USER INTERFACE APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20100094805A1
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Objectstore Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Metatomix, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Curley, Patrick, Ingerman, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,481,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a digital data processing system for information storage and retrieval that includes a first digital data processor (e.g., personal computer, workstation, server, mainframe, etc.) coupled to a second digital data processor and a data store (e.g., a RDF data store, relational database, etc.). The first digital data processor creates, reads, updates and/or deletes data from the data store (i.e., “CRUD” operations) based on a model generated by the first digital data processor. The model comprises an ontology and a set of constraints that are applied to data characterized by the ontology.

Claims

1. A digital data processing system, comprising

A. a first digital data processor coupled to (i) a second digital data processor and (ii) a data store,

B. a model comprising an ontology and a set of constraints,

C. the first digital data processor any of creating, reading, updating and deleting data from the data store based on code generated from the model by said first digital data processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second digital data processor displays a user interface (UI) that performs any of a selected data create, read, update and delete operation.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the UI is based on code generated from the model by the first digital data processor.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the UI includes a plurality of data fields, each data field associated with one or more data labels and one or more data values.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein any of the one or more data labels and one or more data values are any of (i) defined by the model, (ii) retrieved by the one or more digital data processors from the data store, and (iii) input by a user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of constraints include any of security rules, minimum and/or maximum data value character lengths, data value character types, default data values, and field masking.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the first digital data processor masks a selected portion of one or more data values of the data prior to generation and display of the UI, said masking based on one or more constraints defined in the model.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second digital data processor displays a UI that displays portions of the data elements that are not masked, and does not display the masked portions of said elements.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the second digital data processor generates a warning in response to user-input entered via the one or more digital data processors.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the warning is generated in accord with the one or more attributes defined by the model.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second digital data processors transmits said warning to a user and/or administrator.

12. A digital data processing system, comprising

A. one or more digital data processors coupled to a data store,

B. a model comprising an ontology and a set of constraints,

C. the one or more digital data processors any of creating, reading, updating and deleting data from the data store based on code generated from the model by said one or more digital data processors.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more digital data processors display a user interface (UI) based on the model and code generated therefrom by said one or more digital data processors.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the UI includes a plurality of data fields, each data field associated with one or more attributes and one or more elements of data in the data store.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the model defines the one or more attributes, including any of a label, default value, character type, maximum character length, minimum character length, and mask attributes.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more elements of data associated with each data field are any of (i) defined by the model, (ii) retrieved by the one or more digital data processors from the data store, and/or (iii) input by a user.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more digital data processors mask a selected portion of one or more elements of the data prior to generation and display of the UI, said masking based on one or more constraints defined in the model.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more digital data processors generate a UI that displays portions of the data elements that are not masked, and does not display the masked portions of said elements.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more digital data processors generate a warning in response to user-input entered via the one or more digital data processors.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the warning is generated in accord with the one or more attributes defined by the model.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more digital data processors display said warning to a user and/or administrator.

23. A digital data processing system, comprising

A. a first digital data processor coupled to (i) a second digital data processor and (ii) a data store,

B. a model comprising an ontology and a set of constraints,

C. the first digital data processor any of creating, reading, updating and deleting data from the data store based on code generated from the model by said first digital data processor.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the second digital data processor displays a user interface (UI) based on code generated from the model by the first digital data processor.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the UI includes a plurality of data fields, each data field associated with one or more attributes and one or more elements of data in the data store.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the model defines the one or more attributes, including any of a label, default value, character type, maximum character length, minimum character length, and mask attributes.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more elements of data associated with each data field are any of (i) defined by the model, (ii) retrieved by the one or more digital data processors from the data store, and/or (iii) input by a user.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the first digital data processor masks a selected portion of one or more elements of the data prior to generation and display of the UI, said masking based on one or more constraints defined in the model.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the second digital data processor displays a UI that displays portions of the data elements that are not masked, and does not display the masked portions of said elements.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the second digital data processor generates a warning in response to user-input entered via the one or more digital data processors.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the warning is generated in accord with the one or more attributes defined by the model.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the second digital data processors transmits said warning to a user and/or administrator.

34. A digital data processing system, comprising

A. one or more digital data processors coupled to a data store,

B. a model executing on the one or more digital data processors,

C. the one or more digital data processors any of creating, reading, updating and deleting data from the data store based on code generated from the model by said one or more digital data processors.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the one or more digital data processors comprise a first digital data processor coupled to a second digital data processor.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the first digital data processor generates the model from at least an ontology and a set of constraints.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the second digital data processor generates a user interface (UI) based on the model and code generated therefrom by the first digital data processor.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the second digital data processor any of creates, reads, updates, and deletes data from the data store based on the ontology.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the ontology at least defines a structure for data in the data store.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the second digital data processor masks a portion of data read from the data store based on the set of constraints.

41. A digital data processing system, comprising

A. a first digital data processor coupled to a second digital data processor,

B. a model comprising an ontology and a set of constraints,

C. the first digital data processor displaying a user interface (UI) based on the model and code generated therefrom by the second digital data processor,

D. the UI having a plurality of data fields, each data field associated with one or more attributes and one or more elements of a data record,

E. the second digital data processor any of creating, reading, updating and deleting one or more elements of the data record based on UI data field input.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the model defines the one or more attributes, including any of a label, default value, character type, maximum character length, minimum character length, and mask attributes.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the one or more elements of a data record associated with each data field are any of (i) defined by the model, (ii) retrieved by the second digital data processor from a digital data store in communications coupling therewith, and/or (iii) input by a user.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the second digital data processor masks a selected portion of one or more elements of the data record prior to generation and display of the UI, said masking based on one or more constraints defined in the model.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the first digital data processor generates a UI that displays portions of the data record elements that are not masked, and does not display the masked portions of said elements.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the second digital data processor stores each data record in a data store in communications coupling therewith, said data store specified in the ontology defined in the model.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the second digital data processor generates a warning in response to user-input entered via the first digital data processor.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the warning is generated in accord with the one or more attributes defined by the model.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the first digital data processor displays said warning to a user and/or administrator.

50. A method for generating a user interface (UI), comprising

A. generating a model comprising an ontology and a set of constraints,

B. displaying a user interface (UI) based on the model and code generated therefrom,

C. the UI having a plurality of data fields, each data field associated with one or more attributes and one or more elements of a data record,

D. any of creating, reading, updating and deleting one or more elements of the data record based on UT data field input.

51. The method of claim 50, defining, with the model, the one or more attributes, including any of a label, default value, character type, maximum character length, minimum character length, and mask attributes.

52. The method of claim 50, comprising masking, according to one or more constraints defined in the model, a selected portion of one or more elements of the data record prior to generation and display of the UI.

53. The method of claim 52, comprising displaying portions of the one or more elements that are not masked.

54. The method of claim 50, comprising storing each data record in a data store specified in the ontology defined in the model.

55. The method of claim 51, comprising generating a warning in response to user input.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the warning is generated in accord with the one or more attributes defined by the model.

57. The method of claim 55, displaying said warning to a user and/or administrator.