System for annotating a data object by creating an interface based on a selected annotation structure

• US 20060129596A1
• Filed: 01/03/2006
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwarz, Peter Martin, Rice, Julia Elizabeth, Horn, Hans Werner, Haas, Laura Myers, Bays, Alan Ronald, Swope, William Clarence
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and apparatus for capturing annotations about database material in a way that allows queries with conditions or predicates on both the database material and the annotations. Database material may be text, computer programs, graphics, audio, spreadsheets, or any other material which may be stored and indexed. Database material may be in one or multiple sources, and annotations may be stored together with the original material or in a separate store. Annotations can be used to capture information such as additional facts about the database material, the opinions and judgments of experts about the database material, and/or links to other related material. Annotations may be captured in a structured form to enhance queryability and semantic interpretation.

Claims

1. A method for annotating data objects, comprising:

receiving a request, from a user, to create an annotation associated with a selected data object;

selecting an annotation structure associated with the selected data object, the annotation structure comprising one or more annotation fields; and

creating an interface, based on the selected annotation structure, allowing the user to populate the one or more annotation fields of the annotation structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is an application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the annotation structure comprises selecting the annotation structure based on the selected data object and a role of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is a graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein creating the graphical user interface comprises transforming the selected annotation structure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transforming the selected annotation structure comprises filtering one or more or the annotation fields based on a role of the user.

7. A method for displaying annotations for data objects, comprising:

receiving a request, from a user, to view an annotation associated with a selected data object;

retrieving the annotation;

selecting an annotation structure associated with the selected data object;

displaying information from the annotation in a graphical user interface; and

wherein the information displayed in the graphical user interface is based on the selected annotation structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the annotation structure comprises selecting the annotation structure based on a role of the user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying information from the annotation in a graphical user interface comprises displaying information corresponding to annotation fields contained in the annotation structure.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying information from the annotation in a graphical user interface comprises filtering information from the annotation based on a role of the user.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the annotation is associated with data from at least two separate data sources.

12. A method for deploying an annotation management system on a network comprising:

installing the annotation management system on the network;

identifying an annotatable data item manipulated by at least one application on the network;

defining at least one annotation structure comprising one or more annotation fields; and

assigning the at least one annotation structure to the data item.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein defining the at least one annotation structure comprises:

entering at least one category of information to be captured about the data item; and

defining the at least one annotation structure based on the category.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising defining the category by entering one or more attributes for the category.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting a context for an annotation author; and

wherein assigning the annotation structure to the data item further comprises associating the annotations structure with the selected role.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting a context for an annotation reader; and

specifying at least one template, for use in displaying an annotation to an annotation reader having the selected context.

17. A system for managing annotations associated with different type data objects manipulated by one or more applications, comprising:

an annotation store for storing annotations for the different type data objects;

a plurality of annotation structures, each defining one or more annotation fields; and

an annotation system providing one or more graphical user interface screens for creating or viewing the annotations, wherein each graphical user interface screen is generated using, as a template, one of the annotation structures selected based on at least one of a type of data object annotated or to be annotated, content of the data object annotated or to be annotated, and a role of a user requesting to create or view an annotation.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein one or more annotations is associated with data from at least two separate data sources.

18. The system of claim 18, further comprising one or more tools for defining the annotation structures.

20. A computer program product having program codes stored on a computer-usable medium for annotating data objects, comprising:

a program code for receiving a request, from a user, to create an annotation associated with a selected data object;

a program code for selecting an annotation structure associated with the selected data object, the annotation structure comprising one or more annotation fields; and

a program code for creating an interface, based on the selected annotation structure, allowing the user to populate the one or more annotation fields of the annotation structure.