US 5,581,664 A · Case-based reasoning system

Abstract

A case-based reasoning system which is smoothly integrated into a rule-based reasoning system, thus coordinating case-based reasoning techniques and rule-based reasoning techniques in a unified automated reasoning system, in which an automated processor may proceed by inferential reasoning on the facts of the problem and the cases by means of rule-based reasoning techniques or based on procedural directives supplied by a human programmer, and may select the case which is the best match for the problem, but may act differently from the precise action prescribed for that case. A technique for dynamically adapting the case base to the problems which the automated reasoning system encounters, in which the processor may create additional cases which may exemplify the problem or which may be useful for future problems, or may remove cases from the case base which it determines from experience are poor or obsolete. A technique in which the processor may be set to work with a limited case base, and may solicit human advice for treatment of new problems which are not already well-treated by the case base.

Claims38

Dependent claims

A case-based reasoning system, comprising

a rule base having a plurality of inferential rules;
a case base having a plurality of exemplar cases;
a data base having a plurality of data records having a plurality of data items external to a set of facts in a problem template and external to a set of derived facts concluded from said set of facts;
and
an inference engine comprising means for performing case-based reasoning steps on said cases and said problem template, and comprising means for performing rule-based reasoning steps on said data items external to said set of facts in said problem template and external to said derived facts using said rules in a unified automated reasoning system;
wherein said inference engine comprises means for matching said problem template having a set of facts to said case base;
and means for applying said rules to said cases, said data items in said data records external to said set of facts in said problem template and external to said derived facts, and said facts in said problem template;
wherein said inference engine comprises a set of software objects which correspond to said cases and said data items and wherein said system comprises a data interface comprising means for maintaining a mapping between said data items and a first set of representative software objects, and means for maintaining a mapping between said cases and a second set of representative software objects.

5 more elements

A case-based reasoning system, comprising

a rule base having a plurality of inferential rules;
a case base having a plurality of exemplar cases;
a data base having a plurality of data records having a plurality of data items external to a set of facts in a problem template and external to a set of derived facts concluded from said set of facts;
an inference engine comprising means for performing case-based reasoning steps on said cases and said problem template, and comprising means for performing rule-based reasoning steps on said data items external to said set of facts in said problem template and external to said derived facts using said rules in a unified automated reasoning system;
wherein said inference engine comprises means for matching said problem template having a set of facts to said case base;
and means for applying said rules to said cases, said data items in said data records external to said set of facts in said problem template and external to said derived facts, and said facts in said problem template;
and
means for performing a method of matching a problem template to a case base, said method comprising the steps of
first generating a set of signature bits in response to at least one attribute-value pair for each case in said case base;
second generating a set of signatures, one for each said case, in response to said set of signature bits;
recording a signature file having at least one mapping from said set of signatures to said cases;
third generating a set of test bits for said problem template;
and
searching said signature file in response to said test bits.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Case-based reasoning system

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Case-based reasoning system

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Abstract

Claims38