Distributed database schema

• US 6,978,262 B2
• Filed: 01/05/1999
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daniel E. Tsai
• Original Assignee: Daniel E. Tsai
• Inventors: Tsai, Daniel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/225,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,541 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/10, 707100-104, 707200-206, 709/203, 705/54, 706/45, 345/354, 345/440
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/01 Automatic library building
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A computer system and a method of searching for information to construct an information object includes querying a resource having information stored as bindable data elements and returning results of the query. The system and method includes a fragment base that stores the bindable data elements as fragments and/or primitives that may be used to satisfy the query. The computer based system and method can include a sense process that reads data referred to a client process and tests the data to determine whether the data can be bound to existing data or produces new data within the fragment database. Fragments and primitives represent information in small pieces that can have both generalized structure and particular data. As information changes and grows incrementally, fragments can be added to or modified within a fragment base to define a larger composite concept that is an information object.

Claims

1. A method of searching for information to construct an information object comprises:

querying a resource having information stored as bindable data elements with bindable data elements being structures that can be bound to each other in an additive manner, with binding being according to a binding specification that is implemented by binding rules that are specified in each of the bindable data elements; and

returning as a result of querying the resource bindable data elements that can be combined together to construct the information object according to the binding rules.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the bindable elements include primitive elements that represent a unit of information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein bindable elements have type specification and content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein bindable elements further use in addition to binding rules, elements'"'"' structure, content and source to determine binding between elements.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the bindable elements include fragment elements that represent at least two combined units of information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the fragment that is comprised of bindable elements has binding relations defined in the fragment that defines the binding relationship between the bindable elements.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the relationship between a fragment'"'"'s bindable elements can be superordinate, subordinate, identity, or implicitly defined by the types of bound primitive elements.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the fragment includes contents, ownership, lifespan and binding rules.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the each element of the combined units is of any one of a classification, instance, attribute, value, condition, action or container type.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is a local database that organizes bindable elements as fragments.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is a networked computer system that has data stored as bindable data elements across the networked system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein returning returns a second universal resource locator associated with an additive elements that can satisfy the query.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the networked computer system is the Internet, and the resources are sites on the Internet that have data arranged as the bindable elements.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein returning results returns bindable elements that can satisfy the query.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein returning results returns a reference corresponding to a location associated with bindable data elements that can satisfy the query.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein returning returns a universal resource locator associated with bindable elements that can satisfy the query.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the type specification of the bindable, primitive elements are classification, instance, attribute, assigned-value, condition, action or container.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding specification for the bindable elements specify binding storage directionality that defines whether the binding is to be stored, where the binding primitive resides or where a bound-to primitive came from.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding specification for the bindable elements includes a field that specifies ownership of the element, and the ownership of the element being implemented as part of the binding rule.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding specification for the bindable elements specifies a life span with the lifespan of the element being implemented as part of the binding rule.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding specification for the bindable elements have a mode and the mode can be allow, deny or ask permission to bind with other elements, with the mode being implemented as part of the binding rule.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding specification for the bindable elements specify their source with the source being implemented as part of the binding rule.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein bindable elements have information on preferred and allowed number of bindings.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein binding notification controls what sources obtain the results of binding.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the bindable data elements can bind with any other primitive, fragment, and/or information object according to the binding rules and general primitive type attributes.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein binding rules are specified in the bindable data elements.

27. A computer-based system comprising:

a search engine that produces a search query; and

a fragment database that stores data fragments and/or primitives that may be used to satisfy the query, with data fragments comprised of at least two primitives that are bound together according to a binding specification that is implemented by binding rules specified in each of the fragments and/or primitives where fragments and/or primitives can be added to or modified within the fragment database to define a larger composite information object.

28. The computer system of claim 27 wherein the search engine is part of a server process and produces the query in response to a request for information issued by a client process.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the server process further comprises:

an external data reader that translates retrieved resources into a format for storage in the fragment database, with the retrieved resources obtained from an external response to the query; and

an inquiry and modification interface that interfaces the search engine to the fragment database, the inquiry and modification interface enables the search engine to search for additive elements in the fragment database.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the inquiry and modification interface can enable requests to add, assemble, update, remove, or transform information in the fragment database.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein the search engine issues the query to retrieve additive elements from the fragment database.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein the search engine decodes the request and initializes a search state.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the search state comprises:

search goals that are dependent on the search request;

search rules that regulate application of search algorithms and handling of error conditions; and

search limits, which specify the extent of resources that can be expended for a search.

