Method and device for real-time knowledge processing based on an ontology with temporal extensions

A server computer, comprising:

• a processor;
• a network interface in communication with the processor;
• a knowledge base that stores (1) a history table that includes previously received assertions, and (2) a snapshot table that stores currently valid assertions, wherein an assertion comprises a subject, a property and an object and wherein an assertion can have a functional property such that for a given subject and a given property the object has a single value at any time, and if a new assertion is received with the given subject and the given property and a different object value then the newly received assertion is valid and any previously received assertions are no longer valid
• a memory in communication with the processor for storing instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the server:
• to receive a plurality of assertions;
• to maintain a snapshot cache in memory that stores a subset of the assertions in the snapshot table;
• to initiate a processing cycle, which is a period of time during which the received plurality of assertions is processed;
• to select an assertion for processing;
• to generate an assertion tuple that corresponds to the selected assertion, wherein the assertion tuple includes the subject, property and object of the selected assertion, a transaction time, which is the starting time of the cycle, and a certainty value set to true, indicating that the selected assertion is true as of the transaction time;
• to determine that the property of the selected assertion is functional;
• to write a retraction tuple to the history table that indicates that a previous assertion with the same subject and property as the selected assertion is retracted, wherein the certainty value of the retraction tuple is set to false;
• to write the assertion tuple to the snapshot table;
• and
• to write the assertion tuple to the history table.