SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROCESSING DATABASE QUERIES

• US 20140244684A1
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnamurthy, Balachander
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24565 Triggers; Constraints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

A method includes determining, via a database interface system, a first number of database queries received from a query source during a time period. The method includes preventing, via the database interface system, access to requested information by the query source when the first number does not satisfy a first threshold. The method also includes preventing, via the database interface system, access to the requested information by the query source when no click-through commands associated with a second number of consecutive prior search results were received during the time period.

Claims

1. A database interface system comprising:

processing logic; and

a memory accessible to the processing logic, wherein the memory includes;

an interface module executable by the processing logic to provide an interface to receive a database query from a query source via a wide area network; and

a response determination module executable by the processing logic to;

determine a first number of database queries received from the query source during a time period;

inhibit a network interface system from sending requested information when the first number does not satisfy a first threshold; and

inhibit the network interface system from sending the requested information when no click-through commands are received with respect to a second number of consecutive prior search results sent to the query source during the time period.

2. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the database query requests information from a white pages search website.

3. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the database query requests information from a yellow pages search website.

4. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the time period is a twenty four hour period.

5. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the response determination module is executable by the processing logic to inhibit access to the requested information when subjects of a third number of consecutive prior search results sent to the query source are in alphabetical order.

6. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold is dynamically determined based on a distance between a location associated with the query source and an estimated location of an answer to the database query and wherein the first threshold is reduced when the distance increases.

7. The database interface system of claim 1, wherein the response determination module is configured to enable the network interface system to send the requested information when the first number does not satisfy the first threshold and when a third number of click-through commands were received in response to a most recent database query before the database query.

8. A method comprising:

determining, via a database interface system, a first number of database queries received from a query source during a time period;

preventing, via the database interface system, access to requested information by the query source when the first number does not satisfy a first threshold; and

preventing, via the database interface system, access to the requested information by the query source when no click-through commands associated with a second number of consecutive prior search results were received during the time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the database query requests information from a residential search website.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the database query requests information for a business.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising enabling access to the requested information when the first number does not satisfy the first threshold and when a third number of click-through commands were received in response to a most recent database query before the database query.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding the query source to a list of blocked query sources when no click-through command associated with the second number of consecutive prior search results sent to the query source during the time period was received.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a location associated with the query source; and

determining the first threshold based on a distance between the location and an estimated location of an answer to the database query.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the location is determined based on a source attribute associated with the query source.

15. A processor-readable hardware memory comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform operations including:

receiving a database query request from a query source that is not a blocked query source;

providing a search interface to the query source;

receiving a database query from the query source via the search interface;

accessing criteria determination rules, wherein the criteria determination rules include that a number of database queries received from the query source in a time period is less than a first threshold and that a click-through command is associated with a search result of a second number of consecutive prior database query search results sent to the query source during the time period;

sending a database query search result for the database query to the query source when the criteria determination rules are satisfied; and

preventing the database query search result for the database query from being sent to the query source when the criteria determination rules are not satisfied.

16. The processor-readable hardware memory of claim 15, wherein accessing criteria determination rules includes determining that the database query relates to a particular geographic area and accessing location criteria.

17. The processor-readable hardware memory of claim 15, wherein the criteria determination rules include that subjects of a third number of previous consecutive database queries from the query source are not in alphabetical order.

18. The processor-readable hardware memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further include sending an unauthorized access error message to the query source when the criteria determination rules are not satisfied.

19. The processor-readable hardware memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further include adding the query source to a blocked query list when the criteria determination rules are not satisfied.

20. The processor-readable hardware memory of claim 15, wherein the time period is an hour.