Method and apparatus for facilitating object communication across a network

Abstract

The present invention provides a framework for enabling an object oriented paradigm to be implemented in a networked environment. The framework comprises a client dispatcher object for managing the network communications of objects on the client's side, and a server dispatcher object for managing the network communications of objects on the server's side. The dispatcher objects cooperate with each other to send messages from the associated objects across the network in batches. By collecting and sending messages in batches, the dispatchers minimize the number of network round trips that need to be incurred, thereby minimizing network traffic. The framework further comprises a proxy interface for enabling the dispatcher objects to communicate with their associated objects. The proxy interface sets forth a set of methods that each of the associated objects needs to implement in order to participate in the communication scheme of the present invention. By providing an implementation for the proxy interface, any object having any desired functionality will be able to take advantage of the framework of the present invention. This openness of the proxy interface makes it possible to take full advantage of the flexibility, extensibility, and robustness offered by object oriented technology. By providing the structure needed to control network traffic without placing any limitations upon the functionality of the objects, the framework of the present invention provides an effective mechanism for implementing an object oriented paradigm in a networked environment.