Computer system for storing data in hierarchical manner

• US 5,873,087 A
• Filed: 07/17/1992
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Obermeit, Volker, Brosda, Volkert
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US07/916,770
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/275, 395/650, 364/419.08, 364/419.17, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• 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

The invention concerns a computer system for data administration, wherein a number of data fields are stored in a memory. The data fields are subdivided into data segments. For each data segment, the associated structural and ordering information is stored in the memory. The structural information serves to describe the type of data segment. The structural information is also used to define the path from the location of the data segment within an associated structure tree to its root. The ordering information serves to determine the order of the data segment within a data field. By storing in particular the structural information, it is possible to use that information for queries. The structural information may also be used for indexing. As a result, the speed of the query process is substantially increased.

Claims

1. A computer system for storing a multiplicity of dictionary entries, said system comprising:

a memory;

a group of data structures stored in said memory for each of said dictionary entries, each of said data structures in each group comprising a root entry common for said group, a data segment entry for data, a label entry which indicates a type of said data and is a node in a label entry hierarchy, and a label sequence entry indicating a path of label entries in said label entry hierarchy between the label entry of said each data structure and said root entry, some of said data segments in each group collectively forming a word definition; and

means for searching said data structures.

2. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the label sequence entries for two of the data structures in the same group are the same as each other, and each of said two data structures further comprises a path entry which distinguishes said same sequence entries from each other.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hierarchy comprises a main form label entry in a level, a lemmatized form label entry in a lower level descending from said main form label entry, and a grammatical detail label entry in said lower level descending from said main form label entry.

4. A system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a type of word label entry in a still lower level descending from said grammatical detail label entry.

5. A system as set forth in claim 4 wherein one of the data segments descends from said type of word label entry.

6. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hierarchy comprises a semantic subdivision of a first category label entry in a level, a numerical information for said semantic subdivision of said first category label entry in a lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of said first category label entry, and a grammatical detail label entry in said lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of said first category label entry.

7. A computer system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said hierarchy further comprises an auxiliary verb label entry in a still lower level descending from said grammatical detail label entry.

8. A computer system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a semantic subdivision of a second category label entry in said lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of said first category label entry.

9. A computer system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a numerical information for said semantic subdivision of said second category label entry in a still lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of a second category label entry.

10. A computer system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a semantic information label entry in said still lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of said second category label entry.

11. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hierarchy comprises a semantic subdivision of a category label entry in a level, a numerical information for said semantic subdivision of said category label entry in a lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of a category label entry.

12. A computer system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a semantic information label entry in said lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of a category label entry.

13. A computer system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said hierarchy further comprises an example label entry in said lower level descending from said semantic subdivision of a category label entry.

14. A computer system as set forth in claim 13 wherein data segments descend from label entries of said lower level.

15. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hierarchy comprises a main form label entry in a level and a grammatical detail label entry in a lower level descending from said main form label entry.

16. A system as set forth in claim 15 wherein said hierarchy further comprises a type of word label entry in a still lower level descending from said grammatical detail label entry.

17. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hierarchy comprises a grammatical detail label entry in a level and a type of word label entry in a lower level descending from said grammatical detail label entry.

18. A computer implemented method for storing and searching a multiplicity of dictionary entries, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory a group of data structures for each of said dictionary entries, each of said data structures in each group comprising a root entry common for said group, a data segment entry for data, a label entry which indicates a type of said data and is a node in a label entry hierarchy, and a sequence entry indicating a path of label entries in said label entry hierarchy between the label entry of said each data structure and said root entry, some of said data segments in each group collectively forming a word definition; and

searching through said memory for a specified combination of data segment and respective label entry.