Patent ID: 6801531
Filing Date: 2004-10-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for processing data generated at an origin node in a network and transmitted to a destination node in the network in accordance with a predetermined process that is distributed throughout the network, comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of processing nodes on the network; parsing the predetermined process into a plurality of sub processes, which sub processes define the predetermined process as a whole, and which sub processes occur in a defined sequence, and distributing the sub processes over the destination, origin and processing nodes such that a portion of the overall predetermined process can be carried out at separate ones of the destination, origin and processing nodes, in accordance with the associated sub process and wherein the sub processes each have associated therewith routing information to the next one of the destination and processing nodes associated with the next one of the sub processes in the defined sequence; generating a process pointer at the origin node that uniquely defines the predetermined process on the network; at the origin node, associating the process pointer with the one of the sub processes operating at the origin node and carrying out the associated sub process and routing the process pointer to a determined one of the destination and processing nodes having associated therewith the next sub process in the defined sequence to be carried out; and at each of the ones of the destination and processing nodes, recognizing the process pointer and, in response thereto, carrying out the associated sub process and then routing the process pointer to a determined one of the destination and processing nodes having associated therewith the next sub process in the defined sequence to be carried out.