Abstract: In order to optimize efficiency of deserialization, a serialization cache is maintained at an object server. The serialization cache is maintained in conjunction with an object cache and stores serialized forms of objects cached within the object cache. When an inbound request is received, a serialized object received in the request is compared to the serialization cache. If the serialized byte stream is present in the serialization cache, then the equivalent object is retrieved from the object cache, thereby avoiding deserialization of the received serialized object. If the serialized byte stream is not present in the serialization cache, then the serialized byte stream is deserialized, the deserialized object is cached in the object cache, and the serialized object is cached in the serialization cache.

Abstract: A message encoding specification and implementation where a receiver of an encoded message determines if the message can be decoded. If the receiver can decode the message, it does so and continues processing the message. If the receiver cannot decode the message, it returns a distinguished failure message to the sender, expecting the sender to resend the message using a different encoding scheme. When a sender receives the distinguished failure message that the receiver cannot decode the message, the sender encodes the message using an alternate encoding scheme, if one is available, and resends the message. The process continues until the sender has tried all available encoding schemes. If a sender exhausts the collection of available encoding schemes without finding one the receiver can successfully decode, the sender treats the failure as an error.

Abstract: An emergency response system of a premises uses an egress agent or application installed on mobile communications devices of users to provide evacuation instructions that are specific to the location of the user. The egress agents determine the location of their device and may determine an evacuation route from premises plans stored in the device or by transmitting their location to a server and receiving evacuation instructions from the server. Tracking of the devices along the evacuation route provides continual updates as to the relevant safety of an evacuation route.

Abstract: The present application is directed to a method, apparatus a computer program product configured to perform certain operations of dynamic serialization. In one example, a message is received which includes at least one message element requiring serialization. A first message element of the message is examined. A serialization scheme from a serialization scheme library is selected based on the at least one examined attribute of the first message element. Then, at least the first message element is encoded using the serialization scheme selected.

Abstract: In a community of mobile devices, a non-participating device can be joined to the community if the non-participating device meets location dependent criteria. The device's location can be determined, e.g. be an onboard GPS, from which it can be determined if the device is within a geospatial boundary of the community. The geospatial boundary may be calculated from the locations of community member devices. Only devices that meet the location dependent criteria will be eligible for participation in the community.

Abstract: In a network of sensor nodes, operational efficiency may be increased by configuring the sensor nodes so that sensor agents may be transferred to alternative sensor nodes to process sensor node data, such as when the host sensor node is in a low-power mode. A processing node of the network may be configured to retrieve real-time data from a sensor node, but if real-time data is not available, the processing node may perform calculations on cached data retrieved from a processor node cache or data of a nearby sensor node.

Abstract: In developing applications for a plurality of node types, a meta-data definition of the application can be captured into an application definition module. The meta-data definition can describe the application for the plurality of node types. A code generation module can then automatically generate the application code for the plurality of node types, including transaction aware code. The code can be compiled per node type and the packaging necessary to deploy the application to the plurality of node types can also be automatically generated.

Abstract: To provide self-healing capabilities in a distributed knowledge network/intelligent sensor network, a node monitoring task agent can be deployed to a node to determine operating parameters of the node or of other task agents executing on the node. The operating parameters can be passed to a node monitoring data analysis engine which can analyze the data by referencing a rule-set. The analyzed data can be passed to a management application which can determine whether any self-healing actions need to be performed, such as moving the task agents to other healthier nodes of the DKN-ISN.

Abstract: In developing applications for a plurality of node types, a meta-data definition of the application can be captured into an application definition module. The meta-data definition can describe the application for the plurality of node types. A code generation module can then automatically generate the application code for the plurality of node types. The code can be compiled per node type and the packaging necessary to deploy the application to the plurality of node types can also be automatically generated.

Abstract: A device API Abstraction layer is provided that is configured to operate as an interface between one or more applications operating on a device and an operating platform of the device. The device API abstraction layer comprises a universal set of APIs that enables the applications to execute irrespective of the operating system and software platform of the host device.

