Apparatus and system for an adaptive data management architecture

• US 6,363,388 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: M/A/R/C Incorporated
• Original Assignee: M/A/R/C/ Incorporated
• Inventors: Thompson, Richard A., Major, Debbie A., Sprenger, Jeff H., Gramley, George W., Croissant, Jeff, Hatcherson, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/678,747
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3-5, 707/7, 707/10, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 709/220, 709/231, 709/216, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An apparatus and system for managing data having a first database for storing system data, a second database for storing client data and at least one database server to control the first database and the second database. In addition, a first set of objects are linked to the first database through the database server, and a second set of objects are linked to the second database through the database server. Moreover, a set of minions is linked to the second set of objects, an agent manger is linked to the first set of objects and the set of minions, and an interactive manager is linked to the first set of objects, the agent manager and a user application via an inter-process communication interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing data comprising:

a first database for storing system data;

a second database for storing client data;

at least one database server to control the first database and the second database;

a user application;

a first set of objects linked to the first database through the database server;

a second set of objects linked to the second database through the database server;

a set of minions linked to the second set of objects;

an agent manager linked to the first set of objects and the set of minions;

an inter-process communication interface linked to the user application, the inter-process communication interface having two or more communication mechanisms; and

an interactive manager linked to the first set of objects, the agent manager and the inter-process communication interface.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the client data is marketing data.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive manager is a first agent process and the agent manager is a second agent process.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the user application is a web-based application.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the user application is a JAVA-based application.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the inter-process communication interface uses CORBA.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the inter-process communication interface uses distributed objects.

8. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for managing data, the computer program comprising:

at least one code segment to control system data stored in a first database and client data stored in a second database;

a code segment defining a first set of objects linked to the first database;

a code segment defining a second of objects linked to the second database;

a code segment defining one or more minions;

a code segment to manage one or more agent processes; and

a code segment to manage communications with the code segment to manage the one or more agent processes and the code segment defining a first set of objects; and

a code segment to interface inter-process communications between a user application and the code segment to manage communications, the code segment to interface inter-process communications having two or more communication mechanisms.

9. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a code segment for receiving client data to be stored in the second database; and

a code segment for parsing the client data into one or more data records, each data record having one or more data elements.

10. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, wherein the client data comprises marketing data.

11. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, wherein the user application is a web-based application.

12. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, wherein the user application is a JAVA-based application.

13. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, wherein the code segment to interface inter-process communications uses CORBA.

14. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 8, wherein the code segment to interface inter-process communications uses distributed objects.

15. A database system comprising:

two or more computers communicably linked to each other through a network;

a data storage tier resident on at least one of the computers, the data storage tier having a first database for storing system data, a second database for storing client data and at least one database server to control the first database and the second database;

a user interface tier resident on at least one of the computers, the user interface tier having a user application; and

an object tier resident on at least one of the computers, the object tier comprising a first set of objects linked to the first database through the database server, a second set of objects linked to the second database through the database server, a set of minions linked to the second set of objects, an agent manger resident on each computer in which the object tier is resident, the agent manager linked to the first set of objects and the set of minions, an interactive manager and an inter-process communication interface resident on one of the computers in which the object tier is resident, the inter-process communication interface having two or more communication mechanisms and linked to the user application, and the interactive manager linked to the agent manager, the first set of objects and the inter-process communication interface.

16. The database system as recited in claim 15, wherein the client data is marketing data.

17. The database system as recited in claim 15, wherein the user application is a web-based application.

18. The database system as recited in claim 15, wherein the user application is a JAVA-based application.

19. The database system as recited in claim 15, wherein the inter-process communication interface uses CORBA.

20. The database system as recited in claim 15, wherein the inter-process communication interface uses distributed objects.