Sub-agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser using an intelligent agent and providing a report

• US 5,745,754 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lagarde, Konrad Charles, Rogers, Richard Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US08/474,575
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/200.09, 395/613, 395/615
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A World Wide Web browser makes requests to web servers on a network which receive and fulfill requests as an agent of the browser client, organizing distributed sub-agents as distributed integration solution (DIS) servers on an intranet network supporting the web server which also has an access agent servers accessible over the Internet. DIS servers execute selected capsule objects which perform programmable functions upon a received command from a web server control program agent for retrieving, from a database gateway coupled to a plurality of database resources upon a single request made from a Hypertext document, requested information from multiple data bases located at different types of databases geograhically dispersed, performing calculations, formatting, and other services prior to reporting to the web browser or to other locations, in a selected format, as in a display, fax, printer, and to customer installations or to TV video subscribers, with account tracking.

Claims

1. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network;

comprising;

a command file agent tangibly embodying a program set of instructions for use during execution of a command file which is executable by a supporting machine environment for performing method steps required by a request initiated at a web browser client and fulfilling the request by providing a result, said method steps comprising;

receiving at said command file agent, a submit command from a control program agent in preparation for a report and variables associated with a report to pass to the command file as a command file variable for use in naming a report which will be created by the command file, which as a result the command file will create a report file with a unique file name during execution of said command file agent,

processing by said command file agent, a series of linked objects according to a specified flow sequence within a distributed data environment specified by said command file, including executing functions specified in said command file agent for including data retrieval and processing, and for creating said report file with said unique file name and storing the result of said processing by said command file agent in said report file having said unique file name during execution of said command file agent.

2. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

invoking internetwork routing functions by said command file agent after authorization data is received during execution of a request submitted by said control program agent.

3. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

receiving prior to creating a report file having said unique filename data originated by an HTML document'"'"'s variables stored by said control program agent.

4. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

invoking internetworking routing functions to query databases where they are located on the network.

5. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

invoking internetworking routing functions to query databases where they are located on the network by reaching a destination on the Internet by a link between systems and routes data retrieved from one physical unit to another according to an applicable protocol for internetworking routing.

6. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

invoking internetworking routing functions to query databases where they are located on the network by reaching a destination on the Internet by a link between systems and routes data retrieved from one physical unit to another according to an applicable protocol for internetworking routing employing a URL address for Internet locations.

7. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein said control program acts in concert with command file execution in fulfilling requests.

8. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

wherein said command file performs programmable functions on data which is retrieved from databases.

9. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein said command file performs programmable functions on data which is retrieved from databases, and not only does a command file get data, said command file combines, reformats, and updates, the data retrieved.

10. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein said command file performs programmable functions on data which is retrieved from databases functioning as a dedicated processor processing data gathered or created during a Web browser request to output an end result to the user under programmable parameters determined by a creator of said command file agent, as said parameters may be selected, if desired, by a user as part of the request.

11. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes step of;

initiating executable additions to a command file with

user entered inputs as part of his request, either free form or by selection of variables in the menus afforded to the user.

12. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

responding to a recorded click on one or more object icons portrayed on a user screen and linking command files represented by said icon to link a succession of executable functions to perform as indicated by said one or more icons portrayed on said user screen and linked by said one or more responses to a recorded click.

13. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

providing functions as by successive execution of a list of commands listed in a command file, including any calls to link commands provided in a file external to said command file, to perform specific functions that are requested by a user from an initiation session.

14. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

providing functions as by successive execution of a list of commands listed in a command file, including any calls to programs written in another language, to perform specific functions that are requested by a user from an initiation session, and wherein;

said user further qualifies the execution of the command file by providing parameters which are used in invoking a command file.

15. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

providing functions as by successive execution of a list of commands listed in a command file, including any calls to programs for SQL queries of a specific database, which are invoked by said command file having said list of commands.

16. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein a command file, represented by a series of linked objects, is supported by an internetwork processor support environment.

17. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

creating a text report file as a result of a make text object within a decision interpretation system.

18. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein within a decision interpretation system environment an integrated capsule creates a text report file as an object result file, which object result file is to be displayed at the browser.

19. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein

a multiple data retrieval command file 91(a) . . . 91(n) initiates as a first step, multiple queries to different database which are specified by parameters of the request.

20. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein a multiple data retrieval command file (91(a) . . . 91(n)) initiates as a first step, multiple queries to different databases which are specified by parameters of the request to initiate multiple queries as SQL search requests with as multiple steps (91(a) . . . 91(n)) executed by a command file server with a database gateway to select data from differing base databases located inside an intranet and on the Internet by internetwork routing to at least one other database gateway and its linked databases, and storing data selected from differing databases in a buffer declared by the command file.

21. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1, having a method which includes a step of:

performing additional steps (91(b), 91(c), 91(d), and 91(n)) of database queries to retrieve data and store in a command file object buffer data retrieved from other base databases, each returning data back to a command file declared buffer, and in a subsequent linked processing step (92) data from said database queries in any preceding data retrieval steps is joined according to an object command file and stored in a buffer related to this joining object command file.

22. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1 including,

in a subsequent processing step, performing the calculations determined by the content of an object command file (93) on joined data in a joined database result buffer.

23. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step wherein

in accordance with request parameters text is formatted to space text delimited by a format object command file (94), and the formatted text results are stored in a buffer associated with said format object command file (94).

24. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

wherein

a make text command file causes formatted text to be created as a text file for a WWW server (131) to be stored in a file which is accessible to and retrieved and displayed in a form requested and at the location determined by Web browser input parameters to said control program agent which provides the said submit command for receipt at said command file agent.

25. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

creating a graphical report file.

26. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

creating a graphical report file utilizing a retrieval object command file to retrieve data from one or more databases as specified in parameters of a request being fulfilled by providing a result.

27. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

utilizing a plot object command file to plot retrieved data with the results being stored in a buffer.

28. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 1;

having a method which includes a step of;

creating a result-to-be-presented file with a bitmap object command file a bitmap ready for display in a form and at a location determined by a request from a Web browser (130).

29. A sub-agent service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client coupled to a network according to claim 7;

wherein said command file is a object program with additions which have been created to cause an interaction with said control program agent when object icons are identified by a user of a web browser.