Information service system and method of responding to inquiry

Abstract: An information service system includes a terminal (103) for generating an inputted inquiry, a host unit (101) including a host database (110) for storing information of a first plurality of items for returning information corresponding to the inputted remote inquiry and for selecting items having high occurrence frequencies of inquiries, and a remote unit (102) connected to the terminal (103) and the host unit (101) and including a remote database (112) for storing information of a second plurality of items for judging whether or not a response to the terminal inquiry from the terminal (103) is present within the information of the second plurality of items, and for returning a response to the terminal (103) in accordance with this judgement.

Description: The present invention relates to an information service system and a method of responding to an inquiry used in an information service system. A related system and method is known from US 4 845 658. More particularly, the invention relates to distributed processing of an inquiry transaction from a terminal. In a conventional inquiry/response information service system, a centralized processing method has been adopted. Generally, a host computer responds to all inquiries from terminals to supply desired information to the terminals. An information service system of this type is described, for example, in JP-A-62-211727. According to the conventional method, a host computer responds to all inquiries from terminals so that if inquiry transactions from terminals occur concentrated during a short time period, a response time per one transaction becomes long, resulting in poor service. US 4 845 658 discloses an information method and apparatus comprising terminal means for generating an inquiry, host means comprising a data base for returning a response upon said inquiry, remote means connected to said terminal means and host means comprising a remote data base for storing information from said host means in dependence of filter table information and for judging whether or not response to the terminal inquiry is present within the information in the remote means, and for responding on the inquiry in accordance with this judgement. EP-A-0 361 974 discloses a distributed data base communication network system including a plurality of interconnected terminal stations respectively comprising data base devices and a data base management apparatus including an internal load monitor device and an external load monitor device. A data base load distribution management device is connected to the monitor devices and automatically transfers at least part of the data base information to a selected terminal station when the internal data base accessing load has exceeded a maximum permissible level. JP-A-1166230 discloses a data base allocation system for a decentralized system. The system comprises a plurality of nodes, wherein control means in the nodes control the transfer of data bases among nodes based on the result of process cost evaluation, evaluated partly based on access frequency count information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of responding to inquiries and an information service system for the method, capable of reducing a load on a host computer, improving the throughput of the whole system, minimizing the deterioration of service even if inquiry transactions occur concentrated during a short time period. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of efficiently responding to an inquiry and an information service system using the method, wherein a remote unit collects inquiry contents from terminals and transmits the contents to the host computer at regular time intervals or at a constant occurrence frequency of inquires, and the host computer aggregates the inquiry contents transmitted from remote units and transmits information having a high inquiry occurrence frequency to remote units. This object are solved in accordance with the features of the independent claims 1 and 9. Dependent claims 2 to 8 and 10 to 14 relate to preferred embodiments of the invention. There is provided an information service system which includes: terminal means for generating an inputted inquiry as a terminal inquiry to receive a remote response; host means including a host database for storing information of a first plurality of items, for returning, as a host response, information of at least one item corresponding to the inputted remote inquiry among the information of the first plurality of items in response to an inputted remote inquiry, and for selecting items having high occurrence frequencies of inquiries from among the first plurality of items; and remote means connected to the terminal means and the host means and including a remote database, for storing information, as information of a second plurality of items, information of the items selected by the host means in the remote database, for judging whether or not a response to the terminal inquiry from the terminal means is present within the information of the second plurality of items, for returning the response to the terminal means as the remote response when it is judged that the response to the terminal inquiry from the terminal means is present within the information of the second plurality of items, and for transmitting the terminal inquiry as the remote inquiry to the host means to return the host response returned from the host means to the terminal means as the remote response when it is judged that the response is not present within the information of the second plurality of items. According to the present invention, at a terminal side (such as a remote unit, a terminal having a distributed processing function), the number of inquiries is counted for each data item, and the inquiry contents are transmitted to a host computer at regular time intervals or a constant occurrence frequency of