Multiple interface data exchange application for use in process control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11500573-B2
Application number	US-202016953605-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A multiple interface data exchange system utilizes a persistent in-memory storage in asynchronous data communication with a plurality of interfaces. Each interface is configured to communicate with at least one application using a particular communication protocol. The persistent in-memory storage stores tuple data sets received from applications transmitting data to the connected interface in a canonical (universal) format, automatically creating new tuples and updating existing tuples. The canonical format of the data is quickly queried in the persistent in-memory storage and available to other applications in connection with the multiple interface data exchange system regardless of the communication protocol used by a requesting application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multiple interface data exchange (MIDE) system comprising:
a central computer system comprising:
a processor;
a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising a persistent in-memory storage; and
one or more I/O interfaces, each I/O interface utilizing a different communication protocol for communication with at least one associated application,
wherein the at least one application transmits data to an associated I/O interface and the transmitted data is stored in the persistent in-memory storage,
wherein the transmitted data is formatted and stored using a canonical data format, the canonical data format universally accessible regardless of a communication protocol type and comprising a tuple having a key, a value, and a timestamp, and wherein a data exchange facilitated by the MIDE system between applications of the at least one application uses the canonical data format and is asynchronous.

2. The MIDE system according to claim 1 , wherein the Timestamp element is provided by the MIDE system.

3. The MIDE system according to claim 1 , wherein the communication protocol is an industrial control system protocol.

4. The MIDE system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more I/O interfaces further includes a security standard for authenticating communication between the central computer and at least one associated application.

5. The MIDE system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second data storage in communication with the central computer system, wherein the in-memory persistent data storage is configured to upload a plurality of data sets stored within the in-memory persistent data storage to the second data storage.

6. A method for exchanging data between applications connected to a central computer system and each utilizing a different communications protocol, the method comprising:
with a first I/O interface, receiving a first data set from a first application utilizing a first communication protocol;
with a protocol module, formatting the first data set using a canonical data format to create a first canonical formatted data set, the canonical data format universally accessible regardless of a communication protocol type and comprising a tuple having a key, a value, and a timestamp, and wherein a data exchange facilitated by the MIDE system between applications of the at least one application uses the canonical data format and is asynchronous; and
storing the first canonical formatted data set within a persistent in-memory storage, wherein the persistent in-memory storage is configured to store a plurality of formatted data sets.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
with a second I/O interface, transmitting the first canonical formatted data set to a second application utilizing a second communication protocol.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
with the protocol module, formatting the first canonical formatted data set, to a data set transmittable utilizing a second communication protocol.

9. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising uploading the first canonical formatted data set in the persistent in-memory storage to a second data storage.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of formatted data sets each comprise a Timestamp, the method further including purging formatted data sets from the persistent in-memory storage wherein the Timestamp indicative of the age of the formatted data is older than a predetermined age.

11. The method according to claim 6 , wherein if a first tuple is already in the persistent in-memory storage having a first Key, a first Value, and a first Timestamp, a write to the persistent in-memory storage of a second tuple having the first key, a second value, and second timestamp, updates the first tuple stored within the persistent in-memory storage with the second value and second timestamp.

12. The method according to claim 6 , wherein if a key value of a new tuple is not present in the persistent in-memory storage, a write request to the persistent in-memory storage creates a new data entry of the new tuple in the persistent in-memory storage.

13. A system for exchanging data between applications that utilize different communications protocols, comprising:
a central computer system comprising:
a processor;
a first interface in communication with the processor and a first application;
a second interface in communication with the processor and a second application; and
a memory in communication with the processor and including a persistent in-memory storage for storing data sets received from the first interface, the memory also storing instructions that are executed by the processor to:
receive a first data set of a first communication protocol format from the first application transmitted utilizing a first communication protocol;
convert the first data set to a formatted first data set use a canonical data format, the canonical data format universally accessible regardless of communication protocol type and comprising a tuple having a key, a value, and a timestamp, wherein a data exchange facilitated by the MIDE system between applications of the at least one application is asynchronous and transmits the formatted first data set using the canonical data format; and
store the first data set of the canonical data format within the persistent in-memory storage.

14. The system according to claim 13 , the memory storing instructions which are executed by the processor to receive a data query request from the second application via the second interface.

15. The system according to claim 14 , the memory storing instructions which are executed by the processor to further query the persistent in-memory storage for the requested data set.

16. The system according to claim 13 , the memory storing instructions which are executed by the processor to transmit the first data set of the canonical data format to the second application via the second communication protocol.

17. The system according to claim 13 , further comprising a second data storage in communication with the central computer system, wherein the in-memory persistent data storage is configured to upload stored data sets to the second data storage.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Graham Christopher W
• Patin David L
• Henderson Alistair
• Fisher Mark

Classifications

• G06F3/0652 Primary

  Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket · CPC title

• G06F3/062

  Securing storage systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0683

  Plurality of storage devices · CPC title

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title

• G06F16/258 Primary

  Data format conversion from or to a database · CPC title