Database search device, database search system, database search method, program and storage medium

• US 6,928,437 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shibuya, Tetsuo, Kashima, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wassum, Luke S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAYYAN, SUSAN F
• Application Number:
  US10/146,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/6, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 30/00 ICT specially adapted for sequence analysis involving nucleotides or amino acids
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 30/10 Sequence alignment; Homology search
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/00 ICT programming tools or database systems specially adapted for bioinformatics
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/40 Encryption of genetic data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method is provided for allowing a database search that prevents an owner of the database or someone intercepting the database search in the network from knowing the contents of the query, without requiring any particular processing on the part of the database. Client 20 accesses database server 10 which stores sequence patterns and inquires whether the sequence patterns stored in the database server 10 exist in a predetermined sequence. Client 20 comprises sequence processing section 21 for dividing a search sequence subjected to search to create multiple subsequences; and query issuing section 22 for issuing a query to database server 10 using the created multiple subsequences individually as a query sequence.

Claims

1. A database search device for accessing a database that stores sequence patterns and inquiring whether the sequence patterns stored in the database exist in a predetermined sequence, the device comprising:

a sequence processing section for inputting an original search sequence, dividing the original search sequence into multiple subsequences, adding dummy subsequences, and adding and overlapping the subsequences and the dummy subsequences to create a query sequence and hide the original search sequence;

a query issuing section for issuing a query to said database using said created query sequence; and

an information extracting section for receiving and analyzing a response to the query issued from the query issuing section, and extracting and outputting information corresponding to search results for the original sequence.

2. The database search device according to claim 1, wherein said sequence processing section overlaps a predetermined length of sequence elements depending on a length of the sequence patterns stored in said database to create said multiple subsequences.

3. The database search device according to claim 1, wherein said sequence processing section creates a sequence by connecting a sequence element of an end portion of said original search sequence and a sequence element of a head portion of said original search sequence and adds to said subsequences.

4. The database search device according to claim 1, wherein said sequence processing section creates a dummy sequence that does not contribute to database search associated with said original search sequence and adds to said subsequences.

5. A database search device for accessing a database that stores sequence patterns and inquiring whether the sequence patterns stored in the database exist in a predetermined sequence corresponding to an original sequence, the device comprising:

means for dividing the original sequence into multiple subsequences,

means for creating dummy sequences;

means for combining said subsequences and dummy sequences into a query sequence, said query sequence hiding the original sequence;

means for making an inquiry multiple times to said database about the query sequence subjected to search, each of the inquires corresponding to each of subsequences of the original search sequence;

and means for receiving search results from said database and extracting information corresponding to said original sequence from the search results.

6. The database search device according to claim 5, wherein said means for making an inquiry overlaps a predetermined length of subsequences depending on a length of the sequence patterns stored in said database to create multiple subsequences of the search sequence, and makes an inquiry to the database for each of the created subsequences.

7. A database search system, comprising:

a database server provided on a network for storing predetermined sequence patterns;

and a client for making an inquiry about an original search sequence to the database server via said network, wherein said client divides the original search sequence subjected to search into a plurality of subsequences, adds dummy sequences thereto, adding and overlapping said subsequences and dummy sequences to form a guery sequence hiding said original search sequence, and sends the query sequence to said database server to search for each of said subsequences within said query sequence, wherein said database server performs a database search in response to the received query and sends back search results to said client; and

wherein said client further receiving and analyzing the search results, extracting and outputting information corresponding to search results for the original search sequence.

8. A program for controlling a computer to access a database that stores sequence patterns and to inquire whether the sequence patterns stored in the database exist in a predetermined sequence corresponding to an original search sequence, comprising:

sequence processing means for dividing the original search sequence into multiple subsequences, adding dummy sequences thereto, adding and overlapping the subsequences and dummy sequences to form a query sequence and hide the original search sequence;

query issuing means for issuing a query to said database using created multiple subsequences individually as said query sequence

and means for receiving search results from said database and extracting information corresponding to said original sequence from the search results.

9. The program according to claim 8, wherein said sequence processing means creates a dummy sequence that does not contribute to database search associated with said search sequence, and wherein said query issuing means issues a query to said database using said dummy sequence as a query sequence.

10. The program according to claim 8, wherein said sequence processing means connects any sequence to the search sequence to create a new sequence prior to dividing said search sequence and divides said created new sequence to create the multiple subsequences.

11. A storage media for storing a program for controlling a computer to

access a database that stores sequence patterns and to inquire whether the sequence patterns stored in the database exist in a predetermined sequence corresponding to an original search sequence, the program comprising:

sequence processing means for dividing the original search sequence into multiple subsequences, adding dummy sequences thereto, adding and overlapping the subsequences and dummy sequences to form a query sequence and hide the original search sequence;

query issuing means for issuing a query to said database using created multiple subsequences individually as said query sequence;

and means for receiving search results from said database and extracting information corresponding to said original sequence from the search results.