Rules base systems and methods with circumstance translation

• US 20070239646A1
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Trefler, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

The invention provides, in one aspect, a method of finding a rule in a rules base that includes a plurality of rule entries, each having a rule and an associated objective and one or more associated circumstances. A rule finder accesses the rules base in response to a request, with a specified objective and with specified circumstances, by searching the rules base for a matching entry. Where the search fails, the rule finder searches one or more translation tables for entries having first circumstances matching those specified in the request that resulted in the failure. If found, the rule finder repeats the search of the rules base with the specified objective and with a second (or “map-to”) circumstances from matching entries in the translation tables. The rule finder can return, e.g., to an application program that issued the request, a rule found during that repeat search of the rules base.

Claims

1. A method of finding a rule for a specified objective and circumstance, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) responding to a request for a rule associated with a specified objective and a specified circumstance by searching a rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having an associated circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the rules base comprises a plurality of rule entries, each rule entry having associated therewith

(i) a rule,

(ii) an objective and a circumstance,

(B) responding to a failed search in step (A) by searching a translation table for a translation entry having an associated first circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, each translation entry having associated therewith a first circumstance and a second circumstance,

(C) responding to a successful search in step (B) of the first translation table by searching the rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having an associated circumstance matching the second circumstance associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (B), and

(D) returning a result of a successful search in step (C).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (D) comprises returning a rule associated with the rule entry found by the successful search in step (C).

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search in step (A) by returning a rule associated with the rule entry found by that search.

4. The method of claim 1, where step (B) includes evaluating an expression specified in a translation table entry.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (B) includes evaluating a function specified as a first circumstance of a translation table entry.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein step (B) includes executing an expression specified in a translation table entry, which expression specifies any of backward chaining and/or evaluation of rules for the accessing of new data.

6. A method of finding a rule for a specified objective and one or more specified circumstances, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) responding to a request for a rule associated with a specified objective and one or more specified circumstances by searching a rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having associated circumstances matching the one or more specified circumstances, where the rules base comprises a plurality of rule entries, each rule entry having associated therewith

(i) a rule,

(ii) an objective and one or more circumstances,

(B) responding to a failed search in step (A) by searching a translation table for a translation entry having an associated first circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, each translation entry having associated therewith a first circumstance and a second circumstance,

(C) responding to a successful search in step (B) of the first translation table by searching the rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective, having an associated circumstance matching the second circumstance associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (B), and having zero, one or more other associated circumstances matching one or more circumstances specified in the request or discerned from translation entries corresponding thereto, and

(D) returning a result of a successful search in step (C).

7. A method of finding a rule for a specified objective and circumstance, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) responding to a request for a rule associated with a specified objective and a specified circumstance by searching a rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having an associated circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the rules base comprises a plurality of rule entries, each rule entry having associated therewith

(i) a rule,

(ii) an objective and a circumstance,

(B) responding to a failed search in step (A) by searching a first translation table for a translation entry having an associated first circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the first translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, one or more of which translation entries have associated therewith a first circumstance and an identifier of a second translation table,

(C) responding to a successful search in step (B) by searching the second translation table for a translation entry having an associated first circumstance matching the specified circumstance, where the second translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, one or more of which translation entries have associated therewith a first circumstance and a second circumstance,

(D) responding to a successful search in step (C) of the second translation table by searching the rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having an associated circumstance matching the second circumstance associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (C), and

(E) returning a result of a successful search in step (D).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (E) comprises returning a rule associated with the rule entry found by the successful search in step (D).

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search in step (A) by returning a result of that search.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search in step (A) by returning the rule entry found by that search.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first translation table comprises, in addition to one or more translation entries having associated therewith a first circumstance and an identifier of the second translation table, one or more translation entries having associated therewith a first circumstance and a second circumstance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (C) includes responding to a successful search in step (B)—

which successful search found a translation entry in the first translation table having associated therewith a first circumstance and an identifier of the second translation table—

by searching the second translation table for a translation entry having an associated first circumstance matching the specified circumstance.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (C) includes responding to a successful search in step (B)—

which successful search found a translation entry in the first translation table having associated therewith a first circumstance and a second circumstance—

by searching the rules base for a rule entry having an associated objective matching the specified objective and having an associated circumstance matching the second circumstance associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (B).

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search in step (C) by returning the rule entry found by that search.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein any of steps (B) and (C) include evaluating an expression specified in a translation table entry.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein any of steps (B) and (C) include evaluating a function specified as a first circumstance of a translation table entry.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein any of steps (B) and (C) include executing an expression specified in a translation table entry, which expression specifies any of backward chaining and/or evaluation of rules for the accessing of new data.