초록 ▼

A services provision system provides information services over one or more communications networks and has a software infrastructure divided into domains. Each domain has an intelligent software agent and this community of agents sits in a computing environment represented in each domain by a DPE ke

A services provision system provides information services over one or more communications networks and has a software infrastructure divided into domains. Each domain has an intelligent software agent and this community of agents sits in a computing environment represented in each domain by a DPE kernel. The community of agents co-operates to provide service and service management functionality to a user. At least one of the agents is reconfigurable to change the functionality the system makes available. Reconfigurability is based on the use of a plurality of reusable software modules, the agent reconfiguring by selecting a new combination of modules. The software modules themselves incorporate rules, or policies, which determine process steps offered by the modules at run-time. These policies are external to the modules and may be loaded at run-time, allowing dynamic modification to functionality of the system. The system as a whole offers functionality associated with using services, providing them and managing them and the reconfigurability allows it to offer the different types of functionality in an efficient way. It also allows access control to functionality at different levels with particularly good security against fraudulent use.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A service provision system, for providing services to a user by means of one or more communications network(s),wherein the service provision system comprises intelligent software agents in a computing environment, which agents co-operate to provide access to services fo

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A service provision system, for providing services to a user by means of one or more communications network(s),wherein the service provision system comprises intelligent software agents in a computing environment, which agents co-operate to provide access to services for a system user by invoking and running executable code,wherein at least one agent is a reconfigurable agent and comprises an input for user information, and further comprises or has access to a plurality of different software modules which provide executable code to the agent for use in providing access to services; andwherein said reconfigurable agent is provided with means to select a set of software modules from said plurality of different software modules, in response to user information received at the input, and to invoke and run the executable code provided by said selected set,each software module comprising at least one process step with one or more associated rules, the behavior of the system in use being determined at least in part by the outcome of application of said one or more associated rules in the process step, andat least one of said one or more associated rules being external to the software modules and being loaded in a relevant module when that module is run during use of the system.