US 5,826,250 A · Rules bases and methods of access thereof

Abstract

A rules base according to the invention comprises multiple entries encoded in a storage medium, e.g., optical disk, magnetic disk, or read-only memory or random access memory. Each entry is encoded to include, or is otherwise associated with, an objective and with a circumstance. Each entry is also marked to reflect its respective status, e.g., via status fields encoded in the records. These statuses include, inter alia, "valid," reflecting that information encoded in, or otherwise associated with, the entry corresponds to a rule for corresponding objective/circumstance; "inheritance," reflecting that the rule for the corresponding objective/circumstance is to be sought elsewhere, e.g., in another entry in the rules base; and "invalid," reflecting that the corresponding combination of objective and circumstance is invalid. The rules base also includes an "inheritance" structure that, too, is encoded in a storage medium. A method for determining a rule for a designated objective and circumstance responds to identification, e.g., via a search of the rules base, of a valid entry that is associated with the designated objective/circumstance for generating a rule based on information associated with that entry. The method also responds to (i) the identification of an entry that is marked for inheritance and is associated that objective/circumstance, or (ii) the failure to identify an entry associated with that objective/circumstance, for generating a rule based on information associated with another an entry in the rules base--particularly, an entry that is an associated with the same objective and with an immediate or prior ancestor of the designated circumstance. The method constructs a rule from data elements collected from ancestor entries.

Claims69

Dependent claims

A method of determining a rule for a designated objective and circumstance, the method comprising the steps of

A. any of creating and accessing a rules base that includes
i. a plurality of rule entries, each associated with an objective and with a circumstance, at least one of which entries has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to one or more rules for that objective and circumstance, and at least another of which entries has a status indicating that one or more rules for that objective and circumstance should be sought elsewhere,
ii. a structure that defines an ancestral relationship of circumstances,
B. responding to existence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to one or more rules for that objective and circumstance, for generating those rules based on information associated with that entry,
C. responding to any of
i. absence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance, and
ii. an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that one or more rules for that objective and circumstance should be sought elsewhere, for generating those rules based on information associated with an entry that is associated with the designated objective and with a circumstance that is any of an immediate or prior ancestor of the designated circumstance.

4 more elements

A method of determining a sequence of rules for a designated objective, rule identifier and circumstance, the method comprising

A. accessing a rules base that includes
i. a plurality of entries, each associated with an objective, a current rule identifier and a circumstance, at least one of which entries has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to a rule for that objective, current rule identifier and circumstance, and at least another of which entries has a status indicating that the rule for that objective, current rule identifier and circumstance corresponds to information associated with an another entry,
ii. a structure that defines an ancestral relationship of circumstances,
B. responding to existence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective, current rule identifier, and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to the rule for that objective, current rule identifier and circumstance, for generating a rule in the sequence based on information in that entry and for at least one of (i) storing and (ii) generating an identifier for a next rule in the sequence, and
C. responding to any of
(i) absence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective, current rule identifier and circumstance, and
(ii) an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective, rule identifier and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that the rule for the associated objective, current rule identifier and circumstance should be sought elsewhere,
for generating a rule in the sequence based on information associated with an entry that is associated with the designated objective, current rule identifier and with a circumstance that is any of an immediate or prior ancestor of the designated circumstance, and for at least one of (i) storing and (ii) generating an identifier of a next rule in the sequence.

5 more elements

A method of determining a rule for a designated objective and circumstance, the method comprising the steps of

A. accessing a rules base that includes (i) a plurality of entries, each associated with an objective and with a circumstance, and (ii) a structure defining an ancestral relationship of circumstances,
B. responding to existence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance for generating a rule based on information associated with that entry, and
C. responding to an absence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance for generating a rule based on information associated with an entry associated with the designated objective and with a circumstance that is any of an immediate or prior ancestor of the designated circumstance.

A method of determining a rule for a designated objective and circumstance, the method comprising the steps of

A. accessing a rules base that includes
i. a plurality of entries, each associated with an objective and with a circumstance at least one of which entries has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to the rule for the associated objective and circumstance, and at least another of which entries has a status indicating that the rule for that objective and circumstance corresponds to information associated with an another entry,
ii. a structure that defines an ancestral relationship of circumstances,
B. responding to existence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that information associated with the entry corresponds to the rule for that objective and circumstance, for generating a rule based on information associated with that entry,
C. responding to existence of an entry in the rules base associated with the designated objective and circumstance, which entry has a status indicating that information for the associated objective and circumstance should be sought elsewhere, for generating a rule based on information associated with an entry that is associated with the designated objective and with a circumstance that is any of an immediate or prior ancestor of the designated circumstance.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Rules bases and methods of access thereof

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Rules bases and methods of access thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims69