Gathering data from a database for display

• US 7,127,453 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Frazier, John D., Reed, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Baoquoc N.
• Application Number:
  US09/703,157
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/102, 707/513, 707/104.1, 707/103.R, 707/103.X, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 707/3, 707/10, 707/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A server system is capable of receiving requests from a client system for data within a database system, such as an object relational database system. In one arrangement, objects are stored in relational tables, with the objects containing geospatial data. The geospatial data contains one or more of the following: an image, points, lines, and polygons. The objects containing the geospatial data are combined by a layer manager executing in the server system to form a composite image. The composite image is represented in a file, such as a markup language file, that is communicated to the client system. In one embodiment, the file is a Virtual Reality Markup Language file.

Claims

1. A method of gathering data from a database, comprising:

storing within a database table, objects containing geospatial image data, said database table comprising at least one row including objects having multiple data types, each data type being stored within a different column within said database table, said multiple data types include at least one of the following elements;

an image, points, lines, and polygons;

receiving, in a server system, objects containing geospatial data extracted from at least one row of said database table in response to a first request received from a client system, the objects corresponding to one or more layers;

in the server system and in response to said first request, combining the objects and creating a first markup language file containing a representation of the image data for communication to the client system;

displaying said representation of the image data in the client system;

generating a second request for at least one additional layer of image data in response to a selection at said client system of an element of the displayed representation of the image data in the client system;

receiving, in said server system, additional objects containing geospatial data extracted from at least one additional row of said database table in response to said second request received from said client system, the objects corresponding to said at least one additional layer of image data;

in the server system and in response to said second request, combining the additional objects and creating a second markup language file containing an updated representation of the image data for communication to the client system; and

displaying said updated representation of the image data in the client system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said database comprises an object relational database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating said first and second markup language files comprises creating first and second Virtual Reality Markup Language files, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the objects comprises combining two or more of the image, points, lines, and polygons.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein creating said first and second markup language files comprises creating first and second Virtual Reality Markup Language files, respectively.

6. A system comprising:

a database including a database table, said database table comprising at least one row including objects containing geospatial data, said objects having multiple data types, each data type being stored within a different column within said database table, said multiple data types including at least one of an image, points, lines, and polygons;

an interface to said database system;

an interface to a client system;

a controller adapted to receive a first request from the client system, and in response to said first request;

receive objects containing geospatial data extracted from the database system and combine the objects into a first markup language file that provides a visual representation of the image data;

means for displaying said visual representation of the image data in the client system; and

said controller further adapted to receive a second request from the client system generated in response to a selection at said client system of an element of the displayed representation of the image data in the client system, and in response to said second request;

receive additional objects containing geospatial data extracted from the database system and combine the additional objects into a second markup language file that provides an updated visual representation of the image data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the database system comprises an object relational database system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first and second markup language files comprise first and second Virtual Reality Markup Language files, respectively.