from different repositories or digital libraries. In this paper, we deal with a different model of response to a
The proliferation of electronically available networked information has led researchers to examine the issues involved in query. No single source of information may contain the developing automated methods for gathering information in complete response to a query; this may necessitate piecing response to a query from a user. However, most of this literature together mutually related partial responses from disparate deals with locating, gathering, and selecting the best response and possibly heterogeneous sources [24]. For example, to a query from among a multitude of responses from different consider a multiagent parametric mechanical design sysrepositories or digital libraries. This paper deals with a different tem where each agent has to contribute a component model of response to a query, involving composition of mutually to assemble a complete design. An agent has to obtain related partial responses spread across a network of information its components from manufacturer-specified catalog case repositories. We present a system for cooperative retrieval and bases that may be distributed across the Internet. For composition of a case in which subcases are distributed across example, it may treat WWW-accessible distributed comdifferent agents in a multiagent system. From a Gestalt perspective, a good overall case may not be the one derived from the ponent library like PARTNET [5, 25] as its case base summation of best subcases. Each agent's local view may result from which to draw its components. In addition to the in best local cases, which when assembled may not result in constraints arising from the overall design requirements, the best overall case in terms of global measures. We propose constraints on a component also arise from the specificaa negotiation-driven case retrieval algorithm as an approach tions of other components in the design. A response to a to dynamically resolving inconsistencies between different case query in the form of a specification of design requirements pieces during the retrieval process.