.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein said second Item is a Category.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein said second Item is a Category.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein said second Item is not an Item Folder or a Category.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.

51. A hardware/software interface system for a computer system, wherein said hardware/software interface system manipulates a plurality of discrete units of information at a hardware/software interface system level (“

Items”

), said Items interconnected by Relationships at said hardware/software interface system level.

52. The hardware/software interface system of claim 51 wherein a first Item has a Relationship from itself to a second Item.

53. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein the Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

54. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

55. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said first Item is a Category.

56. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

57. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

58. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said second Item is a Category.

59. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

60. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said second Item does not have a Relationship to said first Item.

61. The hardware/software interface system of claim 60 wherein a lack of a Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is private and inaccessible to said second Item.

62. The hardware/software interface system of claim 52 wherein said second Item has a Relationship to said first Item.

63. The hardware/software interface system of claim 62 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

64. The hardware/software interface system of claim 51 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

65. The hardware/software interface system of claim 51 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

66. The hardware/software interface system of claim 51 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

67. The hardware/software interface system of claim 51 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.

68. A method for manipulating, in a hardware/software interface system for a computer system, a plurality of discrete units of information at a hardware/software interface system level (“

Items”

), said method comprising interconnecting said Items by Relationships at said hardware/software interface system level.

69. The method of claim 68 further comprising the step of extending a Relationship from a first Item to a second Item.

70. The method of claim 69 further comprising the step of denoting in said hardware/software interface system that, due to said Relationship, said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

71. The method of claim 69 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

72. The method of claim 69 wherein said first Item is a Category.

73. The method of claim 69 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

74. The method of claim 69 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

75. The method of claim 69 wherein said second Item is a Category.

76. The method of claim 69 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

77. The method of claim 69 wherein said second Item does not have a Relationship to said first Item.

78. The method of claim 77 wherein a lack of a Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is private and inaccessible to said second Item.

79. The method of claim 69 further comprising the step of extending a Relationship from said second Item to said first Item

80. The method of claim 79 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said hardware/software interface system that said first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

81. The method of claim 68 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

82. The method of claim 68 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

83. The method of claim 68 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

84. The method of claim 68 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.