Flexible multi-agent system architecture
First Claim
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1. A service component for a software agent, the service component being arranged to enable a client agent to interact with a server agent when requesting a service, the service component comprising:
- a plurality of role components arranged to perform a service interaction between the client agent and the server agent, at least one of said plurality of role components being arranged to be loaded onto said client agent and at least one of said plurality of role components being arranged to be loaded on to said server agent as appropriate for the interaction, the loaded role components being arranged to provide the client and server agents with information on one or more interaction requirements to enable the requested service to be provided.
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Abstract
A service component enables client/server interactions even when information on the content language and/or interaction protocol required for the service the client agent has requested from the service agent is not known a priori. The service component has a generic structure comprising a plurality of role components which perform the service interaction between the client agent and the server agent and which provide sufficient information on the interaction requirements to enable the requested service to be provided.
31 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A service component for a software agent, the service component being arranged to enable a client agent to interact with a server agent when requesting a service, the service component comprising:
a plurality of role components arranged to perform a service interaction between the client agent and the server agent, at least one of said plurality of role components being arranged to be loaded onto said client agent and at least one of said plurality of role components being arranged to be loaded on to said server agent as appropriate for the interaction, the loaded role components being arranged to provide the client and server agents with information on one or more interaction requirements to enable the requested service to be provided. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13)
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11. A service component for a software agent, the service component being arranged to enable a user to request a service using a client agent, the client agent arranged to interact with a server agent when requesting the service, the service component comprising:
a plurality of role components arranged to perform a service interaction between the client agent and the server agent, at least one of the plurality of role components providing the client agent and at least one of the plurality of role components providing the server agent with respectively appropriate information on one or more interaction requirements to enable the requested service to be provided, wherein the service component is dynamically installed into at least one of the client and server agents when these agents are already running. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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14. An agent internal architecture for dynamically installing and executing role components, the architecture comprising:
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a Co-ordinator controller;
a Load manager;
a Component installer; and
a Package manager.
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15. A method of providing a user with access on demand to a remote service, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a client agent for the user to request the service from a server agent;
providing the client agent with at least one service component arranged to modify the client agent to enable the client agent to interact with the server agent when requesting the service;
forwarding the modified client agent to a broker to enable the server agent and modified client agent to interact; and
responding to the client agent'"'"'s request to provide the requested service, wherein the service component provided comprises;
a plurality of role components arranged to perform service interactions between the client agent and the server agent, the role components providing the client and server agents with information on the interaction requirements to enable the requested service to be provided. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A method of providing one or more role components to a software agent participating or seeking to participate in an inter-agent interaction in a multi-agent system architecture, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining at least one of a plurality of role components to be used by a service component of said software agent when required for participation in the inter-agent interaction;
identifying a mediator agent in the multi-agent system which is capable of providing at least one role component required by the software agent for participation in the inter-agent interaction, the mediator being identified by means of a service component description as having a suitable role component for the service component;
dynamically installing the at least one role component provided by the mediator agent on the software agent; and
loading the at least one role component on the software agent to enable the software agent to participate in the inter-agent interaction. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A software agent role component management scheme, the scheme comprising the steps of:
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determining whether if one or more role components are stored in a downloaded form in a local component storage element; and
if a downloaded role component is found in a local component storage element, determining if the downloaded role component is an Initiator role component; and
if the downloaded role component is an Initiator role component, performing a version check of the downloaded Initiator role component; and
if the downloaded role component is not an Initiator role component, locating a Mediator agent having at least one Initiator role component;
downloading at least one Initiator role component from the Mediator Agent;
packaging at least one downloaded Initiator role component into local component storage; and
instantiating the downloaded Initiator role component.
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21. A mediator agent arranged to mediate between an initiator agent and at least one respondent agent in a multi-agent system, the mediator agent being arranged to identify one or more role components provided by a service component of the a multi-agent system which will enable said initiator agent to request a service from at least one respondent agent within the multi-agent system, the mediator agent comprising:
means to provide said one or more identified role components to the client agent, wherein once the role component is loaded on the client agent, the client agent is provided with information which enables the requested service to be provided by the respondent agent.
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22. A multi-agent system comprising one or more service components, each service component arranged to enable a client agent to request a service from a service agent within the multi-agent system, the system including:
a mediator agent arranged to provide a role component to the client agent, wherein once the role component is loaded on the client agent, the client agent is provided with information which enables the service to be provided by the service agent. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
Specification