Variable length file header apparatus and system

• US 20080059612A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Ariba Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Blair, William, Tetuan, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/30 Compression speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N; Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A viewing configuration is determined for a data portion of a first computer file according to a first view state. The viewing configuration has a parameter, and the first view state includes a first value corresponding to the parameter. The content of the first data portion of the first computer file is presented to a display device based on the viewing configuration. In response to a user request, the presenting is manipulated corresponding to another viewing configuration having the parameter. A second view state is captured from the another viewing configuration. The second view state includes a second value corresponding to the parameter of the another viewing configuration. A second header portion and a second data portion of a second computer file are created.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a viewing configuration for a data portion of a first computer file according to a first view state, the viewing configuration having a parameter, and the first view state including a first value corresponding to the parameter;

present the content of the first data portion of the first computer file to a display device based on the viewing configuration;

in response to a user request, manipulate the presenting corresponding to another viewing configuration having the parameter;

capture a second view state from the another viewing configuration, the second view state including a second value corresponding to the parameter of the another viewing configuration;

create a second header portion and a second data portion of a second computer file, the second header portion including a second header field, the second header field including a second data tag and a second metadata item, and the second data portion including the content stored in the first data portion;

store the first data tag in the second header field; and

store the second view state in the second metadata item; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first header portion includes a third header field having a third metadata item configured to be used by an online auction application to categorize the first computer file.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first computer file is categorized according to an originator of the first computer file, the originator of the first computer file is an auction sponsor, and the online auction application is a software application used to process files sent from auction sponsors for use in an electronic RFQ (request for quotations).

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the first header portion includes a fourth header field having a fourth metadata item, the fourth metadata item including auction information.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the auction information includes auction sponsor information.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the data in the first data portion includes compressed image data.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein at least two header fields are configured to be used in combination to categorize the first computer file.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least two header fields include auction sponsor and auction event.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the content comprises an image, and wherein the metadata in at least one header field is comprised of data that is configured to be used by an application to automatically configure how the image stored in the image data portion is displayed.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the application is a software application used to display and print the image in the image data section, and the metadata in the at least one header field is used by the application to automatically configure how the image stored in the image data portion is printed.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the data in said at least one header field includes at least one parameter from the group comprised of rotation, scale, horizontal offset, vertical offset and page number.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the application automatically rotates the image by a value set by the rotation parameter.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the application automatically zooms the image by a value set by the scale parameter.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the application automatically shifts the image by values set in the horizontal offset and vertical offset parameters.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein if a value for the page number parameter is set to a predefined value, the application automatically configures how the image is displayed on every page of the image.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the application automatically configures how the image is displayed on the page set by the page number parameter.

41. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining a viewing configuration for a data portion of a first computer file according to a first view state, the viewing configuration having a parameter, and the first view state including a first value corresponding to the parameter;

presenting the content of the first data portion of the first computer file to a display device based on the viewing configuration;

in response to a user request, manipulating the presenting corresponding to another viewing configuration having the parameter;

capturing a second view state from the another viewing configuration, the second view state including a second value corresponding to the parameter of the another viewing configuration;

creating a second header portion and a second data portion of a second computer file, the second header portion including a second header field, the second header field including a second data tag and a second metadata item, and the second data portion including the content stored in the first data portion;

storing the first data tag in the second header field; and

storing the second view state in the second metadata item.

42. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a first expiration date for a first computer file to be used in an online auction based on a first metadata item, wherein the first computer file includes a first header portion and a first data portion;

present an expiration message to a display device;

retrieve a second data, the second data being a later version of the first data; and

create a second header portion and a second data portion of a second computer file, the second data portion having the second data, the second header portion providing metadata about data stored in the second data portion and the second header portion having at least one field;

wherein the metadata in at least one field includes data that is used to define a second expiration date for the second computer file, and wherein content stored in the second data portion associated with the metadata item is configured to be presented in a proper form during the online auction.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein compressed image data is stored in the first data portion.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one field contains a date, and the second expiration date is defined as being that date.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one field contains a number, and the second expiration date is determined by combining the number with a date obtained from a source external to the second computer file.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the external source is a datestamp associated with another computer file.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the at least one field contains a number, and the second expiration date is determined by combining the number with a date obtained from another field in the header of the second computer file.

48. The system of claim 43, wherein a second field defines an absolute expiration date, and a third field contains an integer, and the second field and the third field are used to calculate a relative expiration date.

49. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining a first expiration date for a first computer file to be used in an online auction based on a first metadata item, wherein the first computer file includes a first header portion and a first data portion;

presenting an expiration message to a display device;

retrieving a second data, the second data being a later version of the first data; and

creating a second header portion and a second data portion of a second computer file, the second data portion having the second data, the second header portion providing metadata about data stored in the second data portion and the second header portion having at least one field;

wherein the metadata in at least one field includes data that is used to define a second expiration date for the second computer file, and wherein content stored in the second data portion associated with the metadata item is configured to be presented in a proper form during the online auction.