IP Library Granted Patent US 11,151,104
Granted Patent B2
US 11,151,104 · App. 16/414,374 · Granted Oct 19, 2021

Time systems as data

Inventors: Peter L. Engrav (Seattle, WA); Aaron E. Erlandson (Kirkland, WA); Stephen White (Kirkland, WA); Trevor J. Harris (Seattle, WA); Malia M. Douglas (Seattle, WA); Rachel Sirkin (Seattle, WA); Shikha Devesh Desai (Bellevue, WA); Jie Dong (Woodinville, WA); Evan W. Lavender (Redmond, WA); Christian Harper-Cyr (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
G06F16/2246G06F16/248G06F16/2477
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,151,104
App. No.
16/414,374
Granted
Oct 19, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method that enables time as data is described herein. The method includes constructing a tree structure, wherein data of the tree structure is a plurality of time intervals, and layers of the tree below a root node comprise identical sibling nodes for layers above a threshold interval length and parent nodes share identical sibling nodes. The method also includes assigning a node identification to each node of the tree structure, wherein each node of the tree structure corresponds to a time interval, and traversing the tree structure to convert a timestamp to a human readable time.

Claims (22)

1. A method that enables time as data, comprising:

constructing a tree structure, wherein data of the tree structure is a plurality of time intervals arranged into layers of nodes, and wherein the layers of the tree structure below a root node comprise identical sibling nodes for layers above a threshold interval size that is a smallest repeatable unit of time according to a calendar system;

assigning a node identification to each node of the tree structure, wherein each node of the tree structure corresponds to a time interval, and wherein the time interval for each node in the layers above the threshold interval size is a repeatable unit of time, and the time interval for each node in the layers below the threshold interval size varies according to leap values; and

traversing the tree structure to convert a timestamp to a human readable time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold interval size is an interval of 10,000 years.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a length of the plurality of time intervals is determined based on the calendar system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein data from the nodes in the layers of the tree structure below the threshold interval size are compressed into a linear data structure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein data of a node of the tree structure is an interval that starts with an earliest start time that corresponds to the earliest start time of the node's child nodes and ends with a latest end time that corresponds to the latest end time of the node's child nodes.

6. An electronic device, comprising:

a database comprising a tree structure, wherein data of the tree structure is a plurality of time intervals arranged into layers of nodes, and wherein the layers of the tree structure below a root node comprise identical sibling nodes for layers above a threshold interval size that is a smallest repeatable unit of time according to a calendar system;

a node identifier to assign a node identification to each node of the tree structure, wherein each node of the tree structure corresponds to a time interval, and wherein the time interval for each node in the layers above the threshold interval size is a repeatable unit of time, and the time interval for each node in the layers below the threshold interval size varies according to leap values; and

a tree traverser to traverse the tree structure to convert a timestamp to a human readable time.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the threshold interval size is an interval of 10,000 years.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a length of the plurality of time intervals is determined based on the calendar system.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein data from the nodes in the layers of the tree structure below the threshold interval size are compressed into a linear data structure.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein data of a node of the tree structure is an interval that starts with an earliest start time that corresponds to the earliest start time of the node's child nodes and ends with a latest end time that corresponds to the latest end time of the node's child nodes.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium including code, when executed, to cause a processing device to carry out operations, the operations comprising:

constructing a tree structure, wherein data of the tree structure is a plurality of time intervals arranged into layers of nodes, and wherein the layers of the tree structure below a root node comprise identical sibling nodes for layers above a threshold interval size that is a smallest repeatable unit of time according to a calendar system;

assigning a node identification to each node of the tree structure, wherein each node of the tree structure corresponds to a time interval, and wherein the time interval for each node in the layers above the threshold interval size is a repeatable unit of time, and the time interval for each node in the layers below the threshold interval size varies according to leap values; and

traversing the tree structure to convert a timestamp to a human readable time.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the threshold interval size is an interval of 10,000 years.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein a length of the plurality of time intervals is determined based on the calendar system.

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SPELLING OF 5TH INVENTOR'S FIRST NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 049203 FRAME: 0707. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 18, 2020
From: ENGRAV, PETER L.; ERLANDSON, AARON; WHITE, STEPHEN; HARRIS, TREVOR J.; DOUGLAS, MALIA M.; SIRKIN, RACHEL; DESAI, SHIKHA DEVESH; DONG, JIE; LAVENDER, EVAN W.; HARPER-CYR, CHRISTIAN
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 052040/0969 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 16, 2019
From: ENGRAV, PETER L.; ERLANDSON, AARON; WHITE, STEPHEN; HARRIS, TREVOR J.; DOUGLAS, MILIA M.; SIRKIN, RACHEL; DESAI, SHIKHA DEVESH; DONG, JIE; LAVENDER, EVAN W.; HARPER-CYR, CHRISTIAN
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 049203/0707 →
Continuity (1)
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