What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented system for managing a collection of mutually dependent information contents networked over the Web, comprising:
a collection of Web documents, referred to as a content net, that comes with computer-executable representations of dependency relationships among elements of those documents; and
means for automatically propagating updates introduced in elements of said Web documents to all elements of said Web documents that depend on those updated elements.
2. The computer-implemented system according to claim 1, wherein said content net comprises a collection of content files, i.e., Web documents representing information contents, and a separate collection of constraint files, which represent dependency relationships among elements of content files.
3. The computer-implemented system according to claim 2, wherein said content net is a collection of pairs of a content file and a constraint file, which represents dependency relationships of elements in the associated content file on elements in any content file of the content net.
4. The computer-implemented system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the representation of said dependency relationships comprises:
unique identifiers for active elements, i.e., elements involved in dependency relationships, where the uniqueness is ensured by values of a designated attribute, called content variables, uniquely assigned to those active elements, or by an equivalent means; and
dependency expressions written in Web-standard languages such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) and MathML (Mathematical Markup Language), using element identifiers such as content variables.
5. The computer-implemented system according to claim 4, wherein said dependency expressions follow the format of dependency clauses or a format equivalent to dependency clauses, and are represented in constraint files or embedded in information contents of Web documents in the content net, where a dependency clause comprises three terms, the first term representing a content variable, the second term a set of content variables, and the third term a definition of a dependency relationship between the content variable in the first term and the content variables in the second term.
6. The computer-implemented system according to claim 5, wherein said dependency clauses are: functional dependency clauses, which have no tree-structure, hierarchical relationships between the element corresponding to the content variable in the first term and the elements corresponding to the content variables in the second term; or
hierarchical dependency clauses, in which the elements corresponding to the content variables of the second term are hierarchically related to the element corresponding to the content variable of the first term.
7. The computer-implemented system according to claim 6, wherein said third term in said functional dependency clause is a functional expression involving operators of MathML, operators that can be referenced in MathML, and content variables in the second term in the clause.
8. The computer-implemented system according to any claim from claim 1 through claim 7, further comprising a dependency structure analysis module, which:
given a set of updated active elements, identifies its update candidate set, which contains all active elements, or corresponding content variables, which depend on some active elements in the given set;
determines the presence or absence of cyclic dependencies among active elements in Web documents in the content net.
9. The computer-implemented system according to claim 8, further comprising a module which, given an update candidate set, recursively updates elements in the update candidate set.
10. The computer-implemented system according to claim 8, further comprising:
an update ranking module which, given an update candidate set, computes update orders, or ranks, for elements, or corresponding content variables, in the update candidate set; and
a module which updates elements in a given update candidate set, following ranks determined by the update ranking module.
11. The computer-implemented system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising:
a station, namely a browser-based presentation of a Web document representing information contents in a content net, as a collection of ports for information interchange, or a port complex, over the Web; and
a station net, namely a collection of stations networked over the Web and accessible to human users in the Web environment, where each station in the collection is derived from a Web document representing information contents in a designated content net.
12. The computer-implemented system according to claim 11, wherein said station comprises:
internal reference ports for receiving information from sources within the station net containing this station;
external reference ports for receiving information from applications such as database applications outside the station net;
initial ports for sending information to other ports within the station net containing this station; and a local port for keeping information within the station for local use.
13. The computer-implemented system according to claim 12, wherein said ports in said station are equipped with: control functions for update propagation within the entire station net;
control functions for importing information from external applications such as database applications;
control functions for exporting information to external applications; or
control functions obtained by sequential or concurrent compositions of said control functions above.
14. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, wherein said control functions can operate in:
operator control mode in which said control functions are initiated by human users; or
program control mode in which said control functions are initiated by computer programs.
15. The computer-implemented system according to claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein content variables, or corresponding elements, of a content file map to ports of the station corresponding to the content file respecting the following constraints:
an internal reference port is associated with a set of content variables which depend on other content variables via functional dependency clauses;
an initial port is associated with a set of free variables; an external reference port is associated with a single free variable; and
a local port is associated with the set of all non-active elements which are not sub-elements of an active element.
