PROCESSING INFORMATION QUERIES IN A DISTRIBUTED INFORMATION PROCESSING ENVIRONMENT

摘要

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for handling or managing delayed answers to shopping requests directed to travel content provider platforms. A query processing server of a travel reservation system receives a multi-provider shopping request from an inquiring entity, such as a travel agency, and directs it to a content provider platform, such a platform of a rental car agency. If the content provider platform responds within a given time limit, the query processing server forwards the response to the inquiring entity and updates cache data based upon the response. If the content provider platform does not respond within the given time limit, the query processing server forwards a cache-based response to the inquiring entity. If the content provider platform responds after the given time limit has exceeded, the query processing server updates the cached data to reflect to the belated response from the content provider platform.

主权项

1. A method of handling a shopping request at a travel reservation system, the method comprising:
receiving the shopping request from an inquiring entity at a query processing server of the travel reservation system; directing the shopping request from the query processing server to a first platform of a first travel content provider; if the query processing server receives a first response to the shopping request from the first platform within a given time limit, forwarding the first response from the query processing server to the inquiring entity; if the first platform fails to respond to the query processing server within a given time limit, forwarding a second response to the shopping request from the query processing server to the inquiring entity based upon query response data stored in a cache at the query processing server; and if the query processing server receives a third response to the shopping request from the first platform after the given time limit has been exceeded, updating the query response data for the first travel content provider in the cache at the query processing server based upon the third response.