System and method for describing a relation ontology

• US 20060053130A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metallect Corp. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metallect Corp. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Hite, Thomas D., Agarwal, Shachindra
• Application Number:
  US10/933,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/367 Ontology

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program describe a relation ontology. The system, method, and computer program generate an Web Ontology Language (OWL) document associated with a meta-ontology. The system, method, and computer program also insert one or more statements into the OWL document describing a meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology. The one or more statements define the meta-ontology element as a super class of two or more related ontology elements. The two or more related ontology elements are associated with at least one ontology.

Claims

1. A method for describing a relation ontology, comprising:

generating an Web Ontology Language (OWL) document associated with a meta-ontology; and

inserting one or more statements into the OWL document describing a meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more statements defining the meta-ontology element as a super class of two or more related ontology elements, the two or more related ontology elements associated with at least one ontology.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the related ontology elements are transformationally related, where information associated with one of the ontology elements is transformable into information associated with another of the ontology elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more statements comprise one or more first statements, the meta-ontology element comprises a first meta-ontology element, and the related ontology elements comprise first related ontology elements; and

further comprising inserting one or more second statements into the OWL document describing a second meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more second statements defining the second meta-ontology element as the same class as two or more second related ontology elements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second related ontology elements are identically related, where information associated with the second related ontology elements is identical.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the related ontology elements are contained in different ontologies.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each related ontology element is contained in one of an application ontology and an immutable ontology.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-ontology comprises one of a master meta-ontology associated with one or more immutable ontologies and an application meta-ontology associated with one or more application ontologies.

8. A system, comprising:

an ARC backend operable to generate an Web Ontology Language (OWL) document associated with a meta-ontology and to insert one or more statements into the OWL document describing a meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more statements defining the meta-ontology element as a super class of two or more related ontology elements, the two or more related ontology elements associated with at least one ontology; and

a repository operable to store the OWL document.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the related ontology elements are transformationally related, where information associated with one of the ontology elements is transformable into information associated with another of the ontology elements.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the one or more statements comprise one or more first statements, the meta-ontology element comprises a first meta-ontology element, and the related ontology elements comprise first related ontology elements; and

the ARC backend is further operable to insert one or more second statements into the OWL document describing a second meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more second statements defining the second meta-ontology element as the same class as two or more second related ontology elements.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second related ontology elements are identically related, where information associated with the second ontology elements is identical.

12. An Web Ontology Language (OWL) document embodied on a computer readable medium and operable to be used by a processor, the OWL document comprising:

one or more statements describing a meta-ontology element of a meta-ontology, the one or more statements defining the meta-ontology element as a super class of two or more related ontology elements, the two or more related ontology elements associated with at least one ontology.

13. The OWL document of claim 12, wherein:

the one or more statements comprise one or more first statements, the meta-ontology element comprises a first meta-ontology element, and the related ontology elements comprise first related ontology elements; and

further comprising one or more second statements describing a second meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more second statements defining the second meta-ontology element as the same class as two or more second related ontology elements.

14. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium and operable to be executed by a processor, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for:

generating an Web Ontology Language (OWL) document associated with a meta-ontology; and

inserting one or more statements into the OWL document describing a meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more statements defining the meta-ontology element as a super class of two or more related ontology elements, the two or more related ontology elements associated with at least one ontology.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the related ontology elements are transformationally related, where information associated with one of the ontology elements is transformable into information associated with another of the ontology elements.

16. The computer program of claim 14, wherein:

the one or more statements comprise one or more first statements, the meta-ontology element comprises a first meta-ontology element, and the related ontology elements comprise first related ontology elements; and

further comprising computer readable program code for inserting one or more second statements into the OWL document describing a second meta-ontology element of the meta-ontology, the one or more second statements defining the second meta-ontology element as the same class as two or more second related ontology elements.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the second related ontology elements are identically related, where information associated with the second ontology elements is identical.

18. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the related ontology elements are associated with different ontologies.

19. The computer program of claim 18, wherein each of the related ontology elements is associated with one of an application ontology and an immutable ontology.

20. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the meta-ontology comprises one of a master meta-ontology associated with one or more immutable ontologies and an application meta-ontology associated with one or more application ontologies.