Method and apparatus for creating, sending, and using self-descriptive objects as messages over a message queuing network

• US 20050071316A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Caron, Ilan Gabriel
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

An invention for creating, sending, and using self-descriptive objects as messages over a network is disclosed. In an embodiment of the present invention, self-descriptive persistent dictionary objects are serialized and sent as messages across a message queuing network. The receiving messaging system unserializes the message object, and passes the object to the destination application. The application then queries or enumerates message elements from the instantiated persistent dictionary, and performs the programmed response. Using these self-descriptive objects as messages, the sending and receiving applications no longer rely on an a priori convention or a special-coding serialization scheme. Rather, messaging applications can communicate arbitrary objects in a standard way with no prior agreement as to the nature and semantics of message contents.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

a) a first data field containing at least one data item;

b) a second data field containing data representing a location;

c) a third data field containing data representing a count of the at least one data item;

d) a fourth data field containing data representing at least one first instruction to manipulate the at least one data item;

e) a fifth data field containing data representing at least one second instruction to serialize the data structure; and

f) a sixth data field containing data representing at least one third instruction to deserialize the data structure.

2. The data structure as in claim 1, wherein the at least one data item includes at least one of a value and a type identifier.

3. The data structure as in claim 1, wherein the at least one first instruction includes an instruction to add data to the first data field.

4. The data structure as in claim 1, wherein the at least one first instruction includes an instruction to lookup data contained in the first data field.

5. The data structure as in claim 4, wherein the at least one first instruction includes at least one of the group consisting of:

an add instruction, a remove instruction, and an enumerate instruction.

6. The data structure as in claim 1, wherein the data structure is a dictionary object.

7. One or more computer-readable media containing executable instructions that, when implemented, perform a method comprising:

a) receiving a self-descriptive object comprising at least one data item, data representing at least one location of a type indicator of the at least one data item, a count of the at least one data item, at least one first instruction to manipulate the at least one data item, at least one second instruction to serialize the self-descriptive object, and at least one third instruction to deserialize the self-descriptive object;

b) invoking the at least one third instruction to deserialize the self-descriptive object;

c) sending the deserialized self-descriptive object to a recipient; and

d) the recipient sending a query to the at least one address of the at least one type identifier of the at least one data item in response to discovering an unknown type identifier.

8. The method as in claim 7, further comprising invoking the at least one second instruction to serialize the self-descriptive object.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising sending the serialized self-descriptive object to a process.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the process is an application.

11. The method as in claim 9, wherein the process is a client of a server.

12. The method as in claim 7, wherein the recipient is an application.

13. The method as in claim 7, wherein the at least one first instruction includes an add instruction, a remove instruction, a lookup instruction, and an enumerate instruction.

14. The method as in claim 7, wherein the at least one first instruction includes at least one of the group consisting of:

an add instruction, a remove instruction, a lookup instruction, and an enumerate instruction.

15. The method as in claim 7, wherein the at least one data item includes a name, a type, and a value.

16. A system comprising:

a) a database which stores generic data;

b) a memory in which machine instructions are stored; and

c) a processor that is coupled to the database and the memory, the processor executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including;

i) receiving a self-descriptive object comprising at least one data item, at least one location, a count of the at least one data item, at least one first instruction to manipulate the at least one data item, at least one second instruction to serialize the self-descriptive object, and at least one third instruction to deserialize the self-descriptive object;

ii) determining if the self-descriptive object includes at least one unknown type indicator; and

iii) sending a query to the at least one location of the at least one type identifier in response to a discovery of at least one unknown type indicator.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the at least one data item includes a name, a type, and a value.

18. The system as in claim 16, wherein the at least one first instruction includes at least one of the group consisting of:

an add instruction;

a remove instruction;

a lookup instruction;

an enumerate instruction.

19. The system as in claim 16, further comprising the system deserializing the self-descriptive object.

20. The system as in claim 16, further comprising the system identifying the unknown type indicator based on a response to the query.