METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR HYPERLINKING FILES

• US 20080034280A1
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

According to the method of the invention, a set of target files is linked to a main file by encoding the target addresses or URLs of these target files into the primary filename of the main file. Separator characters are used to distinguish the primary filename of the main file and the encoded address of each linked target file. Linked target files may be of any kind including, source files of the main file, metadata, multimedia information and services. Since most file systems do not accept certain characters on valid filenames, addresses of linked target files are encoded so that any forbidden character is replaced by an associated authorized character. A lexicography table stores all pairs of forbidden and corresponding authorized characters. Likewise, since filenames length is generally limited to 256 characters, the encoding process may be optimized to reduce the length of the encoded addresses or URLs.

Claims

1. A method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in a computer readable medium of a computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T₁, T₂, . . . , T_N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein A represents A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein symbol (between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target file T_i is a source file of the main file such that A_i is a source file address of the source file T_i, and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A₁{A₂{ . . . {A_N, and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A_n−

1 and A_n for n=2, . . . , N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

4. The method of claim 3, said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A_i and A_{i 1} is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−

1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then;

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A_i, wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A_{i 1}.

5. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters;

and for n=1, 2, . . . , N;

identifying in A_n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A_n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

6. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A_i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T_i at the target file address A_i.

7. The method of claim 6, said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A_i to determine a file type of the target file T_i; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T_i.

8. An apparatus comprising a computer system, said computer system comprising a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium comprising software configured to be executed by the computer system to implement a method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in the computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T₁, T₂, . . . , T_N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein A represents A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein symbol (between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the target file T_i is a source file of the main file such that A_i is a source file address of the source file T_i, and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A₁{A₂{ . . . {A_N, and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A_n−

1 and A_n for n=2, . . . , N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A_i and A_{i 1} is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−

1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then;

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A_i, wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A_{i 1}.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters;

and for n=1, 2, . . . , N;

identifying in A_n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A_n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A_i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T_i at the target file address A_i.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A_i to determine a file type of the target file T_i; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T_i.

15. A computer readable medium comprising software adapted to be executed by a computer system to implement a method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in the computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T₁, T₂, . . . , T_N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein A represents A₁, A₂, . . . , A_N, wherein symbol (between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol) between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable medium.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the target file T_i is a source file of the main file such that A_i is a source file address of the source file T_i, and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A₁{A₂{ . . . {A_N, and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A_n−

1 and A_n for n=2, . . . , N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A_i and A_{i 1} is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−

1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then;

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A_i, wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A_{i 1}.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters;

and for n=1, 2, . . . , N;

identifying in A_n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A_n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A_i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T_i at the target file address A_i.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A_i to determine a file type of the target file T_i; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T_i.