Splitting and Merging RDF Information Spaces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies lack efficient mechanisms for splitting and merging information spaces while preserving semantic agreements and history, leading to volatility in 'split-merge' operations, which can result in information loss and inconsistencies.

Innovation Solution

A method that retrieves an information space represented by a Resource Description Framework (RDF) graph, splits it into sub-graphs, identifies and grounds broken links, creates rules for each new space, defines boundaries, and updates memory histories, allowing for efficient querying and subscription management across multiple agents.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If information space is split into multiple sub-spaces, then security and manageability are improved, but information loss and inconsistency occur due to broken links

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation consistencyVSAvoidbroken links
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a grounding mechanism that acts as an intermediary between split information spaces. When information spaces are divided, broken links are identified and grounded to external references or canonical forms, preserving the semantic relationships that would otherwise be lost. This mediator approach maintains information consistency across distributed spaces without requiring all spaces to maintain direct connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary identification of broken links before finalizing the split operation. By detecting and grounding broken links in advance, the system prevents information loss from occurring during the split process. This preliminary action ensures that semantic relationships are preserved before the information space is fully divided into separate entities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If semantic web standards are used for flexible multi-sourcing, then adaptability is improved, but complexity of managing information spaces increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-sourcing flexibilityVSAvoidinformation space management
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments information spaces into modular sub-spaces that can be independently managed while maintaining semantic coherence through grounding. Each sub-space can source information from different providers using Semantic Web standards, but the grounding mechanism ensures that overall consistency is maintained. This segmentation reduces management complexity by allowing localized handling of each sub-space while preserving global adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Stability of the object's composition

If information spaces are merged after splitting, then original space is restored, but volatility occurs as merging may not produce initial space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace composition stabilityVSAvoidmerge operation reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a boundary history memory that provides feedback about the state and boundaries of information spaces through split and merge operations. This history tracking allows the system to monitor changes and ensure that merge operations restore spaces correctly by comparing against the recorded boundary history. The feedback mechanism detects inconsistencies and prevents unreliable merges that would not restore the original space composition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2435933B1Method and system of splitting and merging information spaces
Publication Date: 2020.04.29 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2435933B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2435933B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP2435933B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

An approach is provided for managing split operation for information spaces with respect to their information content. An information space that is represented by a graph is retrieved (131); a request to split the information space into a first new information space and a second new information space is received (133); one or more broken links of the graph is determined (135); one or more nodes of the graph that are to be grounded is identified (137); the graph is grounded based on the identified nodes (139); a first set of rules for the first new information space and a second set of rules for the second new rules for the information space are created (141); a first boundary for the first new information space and a second boundary for the second new information space along the broken links are defined (143); and history of the first new information space and history of the second new information space are updated based on the respective boundaries (145). A respective approach for managing merge operation for information spaces is also provided.