System and method for a computer based forms language

Abstract

A computational platform and related methods that generally combines the object model and the programming model into a single set of constructs (e.g. Forms, relations, entities, relationships). These constructs provide the characteristics of inheritance, linkage, immutability, versioning, and substitution in a single structure that can store the objects, processes, and instructions/programs, and provide for convergence and divergence of information in information streams, a database graph, or a database web distributed across a set of nodes.

1 . A distributable electronic database embodied in a tangible medium and readable by a computer, the distributable electronic database comprising:
 a first information stream maintained in the tangible medium comprising:   at least one entity and at least one relationship entity wherein the relationship entity signifies a change with respect to at least one other entity or at least one other relationship entity,   wherein a relationship entity is also a type of entity, and   wherein every entity includes immutable data so that a change in the state of the distributable electronic database is reflected by the addition of a new entity to the first information stream.   
     
     
         2 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein every entity is storable in the distributable electronic database as an object which contains immutable fields representing invariant relations of the entity, and separate relationship entities signifying changes to the variant relations of the entity. 
     
     
         3 . The relationship entities signifying change to the variant relations of  claim 2 , wherein the integration of the entities and relationship entities comprise a snapshot at a point in time of copies of the immutable fields belonging to other entities. 
     
     
         4 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein changes in the state of the distributable electronic database are reflected by the addition of new entities to the first information stream. 
     
     
         5 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein every entity is truncatable, copyable, appendable, or mergeable in regards to the first information stream. 
     
     
         6 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the change to the state of the distributable electronic database is a temporary or permanent reference change from one entity to another entity. 
     
     
         7 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the relationship entity joins at least two entities establishing a linkage between the two entities, directly or indirectly terminating in structured or unstructured content wherein the content is any known or defined information. 
     
     
         8 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the first information stream is a first database and is streamable to a second database, the second database being a second information stream. 
     
     
         9 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 8 , wherein the first database grows by appending one or more additional relationship entities and/or one or more additional non-relationship entities. 
     
     
         10 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 8 , wherein the first information stream is streamable to the second database via a third stream. 
     
     
         11 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein each of the entities comprising each information stream is immutable. 
     
     
         12 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein each information stream comprises a set of changes represented by a plurality of relationship entities. 
     
     
         13 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 8 , wherein the first information stream comprises a first database and is streamable to the second database by merging a subset of the first information stream into the second information stream. 
     
     
         14 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 8 , wherein the subset of the first information stream is copied into a third information stream, the third information stream merged into the second information stream. 
     
     
         15 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one relationship entity is represented by a row in a table, each row representing a state change of one or more entities referenced by the at least one relationship entity. 
     
     
         16 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one relationship entity references at least one other entity to define a state change of the at least one other entity. 
     
     
         17 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one relationship entity is a plurality of relationship entities, and each of the plurality of relationship entities corresponds to a row in a table, each row representing a state change of an entity referenced by a respective one of the plurality of relationship entities. 
     
     
         18 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 17 , wherein multiple state changes of an entity referenced by a respective relationship entity are represented by multiple rows in the table, each of the multiple state changes corresponding to a new row. 
     
     
         19 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 17 , wherein multiple state changes of an entity referenced by a respective relationship entity are represented by a single row in the table, each of the multiple state changes reflected in the single row. 
     
     
         20 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein the information stream is maintained in at least one of: a database table, a file, a message queue, and an in memory object representation. 
     
     
         21 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein each information stream is maintained in at least one of: a server, a memory, a transmission carrier, a portable storage device, a magnetic memory and an optical memory. 
     
     
         22 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein any information stream is appendable to any information stream. 
     
     
         23 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 8 , wherein the first information stream and the second information stream are substantially unlimited size and being maintainable in a readable non-transitory storage medium. 
     
     
         24 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein the first information stream and the second information stream are of a definite length. 
     
