Method and Apparatus for Data Transfer Across a Network

• US 20080222652A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Orchard, James Ronald Lewis, Lambert, Howard Shelton
• Granted Patent: US 8,191,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

Provided are methods, computer programs and apparatus for communication in a distributed object-oriented data processing environment. Requests for retrieval of data items from another data processing apparatus include embedded objects having executable class functions for performing operations at the target data processing apparatus. This has the advantages of the request implicitly sending data as well as requesting data and allows the request to perform a test on data within a object (such as a comparison with parameters of the request to determine whether the request can be satisfied). Objects within the request can be embedded within each other with different encryption and compression applied to the different objects. As well as achieving communication efficiencies, the ability to selectively encrypt components of a request can be used to provide greater security. For example a store may be able to interpret the request, but credit details may be separately encrypted such that only a bank can decrypt that subcomponent of the request.

Claims

1. A method for communication in a distributed object-oriented data processing environment, comprising:

sending from a first data processing apparatus to a second data processing apparatus a request for retrieval of an item from the second data processing apparatus, the request including a first object which is targeted at a data processing object of the second data processing apparatus, the first object including data and an executable class function for applying a test condition to data within the target data processing object;

responsive to receipt of the first object at the second data processing apparatus, executing the class function to apply the test condition;

responsive to a positive result from the test, generating a positive reply to the item request and sending the positive reply from the second data processing apparatus to the first data processing apparatus.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first object includes a data item identifier, a test condition and one or more data parameter values of a specified data type, said class function operating on the identifier, test condition and data values to test whether a data item within the target data processing object corresponds to the identifier and satisfies the test condition.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said positive reply to said item request includes the requested item.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said test condition comprises a comparison between data within the first object and data within the target data processing object.

5. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of:

in responsive to said positive test result, generating a second object implementing a verification request and sending the second object to a remote data processing apparatus to perform the requested verification check; and

sending a result of the verification check to the second data processing apparatus;

wherein the positive reply to the item request is generated in response to a positive verification result.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said generated second object includes a sub-component of the first object.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said sub-component includes financial information relevant to a user of the first data processing apparatus, a verification of said financial information being performed at the remote data processing apparatus.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the financial information is encapsulated within an embedded object of said first object, said embedded object instantiating a class which includes an executable class function for encoding the embedded object in accordance with set security attributes, for transmission in a secure form from said first data processing apparatus to said remote data processing apparatus.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first object instantiates a class which includes a class function for encoding the first object for transmission from the first data processing apparatus to the second data processing apparatus, and a class function for restoring itself when received at the second data processing apparatus.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein, responsive to attributes having been set for the first object, said encoding of the first object is performed in accordance with said attributes.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein a first sender computer program at the first data processing apparatus is responsible for sending the first object, the first sender computer program being responsive to said set attributes to create an attributes object and to associate the attributes object with the first object.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said attributes include security attributes and said class function for encoding is adapted to encode the first object in a secure form.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said attributes include a compression attribute and said class function for encoding is adapted to encode the first object in a compressed form.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first object instantiates an object class which includes a class function for object embedding, such that said first object can include one or more embedded objects, and wherein different attributes can be set for each embedded object.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the target data processing object instantiates a class which includes one or more class functions for performing operations in response to receipt of the first object.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said one or more class functions include a class function for responding to the received first object by generating a second object and sending it to a remote data processing apparatus, and for generating and sending the reply to the first data processing object in response to a reply from the remote data processing apparatus.

18. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 16, wherein said means for transmitting includes means for invoking an object encoding function within said first object for encoding said generated object for transmission, and said means for receiving includes means for invoking a restore function for decoding and restoring received encoded objects.

17. An object-oriented communication manager for managing transmission of communications from a first data processing apparatus, and for managing receipt of communications at said first data processing apparatus, the communication manager comprising:

means for generating a request for retrieval of an item from a second data processing apparatus, including means for instantiating a first object class to generate an object for inclusion within said request, the generated object comprising data and an executable class function for applying a test condition to data within a target data processing object;

means for transmitting the request including said generated object to the target data processing object; and

means for receiving a reply from the target data processing object.

19. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 17, including:

means, responsive to an attribute being specified for the generated object, for instantiating an attribute class to generate an attributes object and associate it with a generated object, the attribute object including an executable class function for processing the generated object for transmission.

20. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 19, wherein the specified attribute is a cryptor attribute, the attribute class is a cryptor class and the instantiated attribute object includes an executable class function for applying an encryption algorithm to encrypt the generated object for secure transmission.

21. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 19, wherein the specified attribute is a compressor attribute, the attribute class is a compressor class and the instantiated attribute object includes an executable class function for applying a compression algorithm to compress the generated object for efficient transmission.

22. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 17, wherein said first object class includes a class function for embedding one or more objects within said generated object.

23. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 22, including means for setting separate security attributes for each embedded object and means for associating a separate attribute object with each embedded object for which security attributes have been set.

24. An object-oriented communication manager according to claim 22, including means for setting separate compression attributes for each embedded object and means for associating a separate attribute object with each embedded object for which a compression attribute has been set.

25. A computer program product, comprising program code recorded on a machine-readable recording medium, for controlling the operation of a data processing apparatus on which the program code runs to manage communications to and from the data processing apparatus, the program code comprising:

program code for generating a request for retrieval of an item from a second data processing apparatus, including program code for instantiating a first object class to generate an object for inclusion within said request, the generated object comprising an executable class function for applying a test condition to data within a target data processing object;

program code for transmitting the request including said generated object to the target data processing object; and

program code for receiving a reply from the target data processing object.

26. A data processing apparatus including means for managing transmission of communications from said apparatus and for managing receipt of communications by said apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a request for retrieval of an item from a second data processing apparatus, including program code for instantiating a first object class to generate an object for inclusion within said request, the generated object comprising an executable class function for applying a test condition to data within a target data processing object;

means for transmitting the request including the generated object to the target data processing object; and

means for receiving a reply from the target data processing object.

27. A data processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said generated object includes an executable class function for encoding the generated object for transmission from said apparatus to a second data processing apparatus via a communications link and an executable class function for restoring the generated object when received at the second data processing apparatus.

28. A method for ordering goods or services using transmission of objects via a communication network, the transmitted objects including executable class functions and data, the method comprising:

sending a request for goods or services from a first data processing apparatus to a target data processing object at a second data processing apparatus, the request comprising a first object including data and an executable class function which is responsive to receipt of the request at the second data processing apparatus to process data within the target data processing object to determine whether the request can be satisfied; and

receiving a reply to said request which reply includes the result of said determination.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the method includes embedding an object within the first object, the embedded object including an executable class function which is adapted to be executed in response to a positive determination that the request can be satisfied.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein the method includes:

embedding credit details within a request for goods and services as an embedded object within the first object;

setting separate security attributes for the embedded object and the first object; and

encoding each of the embedded object and the first object in accordance with their respective security attributes, for transmission from the first data processing apparatus to the second data processing apparatus.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein said first object instantiates an object class including a class function for performing said encoding for transmission.

32. A method according to claim 30, wherein said security attributes for an embedded object include a required cryptor which is used to encrypt the embedded object for subsequent decryption by a target communication partner authorized to decrypt the embedded object, the target communication partner being different from said target data processing object.

33. A method for communication in a distributed object-oriented data processing environment, comprising:

sending from a first data processing apparatus to a second data processing apparatus a request for retrieval of an item from the second data processing apparatus, the request including a first object which includes an executable class function for performing an operation at the second data processing apparatus; and

responsive to receipt of the first object at the second data processing apparatus, executing the class function to perform the operation, generating a reply to the request and sending said reply from the second data processing apparatus to the first data processing apparatus.