User specific database querying method and apparatus

• US 9,576,041 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Thuc D, Thompson, Simon G, Li, Yang, Gharib, Hamid, Giles, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Reyes, Mariela
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davanlou, Soheila
• Application Number:
  US12/096,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20090012949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,737 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.003, 707/703, 707/706, 707/767, 707/784, 797/703, 797/706, 797/767
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of database technology, and to the automatic generation of search queries. The present invention provides a method of generating a database query, the method comprising: receiving a user selection of one of a number of predetermined generic database queries from a user; automatically identifying user specific data from user profile data corresponding to the user by applying the user profile data to a number of predetermined query statements associated with the selected generic query; automatically applying the user specific data to a number of user specific generator query statements in order to generate one or more user specific queries.

Claims

1. A method of generating a database query, the method comprising:

receiving a user selection of one of a number of predetermined generic database queries from a user;

automatically generating user specific data from a user profile corresponding to the user, the user profile data comprising a user data statement table comprising a number of user data statements, wherein each user data statement comprises a relationship identifier and two or more data items, the user specific data being generated by;

i) generating a user data items list comprising all of the data items comprised in the user data statement table;

ii) for each of a set of predetermined applicable query statements, each of the applicable query statements comprising an applicable relationship identifier, an applicable data item and a variable, inserting each of the data items held in the user data statement table into the applicable query statement and storing the applicable query statement in an applicability criteria data set if it matches one of the user data statements held in the user data statement table;

iii) for each of a set of predetermined effects query statements, each of the effects query statements comprising an effects relationship identifier and a variable, inserting each of the elements of the applicability criteria data set into the effects query statement and storing it in the user specific data if it matches one of the user data statements held in the user data statement table; and

automatically applying the user specific data to a number of user specific generator query statements in order to generate one or more user specific queries.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined query statements are dependent on data stored in the database.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising querying the database using the user specific queries.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of one or more of the generated user specific queries in response to providing the user with the generated user specific queries; and

querying the database using the selected user specific queries.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user specific queries are formed in two or more parts, and said query parts are used to query respective two or more databases.

6. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor code which when executed on a processor causes the processor to carry out a method according to claim 1.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a user identifier and determining which of the user profile data to apply based on the received user identifier.

7. A system for generating a database query, the system comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user selection from a user of one of a number of predetermined generic database queries;

a processor which is coupled to a query statements database having a number of predetermined query statements and user specific query generator query statements associated with respective generic database queries, the processor also coupled to a user profile database having user profile data associated with the user, the user profile data comprising a user data statement table having a number of user data statements each comprising a relationship identifier and two or more data items;

the processor configured to;

automatically generate user specific data from the user profile data corresponding to the user, the user profile data comprising a user data statement table comprising a number of user data statements, wherein

each user data statement comprises a relationship identifier and two or more data items, the user specific data being generated by;

a) generating a user data items list comprising all of the data items comprised in the user data statement table;

b) for each of a set of predetermined applicable query statements, each of the applicable query statements comprising an applicable relationship identifier, an applicable data item and a variable, inserting each of the data items held in the user data statement table into the applicable query statement and storing the applicable query statement in an applicability criteria data set if it matches one of the user data statements held in the user data statement table;

c) for each of a set of predetermined effects query statements, each of the effects query statements comprising an effects relationship identifier and a variable, inserting each of the elements of the applicability criteria data set into the effects query statement and storing it in the user specific data if it matches one of the user data statements held in the user data statement table;

the processor further configured to

automatically apply the user specific data to a number of the user specific generator query statements in order to generate one or more user specific queries.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a search engine arranged to search an information database using the user specific queries.

9. A system according to claim 8, further comprising the query statements database, and wherein the predetermined query statements are dependent on data stored in the information database.

11. A system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a user identifier and determine which of the user profile data to apply based on the received user identifier.