inquiries. The host computer aggregates the inquiry contents transmitted from the terminal side, and transmits information having high occurrence frequencies of inquires to terminals, for example, via unidirectional lines different from an inquiry/response line. Upon occurrence of an inquiry at the terminal side, the inquiry is responded locally by using the stored information previously transmitted from the host computer. In this way, inquiry transactions to the host computer can be reduced, thereby improving the throughput of the whole system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows the overall structure of an inquiry/response information service system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows the details of a host inquiry managing table at a host computer; Fig. 3 shows the details of a remote inquiry managing table at a remote unit; Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of processing an inquiry transaction at a remote unit; Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of transmitting the contents of the remote inquiry managing table to the host computer, the operation being executed by a remote unit; Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of forming the host inquiry managing table, the operation being executed by the host computer; and Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of unidirectionally transmitting information from the host computer to a remote unit via another line. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An information service system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows the overall structure of the information service system according to the embodiment of the present invention. This system is constructed of a host computer 101, and a plurality of remote units and terminals. The host computer 101 manages information which changes every moment and provides users information services. Each remote unit tasks a roll of information repeating and a distributed processing (local processing) of inquiry/response. Each terminal inquires information including a plurality of items. A host data file 104 is connected to the host computer 101, and a remote data file 105 is connected to each remote unit 102. The data files 104 and 105 each are an external storage unit for storing information. The host computer 101 and each of the plurality of remote units are connected together by an inquiry/response line 106 and a unidirectional line 107. Information transmitted from the host computer on a single line is broadcasted to remote units 102 via a plurality of unidirectional lines 107 by a broadcasting unit 108. The host computer 101 has a host table managing section 122, a host database managing section 124, a timer 126, a counter 128, a host inquiry managing table 109 used when aggregating the number of inquiries for each item counted by each remote unit 102, and a host database 110 having the information of the host data file 104, the information being developed on a main storage. Similarly, each remote unit has a remote table managing section 132, a remote database managing section 134, a timer 136, a remote inquiry managing table 111 for managing inquires from terminals 103 connected to the remote unit in concern, and a remote database 112. Fig. 2 shows the details of the host inquiry managing table 109 of the host computer 101. This table 109 is a table used when aggregating the number of inquiries from all terminals for each of m data items. The data items are disposed in the descending order of inquiry count. Each inquiry content is composed of an inquiry count order 109a, a data item (code) 109b, a change occurring flag 109c ("1" represents a change, and "0" represents no change) representative of whether or not a change has occurred during a unit time, an updated inquiry count 109d (Xnt), and totals 109e. The updated inquiry count Xnt indicates an occurrence frequency of inquiries of data item n (n=1 to m) at a time t. The total SUMt of the updated inquiry counts is given by: Fig. 3 shows the details of the remote inquiry managing table 111 of the remote unit 102. This table 111 is composed of a data item (code) 111a, a service flag 111b representative of whether or not information of the data item in concern is on service, i.e., present in the data base 112 ("1" represents on-service, and "0" represents not on-service), and an inquiry count 111c. Next, the operation of the information service system of the present invention will be described. Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the remote unit 102 when an inquiry transaction occurs at a terminal 103. First, when an inquiry designating a data item is entered from the terminal 103, the remote unit 102 searches the intra-unit remote inquiry managing table 111 (step 201). At this time, the remote table managing section 132 refers to the flag 111b representative of whether or not if the information of the designated data item is on service, i.e., present in the remote database 112, using the data item (code) 111a as a search key (step 202). If on-service, i.e., if the information corresponding to the designated data item is present in the database 112, the remote database managing section 134 responds the information of the designated data item stored in the database 112 to the terminal 103 (step 203). If not on-service, i.e., if the information corresponding to the designated data item is not present in the database 112, the section 132 transmits the inquiry to the host computer 101 via the inquiry/response line 106 to obtain the corresponding information in the host database 110, and the section 134 responds the information to the terminal 103 (step 204). Thereafter, on the side of the remote unit 102, the section 132 adds the data item in concern to the table 111 and increments by "1" the value of the inquiry count 111c, and the section 134 adds the information in concern to the database 112 (step 205). Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the section 132 of the remote unit 102 for transmitting the contents of the table 111 to the host computer 101. At the remote unit 102, the table 111 is searched at regular intervals of time counted by the timer 136, alternatively this search being carried out when the inquiry count reaches a predetermined number (step 301). Then, the data item 111a having an inquiry count other than "0" and its inquiry count are combined together to form a block which is stored in a transmitting buffer (steps 303 and 304). After search completion of all data items (step 302), the combined data or blocks are transmitted as inquiry information to the host computer 101 via the inquiry/response or bidirectional line 106 (step 305). Next, all inquiry counts 111c in the remote inquiry managing table 111 of the remote unit 102 are reset to "0" (step 306). Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation by the table managing section 122 of the host computer 101 for forming the host inquiry managing table upon reception of inquiry information transmitted from each remote unit 102. Inquiry information sent from all the remote units are aggregated in units of data items (steps 401 and 402). When the inquiry information from all the remote units has been aggregated, the updated inquiry count 109d of the host inquiry/response managing table 109 is updated for each data item, by selecting one of the following three methods according to inquiry characteristics of the system (steps 403 and 404). According to the first method, an inquiry count obtained during a predetermined time period through aggregation of inquiry information of all the remote units is added to the updated inquiry count 109d presently stored in the table 109 for each data item 109b (step 404a). Namely, with this method, an accumulated inquiry count including the past inquiry count is used as a new updated inquiry count 109d. According to the second method, the updated inquiry count 109d presently stored in the table 109 is replaced by a newly obtained sum of latest inquiry counts (step 404b). Namely, with this method, a newly obtained sum of latest inquiry counts is set as the updated inquiry count 109d, abandoning the past inquiry counts. According to the third method, a new inquiry count is determined from the updated inquiry count 109d presently stored in the table 109 and a newly obtained sum of latest inquiry counts (step 404c). Namely, with this method, the data items to be transmitted at the next unit time period are determined while considering to some extent the count of past inquires and considering seriously the tendency of latest inquiry count. The updated inquiry count X nt+1 at the next unit time period is given, for example, by: X nt+1 = C·X nt + (1-c)·X n where t: certain time period, t+1: next time period, m: number of data items (l to m), Xnt: updated inquiry count at the time period t for the data item n, Xn: a sum of latest inquiry counts obtained during a unit time period at all the remote units for the data item n, c: SUMt SUMt + sum Next, all updated inquiry counts 109d obtained for all the data items are sorted in the descending order within the host inquiry managing table 109 (step 405). In the above manner, updating the table 109 is completed. The contents of the table 109 are arranged in the descending order of inquiry count. Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation by the section 122 for broadcasting information from the host computer 101 to each remote unit 102 using the unidirectional lines 102 and the table 109. In the data transmission operation, the data amount to be transmitted is determined by the line capacity. In order to use the line as efficient as possible, one of the following two methods is used. The first method transmits only changed information, and the second method transfers all information to a transmitting buffer but the information not transmitted during a unit time period is cleared. The more detailed description will be given below. At the host computer 101, the timer 126 is reset, the counter 128 is reset to "0", and the transmitting buffer is cleared, the timer 126 measuring a unit time period (a maximum allowable delay time when a terminal refers to information which has changed) (step 501). This processing is repeated each time the timer 126 counts the unit time period (step 502). Next, the value n of the counter 128 is incremented by "1" (step 503). I is then checked if the information of the n-th data item stored in the table 109 has been changed or not, by checking if the change occurring flag 109c is "0" or "1" (step 504). The flag 109c stored in the table 109 is set to "1" when the data item stored in the database 110 has changed, in asynchronism with the processing shown in this flow chart. If there is no change, the n-th data item code with a changeless flag is transferred to the transmitting buffer and transmitted onto unidirectional lines 107 via the broadcasting unit 108 (step 505). If there is a change, the section 124 reads the changed information from the database 110, and the n-th data item code with the read-out information is transferred to the transmitting buffer and transmitted onto the unidirectional lines 107 (step 506). Thereafter, the change occurring flag 109c of the n-th data item stored in the table 109 is reset to "0" (step 507). The above processing is repeated until the timer counts the unit time period. In each remote unit 102, the section 132 receives the information sequentially transmitted from the host computer 110, and the section 134 stores the received information in the remote database 112 and data file 105. At the same time, if the data item corresponding to the received data item code is not stored in the table 111, it adds the data item, and sets "1" (i.e., on-service) to its service flag 111b. If the data item is present in the table 111, the service flag 111b is set to "1" (step 508). A series