Patent · US Expired

Distributed agent software system and method having enhanced process mobility and communication in a computer network

US6496871B1 · kind B1 · utility

148Cited by
9References
69Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 30, 1998
Grant dateDec 17, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 30, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4862
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A distributed software system and method are provided for use with a plurality of potentially heterogeneous computer machines connected as a network. The system may comprise at least one agent comprising a protection domain, wherein the protection domain of the at least one agent resides on at least two of the plurality of computer machines. A plurality of objects is contained within the protection domain of the at least one agent, a first object residing on a first of the at least two computer machines and a second object residing on a second of the at least two computer machines. The objects are selectively movable among the at least two computer machines by a programmer of the system. The first object on the first computer machine may access the second object on the second computer machine in a location-transparent or network-transparent manner; that is, without knowledge of the physical address of the second object on the second computer machine and regardless of the selective movement of either the first object or the second object among the first and second computer machines. The agent is mobile and may migrate, in whole or in part, to any other machine or machines in the net…

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