16. The computer-implemented system according to claim 15, wherein for each station, its layout is specified in a Web-standard language such as XSL (Extensible Style Language) separately from the content file of the station.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A battery pack comprising:
a housing;
a first battery located in the housing, the first battery using a first cell technology; and
a second battery located in the housing, the second battery using a second cell technology that is different from the first cell technology.
2. The battery pack of claim 1 further comprising:
a battery management unit coupled to the first battery and the second battery and operable to monitor and control the first battery and the second battery.
3. The battery pack of claim 1 further comprising:
a first battery management unit coupled to the first battery and operable to monitor and control the first battery; and
a second battery management unit coupled to the second battery and operable to monitor and control the second battery.
4. The battery pack of claim 1 further comprising:
a connector situated on the housing and coupled to the first battery and the second battery.
5. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
6. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the second cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
7. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride, and the second cell technology is selected from members of the group not selected for the first cell technology.
8. A battery pack comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of batteries located in the housing;
at least one battery using a first cell technology and coupled to a battery management unit operable to monitor and control the battery using the first cell technology; and
at least one battery using a second cell technology that is different from the first cell technology, the battery using the second cell technology coupled to a battery management unit operable to monitor and control the battery using the second cell technology.
9. The battery pack of claim 8 further comprising:
a connector situated on the housing and coupled to the plurality of batteries.
10. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
11. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein the second cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
12. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride, and the second cell technology is selected from members of the group not selected for the first cell technology.
13. A battery pack comprising:
a housing;
a first battery located in the housing, the first battery using a first cell technology and coupled to a first battery management unit which is operable to monitor and control the first battery; and
a second battery located in the housing, the second battery using a second cell technology that is different from the first cell technology, the second battery coupled to a second battery management unit which is operable to monitor and control the second battery.
14. The battery pack of claim 13 further comprising:
a connector situated on the housing and coupled to the first battery and the second battery.
15. The battery pack of claim 13 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
16. The battery pack of claim 13 wherein the second cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
17. The battery pack of claim 13 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride, and the second cell technology is selected from members of the group not selected for the first cell technology.
18. An information handling system comprising:
a chassis;
a processor located in the chassis;
a battery pack coupled to the processor, the battery pack including a housing;
a first battery located in the housing, the first battery using a first cell technology; and
a second battery located in the housing, the second battery using a second cell technology that is different from the first cell technology.
19. The information handling system of claim 18 further comprising:
a battery management unit coupled to the first battery and the second battery and operable to monitor and control the first battery and the second battery.
20. The information handling system of claim 18 further comprising:
a first battery management unit coupled to the first battery and operable to monitor and control the first battery; and
a second battery management unit coupled to the second battery and operable to monitor and control the second battery.
21. The information handling system of claim 18 further comprising:
a connector situated on the housing and coupled to the first battery and the second battery, the connector for coupling the battery pack to the processor.
22. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
23. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the second cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride.
24. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the first cell technology is selected from the group consisting of prismatic, cylindrical, polymer, and nickel metal hydride, and the second cell technology is selected from members of the group not selected for the first cell technology.
25. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the battery pack is situated partially within the chassis and partially external to the chassis.
26. A method for providing battery power comprising:
providing a battery pack including a housing;
situating a first battery in the housing, the first battery using a first cell technology;
situating a second battery in the housing, the second battery using a second cell technology that is different from the first cell technology; coupling a battery management unit to the first battery and the second battery; and
providing power by selecting a battery to discharge by communicating with the batteries battery management unit.
27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:
storing power by selecting a battery to charge by communicating with the batteries battery management unit.
28. Apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of battery cell packs in the housing, each cell pack having its own independent battery management unit (BMU);
each BMU sharing a battery connector for connection to an information handling system;
one of the battery packs using a first cell technology; and
another of the battery packs using a second cell technology, different from the first cell technology.