METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMICALLY DEPLOYING SOFTWARE AGENTS

• US 20150120926A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Relativity ODA LLC
• Original Assignee: kCura Corporation
• Inventors: Wells, Daniel, McCarty, Kevin, Hogan, Christopher, Makowski, Konrad, Smits, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 9,749,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4806 Task transfer initiation or dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for dynamically deploying software agents are disclosed. For example, a user of an electronic record management system may deploy a plurality of different background processes (e.g., OCR, dedup, etc.) that may each take several hours to complete. Subsequently, the user may decide to change the number of servers dedicated to one or more background process. In addition, the user may decide to deploy additional background processes. Neither of these user actions interrupts any of the background processes.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically deploying software agents in an electronic record management system, the method comprising:

receiving a first electronic record management software agent at a deployment server;

receiving a first number via a user interface indicative of a first amount of computing resources;

creating a first isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the first amount of computing resources;

executing the first electronic record management software agent as a first background process in the first isolated area on the first amount of computing resources;

receiving a second number via the user interface indicative of a second amount of computing resources;

creating a second isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the second amount of computing resources; and

transitioning to executing the first electronic record management software agent as the first background process in the second isolated area on the second amount of computing resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the electronic record management software agent produces an output used in a legal document production process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first electronic record management software agent includes receiving software instructions and database schema.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second electronic record management software agent at the deployment server;

receiving a third number via the user interface indicative of a third amount of computing resources;

creating a third isolated area for executing the second electronic record management software agent in the third amount of computing resources;

executing the second electronic record management software agent as a second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources;

receiving a fourth number via the user interface indicative of a fourth amount of computing resources; and

transitioning to executing the second electronic record management software agent as the second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the third amount of computing resources.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the fourth amount of computing resources.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first electronic record management software agent is from a first business entity and the second electronic record management software agent is from a second different business entity

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the second electronic record management software agent is a new version of the first electronic record management software agent.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent after the first electronic record management software agent executes as the first background process on the first amount of computing resources; and

executing the instructions on the first electronic record management software agent.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first electronic record management software agent and the second electronic record management software agent execute continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent are received and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the instructions are executed.

11. An apparatus for dynamically deploying software agents in an electronic record management system, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a network interface operatively coupled to the processor; and

a memory device operatively coupled to the processor, the memory device storing instructions to cause the processor to;

receive a first electronic record management software agent at a deployment server;

receive a first number via a user interface indicative of a first amount of computing resources;

create a first isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the first amount of computing resources;

execute the first electronic record management software agent as a first background process in the first isolated area on the first amount of computing resources;

receive a second number via the user interface indicative of a second amount of computing resources;

create a second isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the second amount of computing resources; and

transition to executing the first electronic record management software agent as the first background process in the second isolated area on the second amount of computing resources.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to produce an output used in a legal document production process.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to receive software instructions and database schema.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to:

receive a second electronic record management software agent at the deployment server;

receive a third number via the user interface indicative of a third amount of computing resources;

create a third isolated area for executing the second electronic record management software agent in the third amount of computing resources;

execute the second electronic record management software agent as a second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources;

receive a fourth number via the user interface indicative of a fourth amount of computing resources; and

transition to executing the second electronic record management software agent as the second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the third amount of computing resources.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the fourth amount of computing resources.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first electronic record management software agent is from a first business entity and the second electronic record management software agent is from a second different business entity

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second electronic record management software agent is a new version of the first electronic record management software agent.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to:

receive instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent after the first electronic record management software agent executes as the first background process on the first amount of computing resources; and

execute the instructions on the first electronic record management software agent.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first electronic record management software agent and the second electronic record management software agent execute continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent are received and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the instructions are executed.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions structured to cause a computing device to:

receive a first electronic record management software agent at a deployment server;

receive a first number via a user interface indicative of a first amount of computing resources;

create a first isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the first amount of computing resources;

execute the first electronic record management software agent as a first background process in the first isolated area on the first amount of computing resources;

receive a second number via the user interface indicative of a second amount of computing resources;

create a second isolated area for executing the first electronic record management software agent in the second amount of computing resources; and

transition to executing the first electronic record management software agent as the first background process in the second isolated area on the second amount of computing resources.

22. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 21, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to produce an output used in a legal document production process.

23. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 21, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to receive software instructions and database schema.

24. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 21, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to:

receive a second electronic record management software agent at the deployment server;

receive a third number via the user interface indicative of a third amount of computing resources;

create a third isolated area for executing the second electronic record management software agent in the third amount of computing resources;

execute the second electronic record management software agent as a second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources;

receive a fourth number via the user interface indicative of a fourth amount of computing resources; and

transition to executing the second electronic record management software agent as the second background process in the third isolated area on the third amount of computing resources.

25. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 24, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the third amount of computing resources.

26. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 24, wherein the first electronic record management software agent executes continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent is received at the deployment server and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the second electronic record management software agent executes as the second background process on the fourth amount of computing resources.

27. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 24, wherein the first electronic record management software agent is from a first business entity and the second electronic record management software agent is from a second different business entity

28. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 24, wherein the second electronic record management software agent is a new version of the first electronic record management software agent.

29. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 24, wherein the instructions are structured to cause the processor to:

receive instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent after the first electronic record management software agent executes as the first background process on the first amount of computing resources; and

execute the instructions on the first electronic record management software agent.

30. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 29, wherein the first electronic record management software agent and the second electronic record management software agent execute continuously from (i) a first time coinciding with when the instructions to modify the first electronic record management software agent are received and (ii) a second time coinciding with when the instructions are executed.