Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-04
2003-02-25
Courtenay, III, St. John (Department: 2151)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06526455
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method, apparatus and data structure for object management, in the field of the object-based technology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Section 1—Problems Related to Storage, Reproduction and Transmission of Objects
Section 1.2 Overview of Object-based Technology
Real world existence can be expressed using objects created on a computer, with “object-based” technology (C++ Programming Language, Second Edition, Bjarne Stroustrup, 1991, Preface to the first edition). These objects represent concepts, organizations and things in the real world.
Moreover, overall complex processing can be implemented, by invoking processes corresponding to messages (such as start signal, response, etc.) using object functions. This is called “object-oriented programming” (pp14, The C++ Programming Language, Second Edition, by Bjarne Stroustrup, 1991).
Various programming languages, such as Small Talk and Common Lisp Object System, have been developed to realize object-based programming technology. The most popular language is C++. With C++, it is possible to define “Class” as a model of objects and generate objects using a “new” operator that secures memory.
The following sections describe problems relating to storage, reproduction and transmission of objects by reviewing the current object-based technology, such as object-oriented programming, Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), C++ language and object-oriented databases.
Section 1.3 Limits of Object-oriented Programming
In object-oriented programming, a procedure for generating objects is coded as logic of the programming. A sequence of processes starts when a message, expressing external input, is passed to an object. Objects to be generated by each program are already determined beforehand. Further objects are generated by program logic as a procedure, which is invoked by the external input or internal procedures.
Until now, there was no concept of “First, prepare data that describe objects and relations among them. Then by reading the data, a computer reproduces a group of objects and invokes procedures defined by messages among these objects.”
Section 1.4 Limitations of CORBA
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) defines procedures for transmitting messages among objects, which are distributed among computers connected by a communications network. It is a concrete procedure, by which computers cooperate with each other and carry out procedures through a communications network. Here, a conventional object-oriented programming program generates objects in each computer.
Until now, there was no concept of the following. Prepare data of objects for each computer. A complex procedure can be implemented over the whole communications network, utilizing these data and messages are passed among objects in computers of this network so that each computer generates objects from the data.
Section 1.5 Limitations of C++ Language
C++ language has the widest scope of application as a means to implement object-based technology. The program of C++ language can be operated on a wide range of hardware since it can be converted to a program of C language. Java language employs same manner of handling Class and object.
However, the specification of C++ language does not refer to the mechanism of retaining objects. Using C++ language actually, one realizes how difficult it is to retain objects made by it. It is also difficult to retain a pointer that indicates object, since a pointer is an address of memory, to which the object was allocated. Even if the address of memory is retained, there is no guarantee that it will match-up with an address of object reproduced when the computer is invoked at the next time.
Many program languages can be used for object-based technology. However, there is no language that treats retention of objects and pointers. One has to device a dedicated mechanism saving key information of each specific application. There is no general method that retains objects and pointers.
Section 1.6 Limit of Object-oriented Database
An article, “Object-oriented database”, Nikkei Intelligent Systems, Separated volume, Nikkei BP Company, 1994, states “Object-oriented databases (OODB) appeared to permanently retain the application-objects that were developed by object-oriented technology. With object-oriented databases, it is possible to retain not only the object but also the mutual relationship among them.”
However, an object-oriented database is a complex mechanism that controls data in the server computer and distributes it to client computers who use it. For this reason, an object-oriented database is expensive. For the current object-oriented database technology, it is not so easy to treat cases where data are distributed among computers connected by communications networks.
Also, the search procedure of an object-oriented database takes a lot of time, since it has to search all objects in order to find the specific objects satisfying assigned conditions. It is possible to prepare a group of objects satisfying some assigned conditions, in order to reduce search time. However, this requires an additional preparation procedure and memory to keep the results.
Section 2 Required Technique
It is useful to have a simple technology that retains and reproduces an object (set), and transmits it to another computer and reproduces it there. It is also useful to have a technology that reproduces only objects necessary for the current procedure, which reproduces retained objects or reproduces them to another computer. Retrieving all objects into main memory, a computer encounters a problem that no other process can be invoked, if too many objects are interrelated. A small computer may not be able to reproduce all of these objects. It is convenient to have a simple technique that reproduces only objects necessary for the current procedure into main memory.
Section 7 shows Examples of Applications with These Technologies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a “simple method that retains and reproduces (sets of objects” and a “simple method that transmits and reproduces (sets of) objects.” This is also a “technique that produces necessary parts of an object set, according to developments of a computer process, by combining data dispersed across computers in a communications network.” Details are shown below.
Section 3 Object Retention and Reproduction, and Object Transmission and Reproduction
Section 3.1 Basics of Object Retention and Reproduction
Retaining an object can be done by writing out data included in this object, which exists in main memory, into a storage medium. Storage medium is a medium such as magnetic disk, magnetic tape, FD (floppy disk), writable CD-ROM, and SRAM. They retain data either temporarily or permanently. Some parts of main memory with a constant power supply can be used as a storage medium. Storage medium is sometimes called a secondary memory medium or external memory medium in contrast to main memory.
Through communications circuits, data (contents) of an object can be transmitted to other computers, where it is kept in the main memory or the external storage medium.
An object includes data as values of an integer, real number, character string or pointer. Object data, except for a pointer, can be simply written to a storage medium. An object sometimes includes another object. For example, in C++ and Java, (object of class can have an object of another class as a variable. Inner object data contained in an outer object is recursively written out, while writing the outer object data.
When reproducing an object using data stored in storage medium, or data through communications circuit or the user interface of a computer, first objects are generates from class, which is the model of the objects. When C++ class is defined as “class X{ };”, the object of class X is generated by code “X* CnewObj=new X;”. This memory address
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