Collection recognizer

• US 6,768,989 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synopsys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kevin Wade Jameson
• Inventors: Jameson, Kevin Wade
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LU, KUEN S
• Application Number:
  US09/885,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/6, 707/9, 707/203
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Collection recognizers improve the productivity of knowledge workers by enabling automated systems to recognize interesting collections of arbitrary computer files for automated processing. In operation, a collection recognizer detects collections within a search space, selects interesting collections from the group of detected collections, and finally makes information about the selected collections available to software programs for subsequent automated processing. Collection recognizers help to enable the construction of fully automated collection processing systems.

Claims

1. A collection recognizer process for making information about recognized collections available to software programs, to be performed on or with the aid of a programmable device, comprising the following steps:

(a) receiving a request for information about detected collections,

(b) detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space, thereby forming a set of detected collections, wherein collection signatures are particular sets of attributes from computer data storage media that are capable of indicating the presence of valid collections, and collection signature search spaces are searchable computer data storage mechanisms that are capable of storing collection signatures, and

(c) making information about said detected collections available for use by software programs,

wherein collections are data structures comprised of a collection specifier and collection content containing zero or more collection content files, and wherein a collection specifier contains at least a collection type indicator to link a collection instance to a collection type definition,

thereby providing software programs with a convenient, practical means for obtaining a list of interesting collections to process, and thereby improving productivity of human workers by making it possible for automated systems to recognize collections for automated processing without human assistance.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) obtaining collection content information for one or more said detected collections, and

(b) making said collection content information available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining content information for interesting collections, for the purposes of subsequent automated processing of said interesting collections.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein

(a) said step of obtaining collection content information defines collection content for a collection to include all files in a subtree that is rooted at a directory containing an associated collection specifier file for said collection,

thereby providing a convenient collection recognizer implementation policy that allows collection selection to proceed without reference to associated collection type definitions for collections that are being selected.

4. The process of claim 2, wherein

(a) said step of obtaining collection content information determines collection content for a collection in part by using associated collection type definition information for said collection,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to use more powerful selection criteria based on extensive collection type definition information.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) selecting collections from said set of detected collections, thereby forming a set of selected collections, and

(b) making information about said selected collections available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining the identities of detected and selected collections for processing.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein

(a) said step of selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection type definition information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection type information.

7. The process of claim 5, wherein

(a) said step or selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection content information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection content information.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said step of detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses collection specifier filename information,

thereby enabling a more efficient detection process that directly uses provided collection specifier filenames as collection specifier accessors, without having to derive accessors from collection signatures.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said step of detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses a collection signature up search algorithm,

thereby providing programs with an efficient means of determining a current working collection for the program.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said step of detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses a collection signature down search algorithm,

thereby providing programs with an efficient means of determining sets of detected collections contained within a subtree below a designated starting directory.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said collection signature search space is a typical hierarchical computer file system,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work on typical computer file systems such as those found on typical personal computers.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said collection signature search space is implemented using a relational database, thereby enabling collection recognizers to work efficiently with large-scale collection signature search spaces that are implemented using relational databases to store collection information.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein

(a) said collection signature search space is implemented using a network protocol interface,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work with distributed collection signature search spaces that are implemented at least in part using a network protocol interface to interact with remote servers.

14. A programmable collection recognizer device for making information about recognized collections available to software programs, whose actions are directed by software executing a process comprising the following steps:

(a) receiving a request for information about detected collections,

(b) detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space, thereby forming a set of detected collections, wherein collection signatures are particular sets of attributes from computer data storage media that are capable of indicating the presence of valid collections, and collection signature search spaces are searchable computer data storage mechanisms that are capable of storing collection signatures, and

(c) making information about said detected collections available for use by software programs,

wherein collections are data structures comprised of a collection specifier and collection content containing zero or more collection content files, and wherein a collection specifier contains at least a collection type indicator to link a collection instance to a collection type definition,

thereby providing software programs with a convenient, practical means for obtaining a list of interesting collections to process, and thereby improving productivity of human workers by raking it possible for automated systems to recognize collections for automated processing without human assistance.

15. The programmable device of claim 14, further comprising:

(a) obtaining collection content information for one or more said detected collections, and

(b) making said collection content information available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining content information for interesting collections, for the purposes of subsequent automated processing of said interesting collections.

