System for cooperatively executing programs by sequentially sending a requesting message to serially connected computers

Claim 1

In a computer network system comprising first through N-th computers connected to a communication line where N represents a predetermined natural number which is not less than two, an n-th computer executing an n-th program which includes one of a plurality of functions, where n represents each of 1 through N, wherein said n-th computer comprises: judging means supplied with a request indicative of one of the functions from said n-th program for judging whether or not said one of the functions can be executed by said n-th computer in response to said request, said judging means producing said request as a non-executable signal when said one of the functions be executed by said n-th computer; request command generating means connected to said judging means and responsive to said non-executable signal for generating an original request command indicative of said request; and request transmitting means connected to said request command generating means and to said communication line for transmitting, as a transmission request command, said original request command through said communication line to an m-th computer alone which is at least one of said first through said N-th computers except for said n-th computer, said m-th computer executing said one of the functions; said m-th computer comprising: request receiving means connected to said communication line for receiving said transmission request command via said communication line as a received request command; executing means connected to said request receiving means and responsive to said received request command for executing said one of the functions indicated by said received request command to produce an execution result; reply command generating means connected to said executing means and responsive to said execution result for generating an original reply command indicative of said execution result; and reply transmitting means connected to said reply command generating means and to said communication line for transmitting, as a transmission reply command, said original reply command through the communication line to said n-th computer.