Data converter

• US 9,171,101 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creagest
• Original Assignee: Creagest
• Inventors: Mbaye, Kangolongo Alexandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Gofman, Alex
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mian, Umar
• Application Number:
  US13/637,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for preparing a data converter between a source apparatus, in which source data items have been stored according to a predetermined specification of source representation, and a user apparatus having a specification of user representation for the utilization of user data items. The method includes: setting up a pair of machine-interpretable source and user descriptors respectively, of the source and user specifications of representation respectively; and comparing between the source descriptor and the user descriptor to set up therefrom a block for data interpretation by a machine.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a data converter between a source apparatus, in which source data items have been stored according to a predetermined specification of source representation and a user apparatus having a specification of user representation for utilization of user data items, wherein said source data items and said user data items are encoded using different encoding formats, the method comprising the following steps, all steps being performed using at least one processor:

an initial step of providing a pair of machine-interpretable source and user descriptors of the source and user specifications of representation, respectively, said source descriptor comprising at least a reference of a first semantic graph representing a first thesaurus of said source apparatus, and said user descriptor comprising at least a reference of a second semantic graph representing a second thesaurus of said user apparatus;

detecting a presence of a connection between the source apparatus and the user apparatus;

in response to the presence of the connection, transferring the machine-interpretable source descriptor from the source apparatus to the user apparatus, or transferring the machine-interpretable user descriptor from the user apparatus to the source apparatus;

comparing the source descriptor and the user descriptor to determine therefrom at least one discordance,

using the at least one discordance, in combination with said first and second semantic graphs of respectively said source and said user descriptors, to set up a machine-interpretation block to control a conversion by said data converter between homologous data elements of the source descriptor and the user descriptor respectively; and

using the machine-interpretation block to perform the conversion on at least one of the homologus data elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of using the at least one discordance to set up the machine-interpretation block comprises setting up and integrating therein:

a first block, for controlling reading of the source data items by interpreting information relating to their structure, which information is contained in the source descriptor,

a second block matching semantic and/or syntactic pieces of information contained in said descriptors of the specifications, and

a third block, for controlling writing of the converted data elements by interpretation of information relating to their structure, which information is contained in the user descriptor.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises setting up a parameter conversion table after setting up said block.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising setting up a structural scheme of the source data for use in preparing the block.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, in order to match the semantic pieces of information, setting up the first and second semantic graphs to represent a link between first and second thesauruses of respectively the source apparatus and the user apparatus.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising setting up, according to the semantic graphs, a semantic level conversion algorithm, which is integrated into the block.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising setting up, on the basis of a pair of respective structural schemes of the source apparatus and user apparatus respectively, a syntactic level conversion algorithm, which is integrated into the block.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting up the connection between the source apparatus and the user apparatus, and

transferring the source data items or user data items with conversion by said data converter.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein said step of transferring is performed in at least one of a controller serving as a front unit of the source apparatus or a controller serving as a front unit of the user apparatus.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of transferring comprises accessing data of a motor vehicle local area network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of transferring comprises reading an identification with a reader item, which carries out a recognition of a content of the identification by reading source data stored in said identification through said conversion implemented by said data converter.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein transferring comprises receiving with the user apparatus a command transmitted by an apparatus, which is a source of remote control commands and converting the command by the data converter in order to be usable.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after setting up the machine-interpretation block, transferring the source data items of at least one of the homologous data elements from the source apparatus to the user apparatus, or transferring the user data items of at least one of the homologous data elements from the user apparatus to the source apparatus.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data converter uses the machine-interpretation block to perform the conversion on the at least one homologus data element that is transferred in the step of transferring.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein:

using the at least one discordance to set up the machine-interpretation block comprises setting-up the machine-interpretation block without any human intervention.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said source descriptor comprises at least a reference of the first semantic graph representing the first thesaurus of said source apparatus and a first structural scheme of said source data items,

said user descriptor comprises at least a reference of the second semantic graph representing the second thesaurus of said user apparatus and a second structural scheme of said user data items,

using the at least one discordance, in combination with said first and second semantic graphs and said first and second structural schemes of respectively said source and said user descriptors, to set up the machine-interpretation block without any human intervention; and

the machine-interpretation block is set up so that the conversion implements at least one element belonging to the group consisting of;

a conversion routine implementing at least one decompression or at least one truncation,

a binary-to-text syntax conversion, or

a semantic level conversion algorithm applying a multiplication factor.

13. Apparatus for preparing a data converter between a source apparatus, in which source data items have been stored according to a predetermined specification of source representation and a user apparatus having a specification of user representation for utilization of user data items, wherein said source data items and said user data items are encoded using different encoding formats, the apparatus comprising:

a computer-readable storage apparatus, for storing a pair of machine-interpretable descriptors, namely a source descriptor and a user descriptor of the source and user specifications, respectively, said source descriptor comprising at least a reference of a first semantic graph representing a first thesaurus of said source apparatus, and said user descriptor comprising at least a reference of a second semantic graph representing a second thesaurus of said user apparatus;

means for detecting a presence of a connection between the source apparatus and the user apparatus;

in response to the presence of the connection, means for transferring the machine-interpretable source descriptor from the source apparatus to the user apparatus, or transferring the machine-interpretable user descriptor from the user apparatus to the source apparatus;

a comparator arranged for achieving a comparison between the source descriptor and the user descriptor and for determining at least one discordance therefrom;

means for using the at least one discordance, in combination with said first and second semantic graphs of respectively said source and said user descriptors, to set up a machine-interpretation block to control a conversion by the data converter between homologous data elements of the source descriptor and the user descriptor, respectively; and

means for using the machine-interpretation block to perform the conversion on at least one of the homologus data elements.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, comprising correlation means arranged for establishing the first and second semantic graphs and/or a semantic level conversion algorithm, which is integrated into the block.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program comprising a set of instructions, which can be run on a computer, to implement a method for preparing a data converter between a source apparatus, in which source data items have been stored according to a predetermined specification of source representation and a user apparatus having a specification of user representation for utilization of user data items, wherein said source data items and said user data items are encoded using different encoding formats, the method comprising:

an initial step of providing a pair of machine-interpretable source and user descriptors of the source and user specifications of representation, respectively, said source descriptor comprising at least a reference of a first semantic graph representing a first thesaurus of said source apparatus, and said user descriptor comprising at least a reference of a second semantic graph representing a second thesaurus of said user apparatus;

detecting a presence of a connection between the source apparatus and the user apparatus;

in response to the presence of the connection, transferring the machine-interpretable source descriptor from the source apparatus to the user apparatus, or transferring the machine-interpretable user descriptor from the user apparatus to the source apparatus;

comparing the source descriptor and the user descriptor to determine therefrom at least one discordance,

using the at least one discordance, in combination with said first and second semantic graphs of respectively said source and said user descriptors, to set up a machine-interpretation block to control a conversion by said data converter between homologous data elements of the source descriptor and the user descriptor respectively; and

using the machine-interpretation block to perform the conversion on at least one of the homologus data elements.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

setting up the connection between the source apparatus and the user apparatus, and

transferring the source data items or the user data items with conversion by said data converter.