Methods and systems for managing data

• US 20060190499A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran, Ording, Bas, Giampaolo, Dominic, Arrouye, Yan, Cisler, Pavel, Tiene, Kevin, Lemay, Stephen Olivier, Os, Marcel van, Christie, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing data, such as metadata. In one exemplary method, metadata from files created by several different software applications are captured, and the captured metadata is searched. The type of information in metadata for one type of file differs from the type of information in metadata for another type of file. Other methods are described and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A machine implemented method of managing data, the method comprising:

storing metadata from a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications which execute on a data processing system;

wherein the metadata is stored on a storage medium in a flat file format.

32. A method as in claim 31 wherein the metadata comprises a plurality of objects, each of the objects corresponding to one of the plurality of files and each of the objects having a plurality of fields and the method further comprises:

searching the metadata.

33. A method as in claim 32 wherein there is no reference between any of the fields within one object of the objects to any of the fields within another object of the objects.

34. A method as in claim 33 wherein the metadata is stored in a sequential stream on the storage medium.

35. A method as in claim 31 further comprising:

receiving a notification from an operating system element that a file has changed or been created or been deleted, and wherein the storing is in response to the receiving of the notification.

36. A method as in claim 31 further comprising:

determining a type of a file having metadata and, in response to determining the type, selecting a first software element from a group of software elements, wherein the first software element obtains the metadata for said storing.

37. A method as in claim 31 further comprising:

capturing new metadata from a new file created by one of the plurality of different software applications;

storing the new metadata on the storage medium without altering the metadata already stored on the storage medium for the plurality of files.

38. A method as in claim 31 wherein first metadata for files created by a first software application comprise a first group of fields which differ at least in part from a second group of fields in second metadata for files created by a second software application.

39. A method as in claim 38 wherein at least two files in the first group of fields are not present in the second group of fields.

40. A method as in claim 36 wherein the notification is for any file changed, created or deleted by the plurality of different software applications.

41. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions for causing a data processing system to perform a method of managing data, the method comprising:

storing metadata from a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications which execute on a data processing system;

wherein the metadata is stored on a storage medium in a flat file format.

42. A machine readable medium as in claim 41 wherein the metadata comprises a plurality of objects, each of the objects corresponding to one of the plurality of files and each of the objects having a plurality of fields and wherein the method further comprises:

searching the metadata.

43. A machine readable medium as in claim 42 wherein there is no reference between any of the fields within one object of the objects to any of the fields within another object of the objects.

44. A machine readable medium as in claim 43 wherein the metadata is stored in a sequential stream on the storage medium.

45. A machine readable medium as in claim 41, the method further comprising:

receiving a notification from an operating system element that a file has changed or been created or been deleted, and wherein the storing is in response to the receiving of the notification.

46. A machine readable medium as in claim 41, the method further comprising:

determining a type of a file having metadata and, in response to determining the type, selecting a first software element from a group of software elements, wherein the first software element obtains the metadata for said storing.

47. A machine readable medium as in claim 41, the method further comprising:

capturing new metadata from a new file created by one of the plurality of different software applications;

storing the new metadata on the storage medium without altering the metadata already stored on the storage medium for the plurality of files.

48. A machine readable medium as in claim 41 wherein first metadata for files created by a first software application comprise a first group of fields which differ at least in part from a second group of fields in second metadata for files created by a second software application.

49. A machine readable medium as in claim 48 wherein at least two files in the first group of fields are not present in the second group of fields.

50. A machine readable medium as in claim 46 wherein the notification is for any file changed, created or deleted by the plurality of different software applications.

51. A data processing system comprising:

means for storing metadata from a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications which execute on a data processing system;

wherein the metadata is stored on a storage medium in a flat file format.

52. A data processing system as in claim 51 further comprising means for searching the metadata wherein the metadata comprises a plurality of objects, each of the objects corresponding to one of the plurality of files and each of the objects having a plurality of fields.

53. A data processing system as in claim 52 wherein there is no reference between any of the fields within one object of the objects to any of the fields within another object of the objects.

54. A data processing system as in claim 53 wherein the metadata is stored in a sequential stream on the storage medium.

55. A data processing system as in claim 52 further comprising:

means for searching the metadata on the storage medium.

56. A data processing system as in claim 51 further comprising:

means for receiving a notification from an operating system element that a file has changed or been created or been deleted, and wherein the storing is in response to the receiving of the notification;

means for determining a type of a file having metadata and, in response to determining the type, selecting a first software element from a group of software elements, wherein the first software element performs said storing.

57. A data processing system as in claim 51 further comprising:

means for capturing new metadata from a new file created by one of the plurality of different software applications;

means for storing the new metadata on the storage medium without altering the metadata already stored on the storage medium for the plurality of files.

58. A data processing system as in claim 51 wherein first metadata for files created by a first software application comprise a first group of fields which differ at least in part from a second group of fields in second metadata for files created by a second software application.

59. A data processing system as in claim 58 wherein at least two files in the first group of fields are not present in the second group of fields.

60. A data processing system as in claim 56 wherein the notification is for any file changed, created or deleted by the plurality of different software applications.

61-101. -101. (canceled)

102. A machine implemented method of managing data, the method comprising:

receiving, by a software component, a call to import metadata from a file;

importing, by the software component, the metadata from the file created by a first application program into a metadata database wherein the metadata database includes metadata from a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications wherein a type of information in metadata for files of a first software application differs from the type of information in metadata for files of a second software application.

103-114. -114. (canceled)

115. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions for causing a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

requesting, in response to information about a type of a file, a software component to obtain metadata for the file, the metadata to be stored into a metadata database which includes metadata for a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications wherein a type of information in metadata for files of a first software application differs from the type of information in metadata for files of a second software application.

116. A medium as in claim 115 wherein the requesting is made by a metadata processing software and wherein the software component is an importer which is designed to obtain metadata for the type of the file.

117. A medium as in claim 115 further comprising determining the type of the file.

118. A medium as in claim 116 wherein the software component obtains the metadata for the type of the file and provides the metadata to the metadata processing software.

119. A medium as in claim 115 wherein the requesting is made in response to information which indicates that the file has changed or been created or been deleted.

120. A machine implemented method comprising:

requesting, in response to information about a type of a file, a software component to obtain metadata for the file, the metadata to be stored into a metadata database which includes metadata for a plurality of files created by a plurality of different software applications wherein a type of information in metadata for files of a first software application differs from the type of information in metadata for files of a second software application.

121. A method as in claim 120 wherein the requesting is made by a metadata processing software and wherein the software component is an importer which is designed to obtain metadata for the type of the file.

122. A method as in claim 120 further comprising determining the type of the file.

123. A method as in claim 121 wherein the software component obtains the metadata for the type of the file and provides the metadata to the metadata processing software.

124. A method as in claim 120 wherein the requesting is made in response to information which indicates that the file has changed or been created or been deleted.

125. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions for causing a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

obtaining and storing metadata for a file created by a software application;

exporting the metadata for the file into a form readable by the software application.

126. A medium as in claim 125 wherein the metadata is stored in a metadata database containing metadata for a plurality of files created by a plurality of software applications, wherein the type of information in metadata for files of a first type differs from the type of information in metadata for files of a second type.

127. A machine implemented method comprising:

obtaining and storing metadata for a file created by a software application;

exporting the metadata for the file into a form readable by the software application.

128. A method as in claim 127 wherein the metadata is stored in a metadata database containing metadata for a plurality of files created by a plurality of software applications, wherein the type of information in metadata for files of a first type differs from the type of information in metadata for files of a second type.