Service-oriented community agent

• US 6,571,140 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2000
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eutech Cybernetics
• Original Assignee: Eutech Cybernetics
• Inventors: Wewalaarachchi, Bandu J., Liyanarachchi, Rohana, Gunasingham, Haritharan, Gunasekera, M. V. Priyantha
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Application Number:
  US09/597,857
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/9, 700/17, 700/20, 700/83, 707/103, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/249
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25168 Domotique, access through internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31118 Universal interface between asi and fieldbus, for any fielddevice
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31324 Distributed real time knowledge, database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31394 Field management, low level, instruments and controllers acting in real time
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32406 Distributed scada
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32407 Real time processing of data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36137 Configuration of display device, operator panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A system and method provide the creation and operation of remote real-time data monitoring and control systems. Such applications include a communications gateway coupled to real-time devices. The communications gateway transforms the real time data collected from disparate and non-interoperable systems in a single common data format. The communications gateway provides an object server with a list of the real-time devices to which the communications gateway is connected, and their attributes. The object server publishes this list. Subscribers can access this list, and request subscriptions to specific attributes of certain devices. The object server creates a data object corresponding to the requested information. A subscriber includes a service agent which accesses the object server. In addition, a subscriber may also comprise presentation cells, which provide a representation and mapping of data objects and hence underlying devices and systems, to allow a user to manage and control such systems. Subscribers including presentation cells may be personalized to function as personal agents. Such personal agents can be programmed to monitor and control certain subsystems, and to alert certain people when specific events occur in these subsystems.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing real-time data from distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

identifying the devices communicatively coupled to a communications gateway;

publishing a list of the identified devices and their attributes;

responsive to receiving, from a subscriber, a request for at least one attribute of at least one device;

creating at least one data object corresponding to the requested device in an object server communicatively coupled to the communications gateway; and

establishing a link from the subscriber to the at least one data object; and

transmitting the real time data for the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object to a service agent on the subscriber, wherein the service agent is communicatively coupled to the object server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command directed towards the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object;

transmitting, via the service agent, the received command to the object server; and

transmitting the received command to the device corresponding to the at least one data object via the communications gateway.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a defined cell template comprising at least one cell, wherein the defined cell template comprises a mapping of at least one attribute of a data object type onto the at least one cell in the cell template;

publishing the defined cell template on a remote host computer;

p1 linking an instance of the defined cell template to at least one specific data object of the data object type; and

subscribing the at least one cell in the cell template to a corresponding at least one attribute of the linked data object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber is a personal agent comprising at least one service agent and at least one cell, the method further comprising:

creating a personal agent on a client device, wherein the personal agent comprises;

at least one service agent;

at least one cell subscribing to an attribute of a data object via the service agent;

computing, by the at least one cell, a desired output from the real time data corresponding to the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object; and

placing the personal agent on to a remote host computer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing access to the desired output of the personal agent via an interface chosen by the user.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

publishing, as at least one data object with at least one attribute, the desired output of the personal agent, where the published data object may be subscribed to by a second subscriber.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

allowing access to the personal agent, by permitting its withdrawal from the remote host computer;

allowing modification of the at least one cell of the personal agent; and

placing the modified at least one cell of the personal agent to a remote host computer.

8. A computer implemented method for managing quality of service requirements of subscribers, with quality of service capabilities of communications gateways, wherein the communications gateways provide real time data for distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

receiving, from at least one communications gateway, a quality of service level that the at least one communications gateway can provide;

receiving, from at least one subscriber, a quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber; and

responsive to the quality of service level being sufficient to meet the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber;

informing the communications gateway of the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber; and

providing the subscriber with the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to the quality of service level being unable to meet the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber, notifying the at least one subscriber that the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber cannot be provided by the at least one communications gateway.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein notifying the at least one subscriber further comprises offering the at least one subscriber an option of switching to a second communications gateway providing a quality of service level that is sufficient to meet the requested QOS.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the at least one subscriber with the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber comprises:

responsive to a communications medium being unable to support the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber, switching to an alternate communications medium that is able to support the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber.

