Patent ID: 6950437

Claim:
A method for communicating between first and second unlike systems, comprising the steps of: generating information at the first system in a first data format that is native to the first system; converting with a first conversion system in a first conversion operation the generated information to a master space format such that a first converted information transmission is generated; transmitting the first converted information to a master information system; in response to receiving the first converted information at the master information system, routing the received first converted information to a second conversion system in a master data system format; at the second conversion system, converting the information transmitted thereto from the master data space format to a second data format in a second conversion operation to provide a second converted information transmission, the second data format being native to the second system; and routing the second converted information transmission to the second system; and wherein the master data format comprises a finite length data packet having a unique value that has a relationship between the unique value and information in a relational database, which first and second conversion operations are associated with the relational database, such that conversion from the first data format to the master data format utilizes the information in the relational database and conversion of the information in the master data format to the second data format utilizes information in the relational database.