     
         25 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein the streams include in any combination at least one of: Form Entities, Relation Forms, Relation Entities, Relationship Forms, Relationship Entities, Primitive Forms, Primitive Entities, Substitution Relationship Forms, Substitution Relationship Entities, Attribute Forms, Attribute Entities, Versioned Attribute Forms, Versioned Attribute Entities, Element Forms. Element Entities, Property Relationship Forms, Property Relationship Entities, Ownership Forms, Ownership Relationship Entities, Content Forms, Content Entities, Folder Forms, Folder Entities, Containment Relationship Forms, Containment Relationship Entities, NullEntity Forms, NullEntities, Function Forms, Function Entities, Group Forms, Group Entities, Message Forms, Message Entities, File Forms, File Entities, Network Forms, Network Entities, User Forms, User Entities, Non-relationship Forms, and Non-relationship Entities. 
     
     
         26 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 10 , wherein the information streams are each distributable to a node using a communications protocol. 
     
     
         27 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein each entity is represented by at least one Form that defines class properties of the respective entity wherein each entity is an instance of a class represented by the at least one Form that the respective entity instantiates. 
     
     
         28 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 27 , wherein each class is at least one of a Form entity, a relation entity, or a relationship entity. 
     
     
         29 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one Form is defined by other Forms expressed as a set of relation entities. 
     
     
         30 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 27 , wherein the first information stream further comprises a relation entity itself is expressed as a Form that has two relation entities, a left side relation entity and a right side relation entity, wherein the left side relation entity links to a first Form entity and the right side relation entity links to a second Form entity, so that the first Form entity is linked to the second Form entity, and so that a property may be defined by a relation entity for the class represented by the Form that has two relation entities. 
     
     
         31 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 30 , wherein the right side relation is variant so that a change concerning the first Form entity is maintained outside the first Form entity as a separate immutable relationship entity. 
     
     
         32 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 30 , wherein the right side relation is invariant so that information concerning the first Form entity is maintained immutably within the first Form entity. 
     
     
         33 . A distributed system for improved information and knowledge management comprising:
 a first information stream associated with a first node in a system of computer-based nodes;   a second information stream associated with a second node in a system of computer-based nodes;   the first node; and   the second node,   wherein the first information stream and the second information stream are mutually appendable with respect to the other at any node in the system of computer-based nodes so that the web is expandable by adding new relationship entities to any of the streams,   wherein the first information stream and second information stream comprise a plurality of entities representing information and each stream further comprises relationship entities, each relationship entity referencing at least one of the plurality of entities and signifying at least one change to the at least one of the plurality of entities so that information content associated with the referenced entity is logically changed while preserving the immutability of the referenced entity.   
     
     
         34 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , so that the invariant portion of the information state of the referenced entity prior to the creation of the relationship entity is preserved in at least one of the information streams and the invariant portion of the information state of the referenced entity after the creation of the relationship entity is also preserved in the at least one of the information streams. 
     
     
         35 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein the information content associated with the referenced entity includes immutable data associated with invariant relation, and the information content associated with the referenced entity includes variable data associated with variant relations, if variant relations are present. 
     
     
         36 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein the relationship entity references the at least one of the plurality of entities through a given variant relation belonging to the Form of the referenced entity so that the variant relation of the referenced entity is changed when the relationship is created. 
     
     
         37 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein each relationship entity referencing at least one of the plurality of entities includes linking the relationship entity with at least one of the plurality of entities. 
     
     
         38 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein the plurality of entities representing information is selectively controlled and disseminated to at least one consumer of the plurality of entities referenced by relationship entities at one or more of the computer-based nodes. 
     
     
         39 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein each relationship entity signifies a change to a state of the information as expressed by at least one reference to a set of referenced entities, each change representing a differential to the set of referenced entities thereby also defining a relationship as differential data. 
     
     
         40 . The distributed system of  claim 39 , wherein a state of each entity is computable by logical integration of the relationship entities referencing each entity. 
     
     
         41 . The distributed system of  claim 39 , wherein a state of each entity is computable by logical integration over any particular time period. 
     
     
         42 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , further comprising a computing device that reads one of the streams to produce additional entities appended to one of the streams to expand the web. 
     
