Method and system using pathnames to specify and access audio data at fidelity levels other than the level at which the data is stored

In a computer system having an application computer program that calls a service computer program, the service computer program having a calling interface with a file pathname argument, a method for providing a new implementation of the service computer program to the application computer program without changing the application computer program, the new implementation of the service computer program performing a new task using additional information not provided to previous implementations of the service computer program by the application computer program, the method comprising the steps of:

• creating a pathname that does not correspond to a file, the pathname representing an encoding of the additional information to be used by the new implementation of the service computer program;
• sending the created pathname to the application computer program;
• under control of the application computer program,
• receiving the sent pathname;
• and
• calling the service computer program from the application computer program, passing to the service computer program the received pathname as the file pathname argument;
• and
• under control of the new implementation of the service computer program,
• receiving the passed pathname;
• parsing the received pathname to extract the additional information;
• and
• performing the desired task using the additional information.

A computer-readable storage device containing instructions for controlling a computer system to access audio data at a specified fidelity level, the audio data being stored on a storage device in an original fidelity level, the instructions for controlling a computer system implementing the steps of:

• generating a directory hierarchy for indicating the fidelity levels of audio data, the directory hierarchy having sub-directory levels, each sub-directory level representing a characteristic of fidelity, the directory hierarchy including leaf sub-directories;
• generating a file entry for each leaf sub-directory, each file entry representing a logical file containing audio data and having a pathname representing the fidelity level of the audio data;
• and
• when accessing a file represented by a generated file entry, converting the audio data from the original fidelity level to the fidelity level represented by the pathname of the file.

A method executed in a computer system for accessing audio data at a specified fidelity level, the audio data being stored on a storage device in an original fidelity level, the method comprising the steps of:

• generating a directory hierarchy for indicating the fidelity levels of audio data, the directory hierarchy having sub-directory levels, each sub-directory level representing a characteristic of fidelity, the directory hierarchy including leaf sub-directories;
• generating a file entry for each leaf sub-directory, each file entry representing a logical file containing audio data and having a pathname representing the fidelity level of the audio data;
• and
• when accessing a file represented by a generated file entry, converting the audio data from the original fidelity level to the fidelity level represented by the pathname of the file.

A method executed in a computer system for providing audio data at a specified fidelity level, the computer system including a storage device for storing raw audio data, the method comprising the steps of:

• for each of a plurality of fidelity levels,
• providing a file entry in a hierarchical directory structure, the file entry representing a logical file containing audio data at the fidelity level;
• providing a logical file being stored in a sub-directory of the hierarchical directory structure, the logical file having a pathname within the hierarchical directory structure, wherein the pathname specifies the fidelity level of the audio data of the logical file;
• and
• in response to a request to read the audio data from the logical files:
• retrieving the raw audio data;
• and
• converting the raw audio data to the fidelity level specified by the pathname of the logical file.

A method in a computer system for accessing audio data at one of a plurality of fidelity levels, the audio data having an original fidelity level, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving the audio data at the original fidelity level;
• for each of the plurality of fidelity levels,
• creating a directory corresponding to the fidelity level;
• and
• representing the audio data as a file in the created directory;
• when accessing the audio data at a certain fidelity level,
• specifying the directory corresponding to the certain fidelity level;
• and
• specifying the file that represents the audio data in the specified directory;
• and
• when accessing the audio data at the certain fidelity level,
• reading the received audio data at the original fidelity level;
• and
• converting the read audio data to audio data of the certain fidelity level.

A method in a computer system for organizing audio data into a plurality of fidelity levels, the method comprising the steps of:

• creating a directory for each fidelity level;
• adding a file entry to the created directories, the file entry representing a file that logically contains the audio data at the fidelity level corresponding to the fidelity level of the directory;
• when accessing the audio data at a certain fidelity level, specifying the directory and file entry corresponding to the audio data at the certain fidelity level;
• and
• dynamically generating the audio data at the certain fidelity level in response to the step of specifying.

A computer system for specifying a plurality of fidelity levels through which to access audio data, the audio data being stored on a storage device, the system comprising:

• a directory generator for generating a directory hierarchy for specifying a fidelity level of audio data, the directory hierarchy having sub-directories that correspond to characteristics of fidelity and a fidelity level represented by a pathname of sub-directories;
• a pathname selector for selecting a pathname;
• and
• a data generator for dynamically generating the audio data at the fidelity level represented by the selected pathname.

A method in a computer system for dynamically generating audio data in a specified format, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving audio data in an original format;
• receiving a request to read a portion of the audio data in the specified format;
• and
• in response to receiving the request,
• converting the portion of the audio data in the original format to audio data in the specified format;
• and
• providing the converted portion of the audio data
• wherein the audio data in the specified format is dynamically generated in response to receiving the request.

A computer system for indicating a fidelity level at which to access audio data, the computer system comprising:

• means for storing audio data in an original fidelity level;
• means for generating a directory hierarchy that includes a file representing audio data, the file being identified by a pathname within the directory hierarchy, the pathname indicating the fidelity level corresponding to the file;
• means for receiving the pathname of the file;
• and
• means for converting the audio data stored in the original fidelity level into the fidelity level indicated by the received pathname.

A method in a computer system for specifying an indication of a fidelity level of audio data, the computer system having an audio computer program that receives a pathname to a file containing audio data and that requests a file system to retrieve the audio data from the file specified by the pathname, the method comprising:

• creating a pathname having a directory specification that indicates the fidelity level of the audio data to be retrieved and having a filename;
• sending the created pathname to the audio computer program;
• under control of the audio computer program,
• receiving the sent pathname;
• and
• sending the received pathname to the file system;
• and
• under control of the file system,
• receiving the sent pathname;
• determining the fidelity level indicated in the received pathname;
• converting audio data from one fidelity level to the determined fidelity level;
• and
• sending the converted audio data to the audio computer program for processing by the audio computer program.

A computer-readable storage device containing instructions for controlling a computer system to organize audio data into a plurality of fidelity levels, the instructions for controlling a computer system implementing the steps of:

• creating a directory for each fidelity level;
• adding a file entry to the created directories, the file entry representing a file that logically contains the audio data at the fidelity level corresponding to the fidelity level of the directory;
• when accessing the audio data at a certain fidelity level, specifing the directory and file entry corresponding to the audio data at the certain fidelity level;
• and
• dynamically generating the audio data at the certain fidelity level in response to the step of specifying.

In a computer system having an application computer program that calls a service computer program, the service computer program having a calling interface with a file pathname argument, a computer-readable storage device containing instructions for controlling a computer system to provide a new implementation of the service computer program to the application computer program without changing the application computer program, the new implementation of the service computer program performing a new task using additional information not provided to previous implementations of the service computer program by the application computer program, the instructions for controlling a computer system specifying the steps of:

• creating a pathname that does not correspond to a file, the pathname representing an encoding of the additional information to be used by the new implementation of the service computer program;
• sending the created pathname to the application computer program;
• under control of the application computer program,
• receiving the sent pathname;
• and
• calling the service computer program from the application computer program, passing to the service computer program the received pathname as the file pathname argument;
• and
• under control of the new implementation of the service computer program,
• receiving the passed pathname;
• parsing the received pathname to extract the additional information;
• and
• performing the desired task using the additional information.