Communication between software elements

• US 7,290,264 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Powers, Simon J, Hinds, Michael R
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao; Diem K
• Application Number:
  US09/959,935
• Time in Patent Office: 2,699 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/203, 709/205, 709/317, 719310-320, 719328-330, 463/42, 715/706, 715/757, 715/759, 715/852
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

It will be well known that a so-called object-oriented approach to computer programming has become widespread over the past few years and applications such as large multiplayer games are no exception. A number of approaches to allowing objects to communicate with one another have been developed. One set of these approaches relate to allowing so-called distributed objects, which is to say objects distributed over a client/server system, to communicate with one another. With reference to applications such as large multiplayer games, dynamic real time distributed communications between mobile objects must be considered. Present day techniques, involving the use of simple TCP/IP or UDP/IP, CORBA or DCOM are unable to provide such real time dynamic performance. According to one aspect of the invention a method of providing communication between two or more application software elements is provided comprising associating each application software element with a communication software element through which to send and/or receive messages, holding the communication state of the associated application software element in each communication software element, allowing each application software element to communicate with other application software elements by sending and receiving messages through the respectively associated communication software elements and allowing each application software element and associated communication software element to move. Holding the communication state in the communication software element associated with each application software element allows the application software element and communication software element assembly to communicate and move in particularly dynamic fashion. Messaging consequently enabled, carried out on a per software element basis, allows for continuity of communication between objects even if they move in a dynamic fashion.

Claims

1. A method of providing communication between two or more software elements, a host computer means being arranged to host application programs to host application software elements in a host space, two or more application software elements being hosted in said host space;

the method comprising;

associating each application software element with a communication software element level through which to send and/or receive messages, said communication software elements holding attributes for enabling inter-object communication;

holding the communication state of each associated application software element in its associated communication software element, such communication state holding at least one message intended for the associated application software element;

allowing each application software element to communicate with other application software elements by sending and receiving messages through the respectively associated communication software elements;

allowing movement of each application software element and its associated communication software element within said host space wherein said movement involves converting an application software element and its associated communication software element into respective messages and separately transmitting each message to a destination location in said host space, the communication software element being enabled, when reconstructed at the destination location, to receive and hold messages intended for said application software element until the application software element is reconstructed, at which time the held messages are automatically passed to the application software element.

2. A method as in claim 1 in which said host computer means comprises two or more host computers and wherein the step of allowing each application software element and associated communication software element to move in said host space comprises allowing each application software element and associated communication software element to move between said two or more host computers.

3. A method as in claim 1 in which the step of holding the communication state of the associated application software element comprises holding a unique communication identity.

4. A method as in claim 3 further comprising:

determining, in response to receiving the unique communication identity of a selected application software element, on which of said host computers said selected application software element resides.

5. Apparatus to provide for communication between two or more software elements, said apparatus comprising:

host computer means arranged to host application programs to host application software elements hosted in said host space, at least two application software elements being hosted in said host space;

each application software element having an associated communication software element through which to send and/or receive messages, said communication software elements holding attributes for enabling inter-object communication;

each communication software element holding the communication state of the associated application software element, such communication state holding at least one message intended for the associated application software element;

messaging means arranged to allow messaging between communication software elements; and

movement means arranged to allow software elements to move in said host space;

said movement means being arranged to convert an application software element and its associated communication software element into respective messages and separately transmit each message to a destination location in said host space, the communication software element being enabled, when reconstructed at the destination location, to receive and hold messages intended for said application software element until the application software element is reconstructed, at which time the held messages are automatically passed to the application software element.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said host computer means comprises two or more host computers and said movement means is arranged to allow movement between said two or more host computers.

7. Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said communication state includes a unique communication identity.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising:

location means arranged to determine, in response to receiving the unique communication identity of a selected application software element, on which of said host computers said selected application software element resides.