     
         43 . The distributed system of  claim 42 , wherein the additional appended entities are automatically propagated through at least one of the streams to one or more of the computer-based nodes according to rules. 
     
     
         44 . The distributed system of  claim 43 , wherein the additional appended entities are propagated to a consumer of at least a subset of one of the streams. 
     
     
         45 . The distributed system of  claim 43 , wherein the additional appended entities are propagated to a consumer of the additional appended entities based on a query which specifies an interest in relationship entities which reference at least one of the additional appended entities. 
     
     
         46 . The distributed system of  claim 43 , wherein the additional appended entities are automatically propagated to a consumer on one of the computer-based nodes based on an event, the event being one of a change to one of the additional appended entities and a predefined trigger. 
     
     
         47 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein each of the plurality of entities is represented by at least one Form that defines class properties of the respective entity wherein each entity is an instance of a class represented by the at least one Form that each entity instantiates. 
     
     
         48 . The distributed system of  claim 47 , wherein each class is at least one of a Form entity, a relation entity, or a relationship entity. 
     
     
         49 . The distributed web of  claim 47 , wherein the at least one Form is defined by other Forms expressed as a set of relation entities to associate properties with the at least one Form. 
     
     
         50 . The distributed system of  claim 49 , wherein a relation entity itself is expressed as a Form that has two relation entities, a left side relation entity and a right side relation entity, wherein the left side relation entity links to a first Form entity and the right side relation entity links to a second Form entity, so that the first Form entity is linked to the second Form entity, and so that a property may be defined by a relation entity for the class represented by the Form that has two relation entities. 
     
     
         51 . The distributed system of  claim 50 , wherein the right side relation is variant so that a change concerning the first Form entity is maintained outside the first Form entity as a separate immutable relationship entity. 
     
     
         52 . The distributed system of  claim 50 , wherein the right side relation is invariant so a change concerning the first Form entity is maintained immutably within the first Form entity. 
     
     
         53 . The distributed web of  claim 47 , wherein a first set of at least one or more Forms is subclassed by any number of other sets of at least one or more Forms and the first set of one or more Forms is a superclass of the any number of other sets of at least one or more Forms. 
     
     
         54 . The distributed system of  claim 47 , wherein the any number of other sets of at least one or more Forms in the subclass inherit the any number of the relations of the Form superclass. 
     
     
         55 . The distributed system of  claim 47 , wherein a first set of at least one or more Forms defines a Relation class that is subclassed by any number of other sets of the at least one or more Relation classes, and the first set of the one or more Relation class Forms is a superclass of the any number of other sets of the at least one or more Relation class Forms, thereby the class properties of a Form are themselves classes that are superclassed and subclassed. 
     
     
         56 . The distributed system of  claim 55 , wherein the any number of other sets of at least one or more Relation Class Forms in the subclass inherit the any number of relations of the Relation Class Form superclass. 
     
     
         57 . The distributed system of  claim 47 , wherein a first set of at least one or more Forms defines a Relationship class that is subclassed by any number of other sets of the at least one or more Relationship classes, and the first set of the one or more Relationship class Forms is a superclass of the any number of other sets of the at least one or more Relationship class Forms
 so that the any type of changes can be modeled as a first class object in the database and signified by a relationship entity.   
     
     
         58 . The distributed system of  claim 57 , wherein the any number of other sets of at least one or more Relationship Class Forms in the subclass inherit the any number of relations of the Relationship Class Form superclass. 
     
     
         59 . The distributed system of  claim 57 , wherein a non-relationship entity is any entity
 that is referenced by at least one relationship entity but itself does not reference any other entities.   
     
     
         60 - 77 . (canceled) 
     
     
         78 . A database embodied in a tangible medium and readable by a computer, the database comprising:
 a stream maintained in the tangible medium wherein the stream comprises a set of entities, including Form entities that describe a total set of all entities in the stream, and the stream further comprising relationship entities that signify changes to the set of entities including changes to any Form entities in the stream, thereby the stream is self-describing and self-contained and is propagatable across a network of nodes.   
     
     
         79 . The database of  claim 78 , wherein the stream contains immutable entities. 
     
