System, method and computer program product for data conversion in a computer network

• US 6,330,617 B1
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sabre GLBL Inc. (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre Incorporated (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: Bamforth, John, Buckley, Kevin, Shenoy, Aravinda, Karra, Srinivas, Thorpe, Kenneth P. III, Akshayakumar, Sudha, Huber, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/031,671
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 707/523, 709/246, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

Conversion of a data in a variable field message to a fixed format message. The variable field message has a varying length and fields of varying types of data. The corresponding fixed format message has fields of a fixed data type and length, which facilitates parsing and processing data from the variable field message. Customers for the data conversion or other processing are load balanced among multiple servers sharing load level information.

Claims

1. A method for formatting a message comprising a plurality of message segments, each of which includes protocol information and a data field wherein the data field varies in size and content from message segment to message segment, comprising the steps of:

partitioning a first message into the message segments;

ordering the message segments based on the protocol information;

fixing the size of the data field in each of the message segments to a standard size;

removing the protocol information from the message segments; and

assembling the message segments into a second message,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the ordering, fixing, and removing steps are performed by predefined functions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message of the partitioning step is formatted according to a predetermined protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

receiving the message from a computer system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a delimiter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a symbol.

10. A method for formatting a message comprising a plurality of message segments, each of which includes a data field of a fixed size but does not include protocol information, comprising the steps of:

partitioning a first message into the message segments;

adding protocol information to each of the message segments based on its relative position in the first message;

varying the size of the data field in each of the message segments based on the protocol information;

ordering the message segments based on the protocol information; and

assembling the message segments into a second message,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the adding, varying, and ordering steps are performed by predefined functions.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the message of the partitioning step is formatted according to a predetermined protocol.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the message to a computer system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a code.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a delimiter.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a symbol.

19. A system for exchanging messages comprising:

a server machine for transmitting and receiving messages comprising a plurality of message segments, each of which includes protocol information and a data field wherein the data field varies in size and content from message segment to message segment;

a client machine for transmitting and receiving messages with a plurality of message segments, each of which includes a data field of a fixed size but does not contain protocol information; and

a data converter which refashions messages between the server machine and the client machine such that the protocol information of each message segment is appropriately added and such that the size of the data field in each message segment is appropriately varied,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the data converter retrieves and executes software functions from a function library for performing data conversion of messages sent between the server machine and the client machine.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the data converter reorders message segments.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the server machine is a computer system.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the server machine exchanges messages according to a predetermined protocol.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

26. A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a program of instructions for executing a computer process that formats a message, comprising:

partitioning a first message into one or more message segments;

ordering the message segments based on protocol information contained in the individual message segments;

fixing a size of a data field in each of the message segments;

removing the protocol information from the message segments; and

assembling the message segments into a second message,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

27. The computer program storage medium of claim 26 wherein the ordering, fixing, and removing steps of the computer process are performed by predefined functions.

28. The computer program storage medium of claim 26 wherein the message of the partitioning step of the computer process is formatted according to a predetermined protocol.

29. The computer program storage medium of claim 28 wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

30. The computer program storage medium of claim 26 wherein the computer process further comprises the step of:

receiving the message from a computer system.

31. The computer program storage medium of claim 30 wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

32. The computer program storage medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a code.

33. The computer program storage medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a delimiter.

34. The computer program storage medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a symbol.

35. A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a program of instructions for executing a computer process that formats a message, comprising:

partitioning a first message into one or more message segments;

adding protocol information to each of the message segments based on its relative position in the first message;

varying a size of a data field in each of the message based on the protocol information;

ordering the data fields based on the protocol information; and

assembling the message segments into a second message,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

36. The computer program storage medium of claim 35 wherein the adding, varying, and ordering steps of the computer process are performed by predefined functions.

37. The computer program storage medium of claim 35 wherein the message of the assembling step of the computer process is formatted according to a predetermined protocol.

38. The computer program storage medium of claim 37 wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

39. The computer program storage medium of claim 35 wherein the computer process further comprises the step of:

transmitting the message to a computer system.

40. The computer program storage medium of claim 39 wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

41. The computer program storage medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a code.

42. The computer program storage medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a delimiter.

43. The computer program storage medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more symbolic elements each comprise a symbol.

44. A system for exchanging messages comprising:

a server machine for transmitting and receiving messages comprising a plurality of message segments, each of which includes protocol information and a data field wherein the data field varies in size and content from message segment to message segment;

a client machine for transmitting and receiving messages with a plurality of message segments, each of which includes a data field of a fixed size but does not contain protocol information; and

a data converter which refashions messages between the server machine and the client machine such that the protocol information of each message segment is appropriately removed and such that the size of the data field in each message segment is fixed,

wherein the protocol information comprises one or more symbolic elements corresponding to the content of the data field.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the data converter retrieves and executes software functions from a function library for performing data conversion of messages sent between the server machine and the client machine.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the data converter reorders message segments.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the server machine is a computer system.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the computer system comprises a computerized reservation system.

49. The system of claim 44, wherein the server machine exchanges messages according to a predetermined protocol.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the predetermined protocol is the Edifact protocol.

51. The system of claim 44, wherein the one or more symbolic elements comprise a code.

52. The system of claim 44, wherein the one or more symbolic elements comprise a delimiter.

53. The system of claim 44, wherein the one or more symbolic elements comprise a symbol.