High-performance server architecture, methods, and software for spatial data

• US 7,426,436 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ObjectFX Corporation (TransVoyant LLC)
• Inventors: Van Watermulen, Douglas M., Flannery, George F., Scott, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/369,215
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/212, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 709/203, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217, 717/168, 717/172, 717/173, 717/177
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5018 Thread allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Systems that distribute map data and related map services are vital to companies in many industries, for example, telecommunications, trucking, and national defense. These systems typically comprise a computer, known as a server, which retrieves the map data, and a computer, known as a client, which electronically requests and receives map data from the server over a computer network, such as the Internet. Servers in these systems often suffer from at least two problems: first, the slow delivery of the map data and related services to clients, and second, the inability to operate in different modes with different types of clients. Accordingly, the inventors devised servers, systems, and related methods for rapidly delivering map data to many types of client, ranging from mobile telephones and personal digital assistants to workstations. To support multi-modal operations with at least two clients, an exemplary system included a map server having two or more client-mode software modules or programs that govern how the server interacts with the clients. The first client, using an appropriate network address, links to the first program and receives a copy of several mapping objects, enabling the first client to provide certain map functions independent of the server. The second client links to the server using a different network address and receives proxy mapping objects, instead of the actual mapping objects, enabling the second client to work with the server to provide the map functions. The exemplary system also implements client-side and server-side caching of map data, and expandable map service pools, all promoting rapid delivery of map data and services.

Claims

1. A map-data distribution system for distributing map data and map-related services over a computer network, the system comprising:

a wireless client;

a non-wireless client; and

a server including;

first means, responsive to the wireless client accessing the server via a first URL of the server for enabling the server to recognize a wireless type of map client; and

second means, responsive to the non-wireless client accessing the server via a second URL of the server for enabling the server to recognize the non-wireless type of map client as a non-wireless type of map client; and

a map database coupled to the server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first means comprises at least one executable or compilable map-related object and at least one proxy for another executable or compilable map-related object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first means comprises a remote-method-invocation object for enabling a client to communicate through a proxy for an executable map-related object with the executable map-related object.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the second means comprises compilable or executable means for establishing and maintaining a map-data cache within the non-wireless client.