Actuate Patent Grants

Methods and apparatus for mapping a hierarchical data structure to a flat data structure for use in generating a report

Granted: April 12, 2011
Patent Number: 7925658
Methods and apparatus for generating a report from hierarchically formatted data are disclosed. First, a data source including one or more files having a hierarchical file format is identified, where each of the files includes one or more data elements. A relational database model is obtained, where the relational database model includes one or more virtual tables, each of the virtual tables including one or more virtual columns. The relational database model is then mapped to the…

Methods and apparatus for storing and retrieving annotations accessible by a plurality of reports

Granted: January 11, 2011
Patent Number: 7870480
Methods and apparatus for storing and retrieving annotations accessible by a plurality of reports are disclosed. When an annotation including comments entered by an author is received in association with a data element or field of one of the plurality of reports, the annotation is stored such that it is retrievable using a key. Specifically, the key is composed of both a scope of the annotation and a period end date of the annotation. The scope indicates a subject matter with which the…

Methods and apparatus for implementing a custom driver for accessing a data source

Granted: November 9, 2010
Patent Number: 7831633
Methods and apparatus for supporting an additional data source in a system adapted for processing data from one or more data sources are disclosed. A design-time driver for the additional data source is obtained, where the design-time driver supports the definition of data including one or more fields of the additional data source to retrieve from the additional data source. In addition, a run-time driver for the additional data source is obtained, where the run-time driver supports…

Nested conditional relations (NCR) model and algebra

Granted: July 13, 2010
Patent Number: 7756904
A method and system for providing data integration of multiple data stores with diverse formats. The data integration engine accepts queries using a standard query language such as XML-QL, executes those queries against the multiple data stores, and returns the results. The data stores may include relational databases, hierarchical databases, file systems, application data available via APIs, and so on. A query may reference data that resides in different data stores. The data…

Methods and apparatus for joining tables from different data sources

Granted: May 18, 2010
Patent Number: 7720838
Methods and apparatus for joining two or more tables are disclosed. A query including a join query is received, where the join query requests that a new table be generated from data obtained from two or more tables, where the two or more tables are stored at two or more different data sources. Data from the tables is retrieved corresponding to the query. A new table is then generated from the retrieved data.

Method and apparatus for storing semi-structured data in a structured manner

Granted: April 27, 2010
Patent Number: 7707159
In response to the provision of a collection of semi-structured data (or its schema), a mapper generates a structured organization to store the collection of semi-structured data. The mapper further collaterally generates a description of how the semi-structured data are stored under the structured organization. In one embodiment, normalized relational tables are used for the structured organization. In alternate embodiments, non-normalized relational tables or other structured…

Methods and apparatus for processing a query joining tables stored at different data sources

Granted: April 20, 2010
Patent Number: 7702616
Methods and apparatus for joining two or more tables are disclosed. A query including a join query is received, where the join query requests that a new table be generated from data obtained from two or more tables, where the two or more tables are stored at two or more data sources. One or more columns for each of the tables for which data is to be obtained are identified from the query. A query plan to execute the query to obtain data for the identified columns from the two or more…

Method and apparatus for generating page-level security in a computer generated report

Granted: February 3, 2009
Patent Number: 7487154
Methods and computer program products are disclosed for generating and viewing an electronic report having security features that allow for “virtual bursting” of the report for multiple users. A single report having multiple pages is generated such that each or some of the pages have security tags that are compared to a security identifier list of a particular user that acts as a security clearance for that user. Through this comparison, a subset of pages from the report is formed…

Methods and apparatus for generating a spreadsheet report template

Granted: May 6, 2008
Patent Number: 7370271
Methods and apparatus for generating a report template for generation of a spreadsheet report are disclosed. First, a grid including a plurality of cells is displayed. One or more database fields for which data is to be obtained from a database are identified, where each of the database fields is associated with a separate group with which one or more rows in the grid can be associated. One or more groups as defined by the one or more database fields are then associated with a…

Technique for encapsulating a query definition

Granted: December 19, 2006
Patent Number: 7152062
A method and system for querying data sources. The query system provides a query definition for defining queries in a uniform manner. The query definition includes a query specification, a data source identifier, and optionally, one or more results transforms. The query definition may be stored as a data structure on computer-readable media, such as a CD-ROM. The query specification includes query text and parameters. The query text specifies the query expression that is to be applied to…

