Linking system and method for accessing directory information about an object in one context when information in another context is known

• US 5,491,817 A
• Filed: 05/25/1993
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TTI Inventions A LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Gopal, Gita, Wuu, Sze-Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Loomis, John C.
• Application Number:
  US08/068,822
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/600, 395/650
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network

Abstract

Our linking method is implemented in our linking system which includes an interconnection network, which employs a standard directory protocol, such as X.500, and linking components. The interconnection network includes interfaces for interconnection users and local directories. The linking components include linking directories and linking applications which are connected to the interconnection network via interfaces. Linking directories contain entries, and each entry comprises linking references pointing to entities, which include local directories and linking applications and have access to information about the object in different contexts. In the linking directory, there is an entry for each object, and this entry is accessible using a linking identifier unique the object. The linking application coordinates a response to the user'"'"'s request and sends queries to the linking directory, local directories, and other linking application to fulfill user'"'"'s requests. A user can access requested information by inputting known information about an object in one context along with a request for information about the object in another context. The known information is used by the linking application to query a local directory in the network for the linking identifier corresponding to the object. The linking application then uses the linking identifier to query the linking directory for linking references pointing entities having further access to information about the object in the specified context. The linking application uses the linking reference to locate the entities pointed to and the linking identifier as a key to retrieve the requested information. This retrieved information is formatted by the linking application and forwarded to the user in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving information in a system including a network which interconnects users and local directories and employs a standard directory protocol, at least one linking application, and at least one linking directory, comprising the steps of:

receiving at a linking application input from a user which includes known information about an object in a first context and a request for information about said object in at least one particular context;

sending from said linking application a first query to one of said local directories holding said known information about said object in said first context to retrieve a linking identifier which uniquely identifies said object;

sending from said linking application a second query, which includes said linking identifier, to a linking directory to access an entry in said linking directory corresponding to said object and to retrieve linking references which point to entities containing further information regarding said object in said other context, said entities including local directories and linking applications;

retrieving from said linking directory a key corresponding to each of said entities for accessing requested information about said object;

sending a third query, which includes said corresponding key, from said linking application to each of said entities pointed to by said linking reference to retrieve requested information; and

at said linking application, formatting said requested information retrieved from said entities and sending said formatted information to said user in response to said request.

2. A method of retrieving information in a system including a network which interconnects users and local directories and employs a standard directory protocol, at least one linking application, and at least one linking directory, comprising the steps of:

receiving at a linking application user input which includes known information about an object in a first context and a request for information about said object in at least one particular context;

sending from said linking application a first query to one of the local directories holding said known information about said object in said first context to retrieve an identifier which uniquely identifies said object;

sending from said linking application a second query, which includes said identifier, to a linking directory to access an entry of said linking directory corresponding to said object and to retrieve at least one linking reference which points to an entity having further access to information regarding said object in said particular context, said entity being from the group of entities which includes local directories and linking applications;

sending a third query from said linking application to said entity pointed to by said linking reference to retrieve requested information; and

formatting said requested information retrieved from said entity and sending said formatted information in response to said user'"'"'s request.

3. The method of claim 2 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said identifier is a linking identifier which uniquely identifies said object in the network.

4. The method of claim 3 of retrieving information in a network, further comprising the step of

retrieving from said linking directory a second identifier to be sent to said entity pointed to for accessing requested information.

5. The method of claim 4 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said second identifier is said linking identifier which uniquely identifies said object in the network.

6. The method of claim 4 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said entity pointed to includes one of the local directories which contains information about said object and wherein said second identifier is a local identifier which is a key for accessing said one of the local directories pointed to when access cannot be gained using said linking identifier.

7. The method of claim 2 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said identifier is a local identifier which uniquely identifies said object in said one of the local directories and in said entry of said linking directory.

8. The method of claim 2 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said entity pointed to is a second linking application having further access to another linking directory which contains another linking reference which further points to information requested about said object in said particular context.

20. The system of claim 8 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said directory interfaces communicate with one another using X.500 directory system protocol and said user interface communicates with said directory interfaces using X.500 directory access protocol.

21. The system of claim 20 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said directory interfaces comprise a knowledge reference which includes an entry which maps said linking reference to said another linking application.

9. The method of claim 9 of retrieving information in a network, wherein said second linking application queries a second linking directory to retrieve a second linking reference pointing to a second entity being from the group of entities which includes local directories and linking applications.

10. A system for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, comprising:

a network for interconnecting a plurality of users and a plurality of local directories, said network including

user interfaces for connecting said users to said network and

a plurality of directory interfaces, certain of said directory interfaces connecting said local directories to said network, wherein said user interfaces and said directory interfaces communicate using a standard directory protocol;

at least one linking directory connected to said network via one of said directory interfaces and having entries, wherein each entry corresponds to one object, contains linking references which point to entities having further access to information about its corresponding object in different contexts, and contains a linking identifier which uniquely identifies its corresponding object; and

at least one linking application connected to said network via one of said directory interfaces and including means for sending a first query to said local directories to obtain said linking identifier uniquely identifying the object, means for sending a second query to said linking directory including said linking identifier to obtain said linking references which point to said entities, and means for sending a third query, which includes said linking identifier, to said entities pointed to by said linking references to retrieve requested information about the object in the particular context in response to the user'"'"'s request wherein said entities are from the group of entities which includes local directories and linking applications.

11. A system for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, comprising:

a network for interconnecting at least one user and a plurality of local directories, said network including

a user interface for each user for connecting the user to said network and

a plurality of directory interfaces, certain of said directory interfaces for connecting said local directories to said network, wherein said user interlace and said directory interfaces communicate using a standard directory protocol;

at least one linking directory connected to said network via one of said directory interfaces and having entries, wherein one of said entries corresponds to the object, contains at least one linking reference which points to an entity having further access to information about the object in the particular context, and is accessible in response to an identifier which uniquely identifies the object; and

at least one linking application connected to said network via one of said directory interfaces and including means for communicating with said local directories to obtain said identifier for the object, means for communicating with said linking directory using said identifier to obtain said linking reference which points to said entity, and means for communicating with said entity pointed to by said linking reference to retrieve information about the object in the particular context in response to the user'"'"'s request, wherein said entity of said linking directory is from the group of entities which includes local directories and linking applications.

12. The system of claim 11 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said linking application further comprises means for formatting retrieved information and sending said formatted information to said user interface of the user in response to the user'"'"'s request, said, retrieved information being formatted with the option of not revealing to the user the identity of said local directory from which said information was retrieved.

13. The system of claim 11 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said identifier is a linking identifier which uniquely identifies the object in the network.

14. The system of claim 13 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said means of said linking application for communicating with said entity includes means for sending to said entity a second identifier to retrieve information about the object in the particular context in response to the user'"'"'s request.

15. The system of claim 14 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said second identifier is said linking identifier.

16. The system of claim 14 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said entity pointed to is one of said local directories which contains information about the object in the particular context and wherein said second identifier is a local identifier which uniquely identifies the object at said one of said local directories.

17. The system of claim 14 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said entity pointed to is another linking application.

18. The system of claim 11 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said identifier is a local identifier which uniquely identifies the object corresponding to said one of said entries of said linking directory.

19. The system of claim 11 for retrieving information held in local directories based upon a user'"'"'s request for information about an object in a particular context, wherein said standard directory protocol is X.500.