EP0578205A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Multiple file name referencing system
Assignee: Microsoft Corp
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Filing: 1993-07-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-07-06
Abstract
Abstract A multiple file name referencing system stores multiple file names in a file. These multiple file names include an operating system formatted file name and an application formatted file name. When an operating system formatted file name is created or renamed, the multiple file name referencing system automatically generates an application formatted file name having a potentially different format from, but preserving the extension of, the operating system formatted name. The multiple file name referencing system similarly generates an operating system formatted name upon creation or renaming of an application formatted name. A B-tree is provided which contains an operating system entry for the operating system formatted name and an application entry for the application formatted name, each entry containing the address of the same file to which both names refer. The multiple file name referencing system converts the operating system formatted file name to the application formatted file name by accessing the B-tree with reference to the operating system entry, and vice versa. As a result, either file name can be used to directly reference the file without requiring additional file name translation.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas J. Miller
- 👤 Gary D. Kimura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 05:04
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F16/00; G06F16/10; G06F16/17; G06F16/178; G06F16/1794; G06F16/16; G06F16/164; G06F16/166; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
115 words
A method performed by a computer of referencing a file, the computer having an operating system using an operating system file name format and an application using an application file name format, the method comprising the steps of: a) generating, upon user creation of an operating system formatted name having the operating system file name format, an application formatted name having the application file name format; b) storing an operating system entry for the operating system formatted name and an application entry for the application formatted name in a B-tree; and c) converting the operating system formatted name to the application formatted name by accessing the B-tree with reference to the operating system formatted name.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein step a) comprises generating the application formatted name having a same file extension as the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method according to claim 2 wherein step a) comprises generating a basis derived from the operating system formatted file name and then modifying a portion of the basis other than the file extension to produce the application formatted file name.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein step a) comprises removing all spaces from the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein step a) comprises removing all periods except the first period embedded within the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein step a) comprises replacing all predefined illegal characters with underscores.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein step a) comprises truncating a leading name and truncating an extension within the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein step a) comprises modifying the leading name in the operating system formatted file name upon a conflict with an existing file name until the operating system formatted file name is unique.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein step b) comprises storing an address of the file in both the operating system entry and the application entry in the B-tree, and wherein step c) comprises searching the B-tree, based on a location of the operating system formatted file name, for an application entry storing the address of the same file.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of d) storing in the file both the operating system formatted file name and the application formatted file name.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein step c) comprises searching all entries in a leaf node in which the operating system entry is stored.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein step c) comprises searching all entries in the B-tree having common characters with the operating system formatted name.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein step c) comprises random searching all entries in the B-tree until the address of the file as stored in the operating system entry is located.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
117 words
A method performed by a computer of referencing a file, the computer having an operating system using an operating system file name format and an application using an application file name format, the method comprising the steps of: a) generating, upon user creation of an application formatted file name having the application file name format, an operating system formatted file name having the operating system file name format; b) storing an operating system entry for the operating system formatted name and an application entry for the application formatted name in a B-tree; and c) converting the application formatted name to the operating system formatted name by accessing the B-tree with reference to the application formatted file name.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 14 wherein step a) comprises generating the operating system formatted file name having a same file extension as the application formatted file name.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method according to claim 15 wherein step a) comprises generating a basis derived from the application formatted file name and then modifying a portion of the basis other than the file extension to produce the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 16 wherein step a) comprises setting the operating system file name basis equal to the application formatted file name.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method according to claim 17 wherein step a) comprises appending a leading name in the application formatted file name upon a conflict with an existing file name until the application-formatted file name is unique.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method according to claim 14 wherein step b) comprises storing an address of the file in both the operating system entry and the application entry in the B-tree, and wherein step c) comprises searching the B-tree, based on a location of the application formatted file name, for an operating system entry storing the address of the same file name.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 19 further comprising the step of d) storing in the file both the operating system formatted file name and the application formatted file name.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein step c) comprises searching all entries in a leaf node in which the application entry is stored.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein step c) comprises searching all entries in the B-tree having common characters with the application formatted named in accordance with the generation performed in step (a).
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein step c) comprises random searching all entries in the B-tree until the address of the file as stored in the application entry is located.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
133 words
A multiple file name referencing system for referencing a file stored by a computer, the computer having an operating system using an operating system file name format and an application using an application file name format, the multiple file name referencing system comprising: generating means for generating, upon user creation of an operating system formatted file name having the operating system file name format, an application formatted file name having the application file name format; storing means for storing an operating system entry for the operating system formatted file name and an application entry for the application formatted file name in a B-tree; and converting means for converting the operating system formatted file name to the application formatted file name by accessing the B-tree with reference to the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 24 wherein the generating means generates the application formatted file name having a same file extension as the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
45 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 25 wherein the generating means generates a basis derived from the operating system formatted file name and then modifies a portion of the basis other than the file extension to produce the application formatted file name.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
61 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 26 wherein the generating means removes all spaces from the operating system formatted file name, removes all periods except the first period embedded within the operating system formatted file name, replaces all predefined illegal characters with underscores and truncates a leading name and an extension within the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
42 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 27 wherein the generating means modifies the leading name in the operating system formatted file name upon a conflict with an existing file name until the operating system formatted file name is unique.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
63 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 24 wherein the storing means stores an address of the file in both the operating system entry and the application entry in the B-tree, and wherein the converting means searches the B-tree based on a location of the operating system formatted file name for an application entry storing the address of the same file.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
34 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 29 further comprising file name storing means for storing in the file both the operating system formatted file name and the application formatted file name.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
29 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 29 wherein the converting means searches all entries in a leaf node in which the operating system entry is stored.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 29 wherein the converting means searches all entries in the B-tree having common characters with the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
36 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 29 wherein the converting means random searches all entries in the B-tree until the address of the file as stored in the operating system entry is located.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
128 words
A multiple file name referencing system for referencing a file stored by a computer, the computer having an operating system using an operating system file name format and an application using an application file name format, the multiple file name referencing system comprising: generating means for generating, upon creation of an application formatted file name having the application file name format, an operating system formatted file name having the operating system file name format; storing means for storing an operating system entry for the operating system formatted file name and an application entry for the application formatted file name in a B-tree; and converting means for converting the application formatted name to the operating system formatted name by accessing the B-tree with reference to the application formatted name.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
31 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 34 wherein the generating means generates the operating system formatted name having a same file extension as the application formatted file name.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
44 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 35 wherein the generating means generates a basis derived from the application formatted name and then modifies a portion of the basis other than the file extension to produce the operating system formatted file name.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
42 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 35 wherein the generating means sets the basis equal to the application formatted name and then appends a leading name in the application formatted file name to produce the operating system file name.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
63 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 34 wherein the storing means stores an address of the file in both the operating system entry and the application entry in the B-tree, and wherein the converting means searches the B-tree, based on a location of the application formatted file name, for an operating system entry storing the address of the same file.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
34 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 38 further comprising file name storing means for storing in the file both the operating system formatted file name and the application formatted file name.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
28 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 38 wherein the converting means searches all entries in a leaf node in which the application entry is stored.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
29 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 38 wherein the converting means searches all entries in the B-tree having common characters with the application formatted file name.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
35 words
The multiple file name referencing system according to claim 38 wherein the converting means random searches all entries in the B-tree until the address of the file as stored in the application entry is located.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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