Method and apparatus for using an information model to organize an information repository into an extensible hierarchy of organizational information

• US 6,314,427 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lachelt, David J., Goldman, Jason D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/258,984
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/103, 707/10, 707/203, 707/104, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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

An apparatus and method for accessing an information repository, including computer readable program code stored on computer readable media, where the computer readable program code includes code for organizing information stored in the information repository into a hierarchy of organizational information, and the code creates a hierarchy of a number of derived containers that have contents and are generated in conformance with an information model which has a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, where some of the derived containers correspond to type-defined container definition nodes that are organization-based container definition nodes that represent a category of information in the information repository.

Claims

1. Apparatus for accessing an information repository, comprising:

a. a number of computer readable media;

b. computer readable program code stored on said number of computer readable media, said computer readable program code comprising code for organizing information stored in said information repository into a hierarchy, said hierarchy comprising a hierarchy of a number of derived containers, wherein;

i. said number of derived containers is generated in conformance with an information model comprising a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, wherein each of said number of derived containers corresponds to one of said type-defined container definition nodes, and each of said type-defined container definition nodes is one of a number of container definition node types, said number of container definition node types comprising organization-based container definition nodes; and

ii. each of said number of derived containers represents a category of information in said information repository; and

iii. each of said number of derived containers comprises contents.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein at least one of said number of derived containers corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes, and said category of information corresponds to a number of organizations, each of said number of organizations corresponding to a given one of said at least one of said number of derived containers that corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein said number of organizations is determined by a variable attribute of a given one of said organization-based container definition nodes, said variable attribute comprising an organization type field to generate said number of organizations associated with said organization type.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said number of container definition node types further comprise attribute-based container definition nodes.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said number of container definition node types further comprise value-based container definition nodes.

6. Apparatus for accessing an information repository, comprising:

a. a number of computer readable media; and

b. computer readable program code stored on said number of computer readable media, said computer readable program code comprising;

i. code for creating a hierarchy of derived containers, wherein a given derived container corresponds to;

(1) a type-defined container definition node of an information model, said information model comprising a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, wherein each of said type-defined container definition nodes is one of a number of container definition node types, said number of container definition node types comprising organization-based container definition nodes; and

(2) a category of information stored in said information repository;

ii. code for displaying given ones of said derived containers to a computer user; and

iii. code for determining if a given one of said displayed derived containers has been selected by a computer user, and upon selection of said given one of said displayed derived containers, displaying contents of said given one of said displayed derived containers.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein at least one of said derived containers corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes, and said category of information corresponds to a number of organizations, each of said number of organizations corresponding to a given one of said at least one of said number of derived containers that corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said number of organizations is determined by a variable attribute of a given one of said organization-based container definition nodes, said variable attribute comprising an organization type field to generate said number of organizations associated with said organization type.

9. Apparatus for accessing an information repository, comprising:

a. a number of computer readable media; and

b. computer readable program code stored on said number of computer readable media, said computer readable program code comprising code for creating a hierarchy of derived containers, wherein a given derived container corresponds to;

i. a type-defined container definition node of an information model, said information model comprising a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, and each of said type-defined container definition nodes is one of a number of container definition node types, said number of container definition node types comprising organization-based container definition nodes; and

ii. a category of information stored in said information repository;

 

wherein;

(1) said hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes comprises at least a first-level type-defined container definition node, a plurality of lower level type-defined container definition nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes;

(2) various ones of said type-defined container definition nodes comprise pointers to other type-defined container definition nodes to thereby establish said hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes; and

(3) each of said type-defined container definition nodes comprises a variable attribute to determine a selection criteria attribute.

10. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein at least one of said derived containers corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes, and said category of information corresponds to a number of organizations, each of said number of organizations corresponding to a given one of said at least one of said number of derived containers that corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10, wherein said number of organizations is determined by a variable attribute of a given one of said organization-based container definition nodes, said variable attribute comprising an organization type field to generate said number of organizations associated with said organization type.

12. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein said variable attribute comprises a field to determine a selection criteria attribute, as well as a field that is inherited by a given derived container as part of said selection criteria attribute.

13. Apparatus for accessing an information repository, comprising:

a. a number of computer readable media;

b. computer readable program code stored on said number of computer readable media, said computer readable program code comprising code for organizing information stored in said information repository into an extensible hierarchy, said extensible hierarchy comprising a hierarchy of a number of derived containers, wherein;

i. said number of derived containers are generated in conformance with an information model comprising a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, wherein at least one of said type-defined container definition nodes is an organization-based container definition node, and a subset of said number of derived containers correspond to a given one of at least one organization-based container definition node, and are related derived containers in a given group;

ii. each of said related derived containers in said given group represents a same given category of information in said information repository; and

iii. each of said number of derived containers comprises contents.

14. Apparatus as in claim 13, wherein said given category of information corresponds to a number of organizations, each of said number of organizations corresponding to a given one of said at least one of said number of derived containers that corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes.

15. Apparatus as in claim 14, wherein said number of organizations is determined by a variable attribute of a given one of said organization-based container definition nodes, said variable attribute comprising an organization type field to generate said number of organizations associated with said organization type.

16. Apparatus as in claim 13, wherein children and descendant derived containers of said related derived containers in said given group are determined by children and descendant type-defined container definition nodes of a parent organization-based container definition node corresponding to said group of said related derived containers in said given group.

17. Apparatus as in claim 13, wherein each of said related derived containers in said given group generated in conformance with the information model shares an attribute definition, said attribute definition determining at least one inheritable attribute inherited by said related derived containers in said given group.

18. Apparatus as in claim 17, wherein said attribute definition is determined by a variable attribute, and said variable attribute comprises an organization type field that is used to generate a number of unique organization values, each of said unique organization values determining at least one inheritable attribute of a given one of said related derived containers in a same given group.

19. A computer based method of accessing an information repository, comprising:

c. said computer creating a hierarchy of derived containers, wherein each of said derived containers corresponds to;

i. a type-defined container definition node of an information model, said information model comprising a hierarchy of type-defined container definition nodes, wherein each of said type-defined container definition nodes is one of a number of container definition node types, said number of container definition node types comprising organization-based container definition nodes; and

ii. a category of information stored in said information repository;

d. said computer displaying given ones of said derived containers to a computer user; and

e. said computer determining if a given one of said displayed derived containers has been selected by a computer user, and upon selection of said given one of said displayed derived containers, displaying contents of said given one of said displayed derived containers.

20. A method as in claim 19, wherein at least one of said derived containers corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes, and said category of information corresponds to a number of organizations, each of said number of organizations corresponding to a given one of said at least one of said number of derived containers that corresponds to one of said organization-based container definition nodes.

21. A method as in claim 19, wherein said number of organizations is determined by a variable attribute of a given one of said organization-based container definition nodes, said variable attribute comprising an organization type field to generate said number of organizations associated with said organization type.