Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-15
2003-04-22
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06553380
ABSTRACT:
PARTIAL WAIVER OF COPYRIGHT
All of the material in this patent application is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. As of the first effective filing date of the present application, this material is protected as unpublished material. However, permission to copy this material is hereby granted to the extent that the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentation or patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to improvements in data definitions as applied to relational databases. More particularly, the invention relates to encapsulation methods of user data to eliminate database schema changes whenever the presentation of the user data changes.
2. The Prior Art
FIG. 1
illustrates a functional block diagram of a typical prior art telephone network for bulk calling using analog phone lines to a Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN). Several Customer Telephones
102
, are coupled to the PSTN
104
. A plurality of Operator Stations
110
with a Server Database
108
connected to a Network
106
is shown. Results from customer directory assistance inquires which are retrieved from the Server Database
108
are displayed on the appropriate Operator Station
110
. At each Operator Station
110
, an Operator Telephone
112
is connected to the PSTN
104
. The connection between the Operator Telephone
112
to the PSTN
104
is over analog lines
114
. An Operator sitting at an Operator Station
110
uses the Operator Telephone
112
connected to the PSTN
104
, to perform directory information search requests on the Server Database
108
. In some embodiments, the number in the database is automatically dialed from the Server Database
108
for the Operator sitting at the Operator Station
110
. The Operator Stations
110
comprise a workstation, a dumb terminal or a generic information processing unit running Windows, DOS, Linux, Macintosh or equivalent. The Server Database
108
comprise any of a number of machines similar to those mentioned for the Operator Station
110
but that responds to data queries from the Operator Station
110
. On a periodic timetable, directory assistance utilization information from the Operator Stations
110
is gathered into a Relational Database
116
. For the purposes of the disclosure, both the Operator Station
110
, the Server Database
108
, and the Relational Database
116
are to be known as “information processing units”. The Operator Station
110
comprising the aforementioned information processing units are used for a variety of purposes. These include database information storage, web based audio visual communication, system control, directory assistance utilization information storage and other generic processing functions. Relational Database
116
is used to report information about directory assistance utilization. This information is variable and subject to change. Requirements for the information to be collected and how it is reported vary by customer. A problem with the prior art is that it is difficult and expensive to change and to customize the information being collected and the reports that present the information.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram
200
of call interaction between a Caller
202
using Customer Telephone
102
and an Operator
204
using the Operator Station
110
and PSTN of
FIG. 1. A
call is an interaction between a Caller
202
and a directory assistance Operator
204
. During the call, the Caller
202
can request one or more telephone number listings. Typically, the Operator
204
may perform one or more searches of Listing Database Tables
206
in Server Database
108
for each request. The call is terminated when the caller hangs up or is transferred to another operator.
FIG. 3
is a block diagram
300
of prior art call statistics generation after each operator call using the PSTN of FIG.
1
. Call Statistics are generated after each call has terminated in FIG.
2
and are stored in a temporary repository on the Operator Station
110
. When a data collection Instance occurs, the interim Call Statistics are gathered and summarized into a Call Statistic Record
302
which is comprised of Organizational Type Fields
308
and Call Data Type Fields
310
, then sent to a Central Data Collector
304
which processes the data collections into a Relational Database Table
306
in Relational Database
116
so that they can be archived, analyzed, and displayed.
The Organizational Type Fields
308
in the Call Statistic Record
302
are generally composed of two subtypes: 1) Business Organizational Type Fields
400
; and 2) Time Organizational Data Type Fields
414
.
FIG. 4A
is a block diagram
400
illustrating an exemplary prior art hierarchy of Business Organizational Type Fields of the directory assistance call statistics generated in FIG.
3
. In this example the Operator
402
is part of a physical or geographic entity or Unit
404
, say Miami and the Unit
404
is part of a Complex
404
such as a regional telephone company, such as Bell Atlantic.
A prior art time hierarchy of Time Organizational Type Fields
414
for directory assistance call statistics generated in
FIG. 3
are shown in FIG.
4
B. Data Collection Instance
408
, Session-Shift
410
and Year-Month-Day
412
fields are illustrated.
The Call Data Type Fields
310
in the Call Statistic Record
302
are generally composed of two subtypes: 1) Call Data Numeric Information Type Fields
500
; and 2) Call Data Activities Type Fields
512
.
FIG. 5A
is a block diagram illustrating exemplary prior art Call Data Numeric Information Type Fields of the directory assistance call statistics generated in FIG.
3
. Call Data Numeric Information Type Fields
500
for a directory assistance application represent numeric information such as Count
502
and Duration
504
.
The
FIG. 5B
is a block diagram illustrating exemplary prior art hierarchy of Call Data Activities Type Fields
512
. Activities shown are Search
506
within Request
508
within Call
510
.
FIG. 6
shows a prior art Call Statistic Record
302
generated during a data collection instance for an Operator Station
110
. The Business Organization Type Fields
400
of the Complex
406
, the Unit
404
and the Operator
402
are shown as inputs to the Organizational Type Fields
308
. The Time Organizational Type Fields
414
of the Year-Month-Day
412
, the Session-Shift
410
, and the Data Collection Instance
408
are shown as inputs to the Organizational Type Fields
308
. The Call Data Activities Type Fields
512
of the Call
510
, the Request
508
, and the Search
506
are combined with The Call Data Numeric Information Type Fields
500
of the Count
502
and the Duration
504
as inputs to the Call Data Type Fields
310
for Call Statistic Record
302
.
The user interface at the Operator Station
110
is very flexible and customizable. The requirements for the directory assistance utilization information to be collected vary by customer and can change as the interface at the Operator Station
110
is modified. At each instance of data collection, the directory assistance utilization information reflects activities that were performed in that timeframe and thus are a subset of all possible activities.
The implementation of the directory assistance utilization information data collection has many shortcomings. The format of the directory assistance utilization information collected by the Operator Station
110
is a single fixed length record containing a series of text and numeric quantities. What these quantities represent cannot be determined by inspecting the record itself. The record format is also designed to contain values for all possible information that can be collected. Frequently each record generated at a data colle
Fleit Kain Gibbons Gutman & Bongini P.L.
Gibbons Jon A.
Metjahic Safet
Nguyen Cam Linh
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