System and method for migrating agents between mobile devices

• US 8,965,408 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Osocad Remote LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Peterson, Robert W., Gerard, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US14/252,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/466, 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 455/404.2, 455/410, 370328-338, 342450-465
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Mobile agents can be deployed to location aware mobile devices within specific regions of interest to achieve specific goals in respect of events occurring in the region of interest. In order to ensure that the agent can persist within the region of interest until the agent goals are achieved, the agent is configured to locate other devices within the region of interest and to propagate itself, by moving or copying itself, to those other devices. When a device hosting the agent exits the region of interest, the agent is terminated, thereby freeing device resources.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

receive, from a first device, an agent activation request comprising a first copy of an agent application executing on the first device;

execute the first copy of the agent application based at least in part on receiving the agent activation request;

transmit, to the first device, a first agent activation response based at least in part on executing the first copy of the agent application;

receive, from a second device, an agent participation request providing a location of the second device;

compare the location of the second device to a region of interest;

provide, to the second device, a second copy of the agent application based at least in part on the comparison;

receive, from the second device, a second agent activation response based at least in part on the second copy of the agent application executing on the second device; and

record that the second copy of the agent application is executing successfully on the second device based at least in part on receiving the second agent activation response from the second device within a predetermined amount of time.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first agent activation response comprises at least one of a first device identification, an agent application identification, and a success indicator.

3. A device, comprising:

a memory configured to store a first copy of an agent application received from a first device; and

a processing device configured to;

execute the first copy of the agent application based at least in part on receiving an agent activation request from the first device, the agent activation request comprising the first copy of the agent application;

transmit, to the first device, a first agent activation response based at least in part on executing the first copy of the agent application;

receive, from a second device, an agent participation request providing a location of the second device;

compare the location of the second device to a region of interest;

provide, to the second device, a second copy of the agent application based at least in part on the comparison;

receive, from the second device, a second agent activation response based at least in part on the second copy of the agent application executing on the second device; and

record that the second copy of the agent application is executing successfully on the second device based at least in part on receiving the second agent activation response from the second device within a predetermined amount of time.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the processing device is further configured to trigger storing the region of interest or agent history in the memory in response to the agent activation request.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the first agent activation response comprises at least one of a device identification, an agent application identification, and a success indicator.

6. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory device configured to store instructions; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to;

activate a first copy of an agent application based at least in part on receiving the first copy of the agent application in an agent activation request from a first device;

transmit, to the first device, a first agent activation response based at least in part on activating the first copy of the agent application;

receive, from a second device, an agent participation request providing a location of the second device;

compare the location of the second device to a region of interest;

provide, to the second device, a second copy of the agent application based at least in part on the comparison;

receive, from the second device, a second agent activation response based at least in part on the second copy of the agent application executing on the second device; and

record that the second copy of the agent application is executing successfully on the second device based at least in part on receiving the second agent activation response from the second device within a predetermined amount of time.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to transmit the first agent activation response based at least in part on activating the first copy of the agent application after receiving the agent activation request.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to terminate execution of the first copy of the agent application in response to detecting that the mobile device is leaving the region of interest.

9. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to receive the agent activation request based at least in part on a comparison of a location of the mobile device to the region of interest being within a predetermined threshold.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined threshold is based at least in part on a distance between the mobile device and a base station that serves the region of interest.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined threshold is based at least in part on a battery power of the mobile device.

12. A method, comprising:

activating a first copy of an agent application based at least in part on receiving the first copy of the agent application from a first device;

transmitting, to the first device, an agent activation response based at least in part on successfully activating the first copy of the agent application;

transmitting, to the first device, a first agent activation response based at least in part on activating the first copy of the agent application;

receiving, from a second device, an agent participation request providing a location of the second device;

comparing the location of the second device to a region of interest;

providing, to the second device, a second copy of the agent application based at least in part on the comparison;

receiving, from the second device, a second agent activation response based at least in part on the second copy of the agent application executing on the second device; and

recording that the second copy of the agent application is executing successfully on the second device based at least in part on receiving the second agent activation response from the second device within a predetermined amount of time.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the first agent activation response based at least in part on activating the first copy of the agent application after receiving the first copy of the agent activation request.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising terminating execution of the first copy of the agent application in response to detecting that the mobile device is leaving the region of interest.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the location of the second device is within a predetermined threshold distance of the region of interest.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is based at least in part on a distance between the mobile device and a base station that serves the region of interest.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is based at least in part on a battery power of the mobile device.