Systems and methods for the implementation of base schema for organizing units of information manageable by a hardware/software interface system

• US 7,739,316 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thompson, J. Patrick, Nori, Anil K., Cameron, Kim, Smith, Walter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US10/646,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/102, 707/200, 707/205
• US Class Current: 707/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method, in a computer system, for a hardware/software interface system to manipulate a plurality of discrete units of information having properties understandable by said hardware/software interface system, Items. The method uses a base schema comprising at least one of an Item as a base Item from which all other Items are derived, and at least one of a property as a base property from which all other properties are derived. Furthermore, an Item may comprise a property for referencing Categories to which the Item is a member. The Item may also comprise a property for a unique identification of that Item in the hardware/software interface system.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

executing an operating system that includes a shell and a kernel, the kernel of the operating system including a file system that is encapsulated by a database management program, wherein the file system stores data for one or more user space applications and the database management program generates objects for the data, wherein the database management program includes a base schema that characterizes each object into one or more object types that allows the operating system to understand and interpret the information in the file system, wherein the base schema defines object, property base, and extension types, wherein an object type is defined by properties of a foundational object type, the property base type being an anchor from which other property types are derived and through which derived property types are interrelated, and the extension type defines which object an extension extends and identification to distinguish one extension from another;

wherein the database management program encapsulates the file system by handling file system access requests from the one or more user mode applications, wherein the one or more applications are configured to interface with one or more functions of an operating system application program interface that send read/write requests to the database management program of the operating system;

receiving, by the application program interface of the operating system, at least one request from said one or more user space applications for specific data;

identifying, by the database management program, a specific file that stores the specific data in the file system;

deserializing, by the database management program, the specific file into data indicative of a specific object; and

exposing, by the operating system, the specific object to the one or more user space applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the schema further defines at least one base object type including at least one base object type property.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing, by the operating system, at least one object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, said object being derived from said object type and including said at least one base object type property.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

storing, by the operating system, said at least one object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one object extends from said base object type.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said base object type comprises a property that uniquely identifies said object to said database management program that encapsulates the file system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said schema defines at least one base property that defines all other properties utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said schema defines at least one base relationship type that defines all other relationships utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing, by the operating system, said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said object includes a containment relationship defined by said schema that controls the life-time of another object that is the target of the relationship.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing, by the operating system, said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one additional object is derived from said base object type and said at least one additional object includes a relationship to an object folder derived from said base object type, wherein said object folder being the source of the relationship and said object is the target of said relationship.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the existence of a containment relationship is indicated by a property field in the source object of the relationship.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deleting the object that constitutes the source in a containment relationship and in response to deleting the source, deleting any objects that are the targets of the containment relationship.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

configuring said target of the containment relationship to be the target of multiple containment relationships.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the base schema further defines a second property type that constitutes a base type for categories.

14. A computer readable storage medium including computer readable instructions, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for executing an operating system that comprises a shell and a kernel, the kernel of the operating system including a database management program that encapsulates a file system wherein the file system stores data for one or more user space applications and the database management program generates objects for the data, the database management program includes a base schema that characterizes each object into one or more object types that allows the operating system to understand and interpret the information in the file system, wherein the base schema defines object, property base, and extension types, wherein an object type is defined by properties of a foundational object type, the property base type being an anchor from which other property types are derived and through which derived property types are interrelated, and the extension type defines which object an extension extends and identification to distinguish one extension from another;

wherein the database management program encapsulates the file system by handling file system access requests from the one or more user mode applications, wherein the one or more applications are configured to interface with one or more functions of an operating system application program interface that send read/write requests to the database management program of the operating system;

instructions for receiving, by the application program interface of the operating system, at least one request from said one or more user space applications for specific data;

instructions for identifying, by the database management program, a specific file that stores the specific data in the file system;

instructions for deserializing, by the database management program, the specific file into data indicative of a specific; and

instructions for exposing, by the operating system, the specific object to the one or more user space applications.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the base schema further defines at least one base item object including at least one base object type property.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions for storing, by the operating system, at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, said object being derived from said base object type.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

instructions for storing said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one additional object extends from said base object type.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said base object type comprises a property that uniquely identifies said object to said database management program that encapsulates the file system.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said schema defines at least one base property that defines all other properties utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said schema defines at least one base relationship type that defines all other relationships utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 further comprising:

instructions for storing, by the operating system, said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said object includes a containment relationship defined by said schema that controls the life-time of another object that is the target of the relationship.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 further comprising:

instructions for storing, by the operating system, said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one additional object is derived from said base object type and said at least one additional object includes a relationship to an object folder derived from said base object type, wherein said object folder is the source of the relationship and said object being the target of said relationship.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the existence of a containment relationship is indicated by a property field in the source of the relationship.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for deleting the object that constitutes the source in a containment and in response to deleting the source, instructions for deleting any objects that are the targets of the containment relationship.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising:

instructions for configuring said target of the containment relationship to be the target of multiple containment relationships.

26. A system for storing data in a data storage management system comprising:

hardware including a hard drive, wherein the hard drive includes executable code for an operating system, the operating system comprising a shell and a kernel, the kernel of the operating system including a database management program that encapsulates a file system, wherein the file system stores data for one or more user space applications and the database management program generates objects for the data, the database management program including a base schema that characterizes each object into one or more object types that allows the operating system to understand and interpret the information in the file system, wherein the base schema defines object, property base, and extension types, wherein an object type is defined by properties of a foundational object type, the property base type being an anchor from which other property types are derived and through which derived property types are interrelated, and the extension type defines which object an extension extends and identification to distinguish one extension from another;

wherein the database management program encapsulates the file system by handling file system access requests from the one or more user mode applications, wherein the one or more applications are configured to interface with one or more functions of an operating system application program interface that send read/write requests to the database management program of the operating system;

the application program interface of the operating system further configured to receive system calls from the one or more user space applications for specific data;

the operating system further configured to direct the database management program to identify a specific file that stores the specific data in the file system;

the database management program further configured to deserializing the specific file into data indicative of a specific object; and

the operating system further configured to expose the specific object to the one or more user space applications.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the base schema further defines at least one base object type including at least one base object type property.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

the operating system further configured to store at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, said object being derived from said base object type.

29. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

the operating system further configured to store said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one additional object extends from said base object type.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said base object type comprises a property that uniquely identifies said object to said database management program that encapsulates the file system.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein said schema defines at least one base property that defines all other properties utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein said schema defines at least one base relationship type that defines all other relationships utilized by the database management program that encapsulates the file system.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

the operating system further configured to store said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said object includes a containment relationship defined by said schema that controls the life-time of another object that is the target of the relationship.

34. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

the operating system further configured to store said at least one additional object in said database management program that encapsulates the file system, wherein said at least one additional object is derived from said base object type and said at least one additional object includes a relationship to an object folder derived from said base object type, wherein said object folder being the source of the relationship and said object is the target of said relationship.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the existence of a containment relationship is indicated by a property field in the source of the relationship.