Method and apparatus for storing semi-structured data in a structured manner

Granted: October 17, 2006
Patent Number: 7124144
In response to the provision of a collection of semi-structured data (or its schema), a mapper generates a structured organization to store the collection of semi-structured data. The mapper further collaterally generates a description of how the semi-structured data are stored under the structured organization. In one embodiment, normalized relational tables are used for the structured organization. In alternate embodiments, non-normalized relational tables or other structured…

Method and apparatus for generating page-level security in a computer generated report

Granted: February 22, 2005
Patent Number: 6859805
Methods and computer program products are disclosed for generating and viewing an electronic report having security features that allow for “virtual bursting” of the report for multiple users. A single report having multiple pages is generated such that each or some of the pages have security tags that are compared to a security identifier list of a particular user that acts as a security clearance for that user. Through this comparison, a subset of pages from the report is formed…

Method and apparatus for creating and displaying a table of content for a computer-generated report having page-level security

Granted: August 3, 2004
Patent Number: 6772156
Methods and computer program products are disclosed for generating and viewing a content listing or “table of contents” for a report with page-level security based in part on data breaks in the report. The content listing is derived from a content list structure containing multiple data items where a data item represents a content group. A data item is retrieved from the content list structure and contains a page range. It is then determined whether any pages in the report…

Plastic non-conductive explosive bolt

Granted: December 7, 1999
Patent Number: 5997230
An explosive bolt is made of electrically non-conductive plastic material and is provided with a bore accommodating a low order deflagrating squid having only sufficient explosive energy to shatter a non-metallic bolt insulation surrounds the squib and fills the center bore and seals the squib in the center bore. There is a detonator for detonating the squib. Detonation of the squib is initiated by electrical current from an outside source electrically connected to the squib. A device…

Process and apparatus for simplifying access to information stored in databases

Granted: January 26, 1999
Patent Number: 5864856
Simplified access to relational databases is achieved. The inherent relationships that exist between tables in a relational database are detected and a dictionary is constructed that contains attributes that defines the relationships that exist within the database. The attributes of the database contained within the dictionary are mapped to objects of the database so that a user can navigate the database without using a database programming language using menus created from the…

Persistent storage of report objects

Granted: September 2, 1997
Patent Number: 5664182
A method is disclosed for persistently storing in an object-oriented format various pieces of information required to display and search a report. The information is stored in a logical hierarchy including multiple "level break" objects at a first level. Similar level break objects may be provided at a second level of the hierarchy, and at a third level, etc. Level breaks represent divisions between parallel report entities, and the level breaks at a "first level" divide report entities…

Non-explosive linear release device

Granted: March 18, 1997
Patent Number: 5611567
A non-explosive pyrotechnic linear release device is comprised of a body within which, at a proximal end, a pyrotechnic, comprised of a compressed gasless ignition powder, is contained behind a support ram which extends forward from the distal end of the body to support the sealed exit end of a pressure container which has been charged with a fluid, preferably air. The compressed pyrotechnic provides a psi pressure against the proximal end of the support ram greater than the psi pressure…

Pressurized gas bottle discharge device

Granted: April 26, 1994
Patent Number: 5305914
A pyrotechnic device drives a ram to a stop. The ram cuts off the neck of a gas bottle which is received in an area below the ram stop. The ram is disposed over the open neck of the gas bottle and may provide gas channels through the ram or around the ram to selected outlets.

Pressurized gas bottle discharge device

Granted: September 8, 1981
Patent Number: 4288005
A gas bottle, such as that using carbon dioxide gas to inflate a flotation device, is opened by cutting off the neck with an explosively driven ram in a tubular body provided with a transverse aperture receiving the neck of the bottle.

Explosive release clamp system

Granted: August 18, 1981
Patent Number: 4283987
An explosive release clamp adapted to be opened suddenly by electrical initiation of an explosive charge, and a safety pressure release system for closed vessels such as chemical reactors, high pressure storage tanks, or the like, wherein one or more such clamps are used to secure a main hatch to a reactor vessel. Upon occurrence of an emergency condition such as over-pressure, all clamps are automatically fired simultaneously to release the hatch. A manual override circuit enables…