Method for controlling an exchange

• US 20040181606A1
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rusitschka, Steffen, Southall, Alan, Astor, Jens, Schmidt, Markus, Schreiner, Horst, Zahlmann, Gudrun
• Application Number:
  US10/769,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181606A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels

Abstract

A method is for controlling an exchange in a data transmission system, in which information demand data from information demanders and information supply data representing information which can be supplied by various information suppliers are compared in order to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data. After a successful preliminary comparison for particular minimum matches, the information demand data in question are first transmitted to a data comparison device associated with the information supplier in question for the purpose of a more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data. Upon receipt of positive comparison result data from the data comparison device, indicating that the information which can be supplied matches the information demand data, the exchange then transmits corresponding search result data to a terminal belonging to the information demander.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an exchange in a data transmission system, comprising:

receiving information demand data transmitted from information demanders to the exchange;

receiving information supply data transmitted from information suppliers to the exchange, and representing information supplyable by the respective information supplier;

comparing the information demand data and the information supply data to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data;

transmitting search result data to a terminal belonging to an information demander if the information demand data from the information demander correspond to the information supply data from an information supplier, wherein, upon discovery of a pair including information demand data from an information demander and information supply data from an information supplier having at least a prescribed minimum measure of correspondence at least in particular parts,

the information demand data in question are first transmitted to a data comparison device associated with the information supplier in question for the purpose of a more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data, and only upon receipt of positive comparison result data from the data comparison device, indicating that the supplyable information matches the information demand data, does the exchange transmit corresponding search result data to the terminal belonging to the information demander.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, upon discovery of a plurality of information supply data from various information suppliers having at least a prescribed minimum measure of correspondence to the information demand data from an information demander at least in particular parts, the information demand data in question are respectively transmitted to the data comparison devices associated with the various information suppliers and, upon receipt of a plurality of comparison result data from the data comparison devices, the search result data transmitted from the exchange to the terminal belonging to the information demander contain information about at least one of all of the information supply data matching the information demand data and about the associated information suppliers.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the comparison result data and the search result data contain information about at least one of the areas and the measure in which the information supplyable and the information demand data correspond.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an information demander first transmits the information demand data to a demander functional unit associated with the information demander, and the information demand data are at least in part automatically forwarded from there to the exchange.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information demand data are anonymized at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to forwarding to a data comparison device belonging to an information supplier.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein an information supplier first transmits the information supply data to a supplier functional unit associated with the information supplier, and wherein at least one of the information supply data are at least in part forwarded automatically from there to the exchange and the exchange transmits information demand data matching the information supply data from the information supplier to the supplier functional unit, which prompts the more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data by the associated data comparison device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the information supply data are anonymized at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to transmission to an information demander.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of the comparison result data and the search result data contain information about at least one of the areas and the measure in which the information supplyable and the information demand data correspond.

16. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the exchange transmits the search result data to the demander functional unit, which at least one of sorts and normalizes at least one of information supply data contained therein and associated information supplier data prior to transmission to the information demander.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein an information demander first transmits the information demand data to a demander functional unit associated with the information demander, and the information demand data are at least in part automatically forwarded from there to the exchange.

18. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the exchange transmits the search result data to the demander functional unit, which at least one of sorts and normalizes at least one of information supply data contained therein and associated information supplier data prior to transmission to the information demander.

8. An automatic exchange system in a data transmission system, comprising:

a plurality of demander interface devices for receiving information demand data, transmitted from information demanders to an exchange, and for sending search result data to terminals belonging to the information demanders;

a plurality of supplier interface devices for receiving information supply data, transmitted from information suppliers to the exchange and representing information supplyable by the respective information supplier;

a comparison unit for comparing the information demand data and the information supply data to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data;

a control unit for prompting the transmission of search result data to the terminal belonging to an information demander if the information demand data from the information demander correspond to the information supply data from an information supplier, wherein the control unit, upon discovery of a pair including information demand data from an information demander and information supply data from an information supplier having at least a prescribed minimum measure of correspondence at least in particular parts, first prompts the transmission of the information demand data to a data comparison device associated with the information supplier for the purpose of a more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data, and only upon receipt of positive comparison result data from the data comparison device, indicating that the supplyable information matches the information demand data, the control unit prompts the transmission of corresponding search result data to the terminal belonging to the information demander.