12. A computer implemented method for managing quality of service requested by subscribers, and quality of service levels provided by communications gateways, wherein the communications gateways provide real time data for distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

receiving, from a communications gateway, a quality of service level that the communications gateway can provide;

receiving, from a first subscriber, a quality of service requested by the first subscriber;

receiving, from a second subscriber, a quality of service requested by the second subscriber; and

responsive to the quality of service level being sufficient to meet the quality of service requested by the first subscriber, but being insufficient to meet the quality of service requested by the second subscriber;

informing the communications gateway of the quality of service requested by the first subscriber;

providing the first subscriber with the quality of service requested by the first subscriber; and

notifying the second subscriber that the quality of service requested by the second subscriber cannot be provided by the communications gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to the quality of service level supported by the communications gateway being sufficient to meet the quality of service requested by each of the first and the second subscribers;

informing the communications gateway of the greater of the quality of service requested by the first subscriber and the second subscriber;

providing the first subscriber with the quality of service requested by the first subscriber; and

providing the second subscriber with the quality of service requested by the second subscriber.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to the quality of service level being insufficient to meet the quality of service requested by both the first and the second subscribers, notifying each of the first and the second subscribers that the quality of service requested by each subscriber cannot be provided by the communications gateway.

15. A computer implemented system for managing real-time data from distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, comprising:

a communications gateway communicatively coupled to selected ones of the devices to receive real time data from the devices, the real time data formatted according to a communications protocol associated with the devices, the communications gateway converting the received real time data to standardized real time data in a standard data format independent of the devices that specifies for each item of real time data a content and source of the real time data;

an object server communicatively coupled to the communications gateway to receive information regarding the standardized real time data, and to publish a list of the devices and their attributes; and

a subscriber communicatively coupled to the object server, to subscribe to at least one particular attribute of a specific device from the list published by the object server, and in response to which the object server creates at least one data object corresponding to the specific device, the at least one data object having attributes corresponding to attributes of the specific device, the subscriber comprising;

at least one service agent communicatively coupled to the object server to receive standardized real time data of the specific data object.

16. The system of claim 15, the subscriber being a personal agent, further comprising:

at least one presentation cell, each presentation cell providing a representation of a device that is dynamically responsive to real time changes in the attributes of the device, each presentation cell communicatively coupled to the at least one service agent to receive from the at least one service agent the standardized real time data, and mapping the standardized real time data to an output representation.

17. A computer implemented method for managing real-time data from distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

on a first host system;

identifying the devices communicatively coupled to a communications gateway;

publishing a list of the identified devices and their attributes;

on a second host system;

from the published list, requesting at least one attribute of at least one device;

on the first host system;

responsive to receiving, from a subscriber, a request for at least one attribute of at least one device;

creating at least one data object corresponding to the requested device in an object server communicatively coupled to the communications gateway; and

establishing a link from the subscriber to the at least one data object; and

transmitting the real time data for the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object to a service agent on the subscriber, wherein the service agent is communicatively coupled to the object server;

on the second host system;

republishing the transmitted data;

on a client device;

subscribing to the republished data;

representing the subscribed-to data on at least one presentation cell.

18. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium for controlling a client device to perform a method for managing real-time data from distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

identifying the devices communicatively coupled to a communications gateway;

publishing a list of the identified devices and their attributes;

responsive to receiving, from a subscriber, a request for at least one attribute of at least one device;

creating at least one data object corresponding to the requested device in an object server communicatively coupled to the communications gateway; and

establishing a link from the subscriber to the at least one data object; and

transmitting the real time data for the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object to a service agent on the subscriber, wherein the service agent is communicatively coupled to the object server.

19. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium for controlling a client device to perform a method for managing quality of service requirements of subscribers, with quality of service capabilities of communications gateways, wherein the communications gateways provide real time data for distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

receiving, from at least one communications gateway, a quality of service level that the at least one communications gateway can provide;

receiving, from at least one subscriber, a quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber; and

responsive to the quality of service level being sufficient to meet the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber;

informing the communications gateway of the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber; and

providing the subscriber with the quality of service requested by the at least one subscriber.

20. A set of computer program products stored on computer readable mediums for controlling a client device to perform a method for managing real-time data from distributed devices that control or monitor physical or logical entities, the devices having attributes representative of states of the entities, the method comprising:

on a first host system;

identifying the devices communicatively coupled to a communications gateway;

publishing a list of the identified devices and their attributes;

on a second host system;

from the published list, requesting at least one attribute of at least one device;

on the first host system;

responsive to receiving, from a subscriber, a request for at least one attribute of at least one device;

creating at least one data object corresponding to the requested device in an object server communicatively coupled to the communications gateway; and

establishing a link from the subscriber to the at least one data object; and

transmitting the real time data for the at least one requested attribute of the at least one data object to a service agent on the subscriber, wherein the service agent is communicatively coupled to the object server;

on the second host system;

republishing the transmitted data;

on a client device;

subscribing to the republished data;

representing the subscribed-to data on at least one presentation cell.