METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING A SPECIFIC DATA PATTERN CONTAINED IN A CHARACTER STRING

Abstract

One aspect of the invention relates to a method 100 for detecting a specific data pattern 2 from an initial string of characters, the method 100 comprising the steps, executed by a data analyzer, of: Receiving 101 an initial string of characters; Identifying 102, from the received initial string of characters, a type of string of characters; Selecting 103, from the identified type of string of characters, a hierarchical step tree associated with the identified type of string of characters; Identifying 104 a specific data pattern 2 from the received initial string of characters, the identification being carried out by executing steps of said selected step tree. Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING A SPECIFIC DATA PATTERN CONTAINED IN A CHARACTER STRING TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for identifying a specific data pattern contained in a string of characters. The invention finds a particularly interesting, but not exclusive, application in the field of credit card data processing. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] For large-scale data processing, it is known that data analyzers are configured to automatically extract a desired data pattern from a large volume of data.

[0003] Such a data analyzer must be able to analyze different types of data using different computer languages ​​and different types of encoding.

[0004] To be effective and able to extract any type of pattern from data, a data analyzer must store all existing computer languages ​​and encodings and check in each string of characters, contained for example in a computer message or a computer file, what type of language and encoding is used.

[0005] However, the same string of characters can use different languages ​​and / or encodings. Thus, these operations for detecting a data pattern can be resource-intensive and require considerable processing time. Summary of the invention

[0006] The invention offers a solution to the problem mentioned above, by proposing a method for quickly identifying a specific data pattern contained in a string of characters that is not very resource-intensive.

[0007] In this context, the invention thus relates, in its broadest sense, to a method for identifying a specific data pattern contained in an initial string of characters, the method comprising the steps, executed by a data analyzer, of: • Receive an initial string of characters; • Identify, from the initial received string of characters, a type of string of characters; • Select, from said identified string type, a hierarchical step tree associated with said identified string type; • Identify a specific data pattern contained in said initial received string, said identification being carried out by executing the steps of said selected step tree.

[0008] Thanks to the invention, since a list of hierarchical steps is predetermined for each type of character string, it is not necessary, in order to detect a given data pattern, to compare each language and each encoding one by one with an initial received character string. It is sufficient to select the step tree adapted to the type of character string and to execute the steps of the tree one after the other.

[0009] The data processing time to detect a specific data pattern in an identified string of characters is therefore reduced.

[0010] In addition, since this process requires few data processing operations, it consumes few computing resources.

[0011] In addition to the characteristics just mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the process according to this aspect of the invention may have one or more complementary characteristics from among the following, considered individually or according to all technically possible combinations.

[0012] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the determined data pattern contains information relating to a credit card.

[0013] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the information relating to a credit card forms a credit card number also known by the acronym PAN (for "Primary Account Number" in English) and / or a visual cryptogram, also known by the acronyms CW (for "Card Verification Value" in English), CVC (for "Card Verification Code" in English) or CSC (for "Card Security Code" in English).

[0014] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the determined data pattern can be formed from any character string reduced in relation to the initial character string.

[0015] The determined data pattern may, for example, contain information relating to a passport.

[0016] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the step tree comprises two types of steps, a first type of detection step and a second type of coding step.

[0017] For the remainder of the description, a coding step is understood to mean an encoding or decoding step.

[0018] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the hierarchical steps receive input data to be processed, the input data to be processed of the steps of rank N being the data processed by the steps of rank Nl on which they depend.

[0019] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, for at least one detection step a computer language of the JSON or XML type is used.

[0020] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, for at least one detection step, a Regex type function is executed.

[0021] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, for at least one coding step, Base64 type coding is performed.

[0022] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the method comprises the additional steps of: • Substitute, in the initial character string, the determined data pattern identified by another determined data pattern; • Execute the steps of the selected step tree in reverse order.

[0023] Another non-limiting aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product downloadable from a communication network and / or stored on a computer-readable medium and / or executable by a processor, said computer program product being notable in that it includes program code instructions for implementing the method according to any one of the aforementioned aspects of the invention, when the program is executed on a computer.

[0024] The invention and its various applications will be better understood upon reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0025] The figures are presented by way of illustration and in no way limit the invention.

[0026] [Fig. 1] illustrates the steps of a method for identifying a specific data pattern contained in an initial string of characters according to a non-limiting aspect of the invention.

[0027] [Fig.2] illustrates a non-limiting example of an initial string of characters processed by the method according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a non-limiting example of a method 100 for identifying a specific data pattern contained in an initial string of characters.

[0029] The steps of the process 100 according to the invention are executed by a data analyzer. This data analyzer can be formed by a hardware or software server.

[0030] The process 100 includes a first step of receiving 101 an initial string of characters 1 such as that illustrated in [Fig.2]. This initial string of characters 1 forms, in this non-limiting embodiment example, a message.

[0031] Following the reception of this initial string of characters 1, the process 100 executes a step of identifying 102, from the initial string of characters received 1, a type of string of characters.

[0032] Then, once the type of character string is identified, the process 100 executes a step of selecting 103 a hierarchical step tree associated with the type of character string identified.

