Distributed computer database system and method employing intelligent agents

• US 6,535,881 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jarg Corporation
• Original Assignee: Jarg Corporation
• Inventors: Baclawski, Kenneth P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/618,358
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1.3, 707/5-10, 707/104.1, 707/103, 707/200, 707/201, 707/203, 709/217-219, 709/220-224, 709/202, 709/203, 709/236
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2255 Hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A distributed computer database system connected to a network, e.g., the Internet or on an intranet, indexes interests of agents that have registered with the system, examines information objects, for example, that reside on the network, and, responsive to a match with the registered agents'"'"' interests, specifies to the agents the relevant information objects.

Claims

1. Apparatus connected to a network for finding and providing information objects stored on a plurality of nodes in the network to a plurality of independent software agents, each having an interest in selected information objects, the database comprising:

an examining node for registering each of the agents, processing the interest information for each registered agent and sending the processed interest information together with a corresponding ID identifying the each agent to selected nodes in the network;

an indexing mechanism located in each of the plurality of nodes, the indexing mechanism searching the information objects stored on that node in response to processed interest information and, when selected information objects match the processed interest information, returning the selected information objects together with the ID corresponding to the processed interest information to the examining node; and

a mechanism in the examining node that provides information objects returned with an ID to the registered agent identified by that ID.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the examining node comprises a fragmenter that processes the interest information to produce a plurality of interest information fragments and a mechanism for sending each interest information fragment to a selected node.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the information objects are stored on each node by processing each information object with the fragmenter in order to determine on which node the each information object should be stored.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein fragments of each information object are stored on each node and the indexing mechanism includes a comparator that compares the information object fragments to the interest information fragments to determine a match.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each independent software agent is initiated by a client and the client registers the each software agent with the examining node.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each software agent further processes information objects returned to it from the examination node before sending information to the client.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an agent node that stores at least some of the agents after registration with the examining node.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the ID includes information identifying an agent node on which the corresponding agent is stored.

9. A method for finding and providing information objects stored on a plurality of nodes in a network to a plurality of independent software agents, each having an interest in selected information objects, the method comprising:

(a) registering each of the agents in an examination node;

(b) processing the interest information for each registered agent and sending the processed interest information together with a corresponding ID identifying the each agent to selected nodes in the network;

(c) at an indexing mechanism located in each of the plurality of nodes, searching the information objects stored on that node in response to processed interest information and, when selected information objects match the processed interest information, returning the selected information objects together with the ID corresponding to the processed interest information to the examining node; and

(d) providing information objects returned with an ID to the registered agent identified by that ID.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step (b) comprises processing the interest information to produce a plurality of interest information fragments and sending each interest information fragment to a selected node.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

(e) storing the information objects on each node by processing each information object in order to determine on which node the each information object should be stored.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein fragments of each information object are stored on each node and step (c) comprises comparing the information object fragments to the interest information fragments to determine a match.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein each independent software agent is initiated by a client and wherein step (a) comprises using the client to register the each software agent with the examining node.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

(e) using each software agent to further process information objects returned to it from the examination node before sending information to the client.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

(f) storing at least some of the agents after registration with the examining node in an agent node.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the ID includes information identifying an agent node on which the corresponding agent is stored.

17. A computer program product for finding and providing information objects stored on a plurality of nodes in a network to a plurality of independent software agents, each having an interest in selected information objects, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

program code for registering each of the agents in an examination node;

program code for processing the interest information for each registered agent and sending the processed interest information together with a corresponding ID identifying the each agent to selected nodes in the network;

program code installed in each of the plurality of nodes for searching the information objects stored on that node in response to processed interest information and, when selected information objects match the processed interest information, returning the selected information objects together with the ID corresponding to the processed interest information to the examining node; and

program code for providing information objects returned with an ID to the registered agent identified by that ID.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the program code for processing the interest information for each registered agent comprises program code for processing the interest information to produce a plurality of interest information fragments and sending each interest information fragment to a selected node.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising program code for storing the information objects on each node by processing each information object in order to determine on which node the each information object should be stored.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein fragments of each information object are stored on each node and wherein the program code installed in each of the plurality of nodes for searching the information objects stored on that node comprises program code for comparing the information object fragments to the interest information fragments to determine a match.