System and method for retrieving information from disparate information sources in a decentralized manner and integrating the information in accordance with a distributed domain model/ontology
First Claim
1. An information system for retrieving and combining information from one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources in real-time, in response to a query and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the said query being based upon said domain model, said information system being based upon a computer network having one or more computer systems in communication with one another, said information system comprising:
- (a) a model agent residing in at least one of the said one or more computer systems, said model agent having access to said domain model; and
(b) a plurality of client applications residing in one of said one or more computer systems; and
(c) a plurality of integration agents in communication with one another, said model agent, and said plurality of client applications, and residing in at least one of said one or more computer systems, said plurality of integration agents having access to one of said one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources, said plurality of integration agents publishing publication information to said model agent said publication information including information on which portion of said domain model each of said plurality of integration agents has access to, said model agent providing said publication information to said plurality of integration agents said plurality of client applications such that said plurality of integration agents and said plurality of client applications share said, publication information among themselves through said model agent only as changes occur, said plurality of integration agents including at least a first integration agent, wherein said first integration agent receives said query from one of said plurality of client applications, retrieves query results corresponding to said query from said one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources through at least one of said plurality of integration agents, and integrates and transforms said query results, returning said query results to the requesting client of said plurality of client applications, whereby a user or application can simultaneous query multiple different systems without specific knowledge of each system'"'"'s query format or data representation.
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for retrieving and integrating disparate, heterogeneous information such as structured data, unstructured text, and images from different information sources in real-time. The system includes a plurality of client applications a model agent and a plurality of integration agents. Queries are written in terms of the classes, attributes, and relationships of the domain model as provided by the model agent. These queries for information are sent from a requesting client application to an appropriate integration agent based upon the data source it is responsible for. If the requested information is split among a plurality of integration agents that are each tied to a data source, the agent will broker the query by sending sub-queries to those agents directly, perform transformations on the data to match the model, and combine the information together for transmission to the requester. In this fashion, each integration agent can act as a broker and thus no centralized brokering system is required.
44 Citations
6 Claims
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1. An information system for retrieving and combining information from one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources in real-time, in response to a query and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the said query being based upon said domain model, said information system being based upon a computer network having one or more computer systems in communication with one another, said information system comprising:
- (a) a model agent residing in at least one of the said one or more computer systems, said model agent having access to said domain model; and
(b) a plurality of client applications residing in one of said one or more computer systems; and
(c) a plurality of integration agents in communication with one another, said model agent, and said plurality of client applications, and residing in at least one of said one or more computer systems, said plurality of integration agents having access to one of said one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources, said plurality of integration agents publishing publication information to said model agent said publication information including information on which portion of said domain model each of said plurality of integration agents has access to, said model agent providing said publication information to said plurality of integration agents said plurality of client applications such that said plurality of integration agents and said plurality of client applications share said, publication information among themselves through said model agent only as changes occur, said plurality of integration agents including at least a first integration agent, wherein said first integration agent receives said query from one of said plurality of client applications, retrieves query results corresponding to said query from said one or more disparate, heterogeneous information sources through at least one of said plurality of integration agents, and integrates and transforms said query results, returning said query results to the requesting client of said plurality of client applications, whereby a user or application can simultaneous query multiple different systems without specific knowledge of each system'"'"'s query format or data representation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- (a) a model agent residing in at least one of the said one or more computer systems, said model agent having access to said domain model; and
Specification