Accessing data tag information using database queries

• US 20050280540A1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hinrichs, Karsten, Staeck, Jens, Muehl, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 7,248,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for mapping data between a data tag and a database application using a generic and extensible mapping interface. A computer-implemented method includes: communicating with the data tag via a wireless interface using a data tag query protocol; communicating with a database application via a database interface using a database query protocol; reading a mapping definition; exchanging data between the wireless interface and the database interface by mapping between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol within the mapping interface using the mapping definition; and storing the mapping definition separately from the mapping interface, providing separation between mapping interface and mapping definition.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for mapping data between a data tag, and a database application using a mapping interface, comprising:

communicating with the data tag via a wireless interface using a data tag query protocol;

communicating with a database application via a database interface using a database query protocol;

reading a mapping definition;

exchanging data between the wireless interface and the database interface by mapping between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol within the mapping interface using the mapping definition; and

,

storing the mapping definition separately from the mapping interface, providing separation between mapping interface and mapping definition.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by storing the mapping definition within the data tag.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, characterized by storing the mapping definition in a separate memory area of the data tag.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by storing the mapping definition in a file.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, characterized by storing various mapping definitions representing different types of data tags within the file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing management of memory within the data tag using the mapping definition.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by defining un-clustered memory areas for data within the data tag.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by updating the mapping definition and storing data within the data tag from a previous format into a new format according to the updated mapping definition.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by dynamically adapting memory usage of the data tag using the mapping definition.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by storing the mapping definition in the file in a device-independent format.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing a description of accessible data within the data tag to an application via the database interface.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by receiving a database query protocol request from an application to determine a description of accessible data via the database interface, obtaining the description of accessible data from the mapping definition, and providing the description of accessible data to the requesting application via the database interface.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by receiving a database query protocol request from an application to determine data from a data tag, mapping the database query protocol request onto a data tag query protocol request, and providing the data tag query protocol request to the wireless interface to interrogate the data tag.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by receiving data from a data tag as data tag query protocol message via the wireless interface, mapping the data from the data tag query protocol message into a database query protocol message, and providing the data as a database query protocol message to the database interface.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing the data of a data tag to the database interface formatted as database data.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, characterized by providing data of the data tag as one row of a database to the database interface.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, characterized by providing a defined byte area of the data tag as one column of a respective row to the database interface.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by storing byte-oriented data on the data tag.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing field-oriented data to the database interface application.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing a physical layer access interface for accessing the data tag via the wireless interface.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, characterized by normalizing messages received from the data tag via the wireless interface into a device-independent format within the physical layer access interface.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, characterized by formatting messages received from the mapping interface into a device-specific format within the physical layer access interface.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, characterized by communicating data between the data tag and the mapping interface via the wireless interface and the physical access interface, and vice versa.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by continuously scanning for available data tags.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing data of a data tag via the database interface to an application, once a data tag is accessible.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by scanning for available data tags upon receiving a request from an application via the database interface.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by write-protecting memory blocks within the data tag, such that, by using database query protocol messages, memory areas within the data tag are write-protectable.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by implementing the mapping definition in a device-independent format.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by implementing the mapping between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol within the mapping interface in a device-independent format.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by writing data, which is received via the database interface, to the data tag.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing byte converting when mapping the data between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing error handling within the mapping interface.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized by providing event handling within the mapping interface.

34. A computer system for mapping data between a data tag and a database application, comprising:

a data tag;

a mapping device with a mapping interface, a wireless interface for communicating with the data tag using a data tag query protocol, and a database interface for communicating with a database application using database query protocol; and

,

a storage separated from said mapping interface for storing a mapping definition separately from the mapping interface providing separation between mapping interface and mapping definition.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said data tag is a radio frequency identification tag, a smart tag, or an infrared tag.

36. The system of claim 34, with a mobile device comprising said mapping device.

37. The system of claim 34, with the storage located within the data tag to store the mapping definition.

38. The system of claim 34, with reserving a separate memory area within the storage for storing the mapping definition.

39. The system of claim 34, with a file system provided to store the mapping definition.

40. The system of claim 34, with memory management means within the storage or the mapping device for management of memory within the data tag using the mapping definition.

41. The system of claim 34, with description providing means to provide a description of accessible data within the data tag to an application via the database interface.

42. The system of claim 34, with formatting means to provide the data of a data tag to the database interface formatted as database data.

43. The system of claim 42, with the formatting means arranged to provide data of the data tag as one row of a database to the database interface.

44. The system of claim 42, with the formatting means arranged to provide a defined byte area of the data tag as one column of a respective row to the database interface.

45. The system of claim 34, with the storage arranged to store byte-oriented data on the data tag.

46. The system of claim 34, with a physical layer access interface for accessing the data tag via the wireless interface.

47. The system of claim 46, with the physical layer access interface arranged to standardize messages received from the data tag via the wireless interface into a device-independent format.

48. The system of claim 46, with the physical layer access interface arranged to format messages received from the mapping interface into a device-specific format.

49. The system of claim 46, with the physical layer access interface arranged to communicate data between the data tag and the mapping interface via the wireless interface, and vice versa.

50. The system of claim 34, with write-protection means to write-protect memory blocks within the data tag, such that by using database query protocol messages memory areas within the data tag are write-protectable.

51. The system of claim 34, with byte converting means within the mapping device to provide byte converting when mapping the data between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol.

52. The system of claim 34, with error handling means within the mapping device to provide error handling within the mapping interface.

53. The system of claim 34, with event handling means within the mapping device to provide event handling within the mapping interface.

54. The system of claim 34, with interrogation means within the mapping device for wirelessly accessing said data tag using said wireless interface.

55. A computer program product readable by a computer and embodying a program of instructions capable of mapping data between a data tag, and a database application using a mapping interface, the program comprising instructions operable to cause the computer to perform:

communicating with the data tag via a wireless interface using a data tag query protocol,

communicating with a database application via a database interface using a database query protocol,

reading a mapping definition,

exchanging data between the wireless interface and the database interface by mapping between the data tag query protocol and the database query protocol within the mapping interface using the mapping definition, and

storing the mapping definition separately from the mapping interface, providing separation between mapping interface and mapping definition.