System, device, and method for cooperative processing

• US 8,028,018 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Katsuhide, Kunitake, Setsu, Kawabe, Shigehisa, Suzuki, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder; Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh; Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US11/289,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A cooperative processing system includes a first data processing component, existing on a first computer, that generates an output containing object having a function of outputting data contained therein to a stream, a pipeline section that causes the output containing object to output the data contained in the output containing object to a stream addressed to a second computer, and causes the second computer to generate an input containing object that receives the stream and stores data transferred through the stream, and a second data processing component, existing on the second computer, that receives the input containing object to perform a data process.

Claims

1. A cooperative processing system, comprising:

a plurality of data processing components;

said plurality of data processing components including,

a first data processing component, existing on a first computer, that executes a first data process and generates an output-side HTTP capable object, the output-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type which is a same data type of data obtained through the first data process, the output-side HTTP capable object containing data,

a pipeline section that causes the output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object to a stream addressed to a second computer, and causes the second computer to generate an input-side HTTP capable object, the input-side HTTP capable object receiving the stream and storing data transferred through the stream, and

a second data processing component, existing on the second computer, that receives the input-side HTTP capable object to perform a data process;

said first data processing component invoking an object of a process controller class and identifying a script as an argument to the process controller class which specifies an order of processes performed by said plurality of data processing components.

2. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline section includes an output-side pipe section existing on the first computer, and an input-side pipe section existing on the second computer, when the second data processing component executes a process, the input-side pipe section issues to the output-side pipe section a data request for the output-side HTTP capable-object that contains data necessary for the process, the output-side pipe section issues a response to the data request from the input-side pipe section to cause the requested output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained therein to a stream of the response, and the input-side pipe section produces the input-side HTTP capable object that receives the stream of the response from the output-side pipe section and stores the data transferred through the stream.

3. The cooperative processing system according to claim 2, wherein the pipeline section further includes a cache section for storing the input-side HTTP capable object associated with the output-side HTTP capable object from which the input-side HTTP capable object is produced, and when the second data processing component performs the data process, the input-side pipe section searches the cache section for the input-side HTTP capable object associated with the output-side HTTP capable object that contains data necessary for the process prior to issuance of the data request, and, if the corresponding input-side HTTP capable object is found, does not issue the data request and provides the input-side HTTP capable object thus found to the second data processing component.

4. The cooperative processing system according to claim 3, wherein when a data type of the input-side HTTP capable object stored in the cache section is different from an input data type of the second data processing component which processes the data contained in the input-side HTTP capable object, the pipeline section performs type conversion on the input-side HTTP capable object to the input data type, and provides an object produced as a result of the type conversion to the second data processing component.

5. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline section includes an output-side pipe section existing on the first computer, and an input-side pipe section existing on the second computer, the output-side pipe section issues a request to the input-side pipe section, and causes the output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained therein to a stream of the request, and the input-side pipe section produces the input-side HTTP capable object that receives the stream of the request from the output-side pipe section and stores the data transferred through the stream.

6. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein output-side HTTP capable object and the input-side HTTP capable object each have a data type, the pipeline section has an object factory that produces the input-side HTTP capable object on the second computer, and the object factory has a function of producing a plurality of kinds of input-side HTTP capable objects with different data types, and produces the input-side HTTP capable object of the data type corresponding to the data type of the output-side HTTP capable object among the plurality of kinds of input-side HTTP capable objects.

7. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second data processing component receives the input-side HTTP capable object as an argument to perform the process, the output-side HTTP capable-object and the input-side HTTP capable object each have a data type, the pipeline section has an object factory that produces the input-side HTTP capable object on the second computer, and the object factory has a function of producing a plurality of kinds of input-side HTTP capable objects with different data types, and produces the input-side HTTP capable object of the data type corresponding to the data type of the argument of the second data processing component.

8. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the input-side HTTP capable object is an instance of an input-side HTTP capable object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the input-side HTTP capable object class has a constructor method for receiving the stream, and producing the input-side HTTP capable object containing the data transferred through the stream.

9. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the output-side HTTP capable object is an instance of an output-side HTTP capable object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the output-side HTTP capable object has a data output method for outputting the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object to the stream.

10. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the output-side HTTP capable object and the input-side HTTP capable-object are instances of a data containing object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the data containing object class has a constructor method for receiving the stream, and producing an instance of the data containing object class containing the data transferred through the stream as the input-side HTTP capable object, and a data output method for outputting to the stream the data contained in the instance of the data containing object class as the output-side HTTP capable object.

11. The cooperative processing system according to claim 1, wherein the stream is a data stream formed in response to issuance of an HTTP request or an HTTP response.

12. A storage memory, readable by a first computer, the first computer being part of a cooperative processing system having a plurality of data processing components, the storage memory storing a program of instructions executable by the first computer to cause a first computer to perform a function as:

a first data processing component that executes a first data process, and outputs an output-side HTTP capable object, the output-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type which is a same data type of data obtained through the first data process; and

an output-side pipe section that causes the output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object to a stream addressed to a second computer when the data obtained through the first process executed is provided to a second data processing component on the second computer to execute a second data process;

said first data processing component invoking an object of a process controller class and identifying a script as an argument to the process controller Class which specifies an order of processes performed by a plurality of data processing components.

13. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the program comprises instructions to cause the first computer to perform a function as:

an input-side pipe section that produces an input-side HTTP capable object that receives a stream from an external device and stores input data transferred through the stream, and a process instructing section that causes the first data processing component to process the input data by inputting the input-side HTTP capable object to the first data processing component.