of these processes is repeated until the information service is completed (step 509). As described with Fig. 4, upon reception of an inquiry from a terminal 103, the remote unit 102 searches the table 111, and when the service flag of the designated data item code is "1", the information corresponding to the inquiry is obtained from the database 112, and responded to the terminal 103. In the foregoing description of the embodiment of the present invention, a terminal 103 may be provided with a function of a remote unit 102 in the system arrangement shown in Fig. 1, i.e. a terminal having a distributed processing function may be used, thereby allowing to omit a remote unit 102. In the above embodiment, information is unidirectionally transmitted from the host computer to each remote unit via a unidirectional line. The information may be transmitted via the inquiry/response line by including the information within a response message. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a remote unit transmits inquiry information to a host computer at regular time intervals. The information may be transmitted at a constant occurrence frequency of inquiries. As seen from the foregoing description of the present invention, in the inquiry/response information service system, the host computer aggregates the contents of past inquiry transactions and those most recently occurred during a unit time period, to thereby estimate the contents of inquiry transactions occurring during the next unit time period. Service information having high occurrence frequencies of inquires are transmitted in advance to a terminal side (such as a remote unit, a terminal having a distributed processing function). Therefore, it becomes possible to process an inquiry response locally at the terminal side, thereby reducing a load of the host computer for the response processing and improving the throughput of the whole system.

Claims: An information service system comprising terminal means (103) for generating an inputted inquiry as a terminal inquiry to receive a remote response; host means (101) including a host database (110) for storing information of a first plurality of items, for returning, as a host response, information of at least one item corresponding to a remote inquiry among said information of said first plurality of items in response to said remote inquiry, for selecting, at regular intervals of time or after a predetermined number of enquiries, items having high occurrence frequencies of inquiries from among said first plurality of items, and for sending said selected items to a remote means (102) and said remote means (102) being connected to said terminal means (103) and said host means (101) and including a remote database (112) for storing information, for storing, as information of a second plurality of items, information of said items selected by said host means (101) in said remote database (112), for judging whether or not a response to said terminal inquiry from said terminal means (103) is present within said information of said second plurality of items, for returning said response to said terminal means (103) as said remote response when it is judged that said response to said terminal inquiry from said terminal means (103) is present within said information of said second plurality of items, and for transmitting said terminal inquiry as said remote inquiry to said host means to return said host response from said host means (101) to said terminal means (103) as said remote response when it is judged that said response is not present within said information of said second plurality of items. A system according to claim 1, wherein said remote means (102) includes a remote managing table (111) for managing said information of said second plurality of items in units of items, and further comprises remote database managing means (134) for adding information included in said host response to said remote database (112); and remote table managing means (132) for adding an item of the information included in said host response to said remote managing table (111). A system according to claim 1, wherein said host means (101) includes a host managing table (109) for managing said information of said first plurality of items in units of items, host table managing means (122) for selecting a part of said first plurality of items in accordance with occurrence frequencies of inquiries, and host database managing means (124) for reading information of said selected items from said host database (110) and transmitting said read-out information to said remote means (102). A system according to claim 3, wherein said remote means (102) further comprises: a remote managing table (111) for managing the number of inquiries to said information of said second plurality of items in units of items; and remote table managing means (132) for responding to said terminal inquiry to update the number of inquiries stored in said remote managing table (111) for the item corresponding to said terminal inquiry, and transmitting inquiry information to said host means (101) when a predetermined condition is satisfied, said inquiry information being representative of the items inquired from said terminal means (103) and the numbers of inquiries, and wherein said host managing table (109) further manages the occurrence frequencies of inquiries to said information of said first plurality of items, and said host table managing means (122) updates the occurrence frequencies of inquiries stored in said host managing table (109) in accordance with said inquiry information supplied from said remote means (102), and selecting new items having high occurrence frequencies of inquiries from among said first plurality of items in accordance with said updated result. A system according to claim 3, wherein said host managing table (109) further manages update data in units of items, said update data being representative of whether or not