Network agents.

摘要

A network agent system in which the functions of the agent are partitioned between a task agent and a user agent for each user of the the agent system. The task agent and the user agents communicate by means of a protocol which is implemented in electronic mail messages. The messages of the protocol are intensional rather than extensional, and the response of a user agent to a message is determined by the user's hardware environment and preferences. The partition of the functions and the use of electronic mail as the communications medium provide important advantages in the areas of security, privacy, and adaptability. The disclosed network agent is a scheduler for visitors. Features of the scheduler include a user interface which offers more than a yes-no choice and the translation of the scheduling problem into a general integer programming problem. <IMAGE>