Technique for storing data information within a network

• US 6,219,671 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eureka Database Solutions, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: AltaVista Company (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eberman, Brian, Kovalcin, David E., Sokolov, Michael, Kontothanassis, Leonidas, de Vries, Arjen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAVAN, THU THAO
• Application Number:
  US09/204,285
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/102, 707/530, 707/512, 707/500, 370/271, 370/252, 370/253, 709/205, 709/217, 709/236, 709/219, 709/102, 345/331, 345/507, 345/539, 704/8, 348/12, 348/13, 206/424, 206/425, 359/118, 359/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7343 Query language or query format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/738 Presentation of query results
• 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 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A method for storing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations includes receiving, at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations, an address identifier corresponding to a location of a representation of data at a third of the plurality of network stations. The address identifier is then stored in association with a data identifier.

Claims

1. A method for storing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations, an address identifier corresponding to a location of a representation of data at a third of the plurality of network stations; and

storing the address identifier in association with a data identifier.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first, the second, and the third network stations are different network stations.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the data includes audio data.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the data includes video data.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a request to create the data identifier; and

creating the data identifier.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

transmitting, from the first network station, the data identifier.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the address identifier is a first address identifier, the location is a first location, the representation of data is a first representation of data, and the data identifier is a first data identifier, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a second address identifier corresponding to a second location of a second representation of data at the third network station; and

storing the second address identifier in association with a second data identifier.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the second data identifier is the same as the first data identifier.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the first address identifier is a first address identifier of a plurality of address identifiers stored at the first network station, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a request for at least one of the plurality of address identifiers; and

transmitting, from the first network station, the first address identifier.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting the first address identifier includes transmitting the first address identifier to a fourth of the plurality of network stations.

11. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the request is a subsequent request in relation to a previous request, and further comprising the steps of:

identifying each of the plurality of address identifiers that has been transmitted from the first network station in response to the previous request; and

determining that the first address identifier was one of (i) not transmitted from the first network station in response to the previous request and (ii) transmitted from the first network station in response to the previous request longer ago than a predetermined period of time.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, an annotation of the representation of data; and

storing the annotation in association with the data identifier.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of receiving the annotation includes receiving the annotation from a fourth of the plurality of network stations.

14. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the annotation is one of a plurality of annotations stored in association with the data identifier at the first network station, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a request for at least one of the plurality of annotations associated with the data identifier; and

transmitting, from the first network station, the at least one of the plurality of annotations associated with the data identifier.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the data identifier is one of a plurality of data identifiers stored at the first network station, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a request for at least one of the plurality of data identifiers; and

transmitting, from the first network station, the at least one of the plurality of data identifiers.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first network station, a request for the address identifier associated with the data identifier; and

transmitting, from the first network station, the address identifier associated with the data identifier.

17. An apparatus for storing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations, the apparatus comprising:

a first receiver for receiving, at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations, an address identifier corresponding to a location of a representation of data at a third of the plurality of network stations; and

a first storage device for storing the address identifier in association with a data identifier.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the first, the second, and the third network stations are different network stations.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving, at the first network station, a request to create the data identifier;

a processor for creating the data identifier; and

a transmitter for transmitting, from the first network station, the data identifier.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the address identifier is a first address identifier, the location is a first location, the representation of data is a first representation of data, and the data identifier is a first data identifier, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving, at the first network station, a second address identifier corresponding to a second location of a second representation of data at the third network station; and

a second storage device for storing the second address identifier in association with a second data identifier.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving, at the first network station, an annotation of the representation of data; and

a second storage device for storing the annotation in association with the data identifier.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the data identifier is one of a plurality of data identifiers stored at the first network station, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving, at the first network station, a request for at least one of the plurality of data identifiers; and

a transmitter for transmitting, from the first network station, the at least one of the plurality of data identifiers.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

a second receiver for receiving, at the first network station, a request for the address identifier associated with the data identifier; and

a transmitter for transmitting, from the first network station, the address identifier associated with the data identifier.

24. An article of manufacture for storing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations, the article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable storage medium; and

computer programming stored on the storage medium;

wherein the stored computer programming is configured to be readable from the computer readable storage medium by a computer and thereby cause the computer to operate so as to;

receive, at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations, an address identifier corresponding to a location of a representation of data at a third of the plurality of network stations; and

store the address identifier in association with a data identifier.

25. The article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

receive, at the first network station, a request to create the data identifier;

create the data identifier;

transmit, from the first network station, the data identifier;

receive, at the first network station, an annotation of the representation of data; and

store the annotation in association with the data identifier.

26. The article of manufacture as defined in claim 25, wherein the data identifier is one of a plurality of data identifiers stored at the first network station, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

receive, at the first network station, a request for at least one of the plurality of data identifiers; and

transmit, from the first network station, the at least one of the plurality of data identifiers.

27. The article of manufacture as defined in claim 25, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

receive, at the first network station, a request for the address identifier associated with the data identifier; and

transmit, from the first network station, the address identifier associated with the data identifier.