Method and system for processing a memory map to provide listing information representing data within a database

• US 6,295,526 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett Morris, Litwin, Edward Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US08/949,881
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/102, 707/104, 707/513, 707/2, 707/100
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

Target elements of a search query are selected by referring to elements or listings within a data structure called a memory map module. Each target element is pre-validated against data available within a database (related to the memory map module). The memory map module has an index to the data as well as relationship information between the data. The memory map module is searched to find listings related to the target elements of the search query. In one embodiment, the memory map module is searched by determining a range reference using a first table of the relationship information. A range is determined using the range reference to a second table of the relationship information. The range is used to search the index to find the listings. In another embodiment, a string space of the relationship information is searched for each instance of the target element. An offset for the instance is determined and is mapped back to a matching listing in the index. A matching listing for each instance of the target elements is respectively added to the listings for each of the target elements. An intersection between the listings for each target element is determined. The listings within the intersection are arranged according to a display order. The display order can be a predetermined or randomized order. The listings within the intersection are displayed as listing information related to the search query. Additional information about a listing can be determined by narrowly and quickly searching the database.

Claims

1. A method for processing a memory map to provide listing information representing data within a database, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for listing information;

identifying a target element that corresponds to the request;

pre-validating the target element using the memory map to ensure that the target element represents the data present within the database, the memory map having an index to the data within the database and having relationship information between the data within the database;

creating a search query using the target element;

searching the index and the relationship information within the memory map for the listing information related to the search query; and

delivering the listing information as results of searching the memory map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises the steps of:

searching the relationship information for a range within the index; and

searching the index for the listing information using the range within the index.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises the steps of:

determining a range reference using a first table of the relationship information and the target element of the search query;

determining a range using a second table of the relationship information and the range reference; and

searching the index for the listing information using the range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises the steps of:

searching the relationship information for each instance of the target element of the search query;

mapping respectively the each instance of the target element found while searching the relationship information to a matching listing within the index; and

determining the listing information based upon matching listings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises the steps of:

searching a string space for each instance of the target element of the search query;

determining respectively an offset for the each instance of the target element found within the string space;

mapping respectively the offset for the each instance of the target element to a matching listing within the index; and

adding the matching listing found within the index to a listing set, the listing set providing the listing information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the listing information comprises a plurality of listings;

and

further comprising, determining a display order of the plurality of listings.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display order is a predetermined order.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the display order is a randomized order.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of displaying the listing information according to the display order.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of searching the data within the database for additional information about one of the plurality of listings.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying the additional information.

12. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for processing a memory map to provide listing information representing data within a database, the computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

in response to receiving a request for listing information, identifying a target element that corresponds to the request;

pre-validating the target element using the memory map to ensure that the target element represents the data present within the database, the memory map having an index to the data within the database and having relationship information between the data within the database;

searching the index and the relationship information within the memory map for a plurality of listing sets respectively related to each of the target elements;

determining an intersection of the listings among the listing sets;

arranging the listings of the intersection according to a display order; and

displaying the listings of the intersection in the display order as the listing information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises:

determining a range within the relationship information using one of the target elements of the search query;

searching the index for one of the listing sets using the range, the one of the listing sets being identified within the range; and

repeating the steps of determining a range within the relationship information and searching the index for one of the listing sets by using the remaining target elements of the search query to search the index for the remaining listing sets corresponding to the remaining target elements.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one of the listing sets and the remaining listing sets reference the listing information, and further comprising retrieving the listing information.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the relationship information comprises a first table and a second table;

and

wherein determining a range within the relationship information further comprises searching the first table for a range reference to the second table using the one of the target elements and searching the second table using the range reference to determine the range.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein searching the index and the relationship information further comprises the steps of:

searching a string space for each instance of one of the target elements, the string space being part of the relationship information;

determining respectively an offset reference for the each instance of the one of the target elements found within the string space;

mapping respectively the offset reference for the each instance of the one of the target elements to a matching listing in the index;

adding the matching listing for the each instance of the one of the target elements to one of the listing sets; and

repeating the foregoing steps by using the remaining target elements of the search query to search the index for the remaining listing sets corresponding to the remaining target elements.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the display order is a predetermined order.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the display order is a randomized order.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising the step of searching the data within the database to provide additional information about one of the listings of the intersection.

20. A data structure for providing listing information representing data within a database, comprising:

a first portion providing an index to the data within the database, the index having a plurality of listings, each of the listings having an associated category, wherein the index is used to pre-validate a request for listing information to ensure that the request represents the data present within the database; and

a second portion providing relationship information between the data within the database and the listings within the index, the relationship information and the listings within the index together providing the listing information.

21. The data structure of claim 20, wherein the relationship information comprises a first table and a second table, which are used to provide an address range within the index.

22. The data structure of claim 21, wherein the relationship information further comprises a name string space populated with character strings, the character strings being related to the listings within the index.

23. The data structure of claim 22, wherein the relationship information further comprises an address string space related to the listings within the index, the address string space being related to the listings within the index.