Agent system

An agent system comprising:

• an agent server;
• a plurality of communication devices connected through a communication system to said server;
• an agent with agent destination routing data, specified target processing for each specified destination and destination processing completion data, said agent being generated by said server and traveling among said communication devices via said communication system according to said routing data;
• each of said communication device comprising a restore and transmit section which reads said routing data and determines the next destination said agent will be sent based upon said routing data, said restore and transmit section modifying said routing data and processing completion data based at least upon whether specified processing has been completed as indicated in said routing data and instructions in the restore and transmit section;
• and
• said communication device and said agent server further comprising a memory area reserving section for reserving a memory area in a destination communication device for said agent prior to sending said agent to said destination communication device according to said routing data.

A mobile agent system comprising:

• an agent server;
• a plurality of communication devices connected to the agent server via at least one communication system;
• an agent comprising routing data initially generated by said agent server, said agent traveling among at least some of said communication devices via said communication system according to said routing data, said routing data comprising:
• a routing list of nodes where predetermined processing is to be accomplished;
• processing completion data indicating whether or not said processing has been completed at a listed node;
• each said communication device further comprising a restoring and transmitting section which can identify destination nodes in said routing data that said agent has or has not previously performed said processing and modifying routing data to indicate completion of said processing when said restoring and transmitting section determines a listed node's processing has been completed, said restoring and transmitting section also modifying routing data to indicate predetermined processing has not been completed when said restoring section determines required processing for a node is not complete;
• and
• said restoring and transmitting section executing predetermined instructions in response to said modifications to said routing list.

An agent system comprising:

• at least one communication device;
• an agent server coupled to said at least one communications device through a communications system, said agent server generating an agent which travels over said communications system to said at least one communications device in accordance with routing information within said agent;
• each said communications device inspecting routing information in a received agent and determining if said routing information must be modified based upon predetermined criteria and, if so, modifying said routing information in said agent and retransmitting said agent over said communications system;
• and
• each of said communications devices modifying said routing data based at least upon whether specified processing has been completed to indicate that processing has been completed at an agent destination.

A mobile agent system comprising:

• a communication device connected to at least one other communication device as well as at least one agent server through at least one communication system, said communication device comprising:
• a mobile agent control section;
• at least one agent transfer data list initially generated by an agent server control section used by the mobile agent control section to control transfer of said agent to a destination, said transfer data comprising:
• a transfer event list identifying destination nodes where predetermined processing is to be accomplished;
• and
• predetermined processing completion data indicating whether or not said processing has been completed at a listed node;
• said control section further comprises a section which can identify destination nodes in said transfer data that said event processing section has or has not previously performed said processing, said transmitting section modifying transfer data to indicate completion of said processing when said restoring section determines a listed node's processing has been completed, said restoring section also modifying said transfer data to indicate predetermined processing has not been completed when said restoring section determines required processing for a node is not complete;
• and
• said control section executing predetermined instructions in response to said modifications to said transfer data.

A method of processing a mobile agent by a communication device comprising:

• receiving a reservation request for a mobile agent;
• determining if said communication device can receive and execute said mobile agent;
• sending a message to a sending communication device or agent server indicating that a receiving communication device can receive and execute a mobile agent;
• receiving and storing a mobile agent in memory;
• reading the agent's routing data;
• determining if one or more destination nodes within said routing data must be modified based upon predetermined criteria by a restore and transmit section within said communication device;
• modifying the routing data if the determination indicates routing data modification is required;
• performing processing specified by the agent and predetermined criteria;
• and
• modifying said routing data to indicate that processing specified for the communication device within which the agent is residing has been completed.

An agent system comprising:

• an agent server;
• a plurality of communication devices;
• communications system for coupling said agent server and plurality of communications devices;
• an agent comprising routing data which is generated by said agent server and travels over said communication system in accordance with said routing data;
• each of said communication devices comprising a restore and transmit section for restoring a received agent over said communications system and transmitting a restored agent over said communication system, said restore and transmit section determining if said routing data of a received agent requires modification based upon predetermined criteria and further being capable of modifying said routing data in accordance with information contained in the agent and predetermined instructions in the restore and transmit section;
• said agent further comprising data associated with processing specified for a node in the routing data;
• and
• said restore and transmit section further being capable of deleting data associated with processing within said agent when said data is no longer needed based upon at least the restore and transmit section determination the routing data requires modification.

An agent system comprising:

• an agent server;
• a plurality of communication devices;
• a communications system for coupling said agent server and plurality of communications devices;
• an agent containing routing data which is generated by said agent server and travels over said communication system in accordance with said routing data;
• each of said communication devices comprising an agent routing and control section for preparing a received agent for sending over said communication system as well as sending said agent over said communication system;
• said routing and control section determining if said routing data of a received agent requires modification based at least upon a determination that agent processing is complete at a current agent destination;
• said routing and control section deleting data or stored information within the agent associated with completed processing if said data or stored information is not needed for future processing;
• and
• said routing and control section further performing modification of said routing data in accordance with said determination that agent routing data requires modification.