Batch validation method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for rule processing

• US 20050080798A1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Verde Sabor Assets LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Mair, Douglas M., Huelsman, David L., Love, Sharon E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An improvement comprising a computer-implemented method and apparatus thereof to validating combinations of product features that are compliant with an existing business rule relative to a modified business rule where modification thereof include at least one include ZDD rule component and/or an exclude ZDD rule component. The method comprises obtaining combinations of features compliant with the existing business rule, processing the combinations against a representation of the include ZDD rule component and/or exclude rule component to determine validity against the modified rule, and providing to a user, such as a product manager, an indication of validity of the combinations relative to the modification whereby to validate products having a set of user-selected criteria against a new or modified business rule. The processing step of the improvement may further comprises forming a representation of a record-by-feature array indicative of the combinations, re-ordering product features according to at least one include and/or exclude ZDD rule component, testing the validity of re-ordered features against each new rule component; and providing an output indicating to an end-user or product manager whether the product is compliant relative to the modified rule. The features or combinations may be read from a database and the product may include a service. A corresponding apparatus and computer-readable medium is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of validating combinations of product features that are compliant with an existing business rule relative to a modification of said business rule having at least one of an include ZDD rule component and an exclude ZDD rule component, said method comprising:

obtaining combinations of features compliant with said existing business rule,

processing said combinations against a representation of said at least one of said include ZDD rule component and said exclude rule component to determine validity, and

providing to a user an indication of validity of said combinations relative to said modification so that the user may select a product having a valid combination of features.

2. The computer-implement method of claim 1, wherein said processing step further comprises forming a representation of a record-by-feature array indicative of said combinations, re-ordering said features according to said at least one include and exclude ZDD rule component, testing the validity of re-ordered feature against each said rule component;

and said providing step comprises providing an output indicating to a product manager compliancy of each said re-ordered product features.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein said obtaining step included obtaining said combinations from a database.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein said product feature comprises a service.

5. In a rule processing method utilizing binary decision diagrams or representation thereof to determine compliancy relative to a rule, the improvement comprising a computer-implemented method of validating multiple records representing user-selected enumerations against a modification of said rule, said method comprising

obtaining data records indicative of user-selected enumerations that are compliant with said rule;

forming a record-by-enumeration array of said records and enumerations;

re-ordering enumerations of the array according to any include rule components of said modification of said rule, sorting the records according to the re-ordering, determining a validity of the record according to existence of a path in the include rule component embodying re-ordered enumerations of the records, and forming a resulting array by removing records having an invalid determination;

re-ordering enumerations of the resulting array according to any exclude rule component of the modification of said rule, sorting records of the resulting array according to any exclude rule component, determining validity of records of the resulting array according to existence of a path in the exclude rule component embodying the re-ordered enumerations, and forming a final array by removing records having an invalid determination; and

communicating to an end user an indication of those records of the final array that are fully compliant with said include and exclude rules components of the modification of said rule so that the user may identify compliant products.

6. An apparatus that validates multiple product data records indicative of user-selected criteria relative to a modification of a rule to determine compliancy of said criteria relative to said modification, the apparatus comprising:

an input to obtain the criteria,

a processor including routines to produce a representation of a record-by-enumeration array indicative of said criteria, to re-order enumerations of the array according to a ZDD rule component of said modification, and to determine validity of product data records having combinations of re-ordered enumerations relative to the ZDD rule component, and

an output to provide information used by an end-user to identify products having valid criteria.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said ZDD rule component includes at least one of an include rule and exclude rule component.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said user-selected criteria comprise configuration parameters representing valid selection criteria of a product or service.

9. A computer-readable medium embodying program instructions to effect acquisition of a set of data records defining combinations of enumerations of a product compliant with an existing rule, to form a representation of a record-by-enumeration array indicative of said set, to re-order enumerations of the array according to a ZDD rule component of a modified business rule, to determine validity of data records having re-ordered combinations of enumerations relative to the ZDD rule component, and to provide a list of records to an end-user identifying products having valid combinations of enumerations.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said ZDD rule component comprises and/or exclude rule components.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said combinations comprises product configuration parameters.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said product comprises a service.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said product comprises a rule-based system.