Efficiently describing relationships between resources

• US 20060242184A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shur, Andrey, Dunietz, Jerry J., Ornstein, David B., Pollock, Joshua M., Sheth, Sarjana B., Nichols, Isaac E., MacKenzie, Bruce A., Walker, Charles S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• 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 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions

Abstract

A relationship data structure associated with a source resource enables methods to discover and describe relationships between the source resource and a plurality of target resources. The relationships are stored in a format independent of the encoding of the source resource. Each relationship between the source resource and the plurality of target resources is stored in a content-neutral format, and the relationship data structure stores, a location of each target resource, a type of relationship with each target resource and an identifier to uniquely identify each relationship between the source resource and each target resource. Accordingly, the relationship data structure allows a decoder to directly discover the relationships between the source resource and the plurality of target resources without decoding the source resource or target resources.

Claims

1. A method to describe one or more relationships between a source resource and one or more target resources, the one or more relationships encoded in a format independent of an encoding of the source resource, the method comprising:

selecting a namespace that defines a relationship schema;

populating a relationship data structure based on the one or more relationships and the relationship schema;

storing the one or more relationships in the relationship data structure; and

associating the relationship data structure with the source resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more target resources are resources selected from a group consisting of local, external and relative resources.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the source resource and the one or more target resources are packages.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein populating the relationship data structure further comprises:

retrieving identification information that identifies the one or more relationships; and

validating the retrieved identification information by utilizing the relationship schema.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein associating the relationship data structure with the source resource further comprises:

storing the relationship data structure at an address relative to a location of the source resource.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the address relative to the location of the source resource addresses a subfolder at the location of the source resource.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to perform the method recited in claim 1.

8. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 1.

9. A method to discover one or more relationships between a source resource and one or more target resources, the one or more relationships encoded in a format independent of an encoding of the source resource or the one or more target resources, the method comprising:

locating the source resource;

determining whether a relationship data structure is associated with the source resource;

decoding the one or more relationships without decoding the source resource; and

displaying the one or more relationships.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the source resource or the one or more target resources are secure resources.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the source and the one or more target resources are addressed using a Pack URI.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein decoding the one or more relationships without decoding the source resource further comprises:

prior to decoding the one or more relationships, determining a schema of the relationship data structure; and

utilizing the schema to decode the one or more relationships stored in the relationship data structure.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein determining whether the relationship data structure is associated with the source resource further comprises:

checking for an existence of a subfolder at the location of the source resource.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the subfolder is located at an address relative to the location of the source resource.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to perform the method recited in claim 9.

16. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 9.

17. A relationship data structure, stored on a computer-readable medium, providing data corresponding to one or more relationships between a source resource and one or more target resources, the relationship data structure comprises:

identification information to uniquely identify a relationship of the one or more relationships;

target information to specify a location of a target resource of the one or more target resources; and

type information to defme the relationship between the source resource and the target resource.

18. The relationship data structure of claim 17, further comprising:

semantic information to assist when decoding the relationship.

19. The relationship data structure of claim 17, wherein the one or more relationships stored in the relationship data structure are nested.

20. The relationship data structure of claim 17, wherein the relationship data structure includes metadata to describe the source resource.