[0033] In other words, in method 100 according to the invention, a predetermined list of hierarchical steps is associated with each type of character string. Thus, once the type of character string is identified, the data analyzer searches a database for the step tree associated with that identified type of character string.

[0034] The process 100 then includes a step of identifying 104 a determined data pattern 2 of the initial character string 1 received, said identification being carried out by executing the steps of the selected step tree.

[0035] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the step tree comprises two types of steps, a first type of detection step and a second type of coding steps.

[0036] A coding step is understood to mean an encoding or decoding step.

[0037] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the tree detection steps steps can be executed using a Regex type function or a computer language such as JSON or XML.

[0038] According to a non-limiting aspect of the invention, the coding steps of the step tree can be executed using Base64 type coding.

[0039] According to a non-limiting embodiment in accordance with that illustrated in [Fig. 1], the step tree comprises a first step of detecting 104i, from the initial character string 1 received, a first extract of characters Eb a second extract of characters E2 and a third extract of characters E3 each comprising the first determined data pattern 2.

[0040] In this embodiment example, the first, second and third character extracts Eb E2, E3 are detected by means of a first determined computer language of type XML.

[0041] The step tree also includes a step to decode the first, second, and third detected character extracts EB E2, E3. This decoding step can be performed using Base64 encoding. In the example illustrated, only the first extract of characters Ei can be decoded using Base64 type encoding.

[0042] The step tree also includes a step to detect 1043, in the first decoded character extract Ei D, the determined data pattern 2. This detection can be carried out, for example, using a JSON-type language.

[0043] This detection step therefore makes it possible to identify the determined data pattern 2 contained in the first character extract Ei

[0044] The step tree also includes a step 1044 of detecting, by means of a determined language of type JSON, in the first, second and third detected character extracts Eb E2, E3, a first reduced character extract E5, a second reduced character extract E6 and a third reduced character extract containing the determined data pattern 2. In this non-limiting embodiment example, only a first reduced character extract E5 and a second reduced character extract E6 are detected.

[0045] The step tree also includes a step to detect, using a Regex-type function, the determined data pattern 2 in the first and second reduced character extracts E5 and E6. In the illustrated example, only the determined data pattern 2 contained in the first reduced character extract E5 can be detected using the Regex-type function. This detection step therefore makes it possible to identify the determined data pattern 2 contained in the second character extract E2.

[0046] The step tree also includes a step 1046 of decoding the first and second reduced character extracts E5, E6, using a determined Base64-type encoding. In the illustrated example, only the second reduced character extract E6 can be decoded using the Base64-type encoding. This decoding step therefore makes it possible to identify the determined data pattern 2 contained in the third character extract E3

[0047] According to this embodiment, each of the determined data patterns 2 identified contains information relating to a credit card and more particularly forms a credit card number.

[0048] Since this information contained in the determined data pattern 2 is confidential, when it is not needed for the processing of the message (formed by the initial string of characters 1) by a service application, for example to print a flight ticket, it may be useful to substitute it with other non-confidential information before transmitting it to the service application.

[0049] In this case, the method 100 includes a step of substituting 105, in the initial character string 1, the determined data pattern 2 detected by another pattern of data determined, said substitution being carried out by executing steps of the selected step tree in reverse order.

[0050] The various aspects of the aforementioned invention offer numerous advantages. Among these, we can mention: • Quickly identify a specific data pattern in a string of characters; • Identify a specific data pattern in a string of characters using minimal computing resources; • Increase the security of confidential data when transmitting the initial string of characters to a service application that does not use the confidential information; • Requires little storage; and • Requires little maintenance.

Claims

Demands

1. A method (100) for detecting a specified data pattern (2) contained in an initial character string (1), said method (100) comprising the steps, executed by a data parser, of: - Receiving (101) an initial character string (1); - Identifying (102), from said received initial character string (1), a type of character string; - Selecting (103), from said identified type of character string, a hierarchical step tree associated with said identified type of character string; - Identifying (104) a specified data pattern (2) contained in said received initial character string (1), said identification being carried out by executing the steps of said selected step tree.

2. Method (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the determined data pattern (2) contains information relating to a credit card.

3. Method (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the information relating to a credit card forms a credit card number and / or a visual cryptogram.

4. Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the determined data pattern (2) can be formed from any character string reduced in relation to the initial character string.

5. Method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step tree comprises two types of steps, a first type of detection step and a second type of coding step.

6. A method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hierarchical steps receive input data to be processed, the input data to be processed of the steps of rank N being the data processed by the steps of rank Nl on which they depend.

7. Method (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that for at least one detection step, a computer language of type JSON or XML is used or a Regex function is executed.

8. Method (100) according to any one of claims 5 or 7, characterized in that for at least one coding step, Base64 type coding is performed.

9. A method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: - Substituting (105), in the initial string of characters (1), the determined data pattern (2) identified by another determined data pattern; - Executing (106) the steps of the selected step tree in reverse order.

10. Product computer program downloadable from a communication network and / or recorded on a computer-readable medium and / or executable by a processor, characterized in that it includes program code instructions for implementing the method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, when the program is executed on a computer.

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