Robert Alan Craig

US Patent:

6421682, Jul 16, 2002

Filed:

Jul 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/360560

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA
William D. Devlin - Redmond WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707103R, 707 10, 709312

Abstract:

An abstraction layer in a catalog management system for accessing system configuration information. The catalog management system presents the configuration information that is stored in a datastore to a computer process by storing the information in cache memory so that the datastore is encapsulated from the caller. The request for the configuration information may be both location independent and type independent.

US Patent:

6466943, Oct 15, 2002

Filed:

Jul 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/360445

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707102, 707 2, 707 3, 707103, 717 5, 711203

Abstract:

A table dispenser provides one or more table objects for accessing one or more datastores containing configuration information in a computer system, responsive to a request for a table from a caller. The table objects combine to present a location-independent and format-independent table of configuration information to the caller. To access one or more datastores, a caller creates a table system by passing input parameters to a table dispenser. The table dispenser references a wiring database to determine an appropriate combination of table object dispensers needed to create necessary table objects and return the desired table to the caller. The table dispenser and table object dispensers may operate recursively to provide multiple configurations of table systems. The wiring database supports database-wide and file-wide wiring relationships to provide general wiring instructions to the table dispenser.

US Patent:

6513112, Jan 28, 2003

Filed:

Jul 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/360441

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA
Radu Rares Palanca - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15177

US Classification:

713 1, 713 2, 713100, 709310, 709316

Abstract:

A requested table of configuration information is accessed through a catalog server object that manages the configuration information in one or more datastores. A client table object is created on a client computer, and a catalog server object is queried from the client table object for table information associated with the requested table. The client table object receives the table information from the catalog server object and records the table information on the client computer. A connection is established between the client table object and the catalog server object, and the catalog server object is requested to populate a read cache of the client table object. A table system is created through the catalog server object to access the requested configuration information, and a read cache in the table system is populated with the requested table of the configuration information.

US Patent:

6598037, Jul 22, 2003

Filed:

Jul 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/360442

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA
William D. Devlin - Redmond WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707 1, 707 3, 707 10

Abstract:

A data table object module which is a component based object that provides configuration information to a caller in response to a request for information. The present invention also relates to an implementation that exposes a standard interface for callers desiring to access the data as part of an overall catalog management system or schema. The data table interface is substantially separate from the program code related to the catalog schema to thus enable the creation and addition of new data table objects to a catalog system with out recompiling the entire catalog management system program code.

US Patent:

6606634, Aug 12, 2003

Filed:

Oct 1, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/263323

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707102, 707 2, 707 3, 707103, 717 5, 711203

Abstract:

A table dispenser provides one or more table objects for accessing one or more datastores containing configuration information in a computer system, responsive to a request for a table from a caller. The table objects combine to present a location-independent and format-independent table of configuration information to the caller. To access one or more datastores, a caller creates a table system by passing input parameters to a table dispenser. The table dispenser references a wiring database to determine an appropriate combination of table object dispensers needed to create necessary table objects and return the desired table to the caller. The table dispenser and table object dispensers may operate recursively to provide multiple configurations of table systems. The wiring database supports database-wide and file-wide wiring relationships to provide general wiring instructions to the table dispenser.

US Patent:

6917933, Jul 12, 2005

Filed:

May 22, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/154705

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA, US
William D Devlin - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F017/30

US Classification:

707 2, 707 1

Abstract:

An abstraction layer in a catalog management system for accessing system configuration information. The catalog management system presents the configuration information that is stored in a datastore to a computer process by storing the information in cache memory so that the datastore is encapsulated from the caller. The request for the configuration information may be both location independent and type independent.

US Patent:

6990656, Jan 24, 2006

Filed:

Jun 27, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/185267

Inventors:

Richard A. Ersek - Woodinville WA, US
Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA, US
William J. Staples - Durvall WA, US
Mohit Srivastava - Seattle WA, US
Varsha Jayasimha - Redmond WA, US
Stephen L. Rakonza - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 9/44

US Classification:

717121, 717171, 713100

Abstract:

Methods, systems, and computer program products for editing configuration data such that alterations in one representation of the configuration data are reflected in one or more other representations of the configuration data. The altered configuration data may take effect without having to restart a corresponding program module. Multiple alterations to the configuration data may be consolidated. A differencing operation may be used to identify an altered portion of the configuration data. For one or more altered portions, an “updategram” may be generated and used to update a multiple program modules at various interconnected computer systems. A history of alterations to configuration data also may be maintained, making it possible to revert to an earlier version of the configuration data. Erroneous data may be ignored. Access to updated representations of the configuration data may be provided at a configuration management interface.

US Patent:

7337174, Feb 26, 2008

Filed:

Jul 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/360440

Inventors:

Robert M. Craig - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707100, 707 3, 707 10, 707102, 707103 X

Abstract:

A logic table object for accessing configuration information sourced by one or more datastores is employed in a catalog environment of an attribute-based programming model. A logic table object may provide supplemental logic, consolidate multiple underlying tables, map between different disparate table coordinates, trigger external operations, and synthesize data for inclusion in a virtual table presented to a caller. A logic table object can provide access to configuration information cached in an underlying data table object and derived from a datastore. Alternatively, a logic table can include its own cache, servicing calls therefrom until an update to or from an underlying datastore is required.