Time-Bound Negotiation Framework for Electronic Commerce Agents

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2000

Abstract

For efficient and informative coordination of agents especially in electronic commerce environment, a time-bound agent negotiation framework is proposed utilizing a time-based commitment scheme. By attaching commitment duration to agent messages, the traditional contract net protocol is extended to a time-bound negotiation framework (TBNF). The proposed negotiation framework has a new message type which allows for parties to agree upon the extension of a commitment duration, and a novel commitment concept in the form of negative commitment. The semantics of the messages with the commitment duration are interpreted, and then the three typical negotiation protocols are formally defined and compared — nothing-guaranteed protocol, acceptance-guaranteed protocol, and finite-time guarantee protocol — which can be incorporated into TBNF. The TBNF should provide a background for efficient and effective electronic commerce negotiation while accommodating each agent's adaptive negotiation strategy.

Keywords

Communication protocols, Multi-agent negotiation, Electronic commerce, Contract Net Protocol, Multi-agent coordination

Discipline

Computer Sciences | Management Information Systems

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Publication

Decision Support Systems

Volume

28

Issue

4

First Page

319

Last Page

331

ISSN

0167-9236

Identifier

10.1016/S0167-9236(99)00096-2

Publisher

Elsevier

Additional URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-9236(99)00096-2

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