Patent · US Expired

Automatic checking of public contracts and private constraints on distributed objects

US6336148B1 · kind B1 · utility

20Cited by
6References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 25, 1996
Grant dateJan 1, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 25, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L67/10
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In a distributed system, a method and apparatus for automatically checking objects according to a specification which includes public contracts and private constraints. Public contracts are obeyed by both client and server, while private constraints are obeyed by either client or server, but for a given private constraint, not by both. At each and every stage of a client-to-server or server-to-client transaction or “call”, the objects or parameters related to call are automatically checked to ensure a specification is met. A client-side stub on the client automatically generates and executes checking code to check both private client-side constraints and public contracts on the client prior to network transfer to a server. The server has a server-side skeleton which intercepts the call and objects. The server-side skeleton performs checking by code automatically generated to check the public contracts, if any, with client and any private server-side constraints. Once checking is complete, the call is processed and a server “return” is the result. The return object is then transferred across the network to the client. The client-side stub then performs automa…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.