Abstract: In a network of sensor nodes, operational efficiency may be increased by configuring the sensor nodes so that sensor agents may be transferred to alternative sensor nodes to process sensor node data, such as when the host sensor node is in a low-power mode. A processing node of the network may be configured to retrieve real-time data from a sensor node, but if real-time data is not available, the processing node may perform calculations on cached data retrieved from a processor node cache or data of a nearby sensor node.

Abstract: Mobile agents can be deployed to mobile devices within specific regions of interest to achieve specific goals in respect of events occurring in the region of interest. In order to ensure that the agent can persist within the region of interest until the agent goals are achieved, the agent is configured to locate other devices within the region of interest and to propagate itself, by moving or copying itself, to those other devices. The region of interest may be a mobile and/or dynamic region of interest defined by, for example, a proximity to one or more mobile wireless access points or by an overlapping peer-to-peer communication range of a plurality of mobile devices that are configured to support the agent.

Abstract: In order to determine the location of wireless network devices without inherent location capabilities, a wireless network device such as an access point can receive geolocation information from transient data sources such as mobile devices requiring network access from the access point. The access point stores geolocation records including location coordinates received from the transient data sources. The geolocation records can be processed to determine the position and movement of the access point. The geolocation records and/or location information can be passed to other transient clients that do not have inherent location capability.

Abstract: In a distributed object computing system, a server application may create multiple, uniquely identified, server contexts that each provide one or more services to a service consumer (client). Instead of creating a connection to a client for each server context, a single connection can be used. A service request handler may be configured to handle service requests for each server context. Service requests may be generated in the client with a service context identity. When a service request is received by the server application, the service request handler resolves the service context identity and forwards the service request to the appropriate server context.

Abstract: In order to enable a dynamic handshake procedure, a device may be configured with a list of handshake contributors. Contributors with connection handshake properties may be added to the contributor list. To perform handshake, the contributor list is processed to extract the connection handshake properties of each contributor to the handshake. Handlers for handling the connection handshake properties may also be dynamically added and invoked when a handshake is received.

Abstract: In a mobile device, one of a plurality of network transports may be used for a connection request. The ideal network transport may be selected by executing a connection selection policy that is stored within the device. The connection selection policy may include one or more network transport evaluators that are each configured to weight the available network transports according to various criteria. Examples of network transport evaluators include evaluators that are dependent on geolocation, security levels, or battery status.

Abstract: When service requirements require moving of services registered with an object request broker (ORB) at a source server, continuity of service to service requests from clients may be provided by queuing the service requests at the source server. A server context with the same GUID as a source server context may be established at a destination server. URLs for the moved services may be registered with a destination ORB which may then begin receiving service requests. The source server may then respond to the queued service requests with respective URLs for the services registered at the destination ORB. Endpoints at the clients may be updated with the new URLs prior to resending the service requests. The movement of the ORB to the destination server may thus be transparent to the client application.

Abstract: To provide proxy address neutrality, in particular for mobile server devices, a server application can register its network address with a discovery application. Whenever the server application acquires a new network address, the server application updates the discovery application. A client application providing proxy services for the server application can invoke calls to the server client using the network address for the server application that is currently stored in the client device. If the current network address is invalid, the client application obtains an updated network address from the discovery application.

Abstract: To estimate the number of casualties at an event, a query may be sent to mobile device history database(s) associated with one or more mobile base stations that provide service coverage to an area that encompasses the event. The query determines the number of abnormal disconnects from the base station in a time interval immediately after the event. From the query response, a calculation may be performed of the number of casualties, with some or all of these abnormal disconnects being considered to indicate a casualty. Additional parameters can be applied to a casualty calculation, such as the percentage of persons in an area who would normally carry a mobile device that is connected to the one or more base stations.

Abstract: In distributed object computing, messages from a source node to a destination node are often required to be routed via one or more intermediate nodes. In order to enhance efficiency of the relay process, a message envelope of a message may include a node list field that specifies the routing path of the message. The communication protocol for communicating the message may specify that when a message is received into a particular node, the node analyzes the node list field. If the identity of the node is last in the node list field, then the node is the destination node and thus the node unmarshals the message. Otherwise, the node forwards the message to the next node in the field list without unmarshalling the message.