34. The system of claim 27 further comprising:

an evaluator interface that interfaces the search engine to the fragment database to determine whether the contents of the fragment database have satisfied the search request.

35. The system of claim 27 wherein binding rules are specified in the bindable data elements.

36. A computer based system comprising:

a fragment database, storing data fragments that are bindable together according to a binding specification that is implemented by binding rules specified in the fragments;

a sense process that reads data referred by a client process and tests the data to determine whether the data can be bound to existing data or produces new data within the fragment database according to the specified binding rules specified in the fragments and wherein the binding rules have a binding specification that includes whether the fragment allows, denies or asks permission to bind with another bindable data fragment to define a larger composite information object.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the sense process sends a signal to the search process to sense data that a client is accessing.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the client sends sensed data to a search process, along with instructions to cause the search process to incorporate the data by binding the new data to existing data or producing new data within a fragment database.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the external data is native fragment data or is translated into such a form by the client.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein external data not natively formed as fragments or composed of primitives, and the existence of words, word phrases, tags, field values or other properties within the contents of the external data or its location are used by a resource parser along with particular instructions sent by the client to produce a referral to the data within the fragment database.

41. The system of claim 36 wherein binding rules are specified in the bindable data elements.

42. A method of transforming a fragment of a first form into a second, different fragment of a second form comprises:

applying a transformation function to the first fragment to produce the second, different fragment of a second form.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the transformation function is a condition-action fragment, where the condition is that the first fragment is of a particular form specified by the condition, and the action is restructuring the first fragment into the second form.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the first fragment form is of primitive type sequence instance-attribute-value-instance and the second fragment form is of classification-instance.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein transformation is used to loosen information structure represented by primitives and fragments to produce generalized structures for searching.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the first fragment form is of primitive type sequence instance-attribute-value-classification and the second fragment form is of classification-subclassification.

47. A method of controlling which sources obtain results of binding bindable data elements comprises:

allowing, denying, or asking permission for bindable elements to bind with each other with binding being according to a binding specification that is implemented by binding rules specified in each of the respective elements;

storing the bound elements based on a directionality value according to the binding rules specified in the bound elements; and

notifying owners of the bound elements based on notification settings according to the binding rules specified in the bound elements.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein binding directionality can be inward or outward.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein binding notification are matched in a complementary fashion.

50. A method of searching a resource for information to construct an information object comprises:

querying the resource that has information stored as individually, bindable data elements, the data elements binding in accordance with binding rules specified for and stored in the bindable data elements; and

returning results from querying the resource to construct the information object through binding of the bindable data elements according to the binding rules.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein bindable, primitive elements are of type classification, instance, attribute, assigned-value, condition, action or container.

52. A method of constructing an interconnected collection of information elements comprises:

querying a resource having data elements where each element includes a binding rule that specifies a binding allowance;

evaluating binding allowances to determine how one of the data elements can connect to others of the data elements;

producing a connected collection of elements based in part on evaluating of the binding rule for the elements in each of the collection of connected elements; and

returning the connected collection of elements.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein the binding allowance are allow, deny, or require asking permission to connect elements to each other.

54. The method of claim 52 wherein each element is specified as a classification, instance name, attribute, value, condition, action or container.

55. The method of claim 52 wherein an element'"'"'s source or ownership is used as a criteria for connecting elements together.

56. The method of claim 52 wherein an element'"'"'s lifespan which specifies the time period when the element is valid, is used as a criteria for connecting elements together.

57. The method of claim 52 wherein an element'"'"'s content is used as a criterion for connecting elements together.

58. The method of claim 52 wherein an element has contents, owner, lifespan and binding specifications.

59. The method of claim 52 wherein an element'"'"'s specification as being a classification, instance, attribute, value, condition, action or container, is used as a criteria for connecting elements together.