ITEM LOCATION FINDER

• US 20090094201A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Tamer E., Aymar, Kelly
• Application Number:
  US11/869,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094201A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, a data processing system and a computer program product for locating items. In one illustrative embodiment, the computer implemented method comprises receiving a request for a location of an item from a requester, sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item, and obtaining a result from sending the query, wherein the result comprises, a location identifier if the location of the item was found in the repository. The result is then returned to the requester.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for locating items, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a request for a location of an item from a requester;

sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item;

obtaining a result from sending the query, wherein the result comprises a location identifier if the location of the item was found in the repository; and

returning the result to the requester.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving the request for the location of the item from the requester comprises:

receiving the request for a set of items and corresponding locations.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item comprises:

creating a structured language query to be executed against the repository; and

sending the query to the repository.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein returning the result further comprises:

creating one of a map and a set of text messages to form a response; and

sending the response to the requestor.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein the map indicates an optimal path to obtain each item located.

7. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the receiver capable of receiving the request for the location of the item from the requester receives the request for a set of items and corresponding locations.

8. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the generator capable of sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item comprises:

creating a structured language query to be executed against the repository; and

sending the query to the repository.

9. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the notifier capable of returning the result further comprises:

creating one of a map and a set of text messages to form a response; and

sending the response to the requester.

10. The data processing system of claim 9 wherein creating one of a map and a set of text messages to form a response creates the map indicating an optimal path to obtain each item located.

6. A data processing system for locating items, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a processing unit connected to the bus;

a receiver capable of receiving a request for a location of an item from a requester;

a generator capable of sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item;

an extractor capable of obtaining a result from sending the query wherein, the result comprises, a location identifier, if the location of the item was found in the repository; and

a notifier capable of returning the result to the requester.

11. A computer program product for locating items, comprising a computer usable recordable type medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a request for a location of an item;

computer usable program code for sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item;

computer usable program code for obtaining a result from sending the query, wherein the result comprises a location identifier, if the location of the item was found in the repository; and

computer usable program code for returning the result to the requester.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer usable program code for receiving the request for the location of the item from the requestor comprises computer usable program code for receiving the request for a set of items and corresponding locations.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer usable program code for sending a query to a repository containing information relating to the location of the item comprises:

computer usable program code for creating a structured language query to be executed against the repository; and

sending the query to the repository.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer usable program code for returning the result further comprises:

computer usable program code for creating one of a map and a set of text messages to form a response; and

sending the response to the requester.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the map indicates an optimal path to obtain each item located.