Agent system and information processing method for same

• US 6,477,563 B1
• Filed: 04/12/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Takahiro, Ohsuga, Akihiko, Hasegawa, Tetsuo, Irie, Yutaka, Tahara, Yasuyuki, Kase, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US09/289,598
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/201, 709/205, 709/317, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4875 with migration policy, e.g. auction, contract negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system smoothly performing information processing is realized by dynamically making a decision, when it becomes necessary for an agent currently located at a platform to make use of another platform, with regard to whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform. The dynamic decision is made in response to situations, resulting in enabling the unified utilization of mobile and stationary agents. The decision of using either movement or cooperation is typically made based on platform information and agent information. Even if planning changes the plan of an agent and regardless of what agent is using which platform'"'"'s resources, it is possible to easily establish whether movement or cooperation is to be used, based on the platform profile and agent attributes. Such a system can perform information processing in response to changing situations.

Claims

1. A platform which performs information processing in a network that has a plurality of platforms including the platform, the platform comprising:

a movement section configured to cause an agent to move between platforms;

a cooperation section configured to cause cooperation to be performed between a plurality of agents;

a storage section configured to store at least one of a platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and an agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms; and

a decision section configured to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of said platform profile and said agent profile.

2. The platform according to claim 1, wherein said platform profile, for each platform, represents information that includes at least one item selected from a group consisting of:

a) whether there is a function to cause agent movement;

b) whether the reliability of a network circuit related to the platform is high or low;

c) whether it is possible to have an agent exist indefinitely;

d) what types of actions are recognized for an agent;

e) what types of programming languages can be executed;

f) whether the platform will mainly manage processing for agent movement;

g) what types and quantities of resources are to be provided;

h) what types of agents exist;

i) what services are to be provided; and

,

j) from when until when is action to be done.

3. The platform according to claim 1, wherein said agent profile, for each agent, represents information that includes at least one item selected from a group consisting of:

k) whether the agent has the ability to move between platforms;

l) whether processing for agent movement is to be done mainly by the agent;

m) what types and quantities of resources are required by the agent;

n) from when until when is action to be done;

o) in what programming language the agent action is to be described; and

p) what types of services are required by the agent.

4. The platform according to claim 1, further comprising:

a planning section configured to generate an agent plan that satisfies a given request;

an execution section configured to cause an agent to act by causing the agent to execute the generated agent plan;

an agent information storage section configured to store information required for agent action;

an agent management section configured to cause an agent at a platform either to move to another platform or to cooperate with another agent at another platform;

a knowledge storage section configured to store knowledge required for generation of said agent plan, said movement, and said cooperation; and

a knowledge management section configured to manage said knowledge storage section.

5. The platform according to claim 1, further comprising:

an exception handling section configured to handle an exception that occurs when an agent is to be moved between platforms, wherein said exception handling section comprises;

an exception description section configured to store exception descriptions representing what type of handling is to be done for what type of exception; and

a handling section configured to handle an exceptional operation, based on said exception description.

6. The platform according to claim 5, wherein said exception description represents what type of handling is to be done for at least one exception selected from a group consisting of:

(1) an exception that an agent cannot be moved occurs because communication with a platform that has been specified as the movement destination has failed;

(2) an exception that an agent cannot be moved because the movement destination specification is invalid;

(3) an exception that an agent cannot be moved because the platform specified as the movement destination does not have a section configured to accept the agent and causing the agent to act; and

(4) an exception that an agent cannot be moved because of insufficient resources at the platform specified as the movement destination.

7. The platform according to claim 5, wherein said exception description includes:

information with regard to which of a plurality of communication circuits have a low reliability; and

information that represents what type of handling is to be done with respect to an exception that can occur when an agent is moved between platforms through a low-reliability communication circuit.

8. The platform according to claim 1, said decision section further comprising a section configured to make a judgment as to whether a procedure for moving an agent is to be managed mainly by the agent, or is to be managed mainly by a platform.

9. The platform according to claim 1, said decision section further comprising a section configured to make a judgment as to whether to move an agent immediately when the agent is to be moved to another platform.

10. The platform according to claim 1, said decision section further comprising a section, when there exist a plurality of platform candidates for the movement destination, configured to select a platform from said plurality of candidates to which the movement is made.

11. The platform according to claim 1, said decision section further comprising a section, when an agent is to be moved to a plurality of platforms in sequence, configured to determine the sequence of the platforms to which the agent is to be moved.

12. The platform according to claim 1, wherein said platform includes;

a section configured to make a judgment as to whether to cause an agent at the platform to move to another platform or to cause another agent at the other platform to move to the platform; and

a section configured to indicate a result of the judgement to the agent to be moved.

13. An information processing method for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said method comprising

making a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;

causing the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;

causing the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made; and

providing at least one of platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and an agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms.

14. The information processing method according to claim 13, further comprising:

generating an agent plan that satisfies a given request;

causing an agent to act by causing the agent to execute a generated plan;

storing and reading out information required for action of an agent;

causing an agent at a platform either to move to another platform or to cooperate with another agent at another platform;

storing and reading out knowledge required for generation of said agent plan, said movement, and said cooperation; and

managing said storing and reading of said knowledge.

15. The information processing method according to claim 13, further comprising making a judgment as to whether a procedure for moving an agent is to be managed mainly by the agent, or is to be managed mainly by a platform.

16. The information processing method according to claim 13, further comprising making a judgment as to whether to move an agent immediately when the agent is to be moved to another platform.

17. The information processing method according to claim 13, further comprising:

making a judgment by a platform as to whether to cause an agent at the platform to move to another platform or to cause another agent at the other platform to move to the platform; and

indicating by the platform a result of the judgment to the agent to be moved.

18. Computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program further comprising:

means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;

means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;

means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made; and

means for causing a computer to manage at least one of platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and an agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms.

19. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, said program further comprising means for causing a computer to make a judgement as to whether a procedure for moving an agent is to be managed mainly by the agent, or is to be managed mainly by a platform.