16. The programmable device of claim 15, wherein

(a) said step of obtaining collection content information defines collection content for a collection to include all files in a subtree that is rooted at a directory containing an associated collection specifier file for said collection,

thereby providing a convenient collection recognizer implementation policy that allows collection selection to proceed without reference to associated collection type definitions for collections that are being selected.

17. The programmable device of claim 15, wherein

(a) said step of obtaining collection content information determines collection content for a collection in part by using associated collection type definition information for said collection,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to use more powerful selection criteria based on extensive collection type definition information.

18. The programmable device of claim 14, further comprising:

(a) selecting collections from said set of detected collections, thereby forming a set of selected collections, and

(b) making information about said selected collections available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining the identities of detected and selected collections for processing.

19. The programmable device of claim 18, wherein

(a) said step of selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection type definition information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection type information.

20. The programmable device of claim 18, wherein

(a) said step of selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection content information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection content information.

21. The programmable device of claim 14, wherein

(a) said collection signature search space is implemented using a relational database,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work efficiently with large-scale collection signature search spaces that are implemented using relational databases to store collection information.

22. The programmable device of claim 14, wherein

(a) said collection signature search space is implemented using a network protocol interface,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work with distributed collection signature search spaces that are implemented at least in part using a network protocol interface to interact with remote servers.

23. A computer readable memory, encoded with data representing a computer program, that can be used to direct a computer when used by the computer, comprising:

(a) means for receiving a request for information about detected collections,

(b) means for detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space, thereby forming a set of detected collections, wherein collection signatures are particular sets of attributes from computer data storage media that are capable of indicating the presence of valid collections, and collection signature search spaces are searchable computer data storage mechanisms that are capable of storing collection signatures, and

(c) means for making information about said detected collections available for use by software programs,

wherein collections are data structures comprised of a collection specifier and collection content containing zero or more collection content files, and wherein a collection specifier contains at least a collection type indicator to link a collection instance with a collection type definition,

thereby providing software programs with a convenient, practical means for obtaining a list of interesting collections to process, and thereby improving productivity of human workers by making it possible for automated systems to recognize collections for automated processing without human assistance.

24. The computer readable memory of claim 23, further comprising:

(a) means for obtaining collection content information for one or more said detected collections, and

(b) means for making said collection content information available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining content information for interesting collections, for the purposes of subsequent automated processing of said interesting collections.

25. The computer readable memory of claim 24, wherein

(a) said means for obtaining collection content information defines collection content for a collection to include all files in a subtree that is rooted at a directory containing an associated collection specifier file for said collection,

thereby providing a convenient collection recognizer implementation policy that allows collection selection to proceed without reference to associated collection type definitions for collections that are being selected.

26. The computer readable memory of claim 24, wherein

(a) said means for obtaining collection content information determines collection content for a collection in part by using associated collection type definition information for said collection,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to use more powerful selection criteria based on extensive collection type definition information.

27. The computer readable memory of claim 23, further comprising:

(a) means for selecting collections from said set of detected collections, thereby forming a set of selected collections, and

(b) means for making information about said selected collections available for use by software programs,

thereby providing software programs with a practical means for obtaining the identities of detected and selected collections for processing.

28. The computer readable memory of claim 27, wherein

(a) said means for selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection type definition information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection type information.

29. The computer readable memory of claim 27, wherein

(a) said means for selecting collections from the set of detected collections uses associated collection content information for collections being selected,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to perform more complex, more precise selection actions by using detailed collection content.

30. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses collection specifier filename information,

thereby enabling a more efficient detection process that can directly use provided collection specifier filenames as collection specifier accessors, without having to derive accessors frorn collection signatures.

31. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses a collection signature up search algorithm,

thereby providing programs with an efficient means of determining a current working collection for the program.

32. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures within a collection signature search space uses a collection signature down search algorithm,

thereby providing programs with an efficient means of determining sets of detected collections contained within a subtree below a designated starting directory.

33. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures is capable of using a collection signature search space that is a hierarchical computer file system,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work on typical computer file systems such as those found on typical personal computers.

34. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures is capable of using a collection signature search space that is implemented using a relational database,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work efficiently with large-scale collection signature search spaces that are implemented using relational databases to store collection information.

35. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein

(a) said means for detecting collection signatures is capable of using a collection signature search space that is implemented using a network protocol interface,

thereby enabling collection recognizers to work with distributed collection signature search spaces that are implemented at least in part using a network protocol interface to interact with remote servers.