Software agent system for acquiring information from server arranged on network

• US 6,505,231 B1
• Filed: 06/18/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Maruyama, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/336,128
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/217-219, 709/223-224, 709/226, 709/229, 709/316-317, 707/9-10, 713/200-202, 717/100, 717/127-128
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate
• 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 plurality of information sources are arranged on a network. An agent program is self-transferred to access the plurality of information sources for executing an information acquiring process. An information service 1 is connected with the network to store an access condition to the plurality of information sources. An agent program 3 is transferred to one of the plurality of information sources according to the access condition necessary for acquiring the information, when the agent program is inputted to the information service 1, and begins the information acquiring process to acquire the information.

Claims

1. A software agent system for acquiring information from information sources arranged on a network, comprising:

a plurality of information sources arranged on a network;

an agent program which is self-transferred to access the plurality of information sources for executing an information acquiring process;

an information service connected with the network, for storing an access condition to the plurality of information sources;

wherein the agent program is transferred to one of the plurality of information sources according to the access condition necessary for acquiring the information, when the agent program is inputted to the information service, and begins the information acquiring process to acquire the information.

2. The software agent system according to claim 1, the agent program is serialized that the program is transferred as a file while a variable in the program and a work area is retained.