As per patent office journal dated 30/07/2021, patent number 372440 has been granted to HITACHI LTD. that is titled COMPUTER SYSTEM DATA PROCESSING METHOD AND DATA PROCESSING PROGRAM. The primary independent claim of this patent states a system wherein multiple nodes are coupled via a communication network, further one node from among the multiple nodes becomes a leader node while the other nodes besides the leader node become follower nodes. Each one of these nodes execute the same task and includes a communication interface part for communicating with other nodes via a network; a storage part for storing data; an access execution part for executing an access request for the storage part from a task; and an output determination part for determining whether or not a result of an execution is correct. The leader node in the access execution part of its own node, creates a first output data on the basis of a first access request requested from a first task and on the output determination part of its own node, queries the follower nodes as to whether or not the first output data is correct. Upon obtaining responses to the effect that the data is correct from a prescribed number of the follower nodes, the first output data is then determined to be correct. Subsequently, the follower nodes, in the access execution part of its own node, create a second output data on the basis of a second access request requested from a second task that performs the same processing as that of the first task; and in the output determination part of its own node, receive a query from the leader node, determines whether or not the first output data and the second output data are the same data, and in a case where the determination result is affirmative, send a response to the effect that the first output data is correct to the leader node.
During the patent prosecution, the patent examiner objected to this patent under section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act. The patent applicant responded to this objection by stating that the present invention is not a computer program per se and also provides a technical effect which is technically advanced over the known arts. Furthermore, the applicant respectfully submits that the construction of the claims of the instant invention is in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Patents Act, CRI guidelines issued in respect of the patentability of computer related inventions and the Delhi High Court judgment in the Ericsson vs. LAVA case. Moreover, the present application clearly defines the structural hardware features and their interconnections and also claims that the present invention results in an improvement and has technical advancement Therefore, the claims of the present invention do not fall within the scope of Section 3(k) of the Act.
This patent falls under the category of Computer Science. Overall, this patent covers a computer system for synchronously executing multiple tasks on multiple computers. Each of a leader computer and follower computers executes the same task, with this leader computer creating a first output data on the basis of a first access requested from a first task and querying the follower computers as to whether or not the first execution result is correct, and, upon obtaining responses to the effect that the result is correct from a prescribed number of the follower computers, determining that the first output data is correct, while the follower computer creating a second output data on the basis of a second access request requested from a second task that performs the same processing as the first task, and receiving a query from the leader computer than determining whether or not the first execution result and the second output data are the same result, and in a case where the determination result is affirmative, sending to the leader computer a response to the effect that the first output data is correct.
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