Information management system using agents

• US 7,373,375 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chea; Philip J
• Application Number:
  US10/130,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,416 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/219, 709/245, 716/763, 455/457
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An agent employment system comprising at least one data terminal and at least one server computer. The data terminal is connected to a communications network and having a display device. The sever computer is connected to the data terminal by the communications network and having a community (67) for storing an agent (63). The server computer has agent-transmitting means for transmitting the agent (63) to the data terminal at a first timing. The data terminal has agent-receiving means for receiving the agent (63) transmitted from the server computer and second agent-transmitting means for transmitting the agent 63 back to the server computer at a second timing. Thus, the invention can provide a novel information management system, agent employment system, information management method, agent employment method, data-providing apparatus and data-recording medium, in which a user can easily obtain an electronic pet that acts as an agent satisfying desired conditions.

Claims

1. An information management system, comprising:

at least one data terminal connected to a communications network and having a display device; and

a server computer connected to said at least one data terminal over the communications network and having a region for storing an agent that has an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network, said server computer including;

transmitting means for transmitting at a first timing, if said server computer receives a transmission command initiated by a user, the agent together with first prescribed information from the server computer to one of said at least one data terminal from which the user requested the agent, and

rewriting means for rewriting the first prescribed information into second prescribed information sent from the data terminal of the user;

said data terminal including;

transmitting means for transmitting the agent and the second prescribed information to the server computer at a second timing;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the at least one data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, said data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or said server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to the data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

2. The information management system according to claim 1 wherein the first prescribed information is managed by the user of the agent stored in the region of the server computer, and the second prescribed information is generated when the user of the agent updates the first prescribed information.

3. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the user of the agent uses only one agent that accords with information to be managed.

4. The information management system according to claim 3, wherein the agent is transmitted to only one of a plurality of data terminals of the user of the agent, not to any other data terminal at the same time.

5. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the user of the agent updates the first prescribed infomation to the second prescribed information during a period between the first timing and the second timing.

6. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

7. An agent employment system, comprising:

a data terminal connected to a communications network; and

a server computer connected to said data terminal by the communications network and having a region for storing an agent that has an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network, said server computer including;

first agent-transmitting means for transmitting the agent to said data terminal at a first timing, said data terminal being that of a user who requested the agent;

said data terminal including;

agent-receiving means for receiving the agent transmitted from the server computer, and

second agent-transmitting means for transmitting the agent to the server computer at a second timing;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to said data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, said data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or said server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to said data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

8. The agent employment system according to claim 7, wherein the agent executes a program for autonomously performing processes during a period between the first timing and the second timing, in accordance with information representing a taste of a user who uses the agent.

9. The agent employment system according to claim 7, wherein the server computer has measuring means for measuring time during a period between the first timing and the second timing, and charging means for charging a fee in accordance with the time measured by the measuring means.

10. The agent employment system according to claim 7, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

11. An information management method, comprising:

transmitting, if a transmission command initiated by a user is received, an agent together with first prescribed information to a data terminal of a user that requested the agent, the agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network;

transmitting the agent together with second prescribed information from the data terminal of the user to a server computer upon lapse of a prescribed time after the data terminal has received the agent, wherein a first timing at which the data terminal receives the agent and a second timing at which the prescribed time lapses are established before the agent is transmitted to the data terminal; and

rewriting the first prescribed information to the second prescribed information at the server computer;

wherein, over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, said data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or said server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to said data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

12. The information management method according to claim 11, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

13. The information management method according to claim 11, wherein the server computer measures time during a period between the first timing and the second timing, and charges a fee in accordance with the time measured by the measuring means.

14. An agent employment method, comprising:

selecting an agent stored in a specific region of a computer, the selected agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within a communications network;

transmitting at a first timing, if said server computer receives a transmission command initiated by a user, the selected agent together with first prescribed information to a data terminal of a user that requested the agent; and

receiving, at a second timing, the selected agent together with second prescribed information;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, the data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or the independent network address of the agent is temporarily replaced with a network address assigned to the data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

15. The agent employment method according to claim 14, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

16. A server computer connected to a data terminal through a communications network and having a region for storing an agent, said sever computer comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting, at a first timing if said server computer receives a transmission command initiated by a user, the agent together with first prescribed information to the data terminal of a user that requested the agent, the agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network;

receiving means for receiving the agent, at a second timing, together with second prescribed information, wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the data terminal; and

rewriting means for rewriting the first prescribed information to the second prescribed information;

wherein, over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, the data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or said server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to the data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

17. The server computer according to claim 16, wherein the agent executes a program for autonomously performing processes during a period between the first timing and the second timing, in accordance with information representing a taste of a user who uses the agent.

18. The server computer according to claim 16, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

19. A data terminal connected to a communications network and having a display device, said data terminal comprising:

receiving means for receiving at a first timing, if said server computer receives a transmission command initiated by a user that requested the agent, an agent together with first prescribed information from a server computer, the agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network; and

transmitting means for transmitting the agent together with second prescribed information to the server computer at a second timing;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted from the server computer and received at the data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, said data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or the server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to the data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

20. The data terminal according to claim 19, wherein the agent executes a program for autonomously performing processes during a period between the first timing and the second timing, in accordance with information representing a taste of a user who uses the agent.

21. The data terminal according to claim 19, wherein the agent has a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process and a schedule-managing process.

22. A data recording medium having computer executable instructions stored therein for performing an agent employment method, said method comprising:

selecting an agent stored in a specific region of a computer, the selected agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within a communidations network;

transmitting, at a first timing, the selected agent together with first prescribed information to a data terminal of a user that requested the agent;

receiving the agent together with second prescribed information at a second timing, wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the data terminal; and

rewriting the first prescribed information into the second prescribed information;

wherein, over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, the data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or the independent network address of the agent is temporarily replaced with a network address assigned to the data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

25. The data recording medium according to claim 22, wherein the agent includes a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process, and a schedule-managing process.

23. A data recording medium having computer executable instructions for performing an information management method, said method comprising:

receiving, at a first timing, an agent together with first prescribed information from a server computer at a data terminal of a user that reguested the agent, the agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within a communications network; and

transmitting the agent together with second prescribed information to the server computer at a second timing;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second timing, the independent network address of the agent is temporarily assumed or the server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to a data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

26. The data recording medium according to claim 23, wherein the agent includes a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process, and a schedule-managing process.

24. A data recording medium having computer executable instructions for performing for performing an information management method, said method comprising:

connecting a specific data terminal to a server computer;

requesting that the server computer transmit an agent to the specific data terminal, the agent having an independent network address which indicates the location of the agent within the communications network;

receiving the agent at the specific data terminal at a first timing; and

transmitting the agent from the specific data terminal to the server computer at a second timing;

wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the agent is transmitted to the specific data terminal, and over a time interval between the first timing and the second tirdng, the specific data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the agent or the server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the agent with a network address assigned to the specific data terminal; and

wherein the agent has an agent displaying program for displaying the agent as an electronic pet, and the agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the data terminal displaying the agent.

27. The data recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the agent includes a process program for performing at least one process selected from the group consisting of an image-processing process, translation process, a music-compressing process, a dictionary-retrieving process, a map-retrieving process, a game-processing process, an E-mailing process, and a schedule-managing process.