MULTI-TIERED FLEET MANAGEMENT CACHE

• US 20080228533A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipcar Incorporated (Avis Budget Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zipcar Incorporated (Avis Budget Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: MCGUIRE, Gregory J., WOLFE, Jonathan E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,576,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0811 with multilevel cache hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0815 Cache consistency protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0875 with dedicated cache, e.g. instruction or stack
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0897 with two or more cache hierarchy levels with multilevel cache hierarchies G06F12/0811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/454 Consistency cache consistency protocols in hierarchically structured memory systems G06F12/0815
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method of providing reservation status relating to a group of objects includes providing a database for containing (i) availability data describing availability of at least one of the group of objects, and (ii) reservation data describing allocation of at least one of the group of objects. The availability data and the reservation data are stored in sparse form. The method further includes extracting, from the database, availability data and reservation data corresponding to a predetermined period of time, and combining the extracted availability data and reservation data to form windowed data in a dense format. The method also includes receiving the windowed data and providing the windowed data in a bit-vector view, and sampling the windowed data in the bit-vector view to produce sampled data. The sampled data provides the reservation status as a static view of the windowed data in the bit-vector view.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing reservation status relating to a group of objects, comprising:

a database constructed and arranged to contain (i) availability data describing operational status of at least one of the group of objects, and (ii) reservation data describing allocation of at least one of the group of objects, wherein the availability data and the reservation data are stored in sparse form;

a windowing module for extracting, from the database, availability data and reservation data corresponding to a predetermined period of time, and combining the extracted availability data and reservation data to form windowed data in a dense format;

a bit-vector module for receiving the windowed data and for providing the windowed data in a bit-vector view;

a copying module for sampling the windowed data in the bit-vector view to produce sampled data, wherein the sampled data provides the reservation status as a static view of the windowed data in the bit-vector view.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the group of objects includes a fleet of automobiles.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fleet of automobiles is geographically distributed over a predetermined area.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the availability data includes binary information specifying, for each of the at least one of the group of objects, that either (i) the object is functionally capable of performing a task, or (ii) the object is not functionally capable of performing the task.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a receiver module for receiving current availability data from at least one of the group of objects, and for updating the database with the current availability data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampled data is provided to at least one of (i) a telephone interface, (ii) a network interface, or (iii) a customer service interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including an application server for receiving a copy of the sampled data, wherein the state between the copy of the sampled data and the data contained in the database is maintained at or near real time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the copying module provides a copy of the sampled data to each of two or more application servers running application server software.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application server software maintains consistency between the copies of the sampled data on the two or more application servers using a distributed invalidation function to inform the two or more application servers of impending changes to the copies of the sampled data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application server software maintains consistency between the copies of the sampled data on the two or more application servers by polling a journal table that records changes to the windowed data, and using the recorded changes to update the copy of the sampled data.

11. A method of providing reservation status relating to a group of objects, comprising:

providing a database for containing (i) availability data describing availability of at least one of the group of objects, and (ii) reservation data describing allocation of at least one of the group of objects, wherein the availability data and the reservation data are stored in sparse form;

extracting, from the database, availability data and reservation data corresponding to a predetermined period of time, and combining the extracted availability data and reservation data to form windowed data in a dense format;

receiving the windowed data and providing the windowed data in a bit-vector view;

sampling the windowed data in the bit-vector view to produce sampled data, wherein the sampled data provides the reservation status as a static view of the windowed data in the bit-vector view.

12. The method of claim 11, further including receiving current availability data from at least one of the group of objects, and updating the database with the current availability data.

13. The method of claim 11, further including providing the sampled data to at least one of (i) a telephone interface, (ii) a network interface, or (iii) a customer service interface.

14. The method of claim 11, further including an application server for receiving the sampled data, wherein the copying module maintains the state between the sampled data and the application server at or near real time.

15. The method of claim 11, further including providing a copy of the sampled data to each of two or more application servers running application server software.

16. The method of claim 15, further including maintaining consistency between the copies of the sampled data on the two or more application servers using a distributed invalidation function to inform the two or more application servers of impending changes to the copies of the sampled data.

17. The method of claim 15, further including maintaining consistency between the copies of the sampled data on the two or more application servers by polling a journal table that records changes to the windowed data, and using the recorded changes to update the copy of the sampled data.

18. An apparatus for providing reservation status relating to a fleet of automobiles, comprising:

a database for containing (i) availability data describing operational status of at least one of the fleet of automobiles, and (ii) reservation data describing allocation of at least one of the fleet of automobiles, wherein the availability data and the reservation data are stored in sparse form;

a receiver module for receiving current availability data from at least one of the fleet of automobiles, and for updating the database with the current availability data;

a windowing module for extracting, from the database, availability data and reservation data corresponding to a predetermined period of time, and combining the extracted availability data and reservation data to form windowed data in a dense format;

a bit-vector module for receiving the windowed data and for providing the windowed data in a bit-vector view;

a copying module for sampling the windowed data in the bit-vector view to produce sampled data, wherein the sampled data provides the reservation status as a static view of the windowed data in the bit-vector view.

19. A system for providing reservation status relating to a fleet of automobiles, comprising:

one or more automobiles, each having diagnostic equipment for providing availability data describing operational status associated with the automobile, and communication equipment for transmitting the availability data;

a reservation database platform, including database software operative to provide;

(i) a database constructed and arranged to contain the availability data of at least one of the fleet of automobiles, and reservation data describing allocation of at least one of the fleet of automobiles, wherein the availability data and the reservation data are stored in sparse form;

(ii) a windowing module for extracting, from the database, availability data and reservation data corresponding to a predetermined period of time, and combining the extracted availability data and reservation data to form windowed data in a dense format;

(iii) a bit-vector module for receiving the windowed data and for providing the windowed data in a bit-vector view;

(iv) a copying module for sampling the windowed data in the bit-vector view to produce sampled data, wherein the sampled data provides the reservation status as a static view of the windowed data in the bit-vector view;

wherein the reservation database platform includes a receiver module for receiving current availability data from at least one of the fleet of automobiles, and for updating the database with the current availability data; and

,

at least one application server for receiving a copy of the sampled data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein application server software running on the at least one application server monitors the reservation database platform for a change in the sampled data, and updates the copy of the sampled data when the change in the sampled data is detected.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the application database software maintains consistency between (i) the availability data and reservation data in the database, and (ii) the sampled data, by propagating changes in the availability data and the reservation data through the windowing module, the bit-vector module and the copying module.