14. The storage memory according to claim 13, wherein when the first data processing component is caused to execute a process, the input-side pipe section transmits a data request for data necessary for the process to the external device containing the data, and produces the input-side HTTP capable object that receives a stream of a response to the data request.

15. The storage memory according to claim 14, wherein the input-side pipe section includes a cache section that stores the produced input-side HTTP capable object associated with the data from which the input-side HTTP capable-object is produced, and when the first data processing component is caused to execute a process, the input-side pipe section searches the cache section for the input-side HTTP capable object associated with the data necessary for the process prior to issuance of the data request, and, if the corresponding input-side HTTP capable object is found, does not issue the data request, and provides the input-side HTTP capable-object thus found to the second data processing component.

16. The storage memory according to claim 15, wherein when a data type of the input-side HTTP capable object stored in the cache section is different from an input data type of the first data which processes component processing the data contained in the input-side HTTP capable object, the input-side pipe section performs type conversion on the input-side HTTP capable object to the input data type, and provides an object produced as a result of the type conversion to the first data processing component.

17. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the output-side pipe section issues a request to the second computer asking for execution of the second data processing component, and causes the output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained therein to a stream of the request.

18. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the output-side HTTP capable object outputs to the stream type information indicating its own data type in addition to the data contained therein.

19. The storage memory according to claim 13, wherein the input-side pipe section produces the input-side HTTP capable object having the data type corresponding to the data type of the data transferred through the stream.

20. The storage memory according to claim 13, wherein the process instructing section causes the first data processing component to process the input data by inputting the input-side HTTP capable object as an argument to the first data processing component, and the input-side pipe section produces the input-side HTTP capable object of the data type corresponding to the data type of the argument of the first data processing component.

21. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the program further comprises an instruction to cause the first computer to perform a function as a third data processing component executing a third process, and when the third data processing component performs the process by receiving the data obtained through the first process executed by the first data processing component, the output-side pipe section activates the third data processing component by designating the output-side HTTP capable object as input data.

22. The storage memory according to claim 13, wherein the input-side HTTP capable object is an instance of an input-side HTTP capable object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the input-side HTTP capable object class has a constructor method for receiving the stream, and producing the input-side HTTP capable object containing the data transferred through the stream.

23. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the output-side HTTP capable object is an instance of an output-side HTTP capable-object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the output-side HTTP capable object class has a data output method for outputting the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object to the stream.

24. The storage memory according to claim 13, wherein the output-side HTTP capable object and the input-side HTTP capable object are instances of a data containing object class or a descendant class inheriting the class, and the data containing object class has a constructor method for receiving the stream, and producing an instance of the data containing object class that contains the data transferred through the stream as the input-side HTTP capable object, and a data output method for outputting to the stream the data contained in the instance of the data containing object class as the output-side HTTP capable object.

25. The storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the stream is a data stream formed in response to issuance of an HTTP request or an HTTP response.

26. A storage memory, readable by a computer, the computer being part of a cooperative processing system having a plurality of data processing components, the storage memory storing a program of instructions executable by the computer to cause the computer to perform a function comprising:

producing an input-side HTTP capable object, the input-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type;

receiving, through the input-side HTTP capable object, data from a stream from au external device;

storing, in the input-side HTTP capable object, the data received from the stream in the data type; and

executing a data processing using the data stored in the input-side HTTP capable object;

invoking an object of a process controller class; and

identifying a script as an argument to the process controller class which specifies an order of processes performed by a plurality of data processing components.

27. A computer device, the computer device being part of a cooperative processing system having a plurality of data processing components, comprising:

a first data processing component that executes a first data process, and outputs an output-side HTTP capable object, the output-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type which is a same data type of data obtained through the first data process; and

an output-side pipe section that causes the output-side HTTP capable object to output the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object as a stream addressed to a second computer device when the data obtained through the first process is provided to a second data processing component on the second computer device to execute a second process;

said first data processing component invoking an object of a process controller class and identifying a script as an argument to the process controller class which specifies an order of processes performed by the plurality of data processing components.

28. A computer device, the computer device being part of a cooperative processing system having a plurality of data processing components, comprising:

a first data processing component that executes a first process;

an input-side pipe section that produces an input-side HTTP capable object, the input-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type, the input-side HTTP capable object receiving data from a stream from an external device, the input-side HTTP capable object storing the data received from the stream in the data type; and

a process instructing section that causes the first data processing component to process the data stored in the input-side HTTP capable object in the data type;

said first data processing component invoking an object of a process controller class and identifying a script as an argument to the process controller class which specifies an order of processes performed by the plurality of data processing components.

29. A cooperative processing method for a cooperative processing system having a plurality of data processing components, the method, comprising:

generating, at a first computer, an output-side HTTP capable object, the output-side HTTP capable object being associated with a data type which is a same data type of data obtained through the first data process, the output-side HTTP capable object outputting data obtained through the first data processing, the output-side HTTP capable object containing data generated by the first data processing;

outputting the data contained in the output-side HTTP capable object to a stream addressed to a second computer;

generating, at the second computer, an input-side HTTP capable object, the input-side HTTP capable object being associated with a same data type as the data type associated with the output-side HTTP capable object, the input-side HTTP capable object receiving the data from the stream, the input-side HTTP capable object storing the data received from the stream;

outputting the data contained in the input-side HTTP capable object, a data type of the output data being a same data type associated with the input-side HTTP capable object; and

executing a second data processing using the data outputted from the input-side HTTP capable object;

invoking an object of a process controller class; and

identifying a script as an argument to the process controller class which specifies an order of processes performed by the plurality of data processing components.