Method and apparatus for rationalizing different data formats in a data management system
First Claim
1. An information retrieval and storage system comprising:
- at least one data generating device for generating a stream of data having a predetermined form of information content, structure and format;
a data conversion device for receiving said data stream from said data generating device, converting said data stream into a universal, intermediate form of information content, structure and format, and from the universal intermediate form into a desired output form of information content, structure and format; and
for outputting an output data stream; and
a host device for receiving said output data stream.
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Abstract
A data conversion device, including a preferably software implemented data conversion engine, which receives a formatted input data stream from an input device, converts the data into a different (universal) format in real time and transmits the converted data to an output device. Messages, i.e., data, from host devices can also be uplinked, via the data conversion device, to the data generating devices. By rapidly processing new and/or incompatible data record formats the invention minimizes the cost of maintaining data management systems and maximizes their usage. The conversion device input and output architecture is flexible and the conversion device can be used with multiple (networked or non-networked) data generating devices and single or multiple data storage devices using multiple data output formats.
227 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An information retrieval and storage system comprising:
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at least one data generating device for generating a stream of data having a predetermined form of information content, structure and format;
a data conversion device for receiving said data stream from said data generating device, converting said data stream into a universal, intermediate form of information content, structure and format, and from the universal intermediate form into a desired output form of information content, structure and format; and
for outputting an output data stream; anda host device for receiving said output data stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A data conversion device for receiving data streams having different forms from a plurality of data generating devices, said conversion device comprising:
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(a) at least one input side data interface for receiving an incoming data stream, said input interface supporting a predetermined input form of information content, structure and format; (b) a data conversion engine for receiving input data from said input data interface having said predetermined form of information content, structure and format and converting said data into intermediate, universal form of information content, structure and format; and (c) at least one output data interface for receiving data in said intermediate universal form of information content, structure and format and outputting said data in a predetermined output form of information content, structure and format. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of processing one or more input data streams having diverse forms of information content, structure and format into one or more output data streams having diverse forms of information content structure and format using a data conversion device comprising the steps of:
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receiving a data stream in a first form of information content, structure and format; converting said data stream in a first interface device into an intermediate, universal form of information contents, structure and format; converting said data stream in a second interface device from said universal form into a desired output form of information content, structure and format; transmitting the data stream in said output form to be a data processing device. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. An information contents storage and manipulation system including a data converter having a plurality of inputs for receiving data streams representing diverse forms of information content, structure and format and a plurality of outputs for outputting, based on said received data streams, converted data streams representing diverse forms of information content, structure and format, said converter comprising:
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one or more input side interfaces for supporting the diverse forms of information content, structure and format received at said at least one input; one or more output side interfaces for supporting the diverse forms of information content, structure and format to be output at said at least one output; a conversion engine for performing conversions between each of the input side data streams and output side data streams, said conversion engine including an intermediate record storage for storing data records and a conversion library storage for storing conversion routines, said intermediate record storage holding data converted from one of said diverse forms of information content, structure and format to an intermediate, universal form based on a selected one of said conversion routines until said stored record is converted into a selected one of said diverse output forms of information content, structure and format. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification