WO2006051181A1 - Method and module for the dynamic composition of communication services - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the dynamic composition of communication services in a system comprising identifiable, locatable hardware objects (O1, On) that include processing objects which each comprise an information acquisition component, an information reproduction component or a support component. The inventive system also comprises a directory (5) providing the location, identification and pre-defined characteristics of the aforementioned objects and indicating the basic service components of the processing objects. According to the invention, a physical match between objects is detected using at least the location information and the matched objects are identified. Subsequently, the characteristics of the objects identified are analysed. When the matched objects comprise first and second processing objects (O1, O2), at least one processing chain is determined as a function of at least the analysis of the characteristics, said chain combining selected service components comprising components of the first and second processing objects respectively, in order to form a corresponding service.

Description

 METHOD AND MODULE FOR DYNAMIC SERVICE COMPOSITION

COMMUNICATION

The present invention relates to the field of communication services, implementing at least one human interface. The human interface can be an acquisition interface, for example audio or video, or a rendering interface, for example audio or video. In general, human interfaces can also exploit other human sensory abilities.

These communication services are implemented using various hardware processing objects, generally capable of being touched, or even manipulated by a user. These processing objects are for example a video camera, a microphone, a loudspeaker, a video monitor, a DVD player, a personal communicator (or in English "smart phone"), connected to a given transmission network, etc.

In the present description, the term "processing objects" refers to objects that include at least one elementary service component. The basic service is an acquisition service, rendering or communication support. Thus processing objects comprise at least one information acquisition component from an information source (personal communicator, video camera, etc.). Processing objects comprise at least one information retrieval component to an information recipient (loudspeaker, monitor, personal communicator, etc.). Processing objects include at least one communication medium component. Such a component is adapted to contribute to the transmission or the processing / storage of the information, between an acquisition component and a rendering component (DVD player, personal communicator, etc.) implemented to provide the communication service. .

Typically, when a user traveling outside his home, wants to view on the screen of his personal communicator video acquired through a camera in the room of his child, he must proceed to connections and configurations specific objects of treatment, and additional intermediate means. The implementation of this type of combination of basic services to create a composite communication service is thus cumbersome and tedious. It can not be done remotely. Moreover, there are models of interfaces that can be grasped ("Bricks: laying the foundations for graspable User Interfaces", Fitzmaurice GW, Hiroshi Ishii, William Buxton, in Proceedings of CHI 1995) or tangible ("Tangible Bits": towards seamless interfaces between people , bits and atoms ", Ishii H., Ullmer B., in Proceedings of CHI 1997, Atlanta, March 1997) in which physical objects are used as representatives of virtual objects to control actions. These models make it possible to extract virtual objects (windows, icons) from the 2D universe of a desktop screen, and allow not to limit the interface between the user and the computer world, to a screen and a mouse . However, such manipulation techniques only replace the user input of predefined rigid commands. They do not combine basic communication services and in particular do not allow spontaneous and "intelligent" composition of such services.

The present invention aims to provide a system for such a combination.

For this purpose, according to a first aspect, the invention proposes a method for dynamic composition of communication services in a system comprising a set of identifiable and localizable (01 ,,, On) material objects. Among these objects are processing objects. Each processing object comprises at least one component of a basic service among at least one information acquisition component, an information rendering component and a support component. The system is designed to implement basic services via said components- de service- élémentaire- the system- ^{~ ~} has also in- ^"~ a directory listing information associated with objects, for locating, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects. The basic service components are indicated in the characteristics of processing objects with components.

The method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

detecting a physical mapping of objects operated by a user, based at least on location information listed in the directory and identifying the mapped objects; and

- analyze the characteristics of the objects identified;

The method comprises the following steps when the mapped objects comprise a first one of a first processing object and an object representing said first processing object, and further comprising a second one of a second processing object and an object representing said first processing object. second processing object, the characteristics of said first and second processing objects respectively indicating at least a first and second elementary service components: determining, as a function of at least said characteristic analysis, at least one processing chain, combining selected service components including at least the first elemental service component included in the first process object and at least the second elementary service component included in the second process object; and

constituting a service defined by said processing chain and implementing the components of the treatment chain thus determined.

Thus, the invention makes it possible, following an intuitive combination of hardware objects by a user, to dynamically determine a processing chain defining a communication service, which combines distinct elementary service functionalities rendered by components of said objects. .

Such a method therefore allows a user to perform spontaneous-matching -E-system-determining- then-a-service-communication to provide.

Such a system is very flexible. If a new processing object is introduced into the system, for example a new camera with very specific acquisition functions (for example, a very high number of pixels per image), it is sufficient for the directory to be informed about this device, so that a set of new services that exploit these functionalities can be provided, on simple physical matching, by a user, of the new camera and one or more objects implemented in other services. It is thus not necessary for a designer to configure all the possible combinations of services beforehand and the user does not need to know a specific command that makes it possible to implement a particular service combining various basic services. It is enough for him to couple physically two objects representing this service intuitively.

User mapping of two or more objects can be done in different ways. It can for example grab one of the objects and make it touch successively the other objects to be matched, or sufficiently bring an object to another object to match them. In another mode of implementation, it can touch one of the objects, then another, to match them. In yet another mode, the user points an object to one or more other objects, thereby mapping them. The set of objects mapped may comprise, according to the embodiments, one or more processing objects, that is to say having at least one elementary service component as indicated above. It can include at least one object that is not a processing object. Depending on the case, this object represents a processing object, that is to say that it has the same effect for the determination of a composite service that if the processing object that it represents was mapped to its place (for example an old phone instead of a phone in service).

In other cases, the object can be a source of information or ^{"a" "destfnataire ~} d ^J informationsτ ^'ϋn" tehobjet can êtrer ^~ eg ^~ the-photo-of a person.

The representation of an element (represented element, also called signified, which can be an object, a source of information or a recipient information) by another object (representative or signifying object) can be symbolic (that is, arbitrary). In this case, the correspondence is assumed to be known to the user, but it must be registered in advance in the directory, associated with the characteristics of said objects. The representation can still be iconic, that is to say, motivated (eg the person pictured). In this case, there is an analogy of form between the representative object and the element represented, and the element represented can, in embodiments, be recognized for example by recognition means implementing known algorithmic tools. (pattern matching type) on the representative object. It is thus determined that the object represents the element.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a module for dynamic composition of communication services in a system comprising a set of identifiable and localizable objects (O1, ,, On). In this set of objects are processing objects. Each processing object comprises at least one elementary service component among at least one information acquisition component, an information rendering component, and a support component. The system is adapted to implement basic services through said elementary service components. It further comprises a directory that lists information associated with the objects, relating to the location, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects. The elementary service components are indicated in the characteristics of the processing objects comprising the components. The module according to the invention comprises:

means for detecting a physical mapping of objects based on at least one of the location information listed in the directory and identifying the mapped objects;

Means for analyzing characteristics of the identified objects; means for, when the mapped objects comprise a first object among a first processing object and an object representing said first processing object, and further comprising a second object among a second processing object and an object representing said second processing object, the characteristics of said first and second processing objects respectively indicating at least first and second elementary service components, determining, as a function of at least one of characteristics analysis, at least one processing chain, combining selected service components among which are at least the first elementary service component included in the first processing object and at least the second elementary service component included in the second service object. treatment ; and means for constituting a service defined by said processing chain and implementing the components of the treatment chain thus determined.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the description which follows. This is purely illustrative and should be read in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

the single figure represents a system in one embodiment of the invention.

The single figure represents a system 1 in one embodiment of the invention. The system 1 comprises a plurality of hardware objects 01 to On. These objects are very diverse in nature.

For example, object 01 is a camera, object 02 is a personal communicator, object 03 is a video monitor, object 04 is a landline, object 05 is a picture of a person U object 06 is a speaker, object 07 is a DVD player etc. Some of the objects are processing objects, i.e. they have one or more elementary service components, implemented to establish basic communication services (for example: 01, 02, 03, 04, 06 and O7).

Such a component is a video component for capturing an audio acquisition component, an audio rendering component, a video rendering component, or a media component. A support component is a component implemented in an elementary service between an acquisition component and a rendering component.

The system 1 further comprises a management entity 2.

This management entity 2 comprises locating means 3, which are adapted to locate at least the objects 01, ... On of the system 1. The locating means may be of varied and multiple technologies: for example complete positioning systems multi-sensors (for example, IEEE 802.11 terminal triangulation, camera tracking system, etc.) or isolated sensors or positioning information durably inscribed during the installation of fixed or rarely moved objects.

The management entity 2 further comprises identification means 4, adapted to identify an object after it has been located by the location means 3. In the embodiment considered, the location means

3 and identification 4 are further adapted to locate and identify users of the system 1.

The management entity 2 further comprises a directory 5. This directory 5 lists information relating to the objects 01 to On. It contains the identifier of each object. The directory 5 also collects location data regularly updated from the information from the location means 3 and the identification means 4.

The system as described above is for example similar to that described in document FR 03 06497. In particular, it makes it possible to identify and locate dynamically moving objects.

The directory 5 further includes features relating to the objects.

These characteristics indicate particular, for each processing object ^ the-or- component them (s) -de Service elementary-qu ^ l-comprises, - the ^~ or- basic services accessible via the or elementary components the object. The characteristics may further indicate for an object, various particularities, for example designating a person, a location (postal address, IP address, geographical coordinates for example in the form longitude / latitude etc.), a schedule, etc. The information in the directory 5 relating to an object may have been filled in an initialization phase of the object, by the installer or the user of the object.

Moreover, in the embodiment considered, the system 1 comprises connection means adapted to implement connections between elements of the system 1 and to implement connections with external entities, such as communication networks. wireless type GSM, WLAN etc, fixed communication networks, the Internet, databases, servers, other systems according to the invention etc. The system 1 comprises a service composition engine 6.

This engine 6 is adapted to detect an object mapping performed by a user.

It detects such matching from the location data of the objects in the directory. Depending on the case, it detects a mapping for example when it finds a contact objects, or a rapprochement of objects such that the distance between them is less than a predefined threshold distance. The threshold distances, in embodiments, are functions of the objects. In another embodiment, it detects a mapping when a user successively touches objects; in this case, the mapping is established not only from the location data relating to the objects but also from the location data relating to the user.

The detection of a physical mapping may, in ^"Methods of ^{~ ~ ~} réalisation7 take account ^{~ ~} of ^{~ ~~} levels of ^{~ '~} difficulty relating ^~ to move objects or opportunities for interaction with given object ("affordances") In particular, an object can be used to point to another object, in order to define a mapping of these objects. two objects. The locating means are then enriched to enable the detection of the pointing of an object by a "pointer" object, and the directory indicates that the "pointer" object is able to designate a combination by pointing.

When a mapping of an set E of objects is established, the engine 6 identifies each object of the set E, then it analyzes in the directory 5 the characteristics relating to these objects of the set E.

In particular, from these characteristics, it determines one or more information processing chains, by combining some of the different elementary service components of objects indicated in the characteristics of the mapped objects.

A processing chain determined by the engine 6 comprises at least the following elements: an information source, a component for acquiring this information, a support component for the information thus acquired, a component for rendering the information provided by the component support and a recipient of this information returned.

combiner dans une même chaîne de traitement des éléments non compatibles, par exemple un composant d'acquisition vidéo et un composant de restitution audio. Deux éléments sont compatibles lorsque l'élément en amont dans la chaîne de traitement est apte à traiter les données en sortie de l'élément en aval. Une autre règle est par exemple d'éviter de stocker inutilement des données, d'éviter au maximum d'insérer un composant d'un même objet en des endroits non contigus d'une chaîne etc. Puis une fois l'ensemble des chaînes de traitement conformes aux règles appliquées d'office déterminées, le moteur 6 en sélectionne une ou plusieurs.In certain embodiments, the choice of the acquisition component will also determine by default the choice of the source and / or the choice of the rendering component will, by default, determine the choice of the destination. From the objects mapped, the engine 6 thus determines one or more possible processing chains in accordance with predefined determination rules. Among these rules is in one embodiment a rule of selecting at least one element of the chain based on the characteristics of each mapped object, another rule of providing a default element when an element is missing. in the constituted chain. Yet another rule is to constrain the engine 6 to first determine the processing chain or chains requiring a minimum number of elements allocated

combining in the same processing chain non-compatible elements, for example a video acquisition component and an audio reproduction component. Two elements are compatible when the element upstream in the processing chain is able to process the output data of the downstream element. Another rule is for example to avoid storing data unnecessarily, to avoid to the maximum of inserting a component of the same object in non-contiguous places of a chain etc. Then, once all the processing chains comply with the rules applied automatically determined, the engine 6 selects one or more.

Indeed, in some cases, two (or more) processing chains can be retained when they can be implemented jointly, complementarily and compatible: for example a video data processing chain and a data processing chain. audio, with for example the same source and the same recipient.

The selection of this chain (or chains) finally retained is performed by the engine 6, for example by successively applying a set of optional rules, until only a single processing chain, or several chains, remain. which can be implemented jointly and in parallel.

These optional rules furthermore take into account, in one embodiment, context elements, for example preferences indicated previously by the user at the origin of the mapping and stored in the form of a user profile, or features linked to elements of the processing chain defined by the mapped objects, to the current states of availability of the processing objects

(or components of these objects) which include the components of the processing chain (these current statuses are for example maintained in the directory 5), the current user states or the environment of the users or the users. objects etc.

When a processing chain is finally selected, the engine

6 determines the ∞nnexionsππé ^ ^ essairesiDouT ^'rπettre erroeuvre this channel, thus providing a channel defined by the service. This service is then provided by the system. According to the embodiments, it will be provided automatically, or an agreement of the user may be previously required. In one embodiment, a user matches, for example by making them touch, the camera 01 and his personal communicator 02, in the room of his child.

The engine 6 detects the mapping and identifies the set Ei of the mapped objects composed of these processing objects 01 and 02.

From the directory 5, the engine 6 analyzes the characteristics of the object 01, which indicate that the object 01 is a processing object and that it comprises a video acquisition component. The engine 6 analyzes the characteristics of the object 02, which indicate that the object 02 is a processing object and that it comprises a video acquisition component (mini-camera) and a support component for storage, a component audio acquisition (micro), a support component for local transmission (for example of the WLAN type), a support component for remote transmission, for example of the UMTS type, a support component for storage (by flash memory or hard disk) , an audio rendering component (speaker) and a video rendering component (video screen).

Then the motor 6 determines the possible processing chains by combining the components of the camera and those of the personal communicator, by assigning at least one component of each object 01, 02 to an element of the processing chain, applying the rules of determination predefined.

So the processing chain below is determined:

Source (set by default according to the choice of the acquisition component): the scene of the field of view of the camera 01 (room of the child of the user);

Acquiring component: the acquisition component of camera 01;

COrnposanrde ^{^ ^} rd ^{^} carrier sappOrtrde ^{^} transmissioTi UMTSr restitution component: the video rendering component of personal communicator 02; Recipient (default following the choice of the rendering component): the user of the video communicator.

The motor 6 further defines a transmission link between the camera 01 and the UMTS network for transmitting the data acquired by the camera 01. It has thus constituted the service S1, defined by the processing chain, which can now be provided by the system 1.

The S1 service allows the user to be able to obtain images of the child's room on the video screen of his personal communicator 02 at any point in the coverage of the UMTS network. In the embodiment considered above, the mapping of the processing objects 01 and 02 had been done by manipulation by the user of the objects 01 and 02 themselves.

In another embodiment of the invention, the user outside his home may wish to implement the composite service S1. For this, it matches the photo 08 (or any other object Oi) of the camera 01 and its personal communicator 02.

In this embodiment, the characteristics previously defined in the directory 5 indicate that object 08 corresponds to the processing object 01. Then the rest of the process proceeds as indicated in the embodiment commented above.

Thus, an object registered in the directory as representative of a processing object has the same effect in determining which components to combine, if it was the processing object itself that was mapped. In one embodiment, objects may be registered in the directory as representing not one, but two processing objects.

In one embodiment, since the service S1 has been activated by the system 1, the user passes his personal communicator next to a video monitor Θ3. In this case the engine detects Ha. matching the video monitor 03 and the object 02 implemented to render the service S1. The engine 6 is then adapted to determine a modified processing chain in which one of the elements of the chain is replaced by an element of the same nature and indicated by the characteristics of the new object mapped 03. A single component (video rendering) being indicated in the characteristics of the directory 5 relating to the object

03, it is therefore a component of the same nature, that is to say of video restitution, that should be replaced in the chain. The processing chain is therefore modified by replacing the video reproduction component of the personal communicator 02 initially implemented by the video rendering component of the monitor 03. The new service thus constituted by the engine 6 is then supplied by the system 1. L The user can now view the images of his son's room on the monitor 03, thus enjoying an improved video resolution compared to that initially offered by his personal communicator 02.

In another embodiment, a user matches the picture of a person 05, a fixed telephone set 04 and the video monitor 03, for example by bringing the objects O5 and O4 close to the object 03.

Engine 6 detects mapping and identifies the set

E ₂ matched objects, composed of processing objects 03

04 and 05. From the directory 5, the engine 6 analyzes the characteristics of the object 03, which indicate that the object 03 is a processing object and that it comprises a video rendering component.

The engine 6 analyzes the characteristics of the object 04, which indicate that the object 02 is a processing object and that it comprises an audio acquisition component (microphone), an audio reproduction component (loudspeaker) and a support component for remote transmission, for example of the type

ISDN.

The engine 6 analyzes the characteristics of the object 05, which indicate that the robot is at the same time. ^"PèTsonn" ë ^"given ^ ^ϋ7le" s7stème ^"having" acceSS ^"by" elsewhere in the data (eg location) that person

U. Then the motor 6 determines the possible processing chains by combining the component of the monitor 03, one or more components of the fixed telephone 04, by assigning at least one component of each object 03, 04 to an element of the processing chain and making so that the object 05, which is not a processing object and which is not an object representative of a processing object, is used to determine the source or the recipient, by applying the predefined determination rules .

Joint processing chains are thus determined by applying the predefined determination rules in this embodiment, making it possible to implement a telephone communication service S2 with the person U represented in the photograph 05, with visualization of the person by the user. user in the video monitor 03. In this case, the engine 6 has defined by default a video acquisition component that was available at the location where the person U represented in the photo 05. Typically, the engine 6 at least partly in the form of a computer program running on a computer of the system 1.

The invention is particularly advantageous when the inventor combines objects comprising elementary service components intended to implement different basic services.

Thus, the invention proposes an advanced elementary service composition system, in which the different ways in which the service components of the matched objects are combined, are examined to determine possible processing chains (ie that is, complete strings conforming to predefined rules and having compatible contiguous components, the service rendered by the processing chain being relevant), of which at least one is selected to provide the communication service defined by the processing chain .

Claims

A method of dynamically composing communication services in a system (1) comprising a set of identifiable and localizable object objects (01 ,,, On) comprising processing objects, each processing object comprising at least one component of a basic service among at least one information acquisition component, an information rendering component and a support component, said system being adapted to implement elementary services through said elementary service components, and the system comprising a directory (5) listing information associated with said objects relating to the location, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects, the elementary service components being indicated in the characteristics of the processing objects comprising said components, said process comprising the following steps: - Detecting a physical mapping of objects, operated by a user, based at least on location information listed in the directory and identify the objects mapped; and - analyze the characteristics of the objects identified; and the following steps when the mapped objects comprise a first object (01) among a first processing object and an object representing said first processing object, and further comprising a second object (02) among a second processing object and an object representing said second processing object, the characteristics of said first and second processing objects respectively indicating at least a first and second component of basic services: determining, according to at least said analysis of the characteristics, at least one processing chain, combining selected service components of which at least the first elementary service component included in the first processing object and at least the second elementary service component included in the second processing object; and constituting a service defined by said processing chain and implementing the components of the treatment chain thus determined. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the processing chain successively comprises an information source, an information acquisition component, a support component, a component for restoring said information, an information recipient, each mapped object having resulted in the determination of at least one of said components, source and recipient of information according to the characteristics of the object. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the information source and the information recipient is determined based on at least the information acquisition component, if the element is the source. information, and according to at least the information retrieval component if the element is the information recipient. 4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, according to which, during the determination of a processing chain, two components are contiguously arranged in the chain only after verifying their compatibility. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, according to the characteristics of the mapped objects, a set of processing strings is determined by searching all the combinations between components, for the components included in the objects mapped, in compliance with predefined rules. 6. Method according to claim 5, wherein a processing chain is selected from the set of chains determined according to at least one of information relating to a user profile, information relating to the availability of the processing objects, location information of a processing object of which at least one component is in the processing chain. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps, when a composite service is being provided via at least one initial processing object having a selected service component in the service chain. processing initially determined and that a mapping of the initial processing object to another processing object, operated by a user, is detected based on at least the location information of said objects, said other processing object comprising a service component of the same nature as the service component selected: - modify the processing chain by replacing the service component initially selected by the service component of the same nature included in the other processing object; and - constitute the service thus defined. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an object represents one of another object, an information source and an information recipient, said object having a shape analogy with the represented element, and we implement means algorithmic recognition on the object to identify the element represented and determine that the object represents said element. 9. Module (6) for dynamic composition of communication services in a system (1) comprising a set of identifiable and localizable (01 On) hardware objects comprising processing objects, each processing object comprising at least one component of a basic service among at least one information acquisition component, an information rendering component and a support component, said system being adapted to implement elementary services through said elementary service components, and the system comprising a directory (5) listing information associated with said objects relating to the location, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects, the elementary service components being indicated in the characteristics of the processing objects comprising said components, said module comprising: means for detecting a physical mapping of objects operated by a user, based at least on location information listed in the directory and identifying the mapped objects; means for analyzing the characteristics of the objects identified; means for, when the mapped objects comprise a first object (01) among a first processing object and an object representing said first processing object, and ^" comprenentresentering ^~ ϋn seecond ^~ objet ^"" (O2) ^~ among a second processing object and an object representing said second processing object, the characteristics of said first and second processing objects respectively indicating at least of the first and second basic service components, determining, based on at least said characteristic analysis, at least one processing chain, combining selected service components among which are at least the first component of the elementary service included in the first the processing object and at least the second elementary service component included in the second processing object; and means for constituting a service defined by said processing chain and implementing the components of the treatment chain thus determined. The module (6) according to claim 9, wherein the means for determining the processing chain are adapted to determine a processing chain which successively comprises an information source, an information acquisition component, a component of support, a component for restoring said information, an information recipient, and for each object mapped to correspond to the determination of at least one of said components, source and recipient of information according to the characteristics of the 'object. The module (6) of claim 10, wherein the means for determining the processing string is adapted to determine at least one of the information source and the information recipient according to at least one of the information component. acquisition of information. If the element is the source of information, and according to at least the information retrieval component if the element is the information recipient. 12. Module (6) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the determination means are adapted to dispose of contiguous in the two-component chain only after checking their compatibility. The module (6) according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the determining means is adapted to determine, according to the characteristics of the objects mapped, a set of processing strings looking for all the combinations between components, for the components included in the objects mapped, in accordance with predefined rules. The module (6) of claim 13, wherein the processing string determining means is adapted to select a processing string from the set of determined strings, based on at least one of information from of the user, information relating to the availability of processing objects, location information of a processing object of which at least one component is in the processing chain. The module (6) according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the processing string determining means is adapted for, when a composite service is being supplied through at least one initial processing object having a service component selected in the initially determined processing chain and that the detecting means detects a mapping of the initial processing object to another processing object according to at least the information of location of said objects, said other processing object comprising a -composing component. same-nature ~ service-that-selected-service component: - modify the processing chain by replacing the service component initially selected by the service component of the same nature included in the other processing object; and - constitute the service thus defined. 16. Computer program for dynamic composition of communication services in a system (1) comprising a set of identifiable and localizable hardware objects (01, ..., On) comprising processing objects, each processing object including least one component of a basic service among at least one information acquisition component, an information retrieval component and a support component, said system being adapted to implement elementary services through said components of basic service, and the system comprising a directory (5) listing information associated with said objects, relating to the location, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects, the elementary service components being indicated in the characteristics of the processing objects comprising said components, said program including instructions for execution, when said program is executed on a system calculator (1) of the following steps: detecting a physical mapping of objects operated by a user, based at least on the location information listed in the directory and the identification of the mapped objects; - the analysis of the characteristics of the identified objects; and when the mapped objects comprise a first object (01) among a first processing object and an object representing said first processing object, and further comprising a second object (02) from a second processing object and an object representing said second object for processing, the characteristics of said first and second processing objects respectively indicating at least first and second components of basic services: the determination, according to at least said analysis of the characteristics, of at least one processing chain, combining selected service components among which are at least the first component of the elementary service included in the first processing object and at least the second elementary service component included in the second processing object; and the constitution of a service defined by the said processing chain and implementing the components of the treatment chain thus determined. A directory (5) listing information associated with a set of identifiable and localizable hardware objects (01 ,,, On) including processing objects, each processing object comprising at least one component of a basic service from at least one of an information acquisition component, an information retrieval component and a support component, said directory information was related to the location, identification and predefined characteristics of said objects, the elementary service components being indicated in the characteristics of the processing objects comprising said components.