Method and apparatus for document processing using agents to process transactions created based on document content

In a network over which clients request documents from servers according to a document transfer protocol, a method of expanding the functionality of the network independent of the clients and servers, the method comprising the steps of:

• customizing a personal agency for use by a particular user, including storing a state for the particular user, wherein the personal agency is a process that runs under the control of the particular user;
• accepting a document request from the particular user, the document request directed at a designated server and initiated from a requesting client;
• routing the document request to the personal agency associated with the particular user;
• routing the document request from the personal agency to the designated server;
• updating the state at the personal agency to reflect the document request;
• receiving, at the personal agency, the document requested in the document request;
• transforming the document as indicated by the updated state of the personal agency;
• and
• routing the transformed document to the particular user.

In a network over which a client requests services from a peripheral, a method of interfacing the client to the peripheral comprising the steps of:

• sending a document processing request from the client using a document transfer protocol;
• obtaining the document from a server at a peripheral agency, wherein the peripheral agency is an agency specific to the peripheral to which the client is being interfaced;
• routing a control document from the peripheral agency to the client, the control document containing representations of the document and controls specific to the peripheral agency for specifying actions for the peripheral agency to take relative to the document;
• sending a control instruction from the client, using the document transfer protocol, from the client to the peripheral agency to initiate processing of the document by the peripheral.

A Web agency, interposed on a network between a Web client and a Web server, for transforming document requests and documents transferred between the client and server, the Web agency comprising:

• an agent array which stores representations of a plurality of agents at the Web agency;
• a transaction queue;
• a hypertext transfer protocol manager which includes programming for accepting document requests and documents from the Web client or Web server and programming for generating transactions to be represented in the transaction queue and to be operated upon by one or more agents in the agent array;
• a resolver coupled to the transaction queue and the agent array for matching transactions with agents and for activating agents in the agent array as needed for initiating processing by such agents of transactions in the transaction queue which match such agents wherein the processing may include adding a translation to the transaction queue, removing a transaction from the transaction queue or modifying a transaction in the transaction queue.