DATA RETRIEVAL

• US 20090313223A1
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekla Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tekla Corporation
• Inventors: RANTANEN, Teemu
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

To facilitate obtaining up-to-date data over a slow connection, reference search results are stored on a requesting side and on a responding side, and only changes to reference searches are transmitted. To achieve this, the requesting side indicates in a data request an applicable reference search or reference searches to be used, and the responding side retrieves up-to-date data, compares it with search results of corresponding applicable reference search(es) and sends only changes to the requesting side.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a search request comprising search definitions,

checking, by using the search definitions, whether an applicable reference search exists among stored one or more reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to an applicable reference search existing, sending the search definitions and information identifying the reference search towards a data storage as a query request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query response to the query request, the query response containing changes to the reference search,

updating reference search results with the received changes, and

sending, as a response to the search request, the updated search results.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the updating includes difference decompression.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the updated search results as a new reference search.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicable reference search is a reference search having search definitions overlapping the ones received in the search request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

finding during checking more than one applicable reference search, and

sending in the query request information identifying all found reference searches.

7. The method of claim, 1, further comprising:

finding during checking more than one applicable reference search, and

selecting a predefined number of found reference searches to be identified in the query request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting is performed in response to the number of applicable reference searches exceeding a predefined threshold value.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a query request comprising information identifying a reference search and search definitions,

obtaining data from a data storage by using the search definitions,

checking, by using the information identifying a reference search, whether a corresponding reference search exists among one or more stored reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to a corresponding reference search existing,

detecting changes by comparing the obtained data with the reference search'"'"'s search results, and

sending detected changes as a query response.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the obtained data as a new reference search.

11. The method of claim 9,

receiving in the query request information identifying more than one reference search,

selecting, according to one or more predefined rules, from the identified reference searches one or more reference searches to be used to detect the changes.

12. The method of claim 9,

receiving in the query request information identifying more than one reference search,

detecting the changes for each reference search.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the changes is performed by difference compression.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising evaluating stored reference searches and deleting stored reference searches.

15. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium and embodying program instructions thereon executable by a computer operably coupled to a memory which, when executed by the computer, carry out the functions of:

receiving a search request comprising search definitions,

checking, by using the search definitions, whether an applicable, reference search exists among one or more reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to an applicable reference search existing, sending the search definitions and information identifying the reference search towards a data storage as a query request.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium and embodying program instructions thereon executable by a computer operably coupled to a memory which, when executed by the computer, carry out the functions of:

receiving a query request comprising information identifying a reference search and search definitions,

obtaining data from a data storage by using the search definitions,

checking, by using the information identifying a reference search, whether a corresponding reference search exists among one or more stored reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to a corresponding reference search existing,

detecting changes by comparing the obtained data with the reference search'"'"'s search results, and

sending detected changes as a query response.

17. An apparatus comprising:

memory configured to store at least one reference search, the reference search comprising at least search results;

a data retriever configured to receive a search request comprising search definitions, to check, in response to a search request being received, from the memory by using the search definitions whether an applicable reference search exists, to form a query request, to add, in response to an applicable reference search, information identifying the reference search to the query request; and

a transmitter configured to send the query request.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the apparatus further comprising a receiver configured to receive a query response containing changes to the reference search,

wherein the data retriever is further configured to form a response to the search request by updating reference search results fulfilling the search definitions with the received changes, and to send the response.

19. The, apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is one of a server, a user terminal and a work station.

20. An apparatus comprising

memory configured to store at least one reference search, the reference search comprising at least search results;

a receiving unit configured to receive a query request comprising information identifying a reference search and search definitions;

a data accessing unit configured to access a data storage and retrieve data from the data storage by using the search definitions;

a data service unit configured to obtain search results of the indicated reference search, to compare the retrieved data with the obtained search results to detect changes; and

a transmitting unit configured to send changes detected during comparison as a query response.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the apparatus is a server and the memory is further configured to store reference searches client-specifically.

22. A system comprising at least

a data storage containing up-to-date data;

a first apparatus configured to store at least one reference search, the reference search comprising at least search results, to receive a search request comprising search definitions, to check, in response to the search request being received, from the memory by using the search definitions whether an applicable reference search exists, to form a query request, to add, in response to an applicable reference search, information identifying the reference search to the query request, and;

to send the query request; and

a second apparatus configured to store at least one reference search, the reference search comprising at least search results, to receive the query request sent by the first apparatus and comprising information identifying a reference search and search definitions, to access the data storage and retrieve data from the data storage by using the search definitions, to obtain search results of the indicated reference search, to compare the retrieved data with the obtained search results to detect changes, and to send changes detected during comparison as a query response to the first apparatus.

23. A method comprising:

receiving a search request comprising search definitions,

checking, by using the search definitions, whether an applicable reference search exists among stored one or more reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to an applicable reference search existing, sending information identifying the reference search towards a data storage as a query request;

receiving a query response to the query request, the query response containing changes to the reference search,

updating reference search results with the received changes, and

sending, as a response to the search request, the updated search results.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a query request comprising information identifying a reference search;

checking, by using the information identifying a reference search, whether a corresponding reference search exists among one or more stored reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results,

in response to a corresponding reference search existing,

obtaining data from a data storage by using the search definitions of the corresponding reference search,

detecting changes by comparing the obtained data with the reference search'"'"'s search results, and

sending detected changes as a query response.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a search request comprising search definitions,

sending the search definitions towards a data storage as a query request

receiving a query response to the query request, the query response containing changes to a reference search,

checking, by using the search definitions, whether an applicable reference search exists among stored one or more reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results and search definitions,

in response to an applicable reference search existing,

updating reference search results with the received changes, and

sending, as a response to the search request, the updated search results.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a query request comprising search definitions,

obtaining data from a data storage by using the search definitions,

checking, by using the search definitions, whether a corresponding reference search exists among one or more stored reference searches, each reference search comprising at least search results and search definitions,

in response to a corresponding reference search existing,

detecting changes by comparing the obtained data with the reference search'"'"'s search results, and

sending detected changes as a query response.