Systems and methods for separating units of information manageable by a hardware/software interface system from their physical organization

• US 7,555,497 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raman, Balan Sethu, Thompson, J. Patrick, Acharya, Srinivasmurthy P., Cameron, Kim
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US10/646,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/103, 713/164, 714/127, 717/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a hardware/software interface system for a computer system for manipulating a plurality of discrete units of information at a hardware/software interface system level, Items, the Items interconnected by Relationships and where Items have Relationships to other Items. One such relationship between Items may be for the purposes of logically denoting to the hardware/software interface system whether one Item is public and accessible or private and unaccessible to another Item.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium with computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for an operating system, the operating system comprising a shell and a kernel, the kernel of operating system including a database management program and a file system, and the file system is integrated with the database management program, the operating system configured to store data in the file system as file streams, and generate Items associated with the file streams in the database management program, the Items interconnected by a plurality of Relationships managed by said database management program of the operating system, each of said Items having a boundary comprising an item type, applicable subtype information, complex type properties and extensions if any, and a list of the other Items owned by the Item and paths to the file streams stored in the fle system, further wherein the list of other Items owned by the Item identifies other Items the Item extends an owning relationship to, further wherein an Item that extends an owning relationship controls at least the life time of the relationship; and

instructions for the database management program of the operating system to generate the owning relationship extending from a first Item to a second Item, wherein an owning relationship extending from the first item to the second Item denotes to said database management program of the operating system that a file stream associated with said second Item is publicly accessible to said first Item, and a lack of an owning relationship extending back from said second Item to said first Item denotes to said database management program of the operating system that a file stream associated with said first Item is inaccessible to said second Item.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 wherein said second Item is a Category.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said first Item is a Category.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said second Item is a Category.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein said second Item is a Category.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein said second Item is not an Item Folder or a Category.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said second Item is a Category.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein said second Item has a Relationship to said first Item.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that the file stream associated with said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that said file stream associated with the first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said first Item is a Category.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein said second Item is a Category.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 wherein said second Item is a Category.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 wherein said second Item is not an Item Folder or a Category.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.

32. A computer system, the computer system comprising:

hardware including a computer readable storage medium;

instructions for an operating system stored in the computer readable storage medium, the operating system configured to manage the hardware, the operating system comprising a shell and a kernel, the kernel of the operating system including a database management prograrn and a file system and the file system is integrated with the database management program;

the operating system further configured to store data in the file system as file a streams, and generate Items associated with the file streams in the database management program of the operating system, the Items interconnected by Relationships, each of said Items having a boundary comprising an item type, applicable subtype information, complex type properties and extensions if any, and a list of the other Items owned by the Item and paths to the file streams stored in the file system, further wherein the list of other Items owned by the Item identifies other Items the Item extends an owning relationship to, further wherein an Item that extends an owning relationship controls at least the life time of the relationship; and

the database management program of the operating system configured to generate an owning relationship extending from a first Item to a second Item, wherein the owning relationship extending from the first Item to the second Item denotes to said database management program of the operating system that a file stream associated with said second Item is publicly accessible to said first Item, and a lack of an owning Relationship extending back from said second Item to said first Item denotes to said database management program of the operating system that a file stream associated with said first Item is inaccessible to said second Item.

33. The computer system of claim 32 wherein the Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that said file stream associated with the second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

34. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

35. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said first Item is a Category.

36. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

37. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said second Item is en Item Folder.

38. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said second Item is a Category.

39. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

40. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said second Item has a Relationship to said first Item.

41. The computer system of claim 40 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that said file stream associated with the second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said database management program of the operating system that said file stream associated with the first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

42. The computer system of claim 32 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

43. The computer system of claim 32 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

44. The computer system of claim 32 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

45. The computer system of claim 32 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.

46. A method for organizing data in a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving, from an application operating in user space of an operating system, a request to save data to a file system, wherein the operating system comprises a shell and a kernel, the kernel of the operating system including a database management program and the file system and the file system is integrated with the database management program;

saving, by the operating system, the data to the file system as file stream;

generating, by the database management program, an Item, associated with the file stream each Item stored in the database management program having a boundary comprising an item type, applicable subtype information, complex type properties and extensions if any, and a list of the other Items owned by the Item and paths to associated file streams stored in the file system, further wherein the list of other Items owned by the Item identifies other Items the Item extends an owning relationship to, further wherein an Item that extends an owning relationship controls at least the life time of the relationship; and

generating, by the database management program, an owning relationship extending from a first Item to a second Item, wherein the owning relationship extending from the first from to the second Item denotes to said database management program that a file stream said second Item is publicly accessible to said first Item, and a lack of an owning relationship extending back from said second Item to said first Item denotes to said database management program that a file stream said first Item is inaccessible to said second Item.

47. The method of claim 46 further cornprising:

denoting in database management program that, due to said Relationship, said second Item is public and accessible to said first Item.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein said first Item is an Item Folder.

49. The method of claim 46 wherein said first Item is a Category.

50. The method of claim 46 wherein said first Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

51. The method of claim 46 wherein said second Item is an Item Folder.

52. The method of claim 46 wherein said second Item is a Category.

53. The method of claim 46 wherein said second Item is an Item that is not an Item Folder or a Category.

54. The method of claim 46 further comprising:

extending a Relationship from said second Item to said first Item.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein said Relationship from said first Item to said second Item logically denotes in said database management program that said file stream associated with the second Item is public and accessible to said first Item, and wherein said Relationship from said second Item to said first Item logically denotes in said database management program that said file stream associated with the first Item is public and accessible to said second Item.

56. The method of claim 46 wherein each Item from among said Items has a Relationship to at least one other Item.

57. The method of claim 46 wherein a subset of Items comprise Item Folders.

58. The method of claim 46 wherein a subset of Items comprise Categories.

59. The method of claim 46 wherein a subset of Items comprise Items that are not Item Folders or Categories.