Method and apparatus for binary-oriented set sequencing

• US 6,691,129 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UFIL Unified Data Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: UFIL Unified Data Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Ahmadi, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/952,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• 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 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and apparatus for information organization, wherein atomic information can be both static and dynamic, but the compound information (e.g., associations, groupings, sets, etc.) of such atoms always remain dynamic. Unless otherwise directed, a compound information entity is always dynamically determined and generated. This determination is based on the processing of a defined condition, wherein all atoms qualifying the condition are included in the compound. This dynamic determination eliminates the need to “update” the compound, when atoms and/or compounds common to two or more compounds are changed. Further, each information compound can be dynamically generated based on an existing definition for that compound.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically generating a data set, the method comprising:

representing an information set as a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes comprising a subject, an attribute and a bond, wherein the bond defines a relationship between the subject and the attribute; and

dynamically generating a compound information structure from the representation of one or more information set by applying a condition to the nodes in the information sets;

wherein all nodes qualifying the condition are included in the compound information structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition is encoded into a set definition equation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein any given compound is always generated dynamically and an individual node can be static or dynamically generated.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition is applied to each node to determine whether or not it is to be included in the compound.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition is used to specify a subset of nodes to be included in the compound.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition is used to specify a particular view of the information set.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information set comprises a set of nodes, and the order of the nodes as stored in the information set does not affect the logical structure of the resulting compound.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information set comprises an ordered list of nodes, and the order of the nodes as stored in the information set does not affect the logical structure of the resulting compound.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information set comprises a first list of nodes comprising a first topic and a second list of nodes comprising a second topic, and the compound corresponds to a logical organization involving a combined topic that comprises the first and second topics.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the condition is a union condition that includes all of the nodes from both the first and second lists of nodes.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the subject-attribute-bond structure of the nodes provides a decoupling of the physical location of data nodes and the logical structure of the compound dynamically generated therefrom.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the node comprises an item that comprises a reference to an external data object, wherein the item corresponds to the subject or the attribute.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the reference is a field of a universal identity identifier (UEI).

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information set comprises a first data and a second data set, and the compound corresponds to a logical organization involving a combination of nodes drawn from the first and second data sets.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the condition applied to the information structure comprises a set definition equation.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first and the second data sets are combined into the compound by applying the condition to the first and the second data sets.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the set definition equation comprises a union operation applied to the first and second data sets.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein at least one node in the first data set comprises at least one item associated with a logical site of multi-site computer environment, and at least one node in the second data set comprises at least one item associated with a remote site of a multi-site computer environment.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one node in the first data set comprises an item that involves a universal identifier to identify the location of an associated resource located at the remote site.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the universal identifier corresponds to a Universal Entity Identifier (UEI).

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least one node in the first data set comprises at least one item associated with a local site of a multi-site computer environment, and the second data set corresponds to a remote operations list located at the remote site.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the at least one node in the first data set includes an item that involves a universal identifier to identify the location of an associated resource located at the remote site.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the universal identifier corresponds to a Universal Entity Identifier (UEI).

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a set operator.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the set operator comprises an ancestor-match operator applied to a selected node.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the set operator comprises an descendent-match operator applied to a selected node.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compound data structure is a hierarchical data structure having hierarchical relations defined by the bonds in the nodes included in the compound data structure.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

traversing the hierarchical data structure.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the bonds are defined by bond values drawn from a predefined finite set of bond values.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the predefined finite set of bond values are defined in accordance with a bond information table.

31. A computer program data product readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for implementing a computer based method for dynamically generating a data set, the method comprising:

representing an information set as a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes comprising a subject, an attribute and a bond, wherein the bond defines a relationship between the subject and the attribute; and

dynamically generating a compound information structure from the representation of one or more information set by applying a condition to the nodes in the information sets;

wherein all nodes qualifying the condition are included in the compound information structure.

32. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the condition is encoded into a set definition equation.

33. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein any given compound is always generated dynamically and an individual node can be static or dynamically generated.

34. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the condition is applied to each node to determine whether or not it is to be included in the compound.

35. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the condition is used to specify a subset of nodes to be included in the compound.

36. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the condition is used to specify a particular view of the information set.

37. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the information set comprises a set of nodes, and the order of the nodes as stored in the information set does not affect the logical structure of the resulting compound.

38. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the information set comprises an ordered list of nodes, and the order of the nodes as stored in the information set does not affect the logical structure of the resulting compound.

39. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the information set comprises a first list of nodes comprising a first topic and a second list of nodes comprising a second topic, and the compound corresponds to a logical organization involving a combined topic that comprises the first and second topics.

40. The computer program data product according to claim 39, wherein the condition is a union condition that includes all of the nodes from both the first and second lists of nodes.

41. The computer program data product according to claim 39, wherein the subject-attribute-bond structure of the nodes provides a decoupling of the physical location of data nodes and the logical structure of the compound dynamically generated therefrom.

42. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the node comprises an item that comprises a reference to an external data object, wherein the item corresponds to the subject or the attribute.

43. The computer program data product according to claim 42, wherein the reference is a field of a universal identity identifier (UEI).

44. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the information set comprises a first data set and a second data set, and the compound corresponds to a logical organization involving a combination of nodes drawn from the first and second data sets.

45. The computer program data product according to claim 44, wherein the condition applied to the information structure comprises a set definition equation.

46. The computer program data product according to claim 45, wherein the first and the second data sets are combined into the compound by applying the condition to the first and the second data sets.

47. The computer program data product according to claim 45, wherein the set definition equation comprises a union operation applied to the first and second data sets.

48. The computer program data product according to claim 47, wherein at least one node in the first data set comprises at least one item associated with a local site of a multi-site computer environment, and at least one node in the second data set comprises at least one item associated with a remote site of a multi-site computer environment.

49. The computer program data product according to claim 48, wherein the at least one node in the first data set comprises an item that involves a universal identifier to identify the location of an associated resource located at the remote site.

50. The computer program data product according to claim 49, wherein the universal identifier corresponds to a Universal Entity Identifier (UEI).

51. The computer program data product according to claim 45, wherein at least one node in the first data set comprises at least one item associated with a local site of a multi-site computer environment, and the second data set corresponds to a remote operations list located at the remote site.

52. The computer program data product according to claim 51, wherein the at least one node in the first data set includes an item that involves a universal identifier to identify the location of an associated resource located at the remote site.

53. The computer program data product according to claim 52, wherein the universal identifier corresponds to a Universal Entity Identifier (UEI).

54. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the condition comprises a set operator.

55. The computer program data product according to claim 54, wherein the set operator comprises an ancestor-match operator applied to a selected node.

56. The computer program data product according to claim 54, wherein the set operator comprises an descendent-match operator applied to a selected node.

57. The computer program data product according to claim 31, wherein the compound data structure is a hierarchical data structure having hierarchical relations defined by the bonds in the nodes included in the compound data structure.

58. The computer program data product according to claim 57, wherein the method further comprises:

traversing the hierarchical data structure.

59. The computer program data product according to claim 57, wherein the bonds are defined by bond values drawn from a predefined finite set of bond values.

60. The computer program data product according to claim 59, wherein the predefined finite set of bond values are defined in accordance with a bond information table.