Method for modeling, storing, and transferring data in neutral form
First Claim
1. A method of organizing and storing a set of information in neutral form in a computer based environment comprising the steps of:
- a) organizing the set of information into instance data sets;
b) defining a time basis for the collection of instance data sets;
c) organizing each instance data set into an instance cluster comprised of data instance nodes;
d) assigning to each data instance node in an instance cluster a distinguishing structural tag comprising the following three components;
a data reference;
a data type;
a data organization;
e) defining the components of the structural tag for each data value in each instance cluster;
f) assigning properties of the data value to each structural tag;
g) storing the names of all of the structural tag elements together with their respective definitions and properties in a suitable format;
h) combining each data value and its respective structural tag to form a neutral form expression of the data; and
i) storing the resultant neutral form expression of the data value.
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Abstract
The present invention simplifies the data modeling process and enables its full dynamic versioning by employing a non-hierarchical non-integrated structure to the organization of information. This is achieved by expressing data modeling, storage and transfer in a particular non-hierarchical, non-integrated neutral form. The neutral form of the present invention enables complete parallel processing of both data storage and data transfer operations. It also enables the direct integration of separate but related data models and their data without remodeling or reloading. Finally, the present invention enables direct transfer of neutral form information in a manner that includes all of the properties required to independently understand and interpret each transferred data value.
169 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of organizing and storing a set of information in neutral form in a computer based environment comprising the steps of:
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a) organizing the set of information into instance data sets; b) defining a time basis for the collection of instance data sets; c) organizing each instance data set into an instance cluster comprised of data instance nodes; d) assigning to each data instance node in an instance cluster a distinguishing structural tag comprising the following three components; a data reference; a data type; a data organization; e) defining the components of the structural tag for each data value in each instance cluster; f) assigning properties of the data value to each structural tag; g) storing the names of all of the structural tag elements together with their respective definitions and properties in a suitable format; h) combining each data value and its respective structural tag to form a neutral form expression of the data; and i) storing the resultant neutral form expression of the data value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of transferring data in electronic form from a computer comprising the steps of:
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a) organizing and storing the data in neutral form that is to be transferred; b) organizing and storing the names, definitions and properties of the structural tags used to express the data in neutral form; and c) transferring the data expressed in neutral form along with the names, definitions and properties of the structural tags that make up that neutral form data. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method of incorporating neutral form data values and the names, definitions and properties of their associated structural tags into an existing computer environment comprising the steps of:
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a) comparing the names, definitions and properties of the components of the structural tags of the data values with those present in the existing environment; b) entering a data value structural tag component name, definition and properties into the dictionary system of the existing environment if it is not already present; and c) recording equivalency where a structural tag component in the dictionary system of the existing environment is found to be different but equivalent; d) thereafter, adding the data values into the neutral form file of the existing environment. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of identifying cluster instances of data stored in a computer based environment which are dynamically linked comprising the steps of:
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a) selecting a cluster defined in the environment'"'"'s dictionary system; b) determining the prime data sets in the selected cluster; c) identifying other clusters defined in the environment'"'"'s dictionary system that contain sets of instance data nodes which are the same as those of any of the prime data sets in the selected cluster; and d) identifying those instance clusters in the environment which contain data values for a prime data set that match the data values of the same prime data set and have a compatible time basis for an instance of the selected cluster.
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Specification