Method and system for exchanging messages between entities on a network comprising an actor attribute and a mandatory attribute in the header data structure

A method of delivering a message over a network, the method comprising:

• transmitting a message envelope of a message from an origin entity to a destination entity via one or more intermediate entities on the network;
• the message envelope having contents comprising data structures, each data structure identifies which entity is intended to process the data structure when that entity receives the message envelope over the network, wherein at least one of the data structures includes an actor attribute specifying the identity of the destination entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the destination entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by the destination entity.

A method of parsing a message received by a receiving entity over a network from a sending entity, the method comprising:

• parsing a message envelope;
• parsing contents of the message envelope, the contents comprising data structures, each data structure identifies which entity is intended to process the data structure when that entity receives the message envelope over the network, wherein at least one of the data structures includes an actor attribute specifying the identity of the receiving entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the receiving entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by the receiving entity.

A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method of formatting a message for exchange between entities on a network, the method comprising:

• generating a message envelope;
• generating contents of the message envelope, the contents comprising data structures, each data structure identifies which entity is intended to process the data structure when that entity receives the message envelope over the network, wherein at least one of the data structures includes an actor attribute specifying the identity of that entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for that entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by that entity.

A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method of delivering a message between entities on a network, the method comprising:

• transmitting a message envelope of a message from an origin entity to a destination entity via one or more intermediate entities on the network;
• the message envelope having contents comprising data structures, each data structure identifies which entity is intended to process the data structure when that entity receives the message envelope over the network, wherein at least one of the data structures includes an actor attribute specifying the identity of the destination entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the destination entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by the destination entity.

A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method of parsing a message received by a receiving entity over a network from a sending entity, the method comprising:

• parsing a message envelope of a message;
• parsing contents of the message envelope, the contents comprising data structures, each data structure identifies which entity is intended to process the data structure when that entity receives the message envelope over the network, wherein at least one of the data structures includes an actor attribute specifying the identity of the receiving entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the receiving entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by the receiving entity.

A modulated data signal having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon comprising:

• a header data structure having an actor attribute specifying the identity of an intermediate entity, over a network of entities, and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the intermediate entity to perform a task in the header data structure must be understood and processed by the intermediate entity;
• and
• a body data structure which identifies a destination entity as that which is intended to process the body data structure.

A computer-readable medium having a data structure embodied thereon comprising:

• a header data-structure section having an actor attribute specifying the identity of an intermediate entity, over a network of entities, and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the intermediate entity to perform a task in the header data-structure section must be understood and processed by the intermediate entity;
• and
• a body data-structure section which identifies a destination entity as that which is intended to process the body data-structure section.

A method of formatting a message for exchange between entities on a network, the method comprising:

• generating a message envelope of a message, the message comprising at least one explicit request by one entity on a network of another entity on the network to perform a task;
• generating contents of the message envelope, the contents comprising data structures, at least one data structure having an actor attribute specifying the identity of that entity indicated in the at least one explicit request and a mandatory attribute indicating that the at least one explicit request for that entity to perform a task in the data structure must be understood and processed by that entity.