     
         80 . The database of  claim 78 , wherein each Form entity defines at least one class of entities contained in the stream. 
     
     
         81 . The database of  claim 78 , wherein the relationship entities contribute to defining the state of the stream at a point in time. 
     
     
         82 . The database of  claim 78 , wherein the stream is maintained in a readable non-transitory storage medium at any node in the network of nodes. 
     
     
         83 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein a change may be signified by an immutable entity appended to the stream. 
     
     
         84 . A computer-implemented method for creating or maintaining a database embodied as computer code in a tangible computer readable storage medium that when read and executed by the computer performs the steps of:
 creating a stream by a computing device wherein the stream comprises a set of entities including Form entities that describe a total set of all entities in the stream, and the stream further comprises relationship entities that signify changes to the set of entities including changes to any Form entities in the stream, thereby the stream is self-describing and self-contained and is propagatable across a network of nodes; and   propagating the stream from at least one node to another node in a network of nodes for use by a consumer of the stream.   
     
     
         85 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 84 , wherein the stream comprises a database. 
     
     
         86 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 84 , wherein the stream contains immutable entities. 
     
     
         87 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 84 , wherein each Form entity defines at least one class of entities contained in the stream. 
     
     
         88 . The computer-implemented of  claim 84 , wherein the relationship entities contribute to defining the state of the stream at a point in time. 
     
     
         89 . A computer-implemented method embodied as computer programming code embodied on a non-transitory storage medium that when read and executed causes the following steps to be performed:
 creating an information stream, the stream including at least one entity and at least one relationship entity wherein the relationship entity signifies a change with respect to at least one other entity or signifies a change to at least one other relationship entity, wherein a relationship entity is also a type of entity; and   reflecting a change in a state of the information stream by addition of a new entity to the information stream, wherein every entity includes immutable data.   
     
     
         90 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 89 , further including propagating the stream from at least one node to another node in a network of nodes for use by a consumer of the stream. 
     
     
         91 . A computer-implemented method for creating or maintaining a distributed web for improved information and knowledge management embodied as computer code in a tangible computer readable storage medium that when read and executed by the computer performs the steps of:
 creating a first information stream associated with a first node in a system of computer-based nodes;   creating a second information stream associated with a second node in a system of computer-based nodes; and   appending one of: the first information stream and the second information stream with respect to the other at any node in the system of computer-based nodes so that the distributed web is expanded by adding new relationship entities to any of the streams,   wherein the first information stream and second information stream comprise a plurality of entities representing information and each stream further comprises relationship entities, each relationship entity referencing at least one of the plurality of entities and signifying at least one change to the at least one of the plurality of entities so that the information content associated with the referenced entity is logically changed while preserving the immutability of the referenced entity.   
     
     
         92 . A device containing the converged stream produced by the method of claim  60 . 
     
     
         93 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein a snapshot is an integrated state representation of an entity containing the current values of variant relations and invariant relations defining the entity, wherein this snapshot is stored in the distributable electronic database, and the snapshot is updated when changes are made to a variant relations in the snapshot. 
     
     
         94 . The computer-implemented method of claim  60 , wherein the first stream maintains a first state and the second stream maintains a second state, and the converged stream maintains a converged stream state that is a subset or a superset of one of the first state and the second state, the converged stream state itself divergeable. 
     
     
         95 . The computer-implemented method of claim  60 , wherein the first stream has a first state and the second stream has a second state, each state changing as new entities are appended to the respective stream, each respective state computable by integrating all set of relationship entities referencing each entity in each respective stream. 
     
     
         96 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein the first stream and the second stream are embodied in the respective node or embodied in a tangible storage medium, and each are readable by a computing device for processing. 
     
     
         97 . The distributed system of  claim 33 , wherein the system comprises a web of information in the system of computer-based nodes. 
     
     
         98 . The distributable electronic database of  claim 1 , wherein the tangible medium comprises a storage device or a memory. 
     
     
         99 . The database of  claim 78 , wherein the tangible medium comprises a storage device or a memory.