METHOD OF DETERMINING THE TIMING FOR RECLAIMING A REMOTE OBJECT

A method for determining the timing for reclaiming a remote object (706) according to the teachings of the present invention includes the step of first creating a remote object (706) of a virtual object (702). The remote object has a default death criteria that can be overwritten by lifespan messages. The virtual object (702) may send the lifespan message (724) to the remote object (706) to change its death criteria. The remote object (706) is reclaimed in response to the death criteria being met.