Moving an agent from a first execution environment to a second execution environment using supplied and resident rules

• US 7,664,721 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Curen Software Enterprises LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hauser, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US11/645,291
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4875 with migration policy, e.g. auction, contract negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method for moving an agent that utilizes a merged set of supplied and environment resident canonical rules in a first execution environment to a second execution environment that includes a different set of environment resident rules comprising discarding the merged rule set in the first execution environment, sending the agent including a supplied rule set from the first execution environment to the second execution environment and retrieving an environment resident canonical rule set in the second execution environment.

Claims

1. A device-implemented method comprising:

moving an agent that utilizes a merged set of a supplied and an environment resident canonical rule from a first execution environment embodied on a first device to a second execution environment embodied on a second device that includes a different set of environment resident rules, by at least;

discarding the merged rule set in the first execution environment;

sending the agent including a supplied rule set from the first execution environment to the second execution environment; and

wherein the sending causes retrieval of an environment resident canonical rule set in the second execution environment.

2. The device-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the agent is configured to discard the environment resident canonical rule set.

3. The device-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the agent is configured to retain the supplied rule set.

4. The device-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising encoding the agent along with the supplied rule set for sending.

5. The device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the agent is configured to retrieve the environment resident canonical rule set in the second execution environment.

6. The device-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the agent is configured to retrieve the environment resident canonical rule set from a rule repository in the second execution environment.

7. The device-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the environment resident canonical rule set comprises a domain and an environment specific canonical rule.

8. The device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the agent is configured to merge the supplied rule set from the first execution environment and the environment resident canonical rule set from the second execution environment into a merged rule set.

9. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a device, cause the device to perform a method comprising:

moving an agent that utilizes a merged set of a supplied and an environment resident canonical rule from a first execution environment embodied on a first device to a second execution environment embodied on a second device that includes a different set of environment resident canonical rules, by at least;

receiving a request to move the agent utilizing both the supplied and the environment resident canonical rule in the first execution environment;

discarding an environment resident canonical rule set in the first environment;

sending the agent with a supplied rule set from the first execution environment to the second execution environment, wherein the sending causes the set of environment resident canonical rules in the second execution environment to be retrieved and merged with the supplied rule set.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, if executed by the device, cause the device to perform a method further comprising discarding the merged rule set in the first execution environment.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the agent is configured to retrieve the environment resident canonical rule set from a rule repository in the second execution environment.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the agent is configured to retrieve the environment resident canonical rule set by supplying a domain associated with the agent.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the agent is configured to request the environment resident canonical rule set from the rule repository.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the agent is configured to merge the supplied rule set and the environment resident canonical rule set in the second execution environment into the merged rule set.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the agent is configured to construct the merged rule set by taking a union of the supplied rule set and the environment resident canonical rule set in the second execution environment.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the sending causes the merged rule set to be compiled with a rule compiler.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the sending causes the compiled, merged rule set to be supplied to a rule engine.

18. A system comprising:

a first memory configured to store a working memory of an agent in a first execution environment; and

a processor configured to be communicably coupled to the first memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

move an agent that utilizes a merged set of a supplied and an environment resident canonical rule from the first execution environment to a second execution environment that includes a different set of environment resident rules, by at least;

discarding the merged rule set, a rule engine, and the working memory of the agent;

encoding the agent including a supplied rule set into transferable form;

sending the encoded agent to the second execution environment; and

destructing the agent in the first execution environment.

19. A system comprising:

a first memory configured to store a working memory of an agent in an execution environment; and

a processor configured to be communicably coupled to the first memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

decode an encoded agent received from another execution environment, wherein the encoded agent includes a supplied rule set;

retrieve an environment resident rule set;

merge the supplied rule set with the environment resident rule set;

search to locate a rule engine;

create a rule engine if no rule engine is located;

supply the rule engine with a compiled rule set; and

request the working memory from the rule engine.