SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROCESSING DATABASE QUERIES

• US 20080222134A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KRISHNAMURTHY, BALACHANDER
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24565 Triggers; Constraints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

Systems and methods of processing database search queries are provided. A method of processing database search queries includes receiving a database query from a query source. The method also includes determining location information associated with the query source based at least partially on an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the database query. The method further includes determining, based at least partially on the location information, whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute. The method also includes withholding information requested by the database query when the required source attribute is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A method of processing database queries, the method comprising:

receiving a database query from a query source;

determining location information associated with the query source based at least partially on an Internet Protocol (P) address associated with the database query;

determining, based at least partially on the location information, whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute; and

withholding information requested by the database query when the required source attribute is not satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based at least partially on at least one attribute associated with the database query, whether the database query satisfies a required query attribute; and

withholding the information requested by the database query when the required query attribute is not satisfied.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the required query attribute includes a required subject matter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the required subject matter is associated with a particular geographic location, and wherein the required query attribute is satisfied when the query source is associated with the particular geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information associated with the query source is related to a geographic location of the query source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information associated with the query source is related to a physical location within a network topology.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information associated with the query source is related to a logical location within a network topology.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the required source attribute based at least partially on an attribute associated with the database query.

9. A method of processing database queries, the method comprising:

receiving a database query from a query source;

determining at least one attribute associated with the query source based at least partially upon an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the database query and information controlled at a first network element independent from the query source;

determining whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute based on the at least one attribute associated with the query source; and

withholding information requested by the database query when the required source attribute is not satisfied.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein withholding the information requested by the database query includes not authorizing a second network element to send the information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first network element includes a domain name service (DNS) router.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first network element includes an Internet service provider server.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a probe command to at least one of the query source and the first network element to determine the attribute.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the probe command includes a traceroute command.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the probe command includes a ping command.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving at least one preceding database query, before receiving the database query;

providing information requested by the preceding response; and

determining the require source attribute based at least partially on at least one attribute of the at least one preceding database query.

17. A system to process database queries, the system comprising:

a database interface system having processing logic and memory accessible to the processing logic, wherein the memory includes;

an interface module executable by the processing logic to provide an interface to receive a database query from a query source via a wide area network; and

a response determination module executable by the processing logic to determine whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute based at least partially on at least one attribute associated with the database query and to inhibit the network interface system from sending information requested by the database query when the query source does not satisfy the required source attribute.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the response determination module is executable by the processing logic to determine the required source attribute based at least partially on at least one attribute of the database query.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the response determination module is executable by the processing logic to determine the required source attribute based at least partially on one or more correlation rules.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the memory includes a correlation rules module executable by the processing logic to determine the one or more correlation rules by correlating attributes of trusted query sources with attributes of database queries received from the trusted query sources.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the database interface system comprises a directory assistance search engine accessible via the Internet.

22. A processor-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a database query from a query source;

determining location information associated with the query source based at least partially on an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the request;

determining, based at least partially on the location information, whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute; and

withholding information requested by the database query when the required source attribute is not satisfied.

23. The processor-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the database query requests information related to a particular location, and wherein the required source attribute is satisfied when the particular location has a specified relationship to the location information associated with the query source.

24. A processor-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a database query from a query source;

determining at least one attribute associated with the query source based at least partially upon an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the database query and information controlled at a network element independent from the query source;

determining whether the query source satisfies a required source attribute based on the at least one attribute associated with the query source; and

withholding information requested by the database query when the required source attribute is not satisfied.

25. The processor-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the database query comprises a contact information query.