information of any item stored in said host managing table (109) has been updated, said host table managing means (122) further sets, when said information has been updated, said update data stored in said host managing table (109) for the item corresponding to said updated information, and said host database managing means (124) updates, when said information has been updated, said information stored in said host database (110), and transmitting to said remote means (102) said selected items and said information when said update data is being set, and said selected items when said update is not set. A system according to claim 4, wherein said host managing table (109) further manages update data in units of items, said update data being representative of whether or not said information of any item stored in said host managing table (109) has been updated, said host table managing means (122) further sets, when said information has been updated, said update data stored in said host managing table (109) for the item corresponding to said updated information, and said host database managing means (124) updates, when said information has been updated, said information stored in said host database (110), and transmitting to said remote means (102) said selected items and said information when said update data is being set, and said selected items when said update is not set. A system according to one of the claims 3, 4 and 6, further comprising a bidirectional line (106) for transferring said remote inquiry and said host response; and a unidirectional line (107) for transmitting one of said selected items, and said selected items and their information. A system according to claim 7, further comprising at least one additional remote means (102) having the same structure as said remote means (102) ; and means (108) provided intermediately of said unidirectional line (107), for broadcasting the one of said selected items, and said selected items and their information to said remote means (102) and said at least one additional remote means (102). A method of responding to an inquiry used in an information service system comprising a terminal means (103), a host means (101) and a remote means (102), said host means including a host database (110) and said remote means including a remote database (112), said method comprising the steps of generating a terminal inquiry at said terminal means (103) for obtaining a remote response; storing information of a first plurality of items in said host database (110); at regular intervals of time or after a predetermined number of inquiries, selecting information having high occurrence frequencies of inquiries among information of said first plurality of items stored in said host database, and sending to and storing in said remote database as information of a second plurality of items; judging whether or not a response to said terminal inquiry is present within said information of said second plurality of items; when it is judged that said response to said terminal inquiry is present within said information of said second plurality of items, returning said response as said remote response; when it is judged that said response to said first inquiry is not present within said information of said second plurality of items, using said terminal inquiry as a remote inquiry; searching information of at least one item corresponding to said remote inquiry from among said information of said first plurality of items from said host database, returning said searched information as a host response and returning said host response to said terminal means as said remote response. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of keeping host (109) and remote (111) managing tables for respectively managing said host and remote databases, adding an item of information included in said host response to said remote managing table (111); and adding said information included in said host response to said remote database. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of keeping host (109) and remote (111) managing tables for respectively managing said host and remote databases, responding to said terminal inquiry to update the number of inquiries stored in said remote managing table for an item corresponding to said terminal inquiry; generating inquiry information representative of items and the number of said terminal inquiries received during a predetermined time period; updating the occurrence frequencies of inquiries stored in said host managing table in accordance with said inquiry information; and in accordance with said updating result, selecting new items having high occurrence frequencies from said first plurality of items. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of keeping host (109) and remote (111) managing tables for respectively managing said host and remote databases, setting update data in said host managing table for an item corresponding to said updated information when said information stored in said host database has been updated; and updating said item and associated information in said remote database when a selected item has said update data set, and updating said item in said remote database when said selected item has no said update data set. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of transferring said remote inquiry and said host response via a bidirectional line (106); and transmitting via a unidirectional line (107) one of said selected items, and said selected items and associated information. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of transmitting one of said selected items and said selected items and associated information to a plurality of equipments, by using a broadcasting unit provided intermediately of said unidirectional line.

Inventors: KOTATSU NOBUO, KOTATSU, NOBUO
Applicants: HITACHI LTD, HITACHI, LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G06F17
IPC codes: G06F12, G06F13, G06F15, G06F17