Patent ID: 6012083
Filing Date: 2000-01-04
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of document retrieval and manipulation using a document agency that is interposed between at least clients and servers and that uses software agents to perform at least server tasks, client tasks and proxy tasks, the method comprising the steps of:accepting document requests from clients at the document agency;accepting responses from servers at the document agency;creating transactions in a transaction queue local to the document agency in response to received document requests received by the document agency from the clients;creating transactions in a transaction queue in response to received responses received by the document agency from the servers;maintaining an agent array, onto which array agents can be added and removed by an agent registrar at the document agency, wherein the agent registrar is independent of the clients and the servers;matching each transaction in the transaction queue with one or more matching agents from the agent array, wherein the matching step is done at the document agency;processing said each transaction with each matching agent to extract information from the transaction, modify the transaction or create new transactions to be added to the transaction queue;when a transaction represents a document request, using a matching agent or a satisfying agent to send the document request to a server; andwhen a transaction represents a document response, using a matching agent or a satisfying agent to send the document response to a client.