Flexible data structure in an information system having a computer readable medium

• US 8,356,028 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Lamping, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEMPAKASERIL, ANN J
• Application Number:
  US11/018,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,948 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/713, 707/714, 707/715, 707/716, 706 45- 50, 715/503, 715/509
• US Class Current: 707/714
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

An information system having a computer readable medium including a flexible data structure is provided. The data structure allows information entered into the data structure to be embellished or qualified. The flexible data structure increases the ability of the data structure to record exceptional information pertinent to specific circumstances. The flexible data structure also enables database access software to respond to user queries in a more effective and informative manner.

Claims

1. A property-based document system comprising:

a computer including a computer readable medium and a processor, operating thereon, for storing and retrieving information;

a flexible data model permitting a user to provide information which includes a plurality of statements and one or more optional properties, wherein when the user provides the information the system is adapted to

obtain, from the information, and store, in a first table, the plurality of statements, wherein each statement includes an identification tag and comprises one or more property value pairs, and wherein each statement includes document properties,

obtain, from the information, and store, in a second table, the one or more optional properties which each augment one of the plurality of statements, wherein the first table and the second table are stored separately within the flexible data model, wherein each optional property identifies its associated statement using that statement'"'"'s identification tag, and wherein the one or more optional properties include

one or more embellishments which provide additional information related to its associated statement, and

one or more qualifications which define a circumstance and limit its associated statement to apply in that circumstance, and

associate statements stored in the first table with optional properties stored in the second table using each statement'"'"'s identification tag;

wherein the one or more optional properties include one or more relations between a set of circumstances and a property value domain, wherein the property value domain is a hierarchy; and

wherein when a query is received at the system, the system

determines a response to the query, wherein the response includes a particular statement from the first table, and wherein the particular statement includes information explicitly requested in the query,

determines that a particular optional property stored in the second table is associated with the particular statement in the flexible data model using the particular statement'"'"'s identification tag, wherein the particular optional property includes information relevant to the particular statement, and wherein the information included in the particular optional property was not explicitly requested in the query,

retrieves the particular statement from the first table and the particular optional property associated with the particular statement from the second table, and

augments the particular statement in the response with the particular optional property associated with the particular statement to create an augmented response, and

returns the augmented response to the user including the particular statement augmented with the particular optional property associated with the particular statement.

2. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein the embellishment makes the statement stronger by adding to the statement.

3. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein the qualification makes the statement weaker by restricting the statement.

4. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein the property-based document system adds a qualification to an answer because no single answer would be correct.

5. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein the property-based document system identifies when the query is an oversimplification.

6. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein embellishments and qualifications have various degrees of refinement.

7. The property-based document system of claim 6, wherein finer information for an embellishment yields a stronger statement.

8. The property-based document system of claim 6, wherein finer information for a qualification yields a weaker statement.

9. The property-based document system of claim 1, wherein statements store a relation property.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein a statement is true if all the circumstances in a satisfaction set hold.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for a property-based document system, that when executed cause the system to:

permit, by a flexible data model, a user to provide information which includes a plurality of statements and one or more optional properties, wherein when the user provides the information the system is adapted to

obtain, from the information, and store, in a first table, the plurality of statements, wherein each statement includes an identification tag and comprises one or more property value pairs, and wherein the statement includes document properties,

obtain, from the information, and store, in a second table, the one or more optional properties which each augment one of the plurality of statements, wherein the first table and the second table are stored separately within the flexible data model, wherein each optional property identifies its associated statement using that statement'"'"'s identification tag, and wherein the one or more optional properties include

one or more embellishments which provide additional information related to its associated statement, and

one or more qualifications which define a circumstance and limit its associated statement to apply in that circumstance;

associate statements stored in the first table with optional properties stored in the second table using each statement'"'"'s identification tag;

wherein the one or more optional properties include one or more relations between a set of circumstances and a property value domain, wherein the property value domain is a hierarchy; and

wherein when a query is received at the system, the system

determines a response to the query, wherein the response includes a particular statement from the first table, and wherein the particular statement includes information explicitly requested in the query,

determines that a particular optional property stored in the second table is associated with the particular statement in the flexible data model using the particular statement'"'"'s identification tag, wherein the particular optional property includes information relevant to the particular statement, wherein the information included in the particular optional property was not explicitly requested in the query,

retrieves the particular statement from the first table and the particular optional property associated with the particular statement from the second table,

augments the particular statement in the response with the particular optional property associated with the particular statement to create an augmented response, and

returns the augmented response to the user including the particular statement augmented with the particular optional property associated with the particular statement.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the embellishment makes the statement stronger by adding to the statement.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the qualification makes the statement weaker by restricting the statement.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the property-based document system adds a qualification to an answer because no single answer would be correct.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the property-based document system identifies when the query is an oversimplification.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein embellishments and qualifications have various degrees of refinement.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein finer information for an embellishment yields a stronger statement.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein finer information for a qualification yields a weaker statement.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein statements store a relation property.