Patent ID: 6023703
Filing Date: 2000-02-08
Classification: G06F,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A system for representing an arrangement of hierarchical time-based data elements, whose state can change between active and inactive states with time and wherein interconnections between said data elements can also change with time, and for extracting information from a specified time portion of said arrangement, comprising:a container having at least one layer in which at least one of said data elements can be placed, each said at least one layer being arranged in a hierarchy;means to arrange said data elements within said layers of said container such that any data element which is to receive data from an other element is represented in a higher layer than that of said other data element and any data element which is to provide an output to an other data element is in a lower layer than that of said other data element;a database for each said at least one layer of said container, each said database including an indication of each duration in said layer, a duration being defined as the time period between adjacent state changes of any data element placed in said corresponding layer or any data element placed in an immediately adjacent lower layer in said hierarchy and each said database further including an indication of the connections to and from each said data element in said corresponding layer during each said duration;means to examine said container to determine the durations occurring within said specified time portion;means to determine those data elements which are in an active state for each said determined duration and their interconnections within each said determined duration; andmeans to output a representation of the determined data elements and their interconnections within said specified time portion.