System and method for enforcing integrity in component plan construction

• US 6,128,618 A
• Filed: 11/13/1997
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JetFan technology Limited
• Original Assignee: JetFan technology Limited
• Inventors: Eliovson, Moshe T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jung, David Yiuk
• Application Number:
  US08/969,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-206, 710/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• 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 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method which enforces integrity in the construction of component Plans, such Plans defined as being composed of one or more unique Strategies. The Strategies in turn are defined as being composed of one or more unique Objectives each and these Objectives in turn are defined as being composed of one or more unique Alternatives. The rules of uniqueness are enforced by the system and method which is designed to lead users intuitively through the construction of such Plans thus furthering the integrity of the Plans constructed through the system by virtue of the way the system organizes Plans and their components as its users proceed to utilize it The system offers a menu of activities associated with the tasks of constructing said Plans and their underlying components. The system stores Plans and their underlying components in a way that not only insures the Plans'"'"' overall integrity, but also the same integrity for Plans'"'"' underlying components as well, so that they may be recalled intact when desired. The system and method allows components to be combined in a "mix-and-match" fashion all the while enforcing its rules of integrity regarding such Plans to facilitate the creation of other Plans in a creative, rapid and error free fashion, errors being defined as duplication of components and mismatching components.

Claims

1. A method of enforcing uniqueness of names among objects in hierarchical levels, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting one of a plurality of hierarchical levels each having an associated designation;

b) eliciting entry of a name to be associated with an object at said selected one hierarchical level;

c) in response to said entry, checking said selected one hierarchical level to determine whether said name is unique within said selected one hierarchical level;

d) in response to determining said name to be unique, storing said name and associating said name with said object;

e) in response to determining said name to be redundant and therefore other than unique, making an indication and denying storage of said name from step (b) within said selected one hierarchical level.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said indication includes generating a display of said names already associated with said selected one hierarchical level.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of checking entails comparing said name with those associated with said designation.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said indication includes eliciting correction of one of said name and those that are redundant, and in response to entry of said correction, checking whether said correction is unique within said selected one hierarchical level and, if so, carrying out step (d) with said correction being said name and, if not, carrying out step (e) with said correction being said name.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of eliciting includes generating a display.

6. Circuitry for enforcing uniqueness of names among objects in hierarchical levels, responsive to programming that:

a) selects one of a plurality of hierarchical levels each having an associated designation;

b) elicits entry of a name to be associated with an object at said selected one hierarchical level;

c) in response to said entry, checks said selected one hierarchical level to determine whether said name is unique within said selected one hierarchical level;

d) in response to determining said name to be unique, stores said name and associates said name with said object;

e) in response to determining said name to be redundant and therefore other than unique, makes an indication and denying storage of said name from step (b) within said selected one hierarchical level.

7. Circuitry as in claim 6, wherein said indication includes a display of said names already associated with said selected one hierarchical level.

8. Circuitry as in claim 6, wherein said programming checks by comparing said name with those associated with said designation.

9. Circuitry as in claim 6, wherein said indication includes programming that elicits correction of one of said name and those that are redundant, and in response to entry of said correction, checks whether said correction is unique within said selected one hierarchical level and, if so, carries out step d) with said correction being said name and, if not, carries out step e) with said correction being said name.

10. Circuitry as in claim 6, wherein said programming carries out step b) by including generation of a display.

11. A computer that enforces uniqueness of names among objects in hierarchical levels, comprising programming that:

a) selects one of a plurality of hierarchical levels each having an associated designation;

b) elicits entry of a name to be associated with an object at said selected one hierarchical level;

c) in response to said entry, checks said selected one hierarchical level to determine whether said name is unique within said selected one hierarchical level;

d) in response to determining said name to be unique, stores said name and associates said name with said object;

e) in response to determining said name to be redundant and therefore other than unique, makes an indication and denying storage of said name from step b) within said selected one hierarchical level.

12. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to enforce uniqueness of names among objects in hierarchical levels, comprising programming that:

a) selects one of a plurality of hierarchical levels each having an associated designation;

b) elicits entry of a name to be associated with an object at said selected one hierarchical level;

c) in response to said entry, checks said selected one hierarchical level to determine whether said name is unique within said selected one hierarchical level;

d) in response to determining said name to be unique, stores said name and associates said name with said object;

e) in response to determining said name to be redundant and therefore other than unique, makes an indication and denying storage of said name from step b) within said selected one hierarchical level.

13. A computer-readable memory device encoded with a data structure for transferring data between a client program and a server program during a remote procedure call, the server program having functions for invocation by the client program, the functions having associated parameters, the data structure having entries each containing:

a parameter value corresponding to one of the associated parameters that is transferred from the client program to the server program when one of the functions is invoked, said functions including

a) selecting one of a plurality of hierarchical levels each having an associated designation;

b) eliciting entry of a name at said selected one hierarchical level;

c) in response to said entry, checking said selected one hierarchical level to determine whether said name is unique within said selected one hierarchical level;

d) in response to determining said name to be unique, storing said name and associates an increment to said name;

e) in response to determining said name to be redundant and therefore other than unique, making an indication and denying storage of said name from step b) within said selected one hierarchical level.

14. A method for enforcing integrity for use with a hierarchical arrangement of objects in which:

each object is associated with a hierarchical level of a predetermined number of hierarchical levels;

each object has a name distinct from the names of other objects associated with the same level;

users can create and modify objects; and

users can selectively associate an object with an object at the next higher level, the object at the next higher level being called a parent and the object thus associated being called a child, the method comprising the steps of;

(a) selecting a hierarchical level;

(b) eliciting from a user an object name at the selected hierarchical level;

(c) in response to entry of the object name, determining whether the object name is unique at the selected hierarchical level by searching object names previously associated with the selected hierarchical level and proceeding to step (h) if the entered object name is unique at the selected hierarchical level;

(d) reporting to the user that the entered object name is not unique at the selected hierarchical level;

(e) eliciting from the user an indication of whether the named object or any of its children should be modified, and returning to step (b) responsive to a negative indication from the user;

(f) presenting the user with the names of children of the named object, presenting the user with an opportunity to select the level of the presented children and to select a particular one of the presented children;

(g) presenting the user with an opportunity to do any of;

(g1) disassociating the named object from the next higher level;

(g2) altering the name of the named object;

or

(g3) changing the order of the named object with respect to other objects associated with the same parent as the named object, and returning to step (b);

(h) associating an object with the selected level, associating the name with the object, and associating with the object an identifier (ID) unique among the ID'"'"'s of objects associated with the selected hierarchical level, and

(i) returning to step (b).