Unified API Traversal for Hierarchical Data Sets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing complex traversal application programming interfaces (APIs) for hierarchical data sets require multiple sequential function calls, leading to increased operational load, memory requirements, and error opportunities.
Innovation Solution
A unified API traversal function is introduced, which consolidates multiple API functions into a single function, allowing for efficient traversal of hierarchical data sets without additional API calls. This function includes an integer marker to track position and an overloadable search parameter to indicate different traversal types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple sequential API function calls are used to traverse hierarchical data sets, then data can be accessed and processed, but operational load, memory requirements, and error opportunities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate API functions (traverseBegin, traverseNext, traverseEnd) into a single unified traversal API function. This unified function accepts overloaded parameters to determine traversal type and uses an integer marker to track position, eliminating the need for multiple sequential function calls and reducing API complexity while maintaining data retrieval capability
Solution Approach 2:
The unified traversal API function is designed to perform multiple traversal types (resource search, scan, and other custom traversals) through a single function interface. By using overloaded parameters, the same function can adapt to different traversal needs, reducing the number of specialized functions required and simplifying the API
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple API function calls are made for traversal operations, then comprehensive data access is achieved, but execution time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes to control traversal behavior. The unified API function accepts an overloaded search parameter that determines the traversal type (resource search, scan, etc.), and an integer marker parameter that tracks position. By changing these parameters, the same function adapts to different traversal types without requiring separate function calls, reducing execution time while maintaining flexibility
3Ease of operation
If multiple sequential function calls are used, then detailed control over traversal is maintained, but code complexity and error opportunities increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple function calls into a single unified function, the patent reduces the number of user-facing API calls from three (traverseBegin, traverseNext, traverseEnd) to one. This simplification reduces code complexity and minimizes error opportunities while maintaining detailed control through parameters
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for searching for and reading data from a hierarchical data set stored in a database accessible to a network device such as a media device or a display device. An example embodiment operates by the media device receiving a request for the data in the hierarchical data set where the request is implemented as a unified application programming interface (API) traversal function that is configured with an overloaded search parameter and an integer marker for tracking a current position of the unified API traversal function within the hierarchical data set. The unified API traversal function enables a single call to be initiated for data within the hierarchical data set without the need to call additional API callback functions to traverse the data set.