Apparatus and method for maintaining hierarchical directory structure and transmitting changes in same

• US 7,051,064 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Information Broadcasting Laboratories Incorporated, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishio, Fumihiko, Haraoka, Kazuo, Yamagishi, Yasuaki, Takabayashi, Kazuhiko, Gonno, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/605,031
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-202, 709/220, 709/223, 709/246, 709/248, 707200-204, 707100-104, 707/10, 711/117
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A transmitting apparatus for transmitting a hierarchical structure of a directory for hierarchically managing locations of contents data is disclosed, that comprises a managing means for managing a hierarchical structure of a directory composed of a container entry and a leaf entry, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry being disposed in the immediately lower hierarchical level of a container entry, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a detecting means for detecting a change of the hierarchical structure of the directory managed by the managing means and obtaining first difference information and second difference information, the first difference information being the difference of container entries corresponding to the detected result, the second difference information being the difference of leaf entries corresponding to the detected result, and a transmitting means for transmitting third difference information for reproducing the hierarchical structure of the directory at intervals of a predetermined time period along with the first difference information and the second difference information.

Claims

1. A transmitting apparatus for transmitting a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing locations of contents data, comprising:

managing means for managing the hierarchical structure of the directory composed of a container entry and a leaf entry, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry being disposed in the immediately lower hierarchical level of a container entry, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, said managing means operatively configured to rebuild a hierarchical structure with only differential information that is required at least in the directory structure;

detecting means for detecting a change in the hierarchical structure of the directory managed by said managing means and obtaining first difference information and second difference information, the first difference information being the difference of container entries corresponding to the detected result, the second difference information being the difference of leaf entries corresponding to the detected result; and

transmitting means for transmitting the first difference information and the second difference information to a second system; and

for transmitting third difference information representing an overall structure of the directory to a second system for reproducing on the second system the hierarchical structure of the directory, the third difference information being transmitted at intervals of a predetermined time period.

2. The transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only container entries of the hierarchical structure of the directory.

3. The transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the first difference information is transmitted.

4. The transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only leaf entries in the immediately lower hierarchical level of each of container entries.

5. The transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the second difference information is transmitted.

6. A transmitting method for transmitting a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing locations of contents data, comprising the steps of:

(a) managing the hierarchical structure of a directory composed of a container entry and a leaf entry, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry being disposed in the immediately lower hierarchical level of a container entry, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof;

(b) detecting a change of the hierarchical structure of the directory managed at step (a) and obtaining first difference information and second difference information, the first difference information being the difference of container entries corresponding to the detected result, the second difference information being the difference of leaf entries corresponding to the detected result; and

(c) transmitting the first difference information and the second difference information to a second system; and

transmitting third difference information representing an overall structure of the directory to a second system for reproducing on the second system the hierarchical structure of the directory, the third difference information being transmitted at intervals of a predetermined time period.

7. A receiving apparatus for receiving a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing the locations of contents data that are transmitted, comprising:

receiving means of a second system for receiving first difference information, second difference information, and third difference information, the first difference information being obtained by detecting a change of container entries, the second difference information being obtained by detecting a change of leaf entries, the directory being composed of container entries and leaf entries, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, the third difference information representing an overall structure of the directory and being transmitted at intervals of a predetermined time period, the third difference information being capable of reproducing the hierarchical structure of the directory; and

managing means for managing the hierarchical structure of the directory formed on the second system corresponding to the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information received by said receiving means, said managing means operatively configured to rebuild a hierarchical structure with only differential information that is required at least in the directory structure.

8. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only container entries of the hierarchical structure of the directory.

9. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the first difference information is transmitted.

10. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only leaf entries in the immediately lower hierarchical level of each of container entries.

11. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the second difference information is transmitted.

12. A receiving method for receiving a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing the locations of contents data that are transmitted, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving first difference information, second difference information, and third difference information, the first difference information being obtained by detecting a change of container entries, the second difference information being obtained by detecting a change of leaf entries, the directory being composed of container entries and leaf entries, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, the third difference information representing an overall structure of the directory and being transmitted at intervals of a predetermined time period, the third difference information being capable of reproducing the hierarchical structure of the directory of a second system; and

(b) managing the hierarchical structure of the directory of the second system formed corresponding to the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information.

13. A transmitting and receiving system for transmitting a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing locations of contents data and receiving the transmitted hierarchical structure on a second system, comprising:

first managing means for managing a hierarchical structure of a directory of the first system composed of a container entry and a leaf entry, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry being disposed in the immediately lower hierarchical level of a container entry, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, said first managing means operatively configured to rebuild a hierarchical structure with only differential information that is required at least in the directory structure of the first system;

detecting means for detecting a change of the hierarchical structure of the directory managed by said first managing means and obtaining first difference information and second difference information, the first difference information being the difference of container entries corresponding to the detected result, the second difference information being the difference of leaf entries corresponding to the detected result;

transmitting means for transmitting to a second system third difference information representative of an overall structure of the directory for reproducing the hierarchical structure of the directory on the second system at intervals of a predetermined time period, as well as the first difference information and the second difference information;

receiving means for receiving the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information transmitted by said transmitting means; and

second managing means for managing the hierarchical structure of the directory of the second system formed corresponding to the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information received by said receiving means, said second managing means operatively configured to rebuild a hierarchical structure with only differential information that is required at least in the directory structure of the second system.

14. The transmitting and receiving system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only container entries of the hierarchical structure of the directory.

15. The transmitting and receiving system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the first difference information is transmitted.

16. The transmitting and receiving system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the third difference information is composed of information of only leaf entries in the immediately lower hierarchical level of each of container entries.

17. The transmitting and receiving system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period that is a multiple of the time period of which the second difference information is transmitted.

18. A transmitting and receiving method for transmitting changes in a hierarchical structure of a directory of a first system for hierarchically managing locations of contents data and receiving the transmitted changes in the hierarchical structure, comprising the steps of:

(a) managing the hierarchical structure of a directory of the first system composed of a container entry and a leaf entry, a container entry containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof, a leaf entry being disposed in the immediately lower hierarchical level of a container entry, a leaf entry not containing information in the immediately lower hierarchical level thereof;

(b) detecting a change of the hierarchical structure of the directory managed at step (a) and obtaining first difference information and second difference information, the first difference information being the difference of container entries corresponding to the detected result, the second difference information being the difference of leaf entries corresponding to the detected result;

(c) transmitting third difference information representative of an overall structure of the directory to a second system for reproducing the hierarchical structure of the directory of the first system at intervals of a predetermined time period as well as the first difference information and the second difference information;

(d) receiving the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information transmitted at step (c); and

(e) managing the hierarchical structure of the directory formed corresponding to the first difference information, the second difference information, and the third difference information received at step (d).