Patent ID: 6226666
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
A method of providing a communication infrastructure, for communication between independently executing autonomous agents, each of the agents being managed by an agent-hosting server, between the agents and agent-hosting servers, wherein each of the agent-hosting servers can manage one or more of the agents, and between the agent-hosting servers for a distributed computer system, said method comprising the steps of:communicating mail asynchronously between distributed objects by use of a mail facility layer, the mail facility layer providing a mail object comprising a mail type, a mail identifier, and a mail correlation identifier, the mail identifier uniquely identifying the mail, and the mail correlation identifier associating the mail with another mail;communicating a message between the distributed objects by use of a message facility layer providing asynchronous and synchronous communication of messages; andcommunicating between agents, between agents and agent-hosting servers, and between agent-hosting servers by use of an agent management facility communication layer which manages the agents by locating, dispatching, and retrieving the agentswherein:the agent management communication facility layer uses and depends upon the lower message facility layer and the lower mail facility layer;the message facility layer uses and depends upon the lower mail facility layer;the lower message facility layer and the lower mail facility layer may be used independently of the upper agent management communication facility layer; andthe lower mail facility layer may be used independently of the upper message facility layer.