System and method for processing database queries

• US 8,943,088 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Cleghorn, Monica Rose, Nguyen, Kevin V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US13/410,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 707/763, 707/769, 707/770, 379/115, 379/90.01, 379/119
• US Class Current: 707/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for processing a database query between one or more clients and one or more databases. The database query, which is formatted using a first protocol, is received from one of the clients. One of the databases is selected to process the database query and the database query is translated from the first protocol to a second protocol. The translated database query is then sent to the selected database for processing. A response to the database query, which is formatted using the second protocol, is received from the selected database and the response is translated from the second protocol to the first protocol. The present invention determines which of the clients sent the database query and sends the translated response to the client that sent the database query. This method can be implemented as a computer program embodied on a computer readable medium.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a database query from a client, the database query formatted using a first protocol;

storing a module address and query identification information of the client;

setting a query timer to monitor the elapsed time from when the database query was received;

selecting one of a plurality of databases to process the database query;

translating the database query from the first protocol to a second protocol matching the selected database;

sending the translated database query to the second database for processing;

receiving a response to the database query from the database, the response formatted using the second protocol;

translating the response from the second protocol to the first protocol;

determining the client that sent the database query based on the stored module address and the query identification information;

sending the translated response to the client;

monitoring via the query timer, whether the translated response to the database query has been received during the elapsed time since the database query was received and waiting for the response via the query timer if the query timer has not expired; and

turning off the query timer responsive only to the translated response being received or the query timer expiring.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising validating the client.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising sending a time out response to the client whenever the translated response has not been received within a specified time period.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising logging the database query.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising storing an address identifier for the client.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising storing a query identifier for the database query.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sending the translated database query to the selected database for processing and the receiving a response to the database query from the selected database, the response formatted using the second protocol comprising at least one of:

encrypting the translated database query;

sending the encrypted database query to the selected database for processing;

receiving an encrypted response to the encrypted database query from the selected database, the response formatted using the second protocol; and

decrypting the encrypted response into a response.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first protocol is an Internet protocol.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second protocol is a signaling protocol.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the signaling protocol is a Signaling System 7 protocol.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database query is part of a call validation process.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database query is part of a call billing process.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database query is part of a bank card validation process.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database query is part of a bank card settlement process.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected database is a line information database.

16. A system, comprising:

a computer communicably coupled to a client;

a server communicably coupled to the computer and to a database;

a module resident on the computer, the module configured to;

receive the database query from the client, the database query formatted using a first protocol;

set a query timer to monitor the elapsed time from when the database query was received;

send the database query to the server;

send a translated response to the client; and

a module resident on the server, the module configured to;

store a module address and query identification information of the client;

select one of a plurality of databases to process the database query;

translate the database query from the first protocol to a second protocol matching the selected database;

send the translated database query to the selected database to be processed;

receive a response to the database query from the selected database, the response format using the second protocol;

translate the response from the second protocol to the first protocol;

determining the client that sent the database query based on the stored module address and the query identification information;

send the translated response to the computer;

monitor via the query timer whether the translated response to the database query has been received during the elapsed time since the database query was received and waits for the response via the query timer if the query timer has not expired; and

turn off the query timer responsive only to the translated response being received or the query timer expiring.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the module resident on the computer validates the client.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the module resident on the computer sends a time out response to the client that sent the database query whenever the translated response has not been received within a specified time period.

19. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the module resident on the server logs the database query.

20. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the module resident on the computer stores at least one of:

an address identifier for the client that sent the database query; and

a query identifier for the database query.

21. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the module resident on the server sends the translated database query to the database to be processed and receives the response to the database query from the database, the response formatted using the second protocol by at least one of:

translated database query being encrypted, the encrypted database query being sent to the selected database to be processed, an encrypted response to the encrypted database query being received from the selected database, the response formatted using the second protocol, and the encrypted response being decrypted into the response.

22. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the computer and the module resident on the computer comprise at least one of:

a first computer communicably coupled to the client;

a second computer communicably coupled to the server;

a module resident on the first computer, the module configured to receive the database query from the client, the database query formatted using a first protocol, the database query configured to be sent to the second computer, and a translated response configured to be sent to the client; and

a module resident on the second computer, the module configured to select the server and the database to process the database query, the database query configured to be sent to the server, and the translated response configured to be sent to the first computer.

23. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the first protocol is an Internet protocol.

24. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the second protocol is a signaling protocol.

25. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein the signaling protocol is a Signaling System 7 protocol.

26. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein at the server is at least one of:

a service control point;

a legacy server; and

a bank server.

27. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the database query is at least one of:

part of a call validation process;

part of a call billing process;

part of a bank card validation process; and

part of a bank card settlement process.

28. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the selected database is a line information database.

29. A method, comprising:

receiving a database query based on a first protocol, the database query related to information about a telephone number, the database query sent using the telephone number;

storing a module address and query identification information of the client;

setting a query timer to monitor the elapsed time from when the database query was received;

selecting one of a plurality of databases to process the database query;

translating the database query from the first protocol to a second protocol matching the selected database;

receiving a response formatted using the second protocol, the response used to process a call related to the telephone number;

translating the response from the second protocol to the first protocol;

sending the translated response to a client that sent the database query;

monitoring via the query timer whether the translated response to the database query has been received during the elapsed time since the database query was received and waiting for the response via the query timer if the query timer has not expired; and

turning off the query timer responsive only to the translated response being received or the query timer expiring.