Method and system for preventing mutually exclusive content entities stored in a data repository to be included in the same compilation of content

• US 7,089,239 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Inventors: Hartman, Robert C. Jr., Murray, Janet L., Walkus, Richard W., Kao, I-Ming, Johnson, Eugene Jr., Hennessy, Richard D., Baer, William J., Robertson, Jerry D. III, Hanapole, Edward, Barker, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, CAM Y T
• Application Number:
  US09/489,265
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/6, 707/8, 707/10, 707100-101, 707/1, 707200-204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/01 Automatic library building
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

A web-based system, method and program product are provided for adding content to a content object stored (e.g., a custom compilation or prepublished work) in a data repository as a group of hierarchically related content entities. Each noncontainer content object is preferably stored as a separate entity in the data repository. Each content entity is also stored as a row in a digital library index class as a collection of attributes and references to related content entities and containers. As the user selects desired objects for inclusion in a content object, the system arranges the objects hierarchically, e.g., into volumes, chapters and sections according to the order specified by the user. The system then creates a file object (e.g., a CBO) defining the content object that contains a list or outline of the container and noncontainer entities selected, their identifiers, order and structure. This file object is stored separately in the data repository. An aspect of the invention is to provide permission checking. Occasionally, it may be desired to prevent certain content entities from appearing a same compilation as other content entities. For example, an author may specify that his work can not be published in the same compilation as the work of another author. Permission checking first requires associating each container and noncontainer with any mutually exclusive containers or noncontainers. For example, such association may be achieved by defining a set of rules specifying containers and/or content entities that are mutually exclusive. Upon selection of a container or noncontainer to add to the compilation, the permission checking procedure determines if the container or noncontainer is mutually exclusive of any other containers or content objects, e.g., by consulting the rules. If so, the permission checking procedure then analyzes the compilation outline to determine whether any of the other mutually exclusive containers or noncontainers already exists in the compilation. If so, then the selected container or noncontainer is not added to the compilation and the user is notified that the content selected may not be included in the compilation. Otherwise, the content is added.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for preventing mutually exclusive content entities stored in a data repository from being included in a compilation of content entities, comprising the steps of:

storing reference information for each content entity identifying other content entities that are mutually exclusive with said each content entity, wherein said reference information indicates different content ineligible for placement within the same compilation of content entities;

when adding a new content entity selected by a user from the data repository to the compilation of content entities, referencing the reference information to determine from that reference information if the new content entity is mutually exclusive of other content entities, wherein said compilation of content entities comprises at least one of a book, a collection of images, an album, a video and a multimedia object, and

if so, determining if any content entity of the identified other content entities exists in the compilation of content entities, and

if not, adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities to create an updated compilation of content entities, and

if so, not adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities and indicating that the new content entity is not included in the compilation of content entities.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said reference information is in the form of rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said reference information defines relationships between the content entities stored in the data repository to identify said content ineligible for placement with the same compilation of content entities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said compilation includes content entities selected by a user from the data repository.

5. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for preventing mutually exclusive content entities stored in a data repository from being included in a compilation of content entities, the method steps comprising:

storing reference information for each content entity identifying other content entities that are mutually exclusive with said each content entity, wherein said reference information indicates different content ineligible for placement within the same compilation of content entities;

when adding a new content entity selected by a user from the data repository to the compilation of content entities, referencing the reference information to determine from that reference information if the new content entity is mutually exclusive of other content entities, wherein said compilation of content entities comprises at least one of a book, a collection of images, an album, a video and a multimedia object, and

if so, determining if any content entity of the identified other content entities exists in the compilation of content entities, and

if not, adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities to create an updated compilation of content entities, and

if so, not adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities and indicating that the new content entity is not included in the compilation of content entities.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said reference information is in the form of rules.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein said reference information defines relationships between the content entities stored in the data repository to identify said content ineligible for placement within the same compilation of content entities.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein said compilation includes content entities selected by a user from the data repository.

9. A computer system for preventing mutually exclusive content entities stored in a data repository from being included in a compilation of content entities, comprising:

means for storing reference information for each content entity identifying other content entities that are mutually exclusive with said each content entity, wherein said reference information indicates different content ineligible for placement within the same compilation of content entities;

means for referencing the reference information when adding a new content entity selected by a user from the data repository to the compilation of content entities, to determine from that reference information if the new content entity is mutually exclusive of other content entities, wherein said compilation of content entities comprises at least one of a book, a collection of images, an album, a video and a multimedia object, and

means for determining if any content entity of the identified other content entities exists in the compilation of content entities, and

means for adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities of create an updated compilation of content entities if none of the identified other content exists in the compilation of content entities, and

means for not adding the new content entity to the compilation of content entities and indicating that the new content entity is not included in the compilation of content entities if any of the identified other content entities exists in the compilation of content entities.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said reference information is in the form of rules.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said reference information defines relationships between the content entities stored in the data repository to identify said content ineligible for placement within the same compilation of content entities.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said compilation includes content entities selected by a user from the data repository.