Generic object for rapid integration of data changes

• US 6,496,843 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Siping, Venugopal, Ramakrishnan, Getchius, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US09/283,815
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-5, 707/513, 707/500-516, 707/100-104, 707/526-530, 345/681, 345/968, 717/115-116
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for performing online data queries. The system for performing online data queries is a distributed computer system with a plurality of server nodes each fully redundant and capable of processing a user query request. Each server node includes a data query cache and other caches that may be used in performing data queries. The data query, as well as request allocation, is performed in accordance with an adaptive partitioning technique with a bias towards an initial partitioning scheme. Generic objects are created and used to represent business listings upon which the user may perform queries. Various data processing and integration techniques are included which enhance data queries. An update technique is used for synchronizing data updates as needed in updating the plurality of server nodes. A multi-media data transfer technique is used to transfer non-text or multi-media data between various components of the online query tool.

Claims

1. A method executed in a computer system for displaying data in a database, comprising:

storing each item of data as a generic object;

providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each object; and

providing a parse engine that interprets the script and accesses a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script and wherein said parse engine is comprised of a parse driver, generic object dictionary, query engine, and data manager.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by a parser, HTML data to present the data of the generic objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a representation of the generic objects includes denormalized data having a fixed number of attributes.

4. A method executed in a computer system for displaying data in a database, comprising:

storing each item of data as a generic object;

providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each object; and

providing a parse engine that interprets the script and accesses a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script and wherein a generic object is stored in a database that includes a table, said table including a representation of the generic object associated with a row in the table, said generic object including one or more attributes, each of said one or more attributes corresponding to a column in the table.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said generic object corresponds to a business listing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a first of said one or more attributes corresponds to a business listing identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of said one or more attributes includes one or more fields and descriptor information identifying a type, size and number of fields in said attribute.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing information in said table in a denormalized data form;

forming a string of said information in said table corresponding to one of said generic objects, said string including data corresponding to attributes associated with said one generic object; and

performing a data transfer of said one generic object by transferring said string in said computer system.

9. A method executed in a computer system for displaying data in a database, comprising:

storing each item of data as a generic object;

providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each object;

providing a parse engine that interprets the script and accesses a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

performing a data query and producing query results that include one or more of said generic objects corresponding to one or more business listings and search categories, each of said one or more business listings being in one or more of said search categories.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing said query results of said one or more generic objects in a data structure, said data structure associating one or more business listings with one of said search categories.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said data structure is a table-like structure having one or more rows and one or more columns, an entry in said data structure being identifiable by reference to a particular row and column.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving a portion of said query results from a data query cache.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving a portion of said query results from a database including one or more records stored in a denormalized data format.

14. A method executed in a computer system for displaying data in a database, comprising:

storing each item of data as a generic object;

providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each object;

providing a parse engine that interprets the script and accesses a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

performing a data query and producing query results including business listings, and wherein the parse engine accesses said representation of generic objects corresponding to said query results, one or more of said generic objects including representations of said business listings and associated categories.

15. A method executed in a computer system for displaying data in a database, comprising:

storing each item of data as a generic object;

providing t script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each object;

providing a parse engine that interprets the script and accesses a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

adding a generic object attribute, said generic object attribute being included in at lease one of said generic object that include a potion of corresponding data said generic object attribute not being possessed by other one or more of said generic objects and represented by a null marker in said other one or more generic objects.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein operations performed upon said generic objects includes a limited number of optimized data access operations.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

using a data schema description to interpret attributes of said generic objects.

18. A computer program product for displaying data in a database comprising:

machine executable code for storing each item of data as a generic object;

machine executable code for providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each generic object; and

machine executable code for interpreting the script and accessing a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script and wherein a generic object is stored in a database that includes a table, said table including a representation of the generic object associated with a row in the table, said generic object including one or more attributes, each of said one or more attributes corresponding to a column in the table.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said generic object corresponds to a business listing.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein a first of said one or more attributes corresponds to a business listing identifier.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein each of said one or more attributes includes one or more fields and descriptor information identifying a type, size, and number of fields in said attribute.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

machine executable code for storing information in said table in a denormalized data form;

machine executable code for forming a string of said information corresponding to one of said generic objects, said storing including data corresponding to attributes associated with said one generic object; and

machine executable code for performing a data transfer of said one generic object by transferring said string in said computer system.

23. A computer program product for displaying data in a database comprising:

machine executable code for storing each item of data as a generic object;

machine executable code for providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each generic object;

machine executable code for interpreting the script and accessing a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

machine executable code for performing a data query and producing query results that include one or more of said generic objects corresponding to one or more business listings and search categories, each of said one or more business listings being in one or more of said search categories.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

machine executable code for storing said query results of said one or more generic objects in a data structure, said data structure associating one or more business listings with one of said search categories.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein said data structure is a table-like structure having one or more rows and one or more columns, an entry in said data structure being identifiable by reference to a particular row and column.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

machine executable code for retrieving a portion of said query results from a data query cache.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

machine executable code for retrieving a portion of said query results from a database including one or more records stored in a denormalized data format.

28. A computer program product for displaying data in a database comprising:

machine executable code for storing each item of data as a generic object;

machine executable code for providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each generic object;

machine executable code for interpreting the script and accessing a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

machine executable code for performing a data query and producing query results including business listings; and

a parse engine accessing said representation of said generic objects corresponding to said query results, one or more of said generic objects including representations of said business listings and associated categories.

29. A computer program product for displaying data in a database comprising:

machine executable code for storing each item of data as a generic object;

machine executable code for providing a script that indicates handling of attributes and fields of each generic object;

machine executable code for interpreting the script and accessing a representation of one or more generic objects to present data of the generic objects to users, wherein modifications to the generic objects are handled by modifying only the data and the script; and

machine executable code for adding a generic object attribute, said generic object attribute being included in at least one of said generic objects that includes a portion of corresponding data, said generic object attribute not being possessed by other one or more of said generic objects and represented by a null marker in said other one or more generic objects.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising:

machine executable code for performing operations upon said generic objects, said operations including a limited number of optimized data access operations.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, further comprising:

machine executable code for using a data schema description to interpret attributes of said generic objects.