Agent system and information processing method for same

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• and
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms,
• wherein said agent profile, for each agent represents information that includes at least one item selected from a group consisting of:
• a) whether the agent has the ability to move between platforms;
• b) whether processing for agent movement is to be done mainly by the agent;
• c) what types and quantities of resources are required by the agent;
• d) from when until when is action to be done;
• e) in what programming language the agent action is to be described;
• and
• f) what types of services are required by the agent.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate wit the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• means for causing a computer to generate an agent plan that satisfies a given request;
• means for causing a computer to cause an agent to act by causing the agent to execute the generated agent plan;
• means for causing a computer to store information required for agent action;
• means for causing a computer to cause an agent at a platform either to move to another platform or to cooperate with another agent at another platform;
• means for causing a computer to store knowledge requirement for generation of said agent plan, said movement, and said cooperation;
• and
• means for causing a computer to manage said knowledge.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate wit another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and tat includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• and
• means for causing a computer to handle an exception that occurs when an agent is to be moved between platforms, wherein said means for causing a computer to handle the exception comprises:
• means for causing a computer to store exception descriptions representing what type of handling is to be done for what type of exception;
• and
• means for causing a computer to handle an exception, based on one of said exception descriptions.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment wit regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information wit regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• and
• said means for causing a computer to make the decision further comprising means for causing a computer to make a judgment as to whether to move an agent immediately when the agent is to be moved to another platform.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and tat includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• and
• said means for causing a computer to make the decision further comprising means, when there exist a plurality of platform candidates for the movement destination, for causing a computer to select a platform from said plurality of candidates to which the movement is made.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate with another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information wit regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• and
• said means for causing a computer to make the decision further comprising means, when an agent is to be moved to a plurality of platforms in sequence, for causing a computer to determine the sequence of the platforms to which the agent is to be moved.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent to cooperate wit another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent and support the operation of the agent, and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms;
• means for causing a computer to make a judgment as to whether to cause an agent at the platform to move to another platform or to cause another agent at the other platform to move to the platform;
• and
• means for causing a computer to indicate a result of the judgment to the agent to be moved.

A computer program for performing information processing by causing an agent to act in a network that has a plurality of platforms, said program comprising:

• means for causing a computer to make a decision, when an agent currently located at a platform needs to make use of another platform, whether to cause the agent to move to the other platform or cause the agent a cooperate wit another agent that exists at the other platform, based on at least one of a platform profile and an agent profile;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to move to the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to cause the agent to cooperate with the other agent that exists at the other platform when such a decision has been made;
• means for causing a computer to manage at least one of said platform profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to agent movement for each platform and that includes information with regard to whether each of the platforms can accept a transferred agent d support the operation of the agent, and said agent profile which represents information that is used as a basis for a judgment with regard to movement for each agent and that includes information with regard to whether each of the agents has the ability to move between platforms.