Method and apparatus for navigation of relational databases on distributed networks
First Claim
1. A schema base data structure to interface a database to a web browser, permitting the web browser to navigate through the database comprises:
- first and second fields for representing referencing and referenced object classes;
a relationship field for representing a relationship between the first and second objects;
extraction command fields to retrieve instances of the class from an underlying database; and
use rules for parsing parameters used in the database retrieval to produce transversable links based on a relationship between the first and second objects, and to represent retrieved instances of the class in at least one web page.
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Abstract
Relational databases are browsed in a manner that mirrors the interactive browsing of world wide web pages. A schema-based navigational layer is used on top of conventional physical, logical and conceptual database schema layers, to dynamically map data stored in a relational database onto web pages. The navigational schema or schema base is an independent abstraction from the underlying conceptual database schema. The schema base is constructed from relationships and information models. The schema base can be reused or derived from the database design process or produced specifically for navigation through the database. An object-role schema base is used to demonstrate the traversal of relational information in a regenerative, propagative manner. Navigating a database via the presented schema extends the conventional database concept of the logical view to an interactive model of logical view-transitions. The technique is a simple and powerful model for automated access to relational databases making available vast amounts of data stored in relational databases for Internet and intranet web browsing.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A schema base data structure to interface a database to a web browser, permitting the web browser to navigate through the database comprises:
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first and second fields for representing referencing and referenced object classes; a relationship field for representing a relationship between the first and second objects; extraction command fields to retrieve instances of the class from an underlying database; and use rules for parsing parameters used in the database retrieval to produce transversable links based on a relationship between the first and second objects, and to represent retrieved instances of the class in at least one web page. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of operating a web browser to retrieve information in a database on a computer network comprises:
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providing a schema base which represents information in the database as classes of objects and relations between classes of objects; executing one or more search queries for a selected instance of a class object; and generating a web page to place hyperlinks on the page corresponding to relationships between selected objects and object instances in the schema. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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10. A method of operating a web browser to retrieve information in a text-based or a relational database in a computer network comprises:
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selecting a named class of objects from a plurality of available named classes of objects contained in a schema base; retrieving relations from the schema base defining roles played by the selected named object class in relation to roles played with others of the plurality of named object classes contained in the schema base; executing one or more search queries for each found named class occurrence from the schema base; retrieving instances of related named objects identified by a relation between the selected named object class; and generating a web page to place hyperlinks corresponding to the relationships between the selected named object and other object instances in the schema. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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20. A system for navigating a relational database comprises:
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a computer system storing a schema base that represents information in an underlying relational database, has classes of objects and relations between classes of objects, the schema base specifies information that should be retrieved to represent information about an object and roles that the object has with respect to other objects and to enable execution of one or more search queries for instances of a class object; a process for generating a web page to place hyperlinks on the page corresponding to relationships between selected objects and object instances in the schema base; wherein the objects provide web pages when navigated by a web browser. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification