Microsoft patents a way to tag locations with single numbers
Microsoft has been granted a patent for a method of organizing data by assigning a single number to each object's location. This number, called a hybrid spatial index, encodes details like the direction and width of a grid stripe to help computers quickly find items in a specific area. The system allows software to search for records by checking if their number falls within a certain range.
In the filing’s own words
Example implementations include a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium configured for indexing records using a hybrid spatial index. The hybrid spatial index is an integer that indicates a spatial location of an object. The method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium may associate an integer spatial index with a record of an object. The integer spatial index indicates a stripe of cells covering the object and encodes two or more of: an indication that the spatial index indicates the stripe of cells, a direction of the stripe, a category of a width of the stripe, the width of the stripe based on the category, a start value of the stripe, or a second dimension of the stripe. The method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium may select the record based on the spatial index being within a range of spatial indices for a spatial predicate.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An apparatus for indexing data comprising: one or more memories, individually or in combination, storing computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and, individually or in combination, configured to execute the instructions to: associate an integer spatial index with a record of an object, wherein the integer spatial index indicates a stripe of cells covering the object and encodes two or more of the following parameters: an indication that the spatial index indicates the stripe of cells, a direction of the stripe, a category of a width of the stripe, the width of the stripe based on the category, a start value of the stripe, or a second dimension of the stripe as a number of bits within the integer spatial index representing a respective value of each encoded parameter; and select the record based on the spatial index being within a range of spatial indices for a spatial predicate.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- Hybrid spatial index
- Patent number
- US12737338B2
- Application number
- 19006865
- Filed
- Dec 31, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 21
Classified under
G06F 16/2264 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.