9. The exchange system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising demander functional units, respectively associated with the various information demanders, for at least one of first receiving the information demand data from the associated information demanders and automatically forwarding them to the exchange and for receiving from the exchange search result data for the information demander in question and at least one of sorting and normalizing at least one of information supply data, contained in the search result data, and information supplier data prior to transmission to the information demander.

10. The exchange system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a plurality of anonymization units for anonymizing the information demand data at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to forwarding to a data comparison device belonging to an information supplier.

11. The exchange system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising supplier functional units respectively associated with the various information suppliers, for at least one of first receiving the information supply data from the association information suppliers and automatically forwarding them to the exchange and for receiving from the exchange information demand data matching the information supply data from the information supplier and prompting the more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data by the associated data comparison device.

12. The exchange system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a plurality of second anonymization units for anonymizing the information supply data at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to forwarding to an information demander.

13. The exchange system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data comparison devices associated with the individual information suppliers are each at least one of part of the supplier functional units associated with the information suppliers in question and are arranged locally to the information supplier in question.

21. The exchange system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a plurality of anonymization units for anonymizing the information demand data at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to forwarding to a data comparison device belonging to an information supplier.

22. The exchange system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising supplier functional units respectively associated with the various information suppliers, for at least one of first receiving the information supply data from the association information suppliers and automatically forwarding them to the exchange and for receiving from the exchange information demand data matching the information supply data from the information supplier and prompting the more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data by the associated data comparison device.

23. The exchange system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising supplier functional units respectively associated with the various information suppliers, for at least one of first receiving the information supply data from the association information suppliers and automatically forwarding them to the exchange and for receiving from the exchange information demand data matching the information supply data from the information supplier and prompting the more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data by the associated data comparison device.

24. The exchange system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a plurality of second anonymization units for anonymizing the information supply data at least one of prior to forwarding to the exchange and prior to forwarding to an information demander.

14. An exchange for an automatic exchange system, comprising:

a plurality of demander interface devices for receiving information demand data, transmitted from information demanders to the exchange, and for sending search result data to terminals belonging to the information demanders;

a plurality of supplier interface devices for receiving information supply data, transmitted from information suppliers to the exchange and representing information supplyable by the respective information supplier;

a comparison unit for comparing the information demand data and the information supply data to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data;

a control unit for prompting the transmission of search result data to the terminal belonging to an information demander if the information demand data from the information demander correspond to the information supply data from an information supplier, wherein the control unit, upon discovery of a pair including information demand data from an information demander and information supply data from an information supplier having at least a prescribed minimum measure of correspondence at least in particular parts, first prompts the transmission of the information demand data to a data comparison device associated with the information supplier for the purpose of a more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data, and only upon receipt of positive comparison result data from the data comparison device, indicating that the supplyable information matches the information demand data, the control unit prompts the transmission of corresponding search result data to the terminal belonging to the information demander.

19. An automatic exchange system in a data transmission system, comprising:

demander interface means for receiving information demand data, transmitted from information demanders to the exchange, and for sending search result data to terminals belonging to the information demanders;

supplier interface means for receiving information supply data, transmitted from information suppliers to the exchange and representing information supplyable by the respective information supplier;

comparison means for comparing the information demand data and the information supply data to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data; and

control means, upon discovery of a pair including information demand data from an information demander and information supply data from an information supplier having at least a prescribed minimum measure of correspondence at least in particular parts, for first prompting the transmission of the information demand data to a data comparison device associated with the information supplier for the purpose of a more detailed comparison with the information represented by the information supply data, and only upon receipt of positive comparison result data from the data comparison device, indicating that the supplyable information matches the information demand data, for prompting the transmission of corresponding search result data to the terminal belonging to the information demander.

20. A method for controlling an exchange in a data transmission system, comprising:

comparing information demand data from information demanders and information supply data, representing supplyable information from various information suppliers, to ascertain corresponding information demand data and information supply data;

determining whether or not the comparison produces at least a minimum number of matches; and

transmitting information demand data in question to a data comparison device associated with an information supplier in question upon the comparison producing at least the minimum number of matches;

performing a more detailed comparison at the data comparison device with the information represented by the information supply data;

indicating that the supplyable information matches the information demand data upon receipt of a positive comparison result data from the data comparison device; and

transmitting corresponding search result data to a terminal belonging to the information demander.