Method, system, and computer program product to store event information and corresponding event availability information

• US 8,612,269 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baggett, David M., Galperin, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US13/227,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/1.1, 711/3
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

Methods and systems to store event information and corresponding event availability information. An event record and a corresponding availability count record may be stored together in a hash table, at an index computed from event information. Alternatively, event records may be stored in a first hash table at indexes computed from corresponding event information, and availability count records may be stored in a second hash table, at indexes computed from contents of the availability count records. Event records in the first hash table may include pointers to availability count records in the second hash table. To retrieve an availability count record for an event, the event information may be hashed with the first hash function to determine an index of the first hash table at which the event record and associated pointer are stored. From the pointer, the associated availability count record may be retrieved from the second hash table.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

hashing, by operation of a computer, information associated with a first airline flight with a first hash function to generate a first hash index value, the first hash value generated at least by rounding one or more of a scheduled departure time and a scheduled arrival time, and hashing a combination of flight identification information and the one or more rounded scheduled times;

storing a first flight record at a first hash index value of a first hash table, wherein the first flight record includes flight identification information, a scheduled departure location, a scheduled departure time, a scheduled arrival location, and a scheduled arrival time;

associating, by operation of a computer, a first seat availability count record with the first flight record, wherein the first seat availability count record includes a seat availability count for at least one booking class of the first airline flight;

receiving a seat availability query, including one or more of a query-provided departure location, departure time, arrival location, and arrival time;

hashing, by operation of a computer, information from the seat availability query with the first hash function to generate a query-response hash index value, the hashing of the information from the seat availability query including rounding one or more of the query-provided departure time and the query-provided arrival time, and hashing a combination of information from the seat availability query and the one or more rounded query-provided times to generate the query-response hash index;

retrieving a flight record stored at the query-response hash index value of the first hash table; and

retrieving a seat availability count record associated with the retrieved flight record.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising rounding one or more of the scheduled departure time and the scheduled arrival time, and hashing a combination of the flight identification information and the one or more rounded scheduled times to generate the first hash index value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a hash index value stored at the query-response hash index value of the first hash table.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

hashing the first seat availability record, including a seat availability count for at least one fare class associated with the first flight record, with a second hash function to generate a second hash index value;

storing the second hash index value at the first hash index value of the first hash table;

storing the first seat availability count record at the second hash index value of a second hash table; and

retrieving a query-response seat availability count record from the retrieved hash index value of the second hash table.

2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

hashing, by operation of a computer, information associated with a first airline flight with a first hash function to generate a first hash index value;

storing a first flight record at the first hash index value of a first hash table, wherein the first flight record includes flight identification information, a scheduled departure location, a scheduled departure time, a scheduled arrival location, and a scheduled arrival time;

associating a first seat availability count record with the first flight record, wherein the first seat availability count record includes a seat availability count for at least one booking class of the first airline flight;

generating, by operation of a computer, a second hash index value for a second airline flight and storing a second flight record associated with the second airline flight at the second hash index value of the first hash table;

representing a combination of the first and second airline flights with a married flight record when seating on the first and second airline flights are marketed in combination with one another;

storing the first and second hash index values in the married flight record;

storing a first pointer in the married flight record to a second seat availability count record that applies to the first airline flight when the first airline flight is in combination with the second airline flight; and

storing a second pointer in the married flight record to a third seat availability count record that applies to the second airline flight when the second airline flight is in combination with the first airline flight.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first hash value is generated at least by rounding one or more of a scheduled departure time and a scheduled arrival time, and hashing a combination of flight identification information and the one or more rounded scheduled times.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising providing a pointer to the first seat availability count record from the first and second flight records.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising sharing one or more of the second and third seat availability count records with one or more other flight records.